The "Deeper Underground" Offline (28 Jan 2008)

[DRT]

Away this weekend

Hopefully to have you pedantic and retentive qualities refreshed and revived.

Derek

[jdaw1]

Away this weekend

Hopefully to have you pedantic and retentive qualities refreshed and revived.

Derek

… your …

[Conky]

The halfwit was too busy correcting my Apostrophe crimes to check his own Posts...

You could not make it up.

[DRT]

Away this weekend

Hopefully to have you pedantic and retentive qualities refreshed and revived.

Derek

… your …

Welcome back, jdaw1

Now, take it easy. Don't try to do too much at once or you might take a backward step.

[DRT]

IMPORTANT NOTICE

To all attendees of this Offline,

Now that we have confirmation that the Noval Nacional 1966 is joining the line-up I can tell you that it is being supplied from the cellar of AHB (Alex Bridgeman for those who do not know his full name).

Given the total sum involved, it is only fitting that we all pay our share of £42.30 to Alex BEFORE 28th January. I will be sending each of you a PM today or tomorrow with details of Alex's bank account so that you can make payment to him by internet or telephone banking.

If anyone does not have these facilities please let me know ASAP so that we can make alternative arrangements and make sure Alex has all of the money he is due before the event.

Please note that Alex has specifically requested that he does not receive cash payments on the night of the off-line.

Your full co-operation with this request will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Derek

[AHB]

Jdaw, please update the tasting mats accordingly.

Away this weekend: will cope Monday.

AHB: please would you test print the first page onto A3 Monday morning and confirm that the smiley and suit flight symbols all appear satisfactorily. Thanks. (And print one person’s TN pages onto A4 for like purpose.)

Will do, may need a reminder, if possible.

[AHB]

A while back, Conky asked how much port would be in each glass if we had a large-ish number of people sharing a bottle of port.

I opened a miniature (50cl) bottle of fruit wine this evening and have been drinking it from a port glass - it reminded me of Conky's question.

Assuming that you lose around 50cl of port though the decanting process, you end up with 50cl per person when the rest of the bottle is shared between 14 people. In my port glass, 50cl came about 2/3rds the way up to the widest part of the glass and was enough for 4 reasonable mouthfuls. Not a large glass of port, but enough for a decent experience.

Alex

[DRT]

The following bottles are now at The Crusting Pipe...

• Fonseca
• Graham's
• Offley Boa Vista
• Quinta do Noval
• Robertson's Rebello Valente

Derek

[jdaw1]

The Deeper Underground 1966 Horizontal, held at the Crusting Pipe, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RD, on Monday 28 January 2008.

Links:

• Planning and arrangements: pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15;
• Review of the evening as a whole;
• TN: Adam 1966;
• TN: Avery 1966;
• TN: Croft 1966;
• TN: Delaforce 1966;
• TN: Dow 1966;
• TN: Fonseca 1966;
• TN: Graham 1966;
• TN: Morgan 1966;
• TN: Noval 1966;
• TN: Noval Nacional 1966;
• TN: Offley Boa Vista 1966;
• TN: Robertson’s Rebello Valente 1966;
• TN: Taylor 1966;
• TN: Warre 1966;
• TN: Berry Brothers & Rudd 1966.

Perhaps suppliers of bottles could post information about provenance in the appropriate TN threads?

[DRT]

The revised flights are as follows...

Flight 1: The Guest of Honour

☺Adam's

Flight 2: Taylor Fladgate Partnership

♣ Avery's
♣ Croft
♣ Fonseca
♣ Taylor's

Flight 3: The Novals

♦ Quinta do Noval
♦ Quinta do Noval Nacional

Flight 4: The Symington Family

♥ Berry Brothers Selection
♥ Dow's
♥ Graham's
♥ Warre's

Flight 5: The Potential Surprises

♠ Delaforce
♠ Morgan
♠ Offley Boa Vista
♠ Robertson's Rebello Valente

Jdaw, unless anyone objects, can you please update the placemats to reflect the above. If the Sandeman joins the list it can be a surprise, and will therefore slot nicely into flight 5.

Derek

As there were no further objections these are now the confirmed flights. It is now highly unlikely that a Sandeman will join the line-up.

Jdaw, please update the Placemats accordingly.

Thanks

Derek

[jdaw1]

Placemat updated. Alex: please test print to A3 (placemats) and A4 (tasting note sheets). Please check that:

• Water doesn’t make colour run (toner doesn’t, ink does);
• Suit symbols print well;
• All the facts appear to be correct.

Also please print the sheets to help the decanting team.

[AHB]

I plan to be in the office early on Monday, and will do the test printing then. I'll be using a colour laser printer so the printing will not run.

[jdaw1]

I'll be using a colour laser printer so the printing will not run.

Print dialog boxes typically have a colour|B&W toggle. Please choose B&W.

[Ghandih]

All,

I could almost propose that the dull printing stuff be taken elsewhere, but I guess it does serve to remind us that our good friends are beavering away behind the scene, like swan legs, you might (and I did) say, getting things ready for next week.

I've got my calculator out, tapped in some numbers, and come to the conclusion that we're less than seven days away from a remarkable port tasting occasion. After the delight of the Fonseca 66 at the F-Plan offline last autumn, I really can't wait to try all those beauties all together in one place.

Is anyone else mildly excited by the prospect?


Ghandih

[DRT]

To quote a mutual friend, I'm so excited I'm bouncing up and down like a child!

[DRT]

Simon Lisle has given me his three bottles. I will being them to the venue on the morning of the event where they will stand until the decanting happens at 16:00

Derek

[AHB]

It would not be inaccurate to describe me as potentially evidencing signs of demonstrable anticipation...but stiff upper lips chaps. We are British you know.

Rather!

[AHB]

I've had a heads-up that there may be a couple of more people who may not be able to make the tasting on Monday.

If this turns out to be the case, I can't in all good conscience, take their money for the Nacional knowing that they will not be with us. Instead, I propose that we keep the Nacional for another day and that I return the money that I have already received towards the cost of the bottle. I propose to do this in two ways:

(1) those who are absent on the night will receive a bank transfer or similar refund

(2) those who are present on the night will have the money that I have received put towards the overall cost of the night and we will then split the difference remaining between us.

If anyone feels very strongly that they would like me to do something different, then please drop me a PM and we can discuss. I could still be persuaded to contribute the Nacional '66 but the cost would possibly be shared between only 10 people and not the original 13.

Alex

[jdaw1]

Do you and Derek want to send me, in the next few hours, new flight arrangements for a Nacional-free tasting?

[AHB]

Back to plan B. We are expecting 12 people for Monday's tasting so we can go back to including the Nacional in the line up provided everyone is willing to add an additional £4 each as we go from sharing the cost between 13 people to sharing between 12.

I shall stand the bottle back up again!

Alex

[jdaw1]

Back to plan B.

Err, plan A surely?

[Simon Lisle]

I'm looking forward to monday I just hope the missus realises that all my port is money well spent.

[jdaw1]

money well spent

Money? Oh, you mean drink tokens.

[AHB]

Back to plan B.

Err, plan A surely?

Not quite - plan A includes John. I'd love for him to be able to join us at the last minute, but we are planning that he won't be able to make it.

[AHB]

So I pulled my bottles for the '66 tasting out of their resting places last night. I can now officially describe myself as excited.

The only question is, what do I open over the weekend to build up to the events of Monday?

Alex