ThePortForum.com

Hi all

Due to shortage of space for standing bottles in my wine cabinet I was wondering if I can lie down some of the Tawny bottles as well?
Is there any disadvantage for the Port?

Regards

Del

No problems whatsoever, provided the cork is tight.

MigSU's proviso is important. It is not unknown for wines that have stood up for a few years to have corks that have dried out a little and that will seep if you lay the bottles down; or for tawnies to be bottled with t - stoppers which can degrade over time in the same way. So - I am happy to lay flat recently - bottled tawnies, but I wouldn't normally lay down older bottles I was buying in the secondary market.

good advise - I will do so - thanks!

Despite having been aged in wood where it slowly oxidizes, tawny Port doesn't want further oxidation while in the bottle any more than VP does. It is preferable to store tawny Port on its side just like most other wines. (Madeira being one exception where it isn't necessary.)

My cellar is probably 30% tawny Port, and mine are all lying down. Provided you aren't planning to keep a stoppered bottle on its side for decades, and also considering MigSU's caution, it is probably a good idea to go ahead and lie them down. Check them often, then less often as time goes by, since they've been stored standing for a while. This is to make sure that they don't leak, but once they've been lying down for a while with no leaks there's nothing more to worry about.

I do have some very old (bottled long time ago) bottles of Tawny - I will lay down the newer bottles or the ones without t-stoppers and observe them reguarly.

As Glenn, all my tawny are lying down, with the exception of one bottle of Dalva due to the "melted" shape. This includes recent and old bottlings, mostly t-stoppers and (a small number with) driven corks; no leakage problem with any of them so far.