crusted port
Preserved but no longer current.
When port is first bottled its fermentation is not complete; m time it precipitates argol on the sides of the bottle, where it forms a crust. Crusted port, there- fore, is port which has completed its fermenta- tion. A splash of whitewash is usually dabbed on the bottle so that it will be kept the right way up, for careless movement would cause the crust to slip and spoil the wine.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “crusted port” mean?
When port is first bottled its fermentation is not complete; m time it precipitates argol on the sides of the bottle, where it forms a crust. Crusted port, there- fore, is port which has completed its fermenta- tion. A splash of whitewash is usually dabbed on the bottle so that it will be kept the right way up, for careless movement would cause the crust to slip and spoil the wine.
Is “crusted port” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.