ThePortForum.com

The date for the TPF 3rd Annual Christmas Offline is Thursday December 18, 2008. Subject to confirmation, the venue will be the Bell Public House in Wenden's Ambo, Essex.

The theme will be the same as last year "The Unknown Shipper and His Peculiar Friends" with the addition of a mini-horizontal of the 1908 vintage, just to see what these wines are like at 100 years of age.

The idea of the theme is that this is an opportunity to open those bottles which are unknown and unidentified. Last year there were some wonderful gems opened and we may be just as lucky again this year.

If anyone would like to attend but is having difficulty in sourcing a bottle, then post here and I am sure that we will be able to organise some bottle adoption.

CONFIRMED ATTENDEES (maximum of 12)
Uncle Tom
AHB
DRT + guest
CG + guest
KillerB

EXPRESSED AN INTEREST BUT NOT YET CONFIRMED
The Lord & Lady Roots of Belgium
JacobH
Axel Probst
Simon Lisle

EXPRESSED AN INTEREST BUT WIFE SAID NO
Ben Read

Lists updated by DRT on 20 July 08

The Bell is booked for Dec 18th, approx 12 people.

Tom

uncle tom wrote:The Bell is booked for Dec 18th, approx 12 people.

Tom

Have you put in an order for the fillets of 3 cows?

Time to start negotiating a pass for the night I think!

benread wrote:Time to start negotiating a pass for the night I think!

Yes. Not to be missed!

Does a leaky Azzie Imposter from 1888 buy me a ticket?

Spooky moment last night. Never heard of Wendens Ambo before yesterday. Two mentions in one day - must be fate.

It is in a magazine called Essex Life (or something like that) as the second most Idyllic village in Essex, behind Finchingfield as number 1 and just ahead of Rayne (where I grew up) at number 5.

I'm in. Does a bottle of Fonseca White Port, bought at John Lewis in High Wycombe about ten years ago, count as unusual?

KillerB wrote:I'm in. Does a bottle of Fonseca White Port, bought at John Lewis in High Wycombe about ten years ago, count as unusual?

Unusual - yes.
Peculiar (as in the theme) - no, and since it has a label you can't claim that it is an unknown shipper.

Remember, port is basically a red drink.

I've now added the confirmed attendees to my first post. Please review and let me know if I have anything wrong.

Thanks,

Alex

AHB wrote:

KillerB wrote:I'm in. Does a bottle of Fonseca White Port, bought at John Lewis in High Wycombe about ten years ago, count as unusual?

Unusual - yes.
Peculiar (as in the theme) - no, and since it has a label you can't claim that it is an unknown shipper.

Remember, port is basically a red drink.

Seems peculiar to me. I can always take the label off.

KillerB wrote:

AHB wrote:

KillerB wrote:I'm in. Does a bottle of Fonseca White Port, bought at John Lewis in High Wycombe about ten years ago, count as unusual?

Unusual - yes.
Peculiar (as in the theme) - no, and since it has a label you can't claim that it is an unknown shipper.

Remember, port is basically a red drink.

Seems peculiar to me. I can always take the label off.

My understanding is that each bottle needs to fall into one or more categories. The categories for this off-line being:

1. Unknown Shippers
2. Peculiar
3. Centigenarians

Your bottle seems to qualify under Category 1.

Derek

I protest! Fonseca is not an unknown shipper.

Please don't make me drink White Port...

...or I shall bring an unknown Pink Port!

Oops. I meant Cat 2.

benread wrote:Time to start negotiating a pass for the night I think!

FAILED!

It seems the 18th clashes with a marital obligation - the Bjorn Again Christmas gig at Hammersmith Apollo! I started the tradition when we got married.

(BTW, no news to report yet, but progress seems to be happening - names still to be decided. Must open a bottle tonight in expectation!)

Might I add myself to the “expression of interest† list? All being well, I should be able to make it, (in my newly financial-solvent state ), but things are still a bit up in the air; I should have a better idea of what I’m doing in December in a month or so.

I think I’d have to acquire/adopt something for the occasion, as disappointingly I don’t think I have anything that falls into categories 1 and 3, and reassuringly nothing that falls, KillerB-style, into category 2!

-Jacob

Interest is there, but time cannot be confirmed yet.

Axel

Put me on the maybe list.Thanks

I have updated the first post in this thread to show the current attendees.

I can confirm our place on the maybe list.

We hope to be able to make it. There is a wedding in the Netherlands on the 20th that we'd love to attend but all depends on:
- the abilitiy of LadyR to take leave
- whether or not we have guests at that time (which is very much possible)

And, unless anything unknown or peculiar crosses our path, we opt to chip in some money. Does Porto Droz count as peculiar? It's a cheap, sweet white with a french label (probably some b-brand of Cruz).

RonnieRoots wrote:I can confirm our place on the maybe list.

Excellent.

RonnieRoots wrote:And, unless anything unknown or peculiar crosses our path, we opt to chip in some money. Does Porto Droz count as peculiar? It's a cheap, sweet white with a french label (probably some b-brand of Cruz).

Money will do nicely, thanks.

DRT wrote:

RonnieRoots wrote:I can confirm our place on the maybe list.

Excellent.

Unfortunately, we know now that we will not be able to join the Christmas offline...

Time to move forward on this one folks..

Attendees, please affirm!

Tom

Are we goign to have a xmas virtual offline?

Yes, Skype-enabled, at my apartment, shortly before new year.