Instructions

1. Stand your bottle of port upright on the counter 24 hours before you plan on serving it.

2. When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the cork from the bottle. Try to keep the bottle flat on the conter rather than holding it with your hands or arms while removing the cork. This will stir up the sediment and make it more difficult to pour. If the bottle does get shaken up, let it rest for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

3. With the lights dimmed, light your candle and place it beside your decanter. Hold the bottle with both hands directly over the candle so it illuminates the wine as it passes through the neck of the bottle. Very slowly, but in one smooth motion (so as not to stir up the contents of the bottle), pour the contents into the decanter until the wine in the neck of the bottle begins to get cloudy or shows signs of sediment.

4. Serve the port immediately.