Search found 3300 matches

by JacobH
11:16 Tue 14 Feb 2023
Forum: Travel
Topic: Lodges again
Replies: 24
Views: 11045

Re: Lodges again

Ah. That makes sense. Essentially the same as “Smith” in English. Not sure why the tour guide didn’t just say that! The bird on the older arms looks like a cormorant, especially in that pose. There’s a nice set of arms on this label from 1945. You can see the older ones appear in the top left. Altho...
by JacobH
10:56 Tue 14 Feb 2023
Forum: Travel
Topic: Lodges again
Replies: 24
Views: 11045

Re: Lodges again

After 7g, I went up through the World of Wine to have lunch in the Barão Fladgate Restaurant. It’s so nice when you are carrying suitcases to be able to use lifts rather that just having to slog up the road in the heat as we used to do in the past! Lunch was very pleasant, although the sommelier bro...
by JacobH
10:35 Tue 14 Feb 2023
Forum: Travel
Topic: Lodges again
Replies: 24
Views: 11045

Re: Lodges again

Interesting... the Ferreira 20 YO used to be (when it was called Duque de Braganca) one of the better ones! Hopefully it was just off for whatever reason. It’s called Dona Antónia these days—as with most of the Ferreira Ports by the looks of things—so I’m not sure if they changed the blend or not. ...
by JacobH
13:19 Mon 13 Feb 2023
Forum: Travel
Topic: Lodges again
Replies: 24
Views: 11045

Re: Lodges again

A rail strike meant it was an early morning to get back to Porto on a coach. The Ferriera tour was enjoyable. Starting on the river it worked it way up through the warehouses via the sloping passageways that were used to transport barrels. I haven't been in those before. The tour I went on was adver...
by JacobH
17:20 Wed 08 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week
Replies: 169
Views: 119302

Re: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week

Interesting. Thank you. I wonder if these will be a flash-in-the-pan (a bit like second label VPs like Sandeman Vau were in the late 1990s / early 2000s) or more sustainable. It also appears that there is an informal agreement that Vinhas Velhas is the appropriate name which seems quite sensible to ...
by JacobH
19:03 Tue 07 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: UK Government Cellar List
Replies: 19
Views: 13247

Re: UK Government Cellar List

Back in 2009, I put an FOI list in for the stock list of mature vintage port (in an effort to get around their usual protestations that releasing the list would distort the market). There’s a thread which includes the what they gave me. There were some very entertaining scores and tasting notes abou...
by JacobH
15:49 Tue 07 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week
Replies: 169
Views: 119302

Re: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week

How many of these are there now? Is it just these five: Graham’s Stone Terraces; Taylor’s QdVVV; Qd Noval Nacional; Niepoort Bioma (& friends); and Croft Sērikos? You're also missing at least Vesuvio Capela, and the Warre Vinha Velhas (only one release to date, in 2020 for the 350th anniversary...
by JacobH
14:04 Tue 07 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week
Replies: 169
Views: 119302

Re: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week

I have never found Bioma to be on par with VVV or more recently GST. It might be a cut above a regular Niepoort, but that doesn't necessarily make it on par with the rest of this flight. It's always been marketed as a "regular", albeit IIRC organic, Vintage Port. It’s interesting that you...
by JacobH
19:02 Mon 06 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week
Replies: 169
Views: 119302

Re: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week

Bioma 2017 £3,000 a bottle from Portugal Vineyards. Gosh. I wasn’t expecting that :shock: That’s the same price as a six-pack of the most recent Garrafeira release. Although I can’t actually see much of it for sale. Perhaps they only produced one pipe? But then trying to understand the Niepoort ran...
by JacobH
11:04 Mon 06 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: 1985 Fonseca
Replies: 8
Views: 2356

Re: 1985 Fonseca

I'd like to add that I had a free one of these as one was faulty. The "faulty" one was purely excellent. Still very fruity and high on sugar and needing a good several year still! The only time this happened to me was with some SQVP through one of the Tesco sales. Much to my surprise and ...
by JacobH
10:59 Mon 06 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week
Replies: 169
Views: 119302

Re: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week

Dirk has always made the Bioma as a super-selected, super-special super-cuvée with the intention that’s its quality would be at least as good as the other wines in this flight. Recently Niepoort have changed its pricing and market positioning to better reflect its quality and rarity. New releases o...
by JacobH
22:07 Sun 05 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week
Replies: 169
Views: 119302

Re: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week

SCP wrote: 21:11 Sun 05 Feb 2023 Could Sandeman Seixo work? It’s probably also not in the same premium category like the others either.
I’ve only tried the 2013 which, from taste alone, didn’t seem to me to be more than a standard SQVP. Is it a premium over the classic Sandeman VP blend?
by JacobH
20:20 Sun 05 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Tasting Notes
Topic: NV Churchill Club Tawny
Replies: 0
Views: 695

