Wed 24th of February 2016 Vesuvio tasting

[Alex Bridgeman]

Has anyone spoken with Johnny to see whether he is available to join us for this tasting?

No, not yet; can you please approach him?

rgds

WS1

Will do.

[WS1]

Hi,

When reflecting over the tastings we had recently over the weekend I thought about the Vesuvio tasting. Quite frankly I would not want for this event let the attendees decant their wines at home and bring to the tasting. Over the last two tastings we had at the B&F (85 and 75 tasting) I had in too many glasses remains of sediment and felt this practical approach proved too flaky and not as clean/accurate as I would want this to be for the Vesuvio tasting. The problem simply is that not all the bts used for the tasting stood up well in advance and were properly decanted.
My plan to improve on this is the following. I gather all bottles before and make sure they are standing up well in advance. In order to avoid problems I offer to prepare the 12 oldest Vesuvios at my home and bring them double decanted to the B&F. In order to facilitate this I would work from home that day and take the afternoon off. The other Vesuvios I would deposit either at the B&F or if easier in JDAW's or AHB's hands to bring to the tasting. Also I would want for this tasting the ports be opened well in advance (take the cork out but not decant). My opening/decanting plan in detail:

vintage opening time Decanting
1989 10: 00AM 2:00PM
1990 10:00AM 2:00PM
1991 10:00AM 2:00PM
1992 10:00AM 2:00PM
1994 9:30AM 1:00PM
1995 9:30AM 1:00PM
1996 9:30AM 1:00PM
1997 9:30AM 1:00PM
1998 9:00AM 12:00PM
1999 9:00AM 12:00PM
2000 9:00AM 12:00PM
2001 9:00AM 12:00PM
2003 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2004 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2005 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2006 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2007 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2008 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2009 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2010 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2011 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2012 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2013 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day

For the ports at the B&F I would go there in the evening before the tasting and take the cork out and put back on. I hope I can leave the ports there standing up a week in advance. Furthermore I hope I can persuade at AHB or JDAW to help me decanting and prepouring at the B&F. Any other person willing to help at the B&F is welcome as well. Also we would need to finalise the costing for the event since we are 14 people (industry guest not paying) and 23 bts of port.

Can I also with this post kindly ask all attendees to stand up any Vesuvio bts they had offered for this tasting as a precautionary measure. With two months time left this will be enough time for even fine sediment to settle down. Any transport of such bts for the tasting in order to get into JDAW, AHB or my possession should be done bt standing up as well. I will send PMs to each attendee in order to coordinate how most safely and easily the bts can get into my possesion.

regards

WS1

[jdaw1]

That all works for me.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Has anyone spoken with Johnny to see whether he is available to join us for this tasting?

No, not yet; can you please approach him?

rgds

WS1

Will do.

No reply yet, I will gently chase in the New Year.

[Alex Bridgeman]

vintage opening time Decanting
1989 10: 00AM 2:00PM
1990 10:00AM 2:00PM
1991 10:00AM 2:00PM
1992 10:00AM 2:00PM
1994 9:30AM 1:00PM
1995 9:30AM 1:00PM
1996 9:30AM 1:00PM
1997 9:30AM 1:00PM
1998 9:00AM 12:00PM
1999 9:00AM 12:00PM
2000 9:00AM 12:00PM
2001 9:00AM 12:00PM
2003 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2004 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2005 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2006 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2007 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2008 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2009 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2010 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2011 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2012 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day
2013 night before tasting Decant where possible tasting day

For the ports at the B&F I would go there in the evening before the tasting and take the cork out and put back on. I hope I can leave the ports there standing up a week in advance. Furthermore I hope I can persuade at AHB or JDAW to help me decanting and prepouring at the B&F. Any other person willing to help at the B&F is welcome as well. Also we would need to finalise the costing for the event since we are 14 people (industry guest not paying) and 23 bts of port.

I'm happy to do this.

Can I also with this post kindly ask all attendees to stand up any Vesuvio bts they had offered for this tasting as a precautionary measure. With two months time left this will be enough time for even fine sediment to settle down. Any transport of such bts for the tasting in order to get into JDAW, AHB or my possession should be done bt standing up as well. I will send PMs to each attendee in order to coordinate how most safely and easily the bts can get into my possession.

Could you remind us who is supplying which bottles please? I'll then stand up the bottles I am supplying.

