Organising Your Port
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14906
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Organising Your Port
I've just spent a very happy couple of hours going through the contents of my recently moved collection of bottles (recently moved only because the builders are now demolishing the room where they were kept).
I now have all my port ay home in alphabetical order by shipper, chronologically within each shipper and then in sub-order of date of acquiring them.
I know, I'm sad but I did have fun putting them in this order.
So how do you organise your bottles?
I now have all my port ay home in alphabetical order by shipper, chronologically within each shipper and then in sub-order of date of acquiring them.
I know, I'm sad but I did have fun putting them in this order.
So how do you organise your bottles?
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
Re: Organising Your Port
I have two wine coolers. I very occassionaly pull all of the bottles out and put them back in chronological order but with no regard to alpha order of the shippers within each vintage. Shoddy, but true.
The exceptions to this are that (a) Nacionals all lie on one shelf and never move until being taken out to drink and (b) anything I have 6 of gets a whole shelf to itself, not necessarily in the chronilogical order.
I am glad I am not as geeky as AHB when it comes to matters of storage.
The exceptions to this are that (a) Nacionals all lie on one shelf and never move until being taken out to drink and (b) anything I have 6 of gets a whole shelf to itself, not necessarily in the chronilogical order.
I am glad I am not as geeky as AHB when it comes to matters of storage.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
Re: Organising Your Port
Mine are grouped more-or-less by age, sub sorted by perceived quality. Since I'm using a wine fridge for storage, I can't be too picky about where each bottle must reside or there will be too many holes on the shelves, so it would be optimistic to say that my bottles are sorted. I do know where everything is, but the "order" would probably not be apparent to anyone else.
Like Derek, I also sort out sets of 6 (or 12) onto separate shelves. In my case, all of my sets of 6 or 12 are younger Ports that need to lie down for many years, so I've migrated them toward the bottom of the fridge where the temperature is presumably slightly cooler (and more constant).
Like Derek, I also sort out sets of 6 (or 12) onto separate shelves. In my case, all of my sets of 6 or 12 are younger Ports that need to lie down for many years, so I've migrated them toward the bottom of the fridge where the temperature is presumably slightly cooler (and more constant).
Glenn Elliott
Re: Organising Your Port
I think its fair to say that what I store on site I don't organise. Due to space constraints I don't have that many bottles at home and quite frequently cannot find something or find something I had lost. It can be fun and it can be frustrating, on reflection mostly fun.
I would love one day to organise things much more but that will probably wait until the little'ies grow up a bit.
I would love one day to organise things much more but that will probably wait until the little'ies grow up a bit.
Re: Organising Your Port
Collections of bottles go in a hole in the rack big enough to accommodate them. If there multiple choices of hole, I endeavour to choose one near like wines (age or house). Bottles have neck tags, and there is the inevitable spreadsheet.
Re: Organising Your Port
I put my ready to drink and lesser ports up front like pawns to protect my rooks and bishops. The key is to always have a buffer of cellar defenders.
Re: Organising Your Port
What a great term for quality but everyday-drinking port.Portman wrote:cellar defenders
- Alex Bridgeman
- Graham’s 1948
- Posts: 14906
- Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
- Location: Berkshire, UK
Re: Organising Your Port
Now there's an idea for a thread sometime...jdaw1 wrote:What a great term for quality but everyday-drinking port.Portman wrote:cellar defenders
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
Re: Organising Your Port
...and an off-line themeAHB wrote:Now there's an idea for a thread sometime...jdaw1 wrote:What a great term for quality but everyday-drinking port.Portman wrote:cellar defenders
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- Axel P
- Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
- Posts: 2027
- Joined: 08:09 Wed 12 Sep 2007
- Location: Langenfeld, near Cologne, Germany
- Contact:
Re: Organising Your Port
I organised them by year and if I do not have enough from a specific year I bundled them together such as 1978 to 1980.
