Paul Gregutt
Wine adviser

Q. You have frequently covered the correct retention methods for opened bottles of table wines. What should be the procedures and life expectancy of those fortified wines we tend to retain forever, such as port, sherry and vermouth?
A. Let’s focus on port wines first. Because ports contain distilled spirits (brandy), they are not subject to the type of disintegration as ordinary, unfortified wines. However, only vintage ports from Portugal should be cellar-aged and can be expected to improve over time. A recent tasting of vintage and late bottled vintage ports, conducted by port expert Roy Hersh, showed that wines from the 1977, 1983 and 1985 vintages were now drinking quite well, but in no danger of moving quickly past their peak.
Tawny ports and other, non-vintage styles are generally meant to be consumed within a few years of bottling. Once opened, they should be stored in the bottle in a cool, dark cupboard — not in a decanter — and they will keep for up to a month. I have much less experience with sherry wines of Jerez, but again there is a wide range of styles. The light, dry, salty styles should be consumed like any white wine. The dark, sweet, dessert sherries may hold well in the bottle for a week or two after being opened.
You are on your own with vermouth — it is not something I am familiar with.