Topic WHITE aged ports, Tue 17th May 2022

[Nelly]

Theme: drumroll please: White aged ports!

Should we do blind? Or will we end up bringing the same stuff?

Location: Boot & Flogger.

People:

1. Nelly W.;
2. Julian W.;
3. Neil C.;
4. Zak R.;
5. Ian J.;
6. Mike M.;
7. Charles R.;
8. Alex B.;
9. Elizabeth B.

Reserves:

• Harry H..

Withdrawn:

• Dave L.;
• Phil W.;
• George G.;
• Tony C.

Current draft of the placemats.

[jdaw1]

Available that evening. Should I book B&F?

[hadge]

Looking forward to hearing about this, should be free that evening.

[nac]

Should be free. Please count me in.

[akzy]

An excuse to meet up and drink? Wonderful. I'm in.

[Doggett]

Disappointed to say I can’t make this one. The B&B is full so I can’t get to London. Hope all goes well and welcome to the madness Nelly!

[idj123]

Yes, should be free for this.

[winesecretary]

I am likely to be available, with some port.

[Alex M]

Likely to be available.

[CPR 1]

This should work - I am in

[jdaw1]

Come on Nelly: what’s the theme? I might not have bottles and so be forced to host a rival tasting that evening.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I should be able to make it - put me down for a seat please.

[DaveRL]

This works for me. Yes please.

[Nelly]

Theme: drumroll please: White aged ports!

Should we do blind? Or will we end up bringing the same stuff?

[jdaw1]

Should we do blind? Or will we end up bringing the same stuff?

Several people know my one non-Churchill white.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Ooh! If that’s the theme, please could I bring Mrs B as my guest? She loves White Port and has access to a decent range of them.

We prefer blind, despite the risks to our credibility.

[Nelly]

Ooh! If that’s the theme, please could I bring Mrs B as my guest? She loves White Port and has access to a decent range of them.

We prefer blind, despite the risks to our credibility.

Brilliant!

[PhilW]

Yes please; I really enjoy the aged whites.

[winesecretary]

I have a suitable bottle (well, half-litre).

[jdaw1]

Please can it be sighted, for several reasons.

• They don’t need decanting, so will likely be poured from bottle. Even with wrapping in tin foil, bottle shape will reveal much to those who know.
• Many are ½ litre (incl. mine). There are already thirteen of us. So two × 500ml will typically be needed. So there will be leftovers — people will want to take home their remnants, which further discourages use of decanters.
• If you provide a Graham 1970 (thank you) and a Hutcheson 1970 (whatever the insult was, I didn’t mean it that badly), then I might have a prior opinion about the Ports (G ≫ H). There could be risk of label bias. But of whites I know little: telling me that α = Kopke and β = Poças and γ = Krohn ≈ Taylor doesn’t give me bias, because I have no opinion about which will be more apricot and which will be more walnuts, nor which will be best.
• Keeping track of two copies of blinded bottles will be administratively fussy.

Please can it be sighted?

[DaveRL]

Hahaha, the theme took me somewhat by surprise, but in a good way. I have just checked my cellar, and I'm not at all surprised to find I have exactly no suitable White aged Ports. We drank the Quevedo 30 just before Christmas (it was lovely) and just like that, the cellar was dry. That isn't quite true, I do have a couple of the Quevedo White 90ml bottles left from the Advent Calendar, and I was considering bringing them just to see the look on Julian's face when I popped them on the table, but the thought alone is enough to make me quietly amused all day. Anyway, I have just rectified my bottle problem, so all good to go when the delivery arrives. Looking forward to it, and thank you Nelly

[Nelly]

Ahahaha, guys, you are so funny! It was meant to be destructive right from the start that it’s organised by a woman )))
I’m happy to see you puzzled and having a discussion, I welcome opinions from the rest on preferences (blind/open).

[Nelly]

Hahaha, the theme took me somewhat by surprise, but in a good way. I have just checked my cellar, and I'm not at all surprised to find I have exactly no suitable White aged Ports. We drank the Quevedo 30 just before Christmas (it was lovely) and just like that, the cellar was dry. That isn't quite true, I do have a couple of the Quevedo White 90ml bottles left from the Advent Calendar, and I was considering bringing them just to see the look on Julian's face when I popped them on the table, but the thought alone is enough to make me quietly amused all day. Anyway, I have just rectified my bottle problem, so all good to go when the delivery arrives. Looking forward to it, and thank you Nelly

You made me laugh of that thought as well! Well, let’s make it fun! Isn’t it how tastings supposed to be?

[akzy]

Would prefer sighted. I'm gonna have to purchase something and suspect others will also have to. Given limited UK market, decent chance on having similar things.

[jdaw1]

Ahahaha, guys, you are so funny! It was meant to be destructive right from the start that it’s organised by a woman )))
I’m happy to see you puzzled and having a discussion, I welcome opinions from the rest on preferences (blind/open).

It is not the first time we have disagreed about blind versus sighted.

For these purposes, female irrelevant.

[Glenn E.]

<pout>

I have... at least 15 different aged white Ports in my cellar from as young as 10 (Andresen, Mourao) to as old as 80 (Brunheda). Sadly no Mourao 90 on hand.

I will open a 2008 DR White Colheita on May 17 and sulk in my Barcalounger.

[flash_uk]

Count me in!

[winesecretary]

I only have one half-litre of single-vintage white port, so we are going to be on short rations from me. That is not necessarily a bad thing, however. Those sturdier than I have the opportunity separately to supplement.