Axel
Axel
worldofport.com
o-port-unidade.com
o-port-unidade.com
- uncle tom
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3519
- Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
- Location: Near Saffron Walden, England
Re: Organising Your Port
My cellar is ordered loosely, but I put my faith in tagging every bottle, numbering every rack, assigning a letter to every column of each rack and a number to each row - and then telling my computer where I've put things.
For the tags, I have a three figure 'case number' and then a letter for the bottle number.
Thus case number 333C is the third bottle from case number 333. (which happens to be Croft '70) My computer tells me that the first bottle from the case is stored at location 03A06 - rack three, column A, row 6. The bottles are always racked vertically, so I know that bottle C will lie in the row below (rack 3 is a double depth rack)
My main database tells me essential infrmation about each case - which wine, where bought, when, how much for, how many bottles, what format & how many bottles have been drunk or sold.
For each line on the database, there is a link to a case notes file, which records more detailed information for the purchase as a whole - mainly provenance and bottler information - and for each bottle - level and condition, tasting notes or details of to whom sold.
I have also written a raft of macros to analyse the data in various ways..
Tom
For the tags, I have a three figure 'case number' and then a letter for the bottle number.
Thus case number 333C is the third bottle from case number 333. (which happens to be Croft '70) My computer tells me that the first bottle from the case is stored at location 03A06 - rack three, column A, row 6. The bottles are always racked vertically, so I know that bottle C will lie in the row below (rack 3 is a double depth rack)
My main database tells me essential infrmation about each case - which wine, where bought, when, how much for, how many bottles, what format & how many bottles have been drunk or sold.
For each line on the database, there is a link to a case notes file, which records more detailed information for the purchase as a whole - mainly provenance and bottler information - and for each bottle - level and condition, tasting notes or details of to whom sold.
I have also written a raft of macros to analyse the data in various ways..
Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
- Axel P
- Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
- Posts: 2027
- Joined: 08:09 Wed 12 Sep 2007
- Location: Langenfeld, near Cologne, Germany
- Contact:
Re: Organising Your Port
Tom, you fully lost me on the way. If I had your system, I would only be able to source a bottle when totally drunk, because then it wouldnt matter anyways.Axel P wrote:My cellar is ordered loosely, but I put my faith in tagging every bottle, numbering every rack, assigning a letter to every column of each rack and a number to each row - and then telling my computer where I've put things.
For the tags, I have a three figure 'case number' and then a letter for the bottle number.
Thus case number 333C is the third bottle from case number 333. (which happens to be Croft '70) My computer tells me that the first bottle from the case is stored at location 03A06 - rack three, column A, row 6. The bottles are always racked vertically, so I know that bottle C will lie in the row below (rack 3 is a double depth rack)
My main database tells me essential infrmation about each case - which wine, where bought, when, how much for, how many bottles, what format & how many bottles have been drunk or sold.
For each line on the database, there is a link to a case notes file, which records more detailed information for the purchase as a whole - mainly provenance and bottler information - and for each bottle - level and condition, tasting notes or details of to whom sold.
I have also written a raft of macros to analyse the data in various ways..
Axel
worldofport.com
o-port-unidade.com
o-port-unidade.com
Re: Organising Your Port
Some of you guys have some incredible cellars. Case 333? I've got probably 500 bottles and my friends think I am nuts. Just because I go down there and talk to my favorite bottles doesnt prove a thing.
Re: Organising Your Port
You fit right in herePortman wrote:I've got probably 500 bottles and my friends think I am nuts. Just because I go down there and talk to my favorite bottles doesnt prove a thing.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn
- KillerB
- Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
- Posts: 2425
- Joined: 22:09 Wed 20 Jun 2007
- Location: Sky Blue City, England
Re: Organising Your Port
Does anybody need reminding that AHB is an Accountant?
If have a space, a new bottle will go in there. That's my system.
If have a space, a new bottle will go in there. That's my system.
Port is basically a red drink
- RonnieRoots
- Fonseca 1980
- Posts: 1981
- Joined: 08:28 Thu 21 Jun 2007
- Location: Middle Earth
Re: Organising Your Port
You have tremendous willpower. I don't. My system is: if I have space, a new bottle will go there. If I don't, a new case will have to be nudged in somehow.KillerB wrote:If have a space, a new bottle will go in there. That's my system.
