Photos of Portugal

[Alex Bridgeman]

A few of us recently went briefly to Portugal for Sao Joao and to belatedly celebrate Dirk Niepoort's birthday.

I took a number of photos which I have just loaded onto FlickR. You can either find them here or go to FlickR and search for the album Portugal June 2014. Please feel free to help yourself to a copy if you want one.

[djewesbury]

Brilliant. Thanks for sharing those Alex!

[DRT]

Excellent photos, Alex, thanks for sharing.

I am glad to see you managed to capture my moment of intense concentration whilst trying to pick out the complex array of flavours in the Graham 1948.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Excellent photos, Alex, thanks for sharing.

I am glad to see you managed to capture my moment of intense concentration whilst trying to pick out the complex array of flavours in the Graham 1948.

It is amazing what you can find lost in a dusty corner of Dirk's cellar.

[Alex Bridgeman]

If anyone else took photos while in Portugal, please do something similar.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I have just added a few more photos to the album Portugal June 2014 and also will be shortly uploading some photos of the Graham Ne Oublie presentation box and also of the Taylor 1863 presentation box.

[DRT]

My photos from the trip can be viewed here.

[djewesbury]

I can see two very interesting photos toward the end of your set Derek.

[Alex Bridgeman]

My photos from the trip can be viewed here.

Nice photos, thanks for posting them.

[Andy Velebil]

Nice pics AHB...did DRT miss the memo on appropriate boat attire?

[Andy Velebil]

1954 Dow's VP...how was it?

[DRT]

Nice pics AHB...did DRT miss the memo on appropriate boat attire?

Portugal does not seem to make t-shirts in DRT format.

1954 Dow's VP...how was it?

It was empty - photographed for JDAW.

[Andy Velebil]

Well bummer on all fronts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RonnieRoots]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing Alex & Derek. I particularly enjoyed the shots of the race, although it hardly looked like spectacular sailing!

[LGTrotter]

I particularly enjoyed the pictures of Derek nodding off. I salute a man who is not afraid to slip into unconsciousness when it has gone on too long. Rather a low trick to follow him round with the long lens. Like Pippa Middleton the lens seems to crave him.

[DRT]

I particularly enjoyed the pictures of Derek nodding off. I salute a man who is not afraid to slip into unconsciousness when it has gone on too long. Rather a low trick to follow him round with the long lens. Like Pippa Middleton the lens seems to crave him.

i have been told that Pippa and I have very similar attributes when photographed from behind in a white silk dress.

But I do wonder whether or not AHB has contravened The Prime Directive: WHIPSIP.

[jdaw1]

WHIPSIP.

Whip Sip?! The “Sip” is easy to understand. But the “Whip”ping?! Who? Whom? No, don’t say.

[DRT]

What happens in Portugal stays in Portugal.

[jdaw1]

No, don’t say.

What happens in Portugal stays in Portugal.

We are agreed. Though I do fear for Daniel’s innocence.

[djewesbury]

No, don’t say.

What happens in Portugal stays in Portugal.

We are agreed. Though I do fear for Daniel’s innocence.

Fear not. I still have my green mantle.

[idj123]

Nice pics but are we going to read a review of the event as a whole by those members of TPF travel club so that the rank and file of us can digest in envy? Happy for 'the what goes on your stays on tour' bits to be omitted-but then again!!

[Andy Velebil]

No, don’t say.

What happens in Portugal stays in Portugal.

We are agreed. Though I do fear for Daniel’s innocence.

Do post, being careful not to say too much causing a certain life coach to make you eat chicken broth for the next month.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I will add a little narrative, but would stress that actually everyone who went over to Portugal did their own thing. Different people went over on different days, saw different folks, visited different places and did different things.

My trip was:
Monday early evening - arrived late, taxi took bl**dy ages because of the traffic, had to walk for an hour to get from Sao Bento to VNdG waterfront, arrived late for dinner and Sao Joao party, watched fireworks, walked back to hotel at Sao Bento hitting people on the head with an inflatable hammer.

Tuesday - had breakfast, took taxi back to VNdG waterfront, had coffee, got onto a barco, floated about a bit, got off barco, had lunch, went to Dirk's, had dinner / lots of different wines and ports, took taxi back to hotel (I think - or did I walk?)

Wednesday - had breakfast, had lunch at Vinum (first visit), left OPO 3 hours late, arrived LGW after last train had gone and had to take a £100 taxi home

THE END

It was very relaxing - just what I needed after some intense work

[DRT]

I will add a little narrative, but would stress that actually everyone who went over to Portugal did their own thing. Different people went over on different days, saw different folks, visited different places and did different things.

