ThePortForum.com

All good luck to very good bottles and lots of jealousy from the neighbour island as I will be in Ireland at the tasting.

Axel

Cookie wrote:Cost is now set at £150...please arrange payment with Tom asap.

Can there please be a little more transparency from the organisers on what this event has evolved into?

What started off as a Port Forum tasting with a few guest has turned into an event where there appears to be almost as many "guests" as there are Port Forum Members. It is not clear what the overall cost is or who is contributing to that cost. This is not how we normally operate so I think it would be helpful to those of us who have now been asked to send money to explain who is paying what.

This might sound like a strange question but can please can someone confirm that this is indeed a Port Forum tasting?

As it is unusual for us to have discussion about finances on the forum, please feel free to provide this clarity by email rather than post a response here.

Thanks
Derek

uncle tom wrote:Lorenzo works for Mentzendorff, and is representing the TFP

Lord Boswell serves on the all-party Anglo-Portuguese group

Costs look likely over-run a little, but will be capped at £150.

Cookie wrote:Alex Ellis - Director of Strategy at FCO and former UK Ambassador to Portugal
Roger Bramble - Former Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Greater London
Steve Filbey - C2C Wines
Quentin Archer - Tom's very own brother (yes there is another one )
Oz Clarke - Wine writer and broadcaster

I will update placemats soon. Any assistance with initials (for placename pages) would be welcomed.

Also following DRT’s post please instruct whether logos should be present.

Bottles delivered to the embassy today to stand and settle (- traffic was dire..)

Was advised that both red and white table wines will be offered during dinner, from the Ambassador's cellar.

jdaw1 wrote:

uncle tom wrote:Lorenzo works for Mentzendorff, and is representing the TFP

Lord Boswell serves on the all-party Anglo-Portuguese group

Costs look likely over-run a little, but will be capped at £150.

Cookie wrote:Alex Ellis - Director of Strategy at FCO and former UK Ambassador to Portugal
Roger Bramble - Former Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Greater London
Steve Filbey - C2C Wines
Quentin Archer - Tom's very own brother (yes there is another one )
Oz Clarke - Wine writer and broadcaster

I will update placemats soon. Any assistance with initials (for placename pages) would be welcomed.

Also following DRT’s post please instruct whether logos should be present.

Don't know how much consistency is desired in circlearrays, but if Quinta dos Canais / Quinta do Vesuvio are used in long form i don't think shorthand should be used elsewhere. I would therefore suggest the following changes to circlearrays (additions in square brackets)
1976 Taylor [Quinta de Vargellas]
1982 Warre [Quinta da] Cavadinha
2008 Quevedo [Quinta Vale D'Agodinho]

Likewise i would prefer a consistent approach in subtitles (cf Vargellas vs Cockburn Canais vs Quevedo)

1952 has conflicting circlearrays v subtitles (Warre or Niepoort?)

22 participants suggests to me that 2xpre-pour sheets for each wine might be in order.

Cork display sheet might also be nice for this event (all will be opened at the Embassy).

Cookie wrote:Quentin Archer - Tom's very own brother (yes there is another one )
Oz Clarke - Wine writer and broadcaster

These two are rather exciting!

Once i got a little bit into wine a few years ago, Oz Clarke was the person who then got me very interested...

Updated draft of the placemats.

• RAYC wrote:Don't know how much consistency is desired in circlearrays, but if Quinta dos Canais / Quinta do Vesuvio are used in long form i don't think shorthand should be used elsewhere. I would therefore suggest the following changes to circlearrays (additions in square brackets)
  1976 Taylor [Quinta de Vargellas]
  1982 Warre [Quinta da] Cavadinha
  2008 Quevedo [Quinta Vale D'Agodinho]
  
  Likewise i would prefer a consistent approach in subtitles (cf Vargellas vs Cockburn Canais vs Quevedo)
  
  1952 has conflicting circlearrays v subtitles (Warre or Niepoort?)
  
  22 participants suggests to me that 2xpre-pour sheets for each wine might be in order.
  
  Cork display sheet might also be nice for this event (all will be opened at the Embassy).

  I believe all done.
  • ’52 = Niepoort (somebody to confirm?);
  • There were two pre-pour sheets, but they are collated.
  • Cork sheet added;
  • Circlearrays fixed;
  • Subtitles obeying space constraints, hence slight inconsistencies;
• Also people added. Is Roger Bramble the Lord Roger Bramble, the Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London?

Please let me know when they are printed after which no more minor improvements.

Will take memory stick to the printers early tomorrow. According to DeBrett's, Roger Bramble is styled an Esq.

uncle tom wrote:According to DeBrett's, Roger Bramble is styled an Esq.

‟Roger B., Esq”?

I think we all qualify as Esq's these days - IIRC one has to earn more than £1k p.a. to use the suffix..

Gentlemen...start your engines

What is the dress code?
What time do we need to be there?
Is the entrance we need at 11 Belgrave Square SW1X 8PP? (So between Hyde Park and Victoria tubes.)

17.30

Lounge suit with tie

12 Belgrave Sq, not 11

uncle tom wrote:Lounge suit with tie

Consider PM’ing or emailing that to the attendees, as not all will be expecting to wear a suit.

The A3 tasting mats - printed on heavy cartridge paper - look really good..!

The London Olympiad tasting will take place here:

uncle tom wrote:The A3 tasting mats - printed on heavy cartridge paper - look really good..!

The parameters used have been posted in the thread entitled Parameters for the placemat software.

jdaw1 wrote:

uncle tom wrote:Lounge suit with tie

Consider PM’ing or emailing that to the attendees, as not all will be expecting to wear a suit.

Yep, would have been a good idea; if I had not had a last look earlier today, I would have not come in a suit and tie due to the weather

Unfortunate events between Birmingham and London have cancelled trains. Using an alternate route hopefully but it is touch and go to arrive before kickoff.

So what happened? And who took on the role of official scribe? I'm looking forward to reading the review and tasting notes.

So what happened? And who took on the role of official scribe? I'm looking forward to reading the review and tasting notes.

It went very well, despite being an extremely hot day. The dining table looked absolutely fantastic, and the embassy staff were most professional.

One of the Dow 80's was corked, which was annoying, as I had brought a spare bottle, but the problem wasn't clocked when we decanted..

Surprise of the night was the Warre Cavadinha '84, which was a very peppery and spicy wine - and perfectly mature. The Niepoort experimental '56 acquitted itself very well, and appeared to be an intermediate between ruby and tawny in style - and the Martinez '48 made for a classic ending.

The Ambassador's guests were excellent company, as was the Bishop of Norwich who was most gregarious..

When I suggested that we would have to repeat the exercise in two years time to celebrate the World Cup, the Ambassador immediately stood up and offered his hand to seal the deal - which I accepted..

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1948 Martinez;
• 1952 Niepoort Colheita;
• 1956 Niepoort Experimental;
• 1960 Croft;
• 1964 Graham Malvedos;
• 1968 Fonseca Guimaraens;
• 1972 Offley Boa Vista;
• 1976 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas;
• 1980 Dow;
• 1984 Warre Quinta da Cavadinha;
• 1988 Quinta de la Rosa;
• 1992 Burmester;
• 1996 Quinta do Vesuvio;
• 2000 Delaforce;
• 2004 Cockburn Quinta dos Canais;
• 2008 Quevedo Quevedo Quinta Vale D’Agodinho;
• Placemats (and parameters);
• Planning and arrangements.