NV Churchill Club Tawny

I was looking for something to open tonight in the wine fridge which I could drink for the sake of drinking without feeling too guilty. In rummaging around, I found the second bottle of the “one time” club tawny. I thought to myself: “I don‘t need to write a note. I’ve drunk this before. I can just ...
by JacobH
11:09 Sun 05 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week
Replies: 169
Views: 119302

Re: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week

Sorry: should have been clearer: it was 100ml over the 4 glasses so 25ml each. (Although in fairness to me I was merely transposing what the menu said!). I think £49 for 400ml of this wines would be less than their retail price and probably their wholesale price, too! I see what you mean about the N...
by JacobH
21:11 Sat 04 Feb 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week
Replies: 169
Views: 119302

Re: Hotel or Restaurant Price List of the Week

Someone took me, very generously, to lunch at Hide on Piccadilly recently. Their assistant Sommelier, Martin Kleveta, is described as the first-ever UK Master of Port . I did think this might be a Port-specific version of the MW qualification but perhaps thankfully for my bank balance, it seems to b...
by JacobH
13:18 Thu 02 Feb 2023
Forum: Travel
Topic: Lodges again
Replies: 24
Views: 11045

Re: Lodges again

Thank you all for these recommendations. I had a very nice tasting and tour at Cockburn in their private room back in 2021: amazing how much it had changed from my first visit back in pre-Symington days! I also agree with Ramos Pinto. I went there in 2020 and it’s really nice you can just choose fro...
by JacobH
10:19 Fri 27 Jan 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Port for sale by retailer
Replies: 1537
Views: 809447

Re: Port for sale by retailer

Yes. They also seemed to have the Croft 1994 as two separate items. I tried to buy 4 from one; they sent me an email saying they only had 3 in stock; but the “other” Croft 1994 remained available...
by JacobH
18:18 Sun 22 Jan 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Latest buy
Replies: 2095
Views: 831344

Re: Latest buy

Despite limiting purchases to 4 per customer, Harvey Nick’s have emailed me to apologise that they can only send me 3 bottles of the Croft 1994 with my order and looking at the limited selection left, it appears that :tpf: has done a fairly effective clear-out in the last 48 hours...
by JacobH
18:14 Sun 22 Jan 2023
Forum: Travel
Topic: Lodges again
Replies: 24
Views: 11045

Lodges again

I think I am going to have half-a-day in Porto in a few week’s time, en route back to the airport from Coimbra. I’m trying to work out how to maximise my Port tasting. Current plan is something like a lodge tour, lunch, then trying to visit Lado (which has been closed the last 3 times I’ve been ther...
by JacobH
17:52 Sun 22 Jan 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: O-PORT-UNIDADE II
Replies: 8
Views: 2856

Re: O-PORT-UNIDADE II

If you missed out on getting the first edition Jacob, I have three dozen in bond (in cases of three) - could spare a case.. I did, indeed, and have only seen it for sale in Portugal after maxing out my suitcase allowance so if I could buy a case-of-three from you that would be excellent. I’ll send ...
by JacobH
17:51 Sun 22 Jan 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Please help me find a 1964 Dow
Replies: 7
Views: 2131

Re: Please help me find a 1964 Dow Bomfim

Glenn E. wrote: 21:42 Sat 21 Jan 2023In other news, I have just arranged to purchase a 1964 Messias LBV (bottled 1969)
Wonder how much of that they expected to be around in 2023 when they were bottling it in 1969?! Although presumably it was a Portugese-style one so may have survived a bit better than a modern filtered LBV?
by JacobH
17:26 Thu 19 Jan 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: O-PORT-UNIDADE II
Replies: 8
Views: 2856

Re: O-PORT-UNIDADE II

I’m really pleased to see this project still continuing! Need to make sure I get hold of a bottle of the new one.
by JacobH
16:02 Wed 11 Jan 2023
Forum: Port Conversations
Topic: Port for sale by retailer
Replies: 1537
Views: 809447

Re: Port for sale by retailer

Uncorked is having a January sale which includes the 2016 Qd Noval for £63.99 DP, down from £79.99. I’m not sure what the going rate for this is but I usually find their prices to be quite fair if you fancy picking up a bottle to try.
by JacobH
12:00 Wed 11 Jan 2023
Forum: Other Fortified Wines
Topic: NV Quady Starboard Batch 88
Replies: 7
Views: 2117

Re: NV Quady Starboard Batch 88

I wonder how much of it they sell? Their Elysium black muscat is quite widely available here. I think one of the supermarkets stocks it and I see it on wine lists quite frequently. Makes me wonder if the “Port” is a side project. Also: this reminds me that it is ages since I have had a bottle of the...
by JacobH
10:05 Tue 10 Jan 2023
Forum: Other Fortified Wines
Topic: NV Quady Starboard Batch 88
Replies: 7
Views: 2117

Re: NV Quady Starboard Batch 88

The “Batch 88” seems to be part of the name, now, like Fonseca Bin 27. Apparently this blend was first made in 1988. I did wonder if they were sufficiently cheaper in America to bridge the price gap with Port, especially since Port is, I think, generally a bit more expensive in the States than here....