My trip was:
Monday early evening - arrived late, taxi took bl**dy ages because of the traffic, had to walk for an hour to get from Sao Bento to VNdG waterfront, arrived late for dinner and Sao Joao party, watched fireworks, walked back to hotel at Sao Bento hitting people on the head with an inflatable hammer.

Tuesday - had breakfast, took taxi back to VNdG waterfront, had coffee, got onto a barco, floated about a bit, got off barco, had lunch, went to Dirk's, had dinner / lots of different wines and ports, took taxi back to hotel (I think - or did I walk?)

Wednesday - had breakfast, had lunch at Vinum (first visit), left OPO 3 hours late, arrived LGW after last train had gone and had to take a £100 taxi home

THE END

It was very relaxing - just what I needed after some intense work

+1.

[djewesbury]

I will add a slightly less functionalist narrative.

As Alex has said we all arrived separately or in small groupuscules. Phil and I flew over on Sunday night bearing a very precious cargo, the drawing for Dirk Niepoort that we commissioned from my friend David Haughey, which Rachel and I had wrapped the night before in plywood that I'd had specially cut in B&Q (we then sanded the sharp edges off the sheets), gaffer tape and damp-proof membrane. Basically we had an indestructible portfolio ready for the baggage handlers of Belfast, Stansted and Porto.

Ryanair treated us with their usual basic level of courtesy and by the time we landed I wondered whether I would ever walk again. I had very little luggage as my checked bag was the drawing, and my carry-on was mainly full of my empty Winecheck, which would be full of our collective purchases and in the hold on the way back.

The metro to Aliados was as efficient as ever. We got into a conversation with a Ukrainian girl and a Polish girl on the metro (fast work, Phil, you've still got it!) and before we knew it we were at the Grande Hôtel de Paris and thinking about dinner..

This being Phil's first visit to the entrepôt, we took a stroll about the town without delay, and as we reached the Ribeira the sight of all the illuminated shippers' signs on the opposite bank lifted both our hearts, lag and newbie alike. We wandered the streets watching the crowds outside bars and cafés tensely enjoying the Portugal v USA World Cup game; every so often we heard a roar or a mass groan from the next street. Finally we sat down to eat at a beautiful restaurant on the Rua Fonte Taurina, one street from the Ribeira. We tried at first to get into a place with a rather impressive wine list but we were too late: but our second choice was fantastic and with our dinner we had a refreshing Vinho Verde (with the word Raquel in the name, I remember; knowing Phil's predilection for Riesling I thought the VV was a good bet), and then a Kopke 30YO and something else - Phil can you remember?

It was late by this point and we were the last people in the restaurant but they were in no hurry to throw us out. Our very good meals and all the wine came to something negligible so we paid up and left happy, determined to rest in advance of the long day(s) ahead.

More follows shortly... (note for JDAW: there is no ellipsis on my iPad keyboard.)

[djewesbury]

The Story of Monday - the 23rd of June

Certain details may be recorded in the wrong order. Phil will refresh my memory, his mind will no doubt be clearer than mine.

We arose and breakfasted and ventured out into the Porto morning, more splendid even than the brightly bejewelled Porto evening. Wandering along the byways, we nodded our heads to various landmarks: I believe we walked past the Sé and down one of the steep sets of steps to the the historic riverfront. Taking a jaunt across the magnificent Dom Luis bridge, we arrived at the Cálem lodge, which I had never visited and which Phil, a Cálemisto, was especially keen to see.

What a disappointment. One of the main stories of this trip was the stark difference between the experiences offered to visitors in the various lodges, a theme to which I'll return; Cálem left us in the charge of a callow, uninterested youth with a facility with English and an ability to stick to a script. We were told that Port is a fortified wine made etc etc etc. We were shown some schist. We were walked around the usual toneis and balseiros and pipas. Then the guide pressed a button and the very basic AV display almost failed to work. Questions were batted off with a very slightly more polite (but no less dismissive) English version of 'não sei' (and nor was she particularly interested in finding out).

From here we decided that we needed to set a slightly higher bar. According to my memory of events, we then went to the Quevedo lodge, one street away from the main drag, where we enjoyed a much more pleasurable line-up, including Oscar's delicious 2005 VP and a full range of the tawnies with designation of age. We took care to feed ourselves here as well, after all, Port tastes better on a full stomach. Full marks to Oscar for bothering at all with a lodge in Gaia when he has no stocks stored here, and moreover for being so comprehensive about it - every Quevedo port is available by the glass here, making this one of the bars with the largest selection of by-the-glass Ports available in the whole of Porto (especially since the peremptory closure of the Solar do Vinho do Porto by the municipality a while ago).

