| Most Vintage Port need decanting to separate the | | | | put down ensuring no Guests will hog it! |
| Crust or sediment from the wine and to aerate | | | | It is also traditionally bad form to reach for the |
| allowing the wine to develop. The best way to | | | | Port or to directly ask for a refill. If the Port is |
| decant Port is to stand the bottle upright for an | | | | stalled in its travel or becomes anchored to the |
| hour or so - even 10 to 20 minutes will help to | | | | table the proper way to request it is to ask the |
| allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the | | | | nearest person to the Port if they know the |
| bottle. Then take a funnel with a filter and gently | | | | Bishop of Norwich, a reference to an alleged |
| pour the Port into the decanter. | | | | stingy character. Should the reply be No I do not |
| Port purists would use a plain crystal Port | | | | know the Bishop of Norwich, the riposte should be |
| Decanter so you can view the nectar clearly. | | | | He is an awfully nice chap, but he never passes |
| Usually the Port Decanter will have a more | | | | the port! This should release the port from its |
| bulbous base and relatively short neck. This allows | | | | base to be passed around to the left to you. |
| a greater surface area for oxygen to mix with | | | | Tradition also has it that the whole bottle or |
| the wine allowing it to develop faster. | | | | decanter is shared and drunk at one sitting and |
| The universal Ships decanter can also be used to | | | | that no one leaves the table until it is finished. |
| serve Port too. | | | | Port is not only a serious drink it is also very |
| A fun and traditional way to serve port is by | | | | much a fun drink to be shared with friends and |
| using a Hoggit Decanter. This is a round bottomed | | | | family, somehow it tastes so much better when |
| decanter with a separate base normally Wooden | | | | decanted into a Port decanter. |
| or a Silver Hoggit base. The idea is that the Host | | | | The choice of decanter is very much a personal |
| having filled the glass of the Guest to his right | | | | one dependent on your taste and budget, be it |
| passes the Port to his left and the Guests then | | | | plain crystal decanter or a hand cut crystal |
| always fill the glass to their right before passing | | | | decanter. The most important thing is to enjoy |
| on to the left and the decanter passes around | | | | the banter, fellowship and companionship that |
| the table and is returned to the base. Because of | | | | sharing Port brings. |
| the rounded base the decanter clearly cannot be | | | | |