Amusing that a new member has thrown us into such a ferment.

I still, quite strongly, prefer blind. I am worried that my limited knowledge of white port is misleading me about the substance, and so would prefer to be able to taste unsullied by actual data.

[akzy]

<pout>

I have... at least 15 different aged white Ports in my cellar from as young as 10 (Andresen, Mourao) to as old as 80 (Brunheda). Sadly no Mourao 90 on hand.

I will open a 2008 DR White Colheita on May 17 and sulk in my Barcalounger.

Glenn as I have to purchase, would be very pleased with a recommendation.

[PhilW]

Since many whites are bottled as 50cl, if we are the usual 14 that would mean smaller pours, unless we go 2-bottle for those.

Personally I'd prefer sighted, for the same reasons as Julian.

[hadge]

Ahahaha, guys, you are so funny! It was meant to be destructive right from the start that it’s organised by a woman )))
I’m happy to see you puzzled and having a discussion, I welcome opinions from the rest on preferences (blind/open).

It is not the first time we have disagreed about blind versus sighted.

For these purposes, female irrelevant.

We always disagree about blind versus sighted, I would make all tastings blind if I had my way!

[jdaw1]

Count me in!

You are the 14th. Now full.

[jdaw1]

Some want blind. Some want sighted. Organiser’s choice.

Perhaps the organiser to ask Glenn to do something. We each inform Glenn of what we could bring, and he then selects so as to minimise duplicates. (Nelly: FYI, Glenn lives in Sammamish, Washington State. He won’t be coming to London just for this tasting.)

(My limited stocks PM’d to Glenn.)

[Mike J. W.]

Glenn E...wine consultant and raconteur.

[Nelly]

Amusing that a new member has thrown us into such a ferment.

[Nelly]

Some want blind. Some want sighted. Organiser’s choice.

Perhaps the organiser to ask Glenn to do something. We each inform Glenn of what we could bring, and he then selects so as to minimise duplicates. (Nelly: FYI, Glenn lives in Sammamish, Washington State. He won’t be coming to London just for this tasting.)

(My limited stocks PM’d to Glenn.)

Perfect solution, gentlemen! Agreed!
Though you never know, perhaps after Glenn sees all our lovely port line ups, he jumps on the plane to join us! Ha! Imagine that!!!!

[jdaw1]

Glenn: please be willing to supervise us.

[Glenn E.]

I am willing, and have received jdaw1's available selection.

Please do as instructed above and PM me your available aged white Ports, and I will do my best to ensure no duplicates.

Question: what if there is no other option? Instruct one person (presumably the 2nd person to offer) to purchase some other bottle? How do I advise on that purchase without knowing what's available, and without giving away what is already selected by others?

[jdaw1]

Nelly is the organiser: her choice.

My advice would be to ask you = Glenn to do as you see fit. Which might perhaps mean to allow a duplicate (though as few as possible); or perhaps to instruct somebody to buy a particular thing (internet is your friend); or perhaps something else.

[Glenn E.]

That works, subject to confirmation by Nelly. Yet another possible solution: adoption. If someone is willing to bring multiple bottles, and someone else needs a bottle to make theirs unique, I can broker that pairing.

I will also provide a tasting order once I have the list curated so that someone can make placemats.

[jdaw1]

someone can

[Nelly]

That works, subject to confirmation by Nelly. Yet another possible solution: adoption. If someone is willing to bring multiple bottles, and someone else needs a bottle to make theirs unique, I can broker that pairing.

I will also provide a tasting order once I have the list curated so that someone can make placemats.

Thank you, Glenn.
Adoption sounds like an option! And I’m sure everyone is happy with you being an advisor on the purchases. Let’s see!

[Alex Bridgeman]

My PM has just been sent to Glenn. Really looking forward to this one!

[winesecretary]

PM sent to Glenn

[akzy]

Glenn has advised several options to me. Three are readily achievable.

[Alex Bridgeman]

<pout>

I have... at least 15 different aged white Ports in my cellar from as young as 10 (Andresen, Mourao) to as old as 80 (Brunheda). Sadly no Mourao 90 on hand.

I will open a 2008 DR White Colheita on May 17 and sulk in my Barcalounger.

Is a barcalounger a kind of easy chair in which you sit whilst drinking Sogrape's top Douro red table wine?

[Glenn E.]

<pout>

I have... at least 15 different aged white Ports in my cellar from as young as 10 (Andresen, Mourao) to as old as 80 (Brunheda). Sadly no Mourao 90 on hand.

I will open a 2008 DR White Colheita on May 17 and sulk in my Barcalounger.

Is a barcalounger a kind of easy chair in which you sit whilst drinking Sogrape's top Douro red table wine?

[Glenn E.]

The topic has been mentioned, but I do not see a definitive decision.

Since there are 14 attendees, I assume that Ports brought in 500 ml bottles shall require 2 bottles? 35 ml servings (500 / 14) seem insufficient.

[Alex Bridgeman]

The topic has been mentioned, but I do not see a definitive decision.

Since there are 14 attendees, I assume that Ports brought in 500 ml bottles shall require 2 bottles? 35 ml servings (500 / 14) seem insufficient.

I agree with your view, but the final decision should be Nelly’s.

[flash_uk]

I'm going to be in Porto/Douro at the start of May and will aim to pick up something white and interesting there...