We wandered out into the daylight and took a hike around the steep, sun-drowned streets of Gaia, following a sign for the Croft lodge which soon led us past odd scraps of wasteland, unfinished motorway stanchions and the high walls of historic lodge buildings (but not Croft), climbing higher until we eventually found ourselves strolling into the Yeatman for a little nosey around. Having spent one night here last year, I can recommend it most highly for the amazing, indulgent guest experience; but don't come here to drink Port. I think the last time I was here we asked what VPs were available by the glass and were told that a mid-80s Ramos Pinto was available at €30 a glass. It was a reasonably similar story this time.

We descended into the Rua do Choupelo and passed the Taylor lodge, and the Barão de Fladgate restaurant where we were to dine that night. Around another corner, what should we find but - the Croft lodge! Feeling well thirsty (as they say in Gaia) after our mile hike in the blazing sun, we decided to see if we could get a glass of something better than standard issue (and please, no pink port) and introduced ourselves.

"Port is a fortified wine.."
"Yes, we know, in fact we're quite fond of Croft 70."
"Ah. Hello gentlemen, yes, it is a very fine wine. We still have some bottles of it on sale in fact."
"Can we drink some?"
"Er, ahh, no, but would you like to come on our tour, it's extremely interesting?"

Then we found out that the bottle of Croft 91 that we had hoped to order with our dinner at the BdF was not available; so, being around the corner, we asked through the medium of telephonic communication whether we'd be allowed to bring a bottle of Croft 70 (since we were standing next to some that were for sale).

No. This would not be possible. Wines from outside cannot be brought into the restaurant. That is, wines from a property owned by TFP cannot be bought to accompany a dinner at a property owned by TFP. We shrugged and pressed on.

More soon!

[djewesbury]

Apologies for the delay resuming the tale of our sojourn in Porto. Details had to be verified and menial tasks had to be completed.

After our disappointing communication from the Barão, we made our tour of the Croft lodge. All very nice, a good looking lodge, though no cellar tour (the bottles are probably not kept here) and a very poor selection available to taste afterwards, which we foreswore.

From here we made our way to the Graham's lodge, where Ray had arranged a tour for us. The only other time I went around the Graham's lodge, we were lucky enough to be joined by Dominic Symington, who filled in a number of interesting details about his memories of the lodge over the years. This was my first visit to the lodge itself since the refurbishment (though I'd eaten in Vinum twice). We waited to see if Ray would join us but he decided that given the heat and the steep climb, discretion would be the better part of valour. We made ourselves known at the reception and were told that we were expected: a VIP tour, nothing to be paid for, would we mind waiting a few moments until our guide was ready (Phil will remember his name).

We busied ourselves with the new 'museum' at the entrance, which included a family tree of the Symingtons and details of their relationship with the Graham and Warre houses over the years; some fascinating old labels and lodge books; and miscellaneous photographs. The tour itself was enjoyable, and informative, taking in the casks used for the 1952 Single Harvest Tawny, as well as the brethren of the cask that became Ne Oublie. Graham's tour also includes their wonderful library stock of bottles, going back many decades and including some Malvedos vintages that we weren't sure were declared. No other lodge showed us their bottles.

But the highlight of the visit was to come. In the wonderful Vintage Room, a softly-lit, book-and-big-bottle-lined tasting room, we were given a thoroughly excellent line-up of vintages and tawnies to enjoy. From the Oenomatic, the following vintages miraculously came forth: Graham 1983, Warre Quinta da Cavadinha 1998 (aka Gatwick AirPort), Warre 2000, Graham 2000, Quinta do Vesuvio 2006 and Graham 2011; and lightly chilled, glasses of Graham's 20 Year Old, 30 Year Old and 40 Year Old Tawnies, and the 1982, 1969 and 1952 Single Harvest Tawnies (links to TNs to added when time permits). We were, all things considered, quite pleased, and spent an excellent hour and a bit savouring these delights and asking whether we might help ourselves to another tiny splash of the 52. (The memorable answer was 'yes'.)

From here we had to find our way back out into the cruel heat of the mean streets of Gaia, and thence to the Barão de Fladgate for dinner … Would we make it? Would we eat the sardines and see the fireworks? Would we bang people with squeaky hammers and walk on the oddly non-stationary bridge?

Tune in and find out soon!