ThePortForum.com

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• Planning and arrangements;
• Placemats;
• Tasting notes:
  • 1873 Schofield;
  • 1896 Elviro Garcia ‘Refreshed’ tawny;
  • 1932 Butler Nephew;
  • 1938 Hooper;
  • 1942 Hooper;
  • 1944 Hooper colheita;
  • 1947 Barros colheita;
  • 1952 Barros colheita;
  • Infantado Vintage Character, bottled October 1996.

Oscar Wilde, in [i]The Birthday of the Infanta[/i], wrote:This so upset the gravity of the Infanta that she kept on laughing long after the little Dwarf had run out of the arena, and expressed a desire to her uncle that the dance should be immediately repeated. The Camerera, however, ! having given orders that the little dwarf was to dance again for her after the hour of siesta, !

Now when the little Dwarf heard that he was to dance a second time before the Infanta, and by her own express command, he was so proud that he ran out into the garden, kissing the white rose in an absurd ecstasy of pleasure, and making the most uncouth and clumsy gestures of delight.

The Flowers were quite indignant at his daring to intrude into their beautiful home, and when they saw him capering up and down the walks, and waving his arms above his head in such a ridiculous manner, they could not restrain their feelings any longer.

‟He is really far too ugly to be allowed to play in any place where we are,” cried the Tulips.
!
‟He is a perfect horror!” screamed the Cactus. ‟Why, he is twisted and stumpy, and his head is completely out of proportion with his legs. Really he makes me feel prickly all over, and if he comes near me I will sting him with my thorns.”
!
Even the red Geraniums, who did not usually give themselves airs, and were known to have a great many poor relations themselves, curled up in disgust when they saw him, and when the Violets meekly remarked that though he was certainly extremely plain, still he could not help it, they retorted with a good deal of justice that that was his chief defect, and that there was no reason why one should admire a person because he was incurable; and, indeed, some of the Violets themselves felt that the ugliness of the little Dwarf was almost ostentatious, and that he would have shown much better taste if he had looked sad, or at least pensive, instead of jumping about merrily, and throwing himself into such grotesque and silly attitudes.
!
The Lizards ! took an immense fancy to him, and when he grew tired of running about and flung himself down on the grass to rest, they played and romped all over him, and tried to amuse him in the best way they could. ‟Every one cannot be as beautiful as a lizard,” they cried; ‟that would be too much to expect. And, though it sounds absurd to say so, he is really not so ugly after all, provided, of course, that one shuts one’s eyes, and does not look at him.”