[WS1]

All,

apologies I have been offline with a bad cold. Please find in the following the costing outline. At the 1985 tasting we discovered that simplifying the price of bottles made life much simpler. As a result we use either £35 or £55 per bottle depending on age (before and including Vesuvio 1994 we use 55£ and from 1995 onwards we use 35£). Adding some additional organisational cost this leads to the cost of port per head for the tasting of 70£. With the addition of 50£ as an estimate for food we come to the estimated cost per head for the tasting of 120£.
Thanks a lot to AHB to work out the costing plan by looking at current UK low price on Wine Searcher and then assuming that we are able to beat these prices on average by about 20% through having purchased some time ago or by buying at auction.
Factoring in availabilty of bts etc. please find in the following the list of attendees and their port contributions for the tasting:

DrDirk: 89, 90 and cash surplus of 40£
WS1: 99, 00
MPM: 70£ contribution
JWEW: 94, 98 and cash surplus of 20£
CPR: 95, 05
JDAW: 70£ contribution
DRT: 70£ contribution
AHB: 97, 06, 07, 10, 11 and cash surplus of 105£
DJ: 92 and 15£ contribution
PW: 96 and 35£ contribution
IDJ: 91 and 15£ contribution
friend of WS1: 08, 09
AP: 01, 03, 04, 12, 13 and cash surplus of 105£

In order to avoid problems due to short notice cancellations I want to get the ports most easily and quickly into my posession as well collecting the contributions in order to settle the port bill before the tasting. This leads to the following "port transporting" for the tasting:

CPR: bring 95, 98 and 05 to the upcoming offline;
JWEW: bring 94 and 98 to the tasting and pass on to WS1 and CPR
AHB: WS1 to pick up 96, 97, 06, 07, 10, 11 from his home or coordinate meet up for hand over
DJ: bring 92 to tasting and hand over to DrDirk
PW: bring 96 to tasting and hand over to AHB
IDJ: coordinate hand over of 91 with WS1
AP: WS1 to pick up 01, 03, 04, 12, 13 in the next few weeks.

I will PM each attendee who needs to do a cash contribution my account details. I hope with these arrangements the transporting efforts has been kept to the absolute minimum. Hopefully with tomorrow evening I have 89, 90, 92, 94, 95, 98, 99, 00, 05, 08, 09 and 10 already in my possesion. With trips to AHB, IDJ and AP all bts should come easily in my possesion. At the tasting we do the residual balancing of the bt contributions. And as a result I can follow my opening and decanting plan,

regards

WS1

[flash_uk]

Nice work Wolfgang! Much appreciated.

[djewesbury]

I'm confused. How should I get my 92 over and to whom, when? Wolfgang's post says I bring it to the tasting and hand it to Dr. Dirk. Why, and why? It then says that he will have the 92 in his possession by tomorrow. I'm even more confused.

Also, just a thought, food doesn't usually come to more than £40 a head at the B&F.

[DRT]

Adding some additional organisational cost

Wolfgang, can you please explain to us what these additional organisational costs are? I can't think of anything else we would normally pay for other than Port and food?

Also, have you already checked with all of those contributing bottles that they are happy with your assumed average of £35 per bottle?

[WS1]

I'm confused. How should I get my 92 over and to whom, when? Wolfgang's post says I bring it to the tasting and hand it to Dr. Dirk. Why, and why? It then says that he will have the 92 in his possession by tomorrow. I'm even more confused.

Also, just a thought, food doesn't usually come to more than £40 a head at the B&F.

DrDirk's bt of 92 is already in my posession which can be used. So I thought it is easier to use this bt and you give your bt of Vesuvio 92 to him at the tasting. Also I used 50£ just as an estimate; happy for you to use 40£s

regards

WS1

[WS1]

Adding some additional organisational cost

Wolfgang, can you please explain to us what these additional organisational costs are? I can't think of anything else we would normally pay for other than Port and food?

inclusion of the Industry guest and some rounding in order to avoid going down some even more detailed route.

regards

WS1

[WS1]

Also, have you already checked with all of those contributing bottles that they are happy with your assumed average of £35 per bottle?

No I have not; if it is a problem they can alternatively pay 35£ or 55£ per bt as outlined. So no need for checking

[DRT]

OK, thanks.

[PhilW]

Wolfgang - If anyone else has a V96 more readily available which they would be happy to provide, I would be happy to adopt/pay, as this might also simplify getting the bottle to you earlier as requested; With my ongoing situation I am less likely to attend a testing before this one, so would would need to extract the case from storage and send the bottle to you by courier; I'm assuming I should be able to attend this tasting, but will happily provide bottle or cost share in either case. If this is possible please let me know.

[WS1]

since my friend dropped out added BMHR to the tasting attendees and update reserve list.

regards

WS1

[Alex Bridgeman]

1996, 1997 and 2006 bottles were delivered to B&F on Wednesday and are standing in the cellar.

[Alex Bridgeman]

2007 and 2011 both delivered to the B&F today and are standing up in the Green cellar.

[djewesbury]

Apologies everyone. Now that I finally have my full timetable for this semester I have to drop out of this tasting - it's absolutely impossible for me I'm afraid. Sorry also for the late notice.

[flash_uk]

Apologies everyone. Now that I finally have my full timetable for this semester I have to drop out of this tasting - it's absolutely impossible for me I'm afraid. Sorry also for the late notice.

That's a shame. Hopefully see you soon, or if not, at the BFT!

[WS1]

Apologies everyone. Now that I finally have my full timetable for this semester I have to drop out of this tasting - it's absolutely impossible for me I'm afraid. Sorry also for the late notice.

