ThePortForum.com

This coming Wednesday is a 70th anniversary.

The Staffordshire Record Office has a collection of copies of letters written by Alfred H. Finch of Tiverton in Devon to his wine merchant, Stanley Blood of W.H. & J. Joule of Stone in Staffordshire. The author was born in 1874, married in January 1903, and was deceased by April 1957.

• On 19th May 1951 he wrote, after comparing Gould Campbell 1927, Gould Campbell 1934, and Tuke Holdsworth 1927: “Vintage Port is becoming one of the pleasures of a bygone civilisation, fast disappearing.”

Perhaps, this coming Wednesday, those so minded could prove him wrong.

Other bon mots:

• 16th October 1953, at the end of a report on a comparative tasting of GC27 (“as a standard of reference”) versus Graham 1942 and 1945: “I don't think the combination of Graham and the Portuguese bottlers produce such an attractive get—up (cork, label and dirt) as the English exponents of the art. Joule's dirt is much more realistic.”
• 18th October 1954: “Wine prices remain forbidding. … I wish you could tell me, as a matter of curious interest, what sort of people are prepared to pay 360/- for Vintage Port.” [360/- per dozen is, per bottle, 30/- = £1.50.]

jdaw1 wrote: ↑17:21 Sat 15 May 2021On 19th May 1951 he wrote, after comparing Gould Campbell 1927, Gould Campbell 1934, and Tuke Holdsworth 1927: “Vintage Port is becoming one of the pleasures of a bygone civilisation, fast disappearing.”

I have mentioned before that I subscribe to the Whig theory of Port history (i.e. the Port we drink now is better than that of the past) which is, perhaps, less common than the Burkean approach suggested here.

One thing that interests me, though, is that one doesn’t often see writers writing nostalgically about Port in the 1920s or, indeed, the early years of the 20th Century. You might sometimes get the impression that nothing really happened in the half-century between phylloxera in the 1870s the 1920s when a lot of the major replanting that has left us with Nacional, the older block-planting at Vargellas etc. took place. But presumably there was a lot of replanting in the 1890s and those vineyards would have been reaching maturity by 1910 or so?

jdaw1 wrote: ↑17:21 Sat 15 May 2021 16th October 1953, at the end of a report on a comparative tasting of GC27 (“as a standard of reference”) versus Graham 1942 and 1945: “I don't think the combination of Graham and the Portuguese bottlers produce such an attractive get—up (cork, label and dirt) as the English exponents of the art. Joule's dirt is much more realistic.”

This is interesting. Would we compare the 1994 Gould Campbell to, say, the 2007 and 2011 Graham’s? Or, indeed, any recent Gould Campbell to a Graham’s?

Link: Whig versus Burke.

JacobH wrote: ↑09:54 Sun 16 May 2021This is interesting. Would we compare the 1994 Gould Campbell to, say, the 2007 and 2011 Graham’s? Or, indeed, any recent Gould Campbell to a Graham’s?

The author had enjoyed much of the GC27. Likewise, if GC94 had been the house good Port of one of us, who was now assessing younger ports, the GC94 might well be present “as a standard of reference”.

@ JacobH - I think you have not been reading books of the relevant era (internet generally useless for this era of writing). Saintsbury was, of couse, writing in the 20s, albeit mainly about ports of an earlier era, but he does run up to 1904 in his Notes. And, pretty much every mid-twentieth century commentator highly rates the 12s and the 27s. See Andre Simon's "Vintagewise", quoted at length by jdaw1 on this site, for example.

winesecretary wrote: ↑23:30 Sun 16 May 2021 @ JacobH - I think you have not been reading books of the relevant era (internet generally useless for this era of writing). Saintsbury was, of couse, writing in the 20s, albeit mainly about ports of an earlier era, but he does run up to 1904 in his Notes. And, pretty much every mid-twentieth century commentator highly rates the 12s and the 27s. See Andre Simon's "Vintagewise", quoted at length by jdaw1 on this site, for example.

I have read Vintagewise but many years ago. I ought to read it again. I don’t think I’ve actually read Notes on a Cellar-Book, itself. I’m not sure how readily available copies are. I must investigate!

Incidentally, flicking through Vintagewise, he is not terribly complementary of the 1910s: “The best of the three [general declarations] was undoubtedly the ’12, a charming enough wine but not a stayer.”.

The 1920s fare a little better: “The only wine of outstanding vintage character and merit of this decade was that of 1927, and, incidentally, it was the only vintage offered during those ten years by Mssr. Cockburn [...] The 1927 vintage is the last to have been sold in England on anything like a large scale, and it is likely to be remembered as the saturation point of the Vintage Port trade in the the United Kingdom.”. When describing drinking them in the 1930s, he comments: “The days of the ‘black-strap’ Ports are gone and gone for ever”!

JacobH wrote: ↑17:14 Wed 19 May 2021

flicking through Vintagewise, he is not terribly complementary of the 1910s: “The best of the three [general declarations] was undoubtedly the ’12, a charming enough wine but not a stayer.”.

1908>>1911>>>>>>1912

Ymmv

1908 varies stylistically but is comparable pleasure giving to 1826, 1927, 1945

The anniversary denied with Cá85.

Chris Doty wrote: ↑17:17 Wed 19 May 20211908>>1911>>>>>>1912

Ymmv

1908 varies stylistically but is comparable pleasure giving to 1826, 1927, 1945

My mileage has differed to yours. Cockburn ’12, at the best I’ve had it, was full of wonderful pepper and spice. The vintage is now allowed to be tired, but if that was representative, it was top-rank.

Chris Doty wrote: ↑17:17 Wed 19 May 20211908 varies stylistically but is comparable pleasure giving to 1826, 1927, 1945

Was your praise of 1826 entertaining pretension (and therefore wholly endorsed), or based on actual data? Contemporaries, doubtless erroneously, omit to praise ’26.

Great suggestion for a tasting theme: 1908 versus 1912. Somehow, I expect that most of those signing on would request an adoption — including me.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑17:50 Wed 19 May 2021

Was your praise of 1826 entertaining pretension (and therefore wholly endorsed),

omit to praise ’26.

Sheer bravado .

Anyone who has not yet listened when I Implore them to disregard all I say...

jdaw1 wrote: ↑17:50 Wed 19 May 2021
Great suggestion for a tasting theme: 1908 versus 1912. Somehow, I expect that most of those signing on would request an adoption — including me.

I got us covered, buts that it!