ThePortForum.com

Rocky as things were in August, Uncle Tom was clearly ahead of the pack. Perhaps Port Forum chaps should now be given positions of power and influence, akin to a Roman dictator when the going really got tough.

Uncle Tom = Cincinnatus?

A lonely bottle has for some years awaited a fitting end; I had planned this for the coming weekend with some guests. The tasting note make me wonder whether this vintage (of this wine) is over the hill or whether it just needs a little extra care on decanting. Looked as if 6-8 hours would be a good...

Normally I would not broach a vintage port less than fifteen years old, normally twenty. However, I heard that this one may mature early. Is it fair to conclude from your notes that it is better to give it a few years yet?

Our collective jaw has dropped to the floor at the strange events enveloping the world, so that nothing one says could approach the meaningless drivel uttered by those sharing the blame for the cuurrent crisis.

Is this the first reference on this site to these evnts?

If an individal gets something wrong, then he is probably more likely to acknowledge his error and correct it in private. In public life, is not the opposite inevitable?

Good to read these notes. I have not had a bad bottle of this wine. Invariably seductive, deep, and charming.

I drink because I love the stuff and enjoy the company of ther drinkers.

AS Churchill put it: "Alcohol has put more into me than it has taken out."

It is fascinating how long a conversation can run with quite different understandings of what the 'question' means. Should the baseline be the point at which one is tempted to repeat the experience, or does one's baseline change as one becomes older and, with luck, more able to afford the better bot...

Dow 77 has often been said to have a vegetal nose. Never saw it myself, but now we have proof!

I think there is some confusion between recission and retraction. Recission is, in effect, the acceptance of a breach or misrepresentation which discharges or undermines a contract. As such, a recission is unconditional and final. A retraction is very much a subjective statement which could indeed b...

Alex repeated a reliable piece of folklore, namely one glass of water for each glass of port. It is a trick which seldom fails.

It is probably a question of how hungry you are. A French menu which contains an English translation tends to omit horse in English, even when it is on offer in French. I am incapable of touching a slug but will happily eat snails. I have eaten sheep's brains, but will under no circumstances eat fro...

Interesting that you all seek a base line amoungst vintage ports which are supposed to be the summit of the port world. Where does that leave the rest?

Always a problem to wrestle with. Hugh Johnson, rightly, in my view, suggests pecan or walnuts or a digestive biscuit (not shop bought). Anything more substantial, and I think that includes cheese, just seems to compete inelegantly with the depth and power of a vintage port. There are brutish wines,...

It may be wishful thinking, but I feel that hangovers are caused by drinking poor stuff. Ergo, Port Forum members ought never to suffer them unless cruelly tricked or reckless. I associate hangovers with thumping headaches and nausea caused by 50 pence bottles of wine, and improvident drink mixing a...

Julian

The current colour scheme is much easier on my defective eyes. (The colour chart hurt!)

I have found the new scheme rather difficult to cope with, not in the sense of being unable to read the content, but in finding that the colours make me tire of reading quickly. I am red green colour blind; this may be a factor. Having said that, I would not criticise those who undertake the labour ...

If Obama invites that woman to be his running mate, he had better hire a food taster.

It was sad to read of the death, at just 63, of John Cossart. He had headed Henriques & Henriques since 1991. Their 10 and 15 year olds are a great entry to Madeira. Since his family has been in the trade for 200 years, let's hope the tradition continues. There is something about wine, and espec...

Those who bag Munroes tend to develop an obsession for bagging them so Derek may well be doing a couple of dozen a year. What a thirst that could generate.

Those who bag Munroes tend to develop an obsession for bagging them so Derek may well be doing a couple of dozen a year. What a thirst that could generate.

A quick look over the Wine Society website, those of a couple of merchants, and a specialist provider of wine accessories showed little of interest to assist decanting. Only the specialist had a range of funnels, and they were clearly gift priced, being made of pewter, for example. What a surprising...

My own tatste and experience favour much longer decanting than experts usually recommend. Having said that, last weekend I broached a bottle of Taylor 83, an underrated wine, I think, which 12 hours after decanting hit me with an unpleasant tannic smash. That abated quickly. The second night, it was...

Now, if Andy can convinve Her Majesty's Government that a unit equals a bottle, then we are not just golden, we are FREE!

Drinkers of the world unite. you have nothing to lose but your chains!

Congratulations on a great night, but are you going to tell Dawn Primarolo how many units of alcohol you consumed? Sounds like more than 5 a day.