3-year old Chocolate Raspberry Port Still good?

[Rmarsh]

I started making wine about 3.5 years ago with a couple kits and a few batches of SP/dragon’s blood, and after only about half a dozen batches took a bit of a hiatus (almost 3 years!)... I keep my carboys in an empty coat closet, and had more or less neglected a double batch of WE port that was still in a 6 gal carboy. After resolving to get back into the hobby this past weekend I racked it into a 5 gal (plus a couple of swing-tops for tasting/testing), and there was a TON of lees left in the original, I can’t even remember if I racked it after fining. The airlock was completely dry and probably had been for over 2 years i’m guessing, but in a glass the wine was completely clear, still had legs and smelled of high alcohol content as it should. My wife and I both tasted it, (tasted fine...) and there were no other anomalies like floaties or residue or off-tastes or smells. So long story short, am I crazy to think that a wine sitting on gross lees with a dry airlock with no racking for over 3 years is perfectly fine and drinkable?? Thanks, and glad to be reviving the hobby.

 

[Johnd]

It wouldn’t have been first choice to think that it’s ok, but if it is, then it is. Perhaps high alcohol and a lot of residual sugar helped with some measure of protection after your airlock went dry and sulfite was spoken for. Perhaps it’s starting down the road of a tawny port. At any rate, hit it with 1/4 tsp of sulfite and get it bottled.

Just curious, were you using a 3 piece airlock or one of the S type airlock?

 

[Rmarsh]

I used the S-type, does that bring up any thoughts on the outcome?

I did rack it onto Kmeta, and only used one of the 2 F-packs during the initial process, no sorbate or other additives on this racking... it’s been about 72 hrs and no new haze/cloudiness or lees layer, so i’m pretty optimistic.

 

[Johnd]

I used the S-type, does that bring up any thoughts on the outcome?

No, just a curiosity.......

 

[pillswoj]

If it was well topped up and there were no drastic temperature changes then even with the airlock dry there would not have been a lot of air transfer into the carboy.

 

[drainsurgeon]

Had the wine been fortified during the 3 years sitting? I've never made a Port from a kit so not sure. I'm just curious if you know what the ABV was while it was sitting.