Homemade Port - Should I declare?

[Sideways]

I have recently bottled my first homemade port, Elderberry (with a little blackberry for backbone).

All from a single estate (field) close to where I live. The fruit was picked in September '05, the resulting table wine was bottled in May '06.

I opened five bottles in Oct'07, returned the wine to a Demijohn, sweetened (concentrated red grape juice), fortified with a decent brandy and sealed (not the traditional method I know but I prefer to think of myself as a maverick). The port was oaked with French oak chips for three weeks. I bottled at the weekend.

It tastes pretty good, very young though. Needs two years at least, should be great in five+. I plan to start another two gallon this weekend.

You may begin the EP bidding now.

[DRT]

I bid that Sideways attend an Off-line soon and bring along a bottle for us all to taste

[Axel P]

I would suggest the following master plan:

Firstly: try to persuade the Portugese embassy to built an outpost at your field, then it is officially Portugal.

Secondly: Write a letter to the Marques de Pombal asking him kindly to think over his demarkation plan again with the suggestion that a little exclave at your field would be perfect.

Thirdly: Send some samples to the IVDP and wait for their answer.

It might sound a little weird, but fullfill the regs.

If you suceed in all this, I will post an offer.

Axel

[Sideways]

I bid that Sideways attend an Off-line soon and bring along a bottle for us all to taste

I will do you the honour one day but I cannot be held responsible for the destruction of your existing cellar, should you have a road to Damascus moment after sampling this truly great wine.

[Sideways]

I would suggest the following master plan:

Firstly: try to persuade the Portugese embassy to built an outpost at your field, then it is officially Portugal.

Secondly: Write a letter to the Marques de Pombal asking him kindly to think over his demarkation plan again with the suggestion that a little exclave at your field would be perfect.

Thirdly: Send some samples to the IVDP and wait for their answer.

It might sound a little weird, but fullfill the regs.

If you suceed in all this, I will post an offer.

Axel

What, and have loads of Port anoraks on wine tours traipsing through my beloved fields? No thanks.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I have recently bottled my first homemade port, Elderberry...

If I recall correctly, there was a scandal around a century and a half ago, where the port producers were accused of adding elderberry juice to their ports to give them more colour and depth.

Perhaps you could market your port as "Traditional Victorian Port"

[Axel P]

I think its the baga-scandal. Well acutally this could be a new post.

Since Mayson did write an article about it in Port and the douro: has anyone ever seen any signs of the use of elderberry. Since prices are skyhigh in the Douro valley for elderberries this wouldnt be too amazing, would it?

Axel

[Sideways]

Perhaps there is an opportunity to establish fortified elderberry wine as a UK speciality, the fruit seems to enjoy our climate.

I intend to make more later this year, only this time I will stop the fermentation properly, as apposed to back-sweetening existing wine I have no plan to drink.