Very sad; noted and SCD is in for you. Thank God we did detailed planning and most ports are already in Axel's or my posession.

regards

WS1

[Alex Bridgeman]

I recommend that we pre-order our food so as to make the lives of our hosts as easy as possible. Since we are only two weeks away from the tasting, now is the time to decide what to eat.

The online menu for the B&F Offers the following:
Starters
Truffle Mac & Cheese £5.25
Potted shrimps with granary toast £8.25
Wild mushrooms on toast with walnut pesto £7.25 v.
Roasted beetroot and goat’s cheese salad with toasted walnuts £7.25 v.
Plate of smoked salmon £7.25
Crab toast with chilli, fennel and avocado £8.95
Chicken liver parfait with toast £6.95
Smoked mackerel with apple and fennel £7.95

Cold main dishes
served with green salad and buttered new potatoes
Cold poached salmon £13.95
Hand carved home baked ham £12.95
Cured ox tongue £13.95
Rare sirloin of beef £13.95
Mixed meat selection £15.50
Game pie £13.95

Hot main dishes
Gammon, egg and chips with, or without, black pudding £12.95/£13.95
Grilled scallops and bacon with tiger prawns, spring onion and chilli £17.95
Chargrilled sirloin steak 220g with hand-cut chips and grilled tomato £22.50
* add peppercorm sauce or Café de Paris butter £2.00 *
Bangers and mash with roasted red onion gravy £11.95
Artichoke and spinach tart with mixed leaf salad £13.25 v.
Superfood salad with grilled halloumi, edamame beans, quinoa and avocado £10.95 v.
Sea bass fillet with spiced lentils and rocket £14.95
Corn-fed chicken supreme with crispy pancetta £12.50
Pearl barley risotto with wild mushrooms and truffle oil £10.95
Sides £3.50 each
Buttered new potatoes • Hand-cut chips • Peas and beans with mint lemon and butter
Creamed spinach • Mixed salad

Desserts
Bramdean pudding £5.25
Sticky toffee pudding with caramelised walnuts, butterscotch sauce and clotted cream £5.50
Chocolate brownie, hot chocolate fudge sauce and cream £5.95
Caramelised pineapple with mango sorbet and nut brittle £5.00
Treacle tart and custard £5.25
Welsh rarebit £4.50

British cheese board
Served with crackers, chutney and grapes
Long Clawson Stilton made in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire cows milk cheese, Pasteurised
Stinking Bishop made by C Martell in Gloucestershire, washed rind cows milk cheese. Pasteurised
Tunworth made by S Hedges & C Spruce in Hampshire, soft cows milk cheese. Pasteurised
Westcombe Cheddar made by T Calver in Somerset, hard cows milk cheese. Unpasteurised
Ticklemore made by D Mumford in Devon, hard goats’ milk cheese. Pasteurised
Harbourne Blue made by B Harris & R Congon in Devon, blue goats’ milk cheese. Pasteurised
Caerphilly made by T Trethowan in Caerphilly, Ceredigion, Wales, cows milk cheese. Unpasteurised
One cheese £3.75 • Two cheeses £6.95 • Three cheeses £9.95
Four cheeses £12.95 • Five cheeses £14.95

I select cheesy welsh rarebit with extra cheese to start, followed by chargrilled sirloin steak (black and blue) with hand-cut chips and grilled tomato - with Béarnaise sauce if the chef is willing and able to make one, the last being very fine.

[WS1]

Thanks a lot to AHB putting the menu in the thread and adressing the food issue. I would like to have Wild mushrooms on toast with walnut pesto as starter, Chargrilled sirloin steak 220g with hand-cut chips and grilled tomato (medium rare) and cheesy welsh rarebit as a savoury.

Furthermore has JDAW informed me that he will take over of this tasting on tasting day. I am sure he also is delighted to take up the food orders out of this thread and comunicate to the B&F. As soon as we have all food orders we pm each attendee with about total cost implications.

Can please add all attendees add their food orders in the thread so JDAW can record them.

looking fwd to the tasting

regards

WS1

[jdaw1]

The food order is now in draft.

Furthermore has JDAW informed me that he will take over of this tasting on tasting day.

But not before: in particular:
• Please could somebody else harass the B&F to ensure that there will be enough glasses.
• Please ensure that the list of names and vintages in the first post is correct, because the placemats will be made from that list.

[CPR 1]

Crab toast with chilli, fennel and avocado
Chargrilled sirloin steak 220g (black and blue) with hand-cut chips and grilled tomato
creamed spinach

Thanks

[PhilW]

• Please ensure that the list of names and vintages in the first post is correct, because the placemats will be made from that list.

FYI, my V96 will in fact be an adoption of a V96 from AHB, as mine is still in storage.

Also confirming that I do expect to be able to attend.

Food order:
Starter: Welsh rarebit
Main: Chargrilled sirloin steak (black and blue) with hand-cut chips and grilled tomato.
+Side: Creamed spinach
+Sauce: Please, please, please some Béarnaise sauce