But given that most of my bottles are in offsite storage at the moment, I do have a sort of a system. Cases are numbered, and everything is in cellartracker. That way I know where to look if I want something out of there. Which still means that case will be at the bottom of the pile of course.
- uncle tom
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3519
- Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
- Location: Near Saffron Walden, England
Re: Organising Your Port
My most recent entry has been allocated the case number 805 - however, I started at 100 and every part case, even lone bottles; get a case number.Case 333?
Tom
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
- KillerB
- Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
- Posts: 2425
- Joined: 22:09 Wed 20 Jun 2007
- Location: Sky Blue City, England
Re: Organising Your Port
Hang on - I didn't say that I wouldn't buy wine just because there is no space, just if there is space a wine will go there. Hence the higgledy piggledy nature of my filing system. I have cases all over the place and spare bottles hanging around on shelves, stuff precariously dangling by gossamer thin threads from light-bulbs. For pity's sake don't accuse me of restraint.RonnieRoots wrote:You have tremendous willpower. I don't. My system is: if I have space, a new bottle will go there. If I don't, a new case will have to be nudged in somehow.KillerB wrote:If have a space, a new bottle will go in there. That's my system.
Port is basically a red drink
- RonnieRoots
- Fonseca 1980
- Posts: 1981
- Joined: 08:28 Thu 21 Jun 2007
- Location: Middle Earth
Re: Organising Your Port
Glad to hear that --sigh of relief--KillerB wrote:Hang on - I didn't say that I wouldn't buy wine just because there is no space, just if there is space a wine will go there. Hence the higgledy piggledy nature of my filing system. I have cases all over the place and spare bottles hanging around on shelves, stuff precariously dangling by gossamer thin threads from light-bulbs. For pity's sake don't accuse me of restraint.RonnieRoots wrote:You have tremendous willpower. I don't. My system is: if I have space, a new bottle will go there. If I don't, a new case will have to be nudged in somehow.KillerB wrote:If have a space, a new bottle will go in there. That's my system.
Re: Organising Your Port
uncle tom wrote:My most recent entry has been allocated the case number 805 - however, I started at 100 and every part case, even lone bottles; get a case number.Case 333?
Tom
I'm still impressed.
Re: Organising Your Port
I take the , if I'm still sober, then a new bottle could definitely in the cellar.KillerB wrote:Does anybody need reminding that AHB is an Accountant?
If have a space, a new bottle will go in there. That's my system.
Otherwise I'm at capacity =(
Disclosure: Distributor of Quevedo wines and Quinta do Gomariz
- KillerB
- Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1987
- Posts: 2425
- Joined: 22:09 Wed 20 Jun 2007
- Location: Sky Blue City, England
Re: Organising Your Port
I have no idea what you are trying to say here. I assume something about the use of a comma as a pause replacing 'then' but no excuse for the inapproprate space or frankly baffling end to the sentence. If this was an attempt at piss-taking then please ensure that the satire is pertinently accurateg-man wrote:I take the , if I'm still sober, then a new bottle could definitely in the cellar.KillerB wrote:Does anybody need reminding that AHB is an Accountant?
If have a space, a new bottle will go in there. That's my system.
Otherwise I'm at capacity =(
Port is basically a red drink
- uncle tom
- Dalva Golden White Colheita 1952
- Posts: 3519
- Joined: 23:43 Wed 20 Jun 2007
- Location: Near Saffron Walden, England
Re: Organising Your Port
At the time of writing, I suspect..Otherwise I'm at capacity =(
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly - W.S. Churchill
Re: Organising Your Port
At my other board we use the shorthand "PWI" in cases like these. Posting While Intoxicated
Re: Organising Your Port
It would be more appropriate to use PWNI on this site to avoid over-usePortman wrote:At my other board we use the shorthand "PWI" in cases like these. Posting While Intoxicated
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Ernest H. Cockburn