A year on from the original planned date for this tasting, I am proposing that we invite Oscar to join the Port Forum on Wednesday 14th December to open the first of his Closure Experiment cases of the 2014 Vintage Port from Quevedo.
I suggest as well as the four bottles of Quevedo 2014, we also have a theme of "Bring an interesting bottle to share with Oscar and Nadia". It doesn't have to be Port - it doesn't even have to be fortified - but it should be something which Oscar will hopefully find interesting. (I suggest not bringing a Quevedo product since Oscar gets lots of opportunities to taste these.)
Where: The Lutyens Room, 67 Pall Mall When: 18.00 for 18.30 on Wednesday 14th December 2022 Theme: The Quevedo 2014 Closure Experiment and a few interesting bottles Who:
Oscar Quevedo
Michael Mee
Tony Carter
Julian Wiseman
Ben Petrie
Mike Meehan
Neil Colman
Christopher
NOT ATTENDING DUE TO THE STRIKE
Simon Doggett
Ian Johns
Charles Redshaw
Ben Read
Wolfgang Starz
Reserves:
-
Please don't everyone bring an "interesting" bottle. Doing so would mean (a) too many bottles and (b) a large bill @ £30 per bottle corkage. Please would each odd-even pair (eg. Tony and Charles, Ben and Wolfgang) agree between them who will bring a single bottle and an appropriate way to share the cost of the bottle brought.
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
I purchased 4 of those closure experiment packs, retained 2 for myself which are stored differently, and distributed 2 others to Port friends who have storage capabilities different than mine. So my 4 packs are being stored in:
1. my wine refrigerators
2. my study at room temperature, which in the study is a pretty constant 68 F
3. a friend's wine cellar
4. another friend's wine storage room, which is not "room temperature" but is also not cellar/refrigerator temperature
1 and 3 are likely to have similar results because they're kept at similar temperatures. 4's temperature is likely normally in the mid 60s F and fairly constant, whereas 2's temperature is normally around 68F but likely ranges between as high as 70F to as low as 62F seasonally.
I am very interested to hear the results of this opening and tasting!
Time to start thinking about what to eat on Wednesday 15th. We have the Christmas menu to choose from so please let me know your choice of the following (NB: price will be £55-60 per person, including service, corkage etc.)
STARTERS
- Wild Mushroom soup, chive cream (v)
- Chapel & Swan oak smoked salmon, roasted beetroot and orange
- Duck liver pate, toasted sourdough bread, house pickles
- Roasted pumpkin and candied beetroot, quinoa salad (v)
MAINS
- Cod loin, lemon and caper herb crust, mash, red wine jus
- British roast turkey with sage and apricot stuffing, pig in blanket
- Salt baked celeriac, roasted leek and sweet potato Wellington, tomato and tamarind sauce (vg)
- Slow braised beef bourguignon, mash, orange gremolata
- Chargrilled Surrey Hills sirloin steak 240g and Bordelaise sauce (£5 supplement)
All mains are served with roast carrots, brussels sprouts, and roast potatoes
DESSERTS
- Christmas Pudding with clotted cream or Bailey’s ice cream (v)
- Chocolate brownie, hot chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream (v)
- Chocolate and cherry trifle
- British cheese plate: Tuxford & Tebbutt Stilton (v), Cotswold Brie (v), Westcombe Cheddar, grapes, ale chutney, biscuits
Please let me know your choice by posting below. Your deadline for doing so is close of business on Tuesday 7th December so I can get our order in to Plantation Place a week ahead of our dinner.
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
Julian - the table is looking as though we might be very tight for space and we may need to re-use glasses. Are you able to draft glass stickers plus tasting note sheets and voting sheets for the tasting?
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
- Chapel & Swan oak smoked salmon, roasted beetroot and orange
- British roast turkey with sage and apricot stuffing, pig in blanket
- Christmas Pudding with clotted cream
Given the changes recently made by the UK government for international travel and the increase in COVID cases I have decided to ask Oscar NOT to travel to the UK next week and to postpone until 2022 the opening of the Aging Experiment pack.
I am also going to stand down from the tasting on the 15th December. We have a table booked at Davy's Plantation House so I am happy to pass on to someone else the organising of a "bring a bottle" dinner that evening. If anyone is willing and able to, please let me know and I'll give you the details.
I have updated the first post to show the seats which are now vacant for reserves and others to fill.
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
Seems like the sensible course of action, however disappointing it is. I will no longer travel into London on Wednesday then so my seat at the table would be free if needed. But would like to maintain a place at the future tasting if possible
I'm afraid I'm going to make the same call as Simon and postpone my trip to London. Please can I maintain my position on the Quevedo tasting when that happens?
Alex, I feel very much the same as Simon & Rich. I have been expecting this to be postponed for the last week or so - it comes as no real surprise and you have done the right thing in asking Oscar not to travel. So close to Christmas, the last thing any of us want is for someone else to have their Christmas plans affected by covid.
Ben
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Vintage 1970 and now proud owner of my first ever 'half-century'!
I'm happy to offer seats at the reorganised tasting with a first offer to the people who confirmed attendance at the tasting originally organised for next week.
First post updated to show Ben, Simon and Rich no longer attending.
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
Would this be an opportunity to switch this to an online tasting? Obviously that depends on those still listed as attendees and whether they'd prefer to keep things face to face, but if most are planning to withdraw for now, I would suggest a Quevedo themed virtual might be a good replacement.
If no-one steps forward by lunchtime today to take over the organising of this tasting I will cancel our booking.
If I cancel I will try to get our deposit back or transfer it to another booking next year. If I can’t, I’ll ask those originally planning to attend to cover the £10 per head I had to pay to secure our booking.
Top Ports in 2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑16:26 Fri 10 Dec 2021
This tasting has been cancelled for the moment and will be reorganised once travel rules in the UK and Portugal have eased a little