Bring-a-bottle, B&F, Thursday 20th January 2022

[nac]

Stand-in event to replace postponed 1997 @ 25 tasting.
B&F - Green Room - 1830 kick-off

Attendees

1. NAC
2. AHB
3. JDAW
4. JGH
5. IDJ
6. Dia
7. HTWH
8. ?

As mentioned elsewhere, priority goes to existing attendees of the postponed event, but sure this won’t be an issue.

Who fancies it?


Current draft of the placemats.

[Doggett]

Regrettably I am going decline the chance to meet on this date now. I would have loved to have come and bring a bottle, but as it was I was skipping an online tasting class for my Wine Scholar course because of my excitement at tasting the ‘97s. So I will now do the sensible thing and do the class as the exam is only 2 weeks after. I hope that I will be able to attend the rescheduled ‘97 tasting but that will depend on the date and B&B bookings. I hope much enjoyment and fine juice is had by those that can.

[rich_n]

I think I'll have to decline, given my limited options to call on friends spare rooms in London. Looking forward to the 97s when that happens though.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Yes please. I have that date penned into my diary and don't want to waste my domestic pass!

[jdaw1]

Yes please.

[JacobH]

Assuming you don’t fill up with people from the postponed tasting, I’d be interested.

[idj123]

I’d still be up for this (as I would have been for the 97 tasting).

[nac]

Have moved booking from Red Room to Green Room.

[jdaw1]

Placemat draft added to first post.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I'd prefer to do this tasting blind, but I am prepared to be outvoted if there is a strong majority preference to taste sighted.

[jdaw1]

I lightly prefer sighted. Given strength of Alex’s preference, let’s call that a half vote.

[nac]

My preference is always for sighted, but we haven’t had a blind session for ages so that might be fun.

[JacobH]

I am amused by the fact that in order to outvote AHB we need a “strong” majority. But then the Port Forum was always a benine dictatorship!

Seeing as it is ages and ages since I have been to a bring-a-bottle tasting, I will be embarrassingly terrible at a blind tasting. However, I have no strong preference either way, as long as everyone promises not to play some dastardly trick like serving two glasses of the same Port or bringing a fortified wine from Cornwall made out of imported prickly pears to see if I can identify that it is not a Port...

[Constandia]

Yes please, how about we do half and half in terms of blind tasting. I am terrible at it, but it is not really about guessing the wine, just some speculative fun!

[Alex Bridgeman]

I do enjoy blind tastings, even though I am pretty useless at them. My aim is always to outperform someone who is not at the tasting. A target I rarely manage.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I am amused by the fact that in order to outvote AHB we need a “strong” majority. But then the Port Forum was always a benine dictatorship!

Seeing as it is ages and ages since I have been to a bring-a-bottle tasting, I will be embarrassingly terrible at a blind tasting. However, I have no strong preference either way, as long as everyone promises not to play some dastardly trick like serving two glasses of the same Port or bringing a fortified wine from Cornwall made out of imported prickly pears to see if I can identify that it is not a Port...

My intention was that a strong majority in favour of would (probably) persuade me to reveal the Port I will bring. Any other expression of feeling leaves people able to choose individually whether to share their wine's identity or not.

And I promise not to bring a Cornish fortified wine made from imported prickly pears. I wonder if that would qualify as British Sherry...?

No. I will not be cruel. I shall declare the bottle I am bringing is "Believed Vintage Port", as it said in the auction catalogue.

[Glenn E.]

a fortified wine from Cornwall made out of imported prickly pears

I... want to try this...

[PhilW]

a fortified wine from Cornwall made out of imported prickly pears

I... want to try this...

If only prickly pears weren't illegal in your state...

[jdaw1]

How thirsty will we be? Would a magnum be useful?

[Doggett]

How thirsty will we be? Would a magnum be useful?

Surely the correct post is… I was going to bring a mag but how thirsty will we be? Would a double mag be more suitable?

[jdaw1]

How thirsty will we be? Would a magnum be useful?

Surely the correct post is… I was going to bring a mag but how thirsty will we be? Would a double mag be more suitable?

My post was entirely correct. It admitted answers such as “Not much — a magnum would suffice”, or “Quite thirsty — double magnum preferred”, or even “Usual — an Imperial please”.

[JacobH]

a fortified wine from Cornwall made out of imported prickly pears

I... want to try this...

I suppose it shouldn’t have surprised me that, apparently, people do make alcoholic drinks from prickly pears. There is a straight-fermented version called colonche which is made in parts of Mexico whilst in Sicily and Malta they use it to make a liqueur. The Italian is name is just “liquore da fico d’india” (“prickly pear liqueur”) whilst the Maltese is more intriguing as “bajtra”. I have some friends and relatives who spend a lot of time in Malta, so I suppose I am inevitably going to be asking them to bring me back a bottle, now! I’ll leave the colonche to your side of the Pond.

PS. In many parts of the UK “pick your own” is quite a popular offer from farms in the summer with things like strawberries. I have long thought someone should create a macho version: “pick your own prickly pears”...

[Alex Bridgeman]

How thirsty will we be? Would a magnum be useful?

Is that in addition to your bottle?

[jdaw1]

There was a light disagreement about sighted versus blind. Then Alex revealed “Believed Vintage Port”. I have hinted “Magnum”. Do any others wish to reveal clues of similar type?

[nac]

There was a light disagreement about sighted versus blind. Then Alex revealed “Believed Vintage Port”. I have hinted “Magnum”. Do any others wish to reveal clues of similar type?

I shall be bringing two bottles. One is almost definitely Vintage Port.

[JacobH]

In light of this conversation my intention is to bring a bottle without a label. I can declare it currently contains Port but I reserve the right to substitute prickly pear juice.

[nac]

In light of this conversation my intention is to bring a bottle without a label. I can declare it currently contains Port but I reserve the right to substitute prickly pear juice.

Yum. Looking forward to that one.

[nac]

Julian - thanks for doing placemats.

I'm in the office on Thursday so will print them then (in case there are any last minute changes).

[Alex Bridgeman]

I am a little worried by Jacob's declared intention. I note that he says his bottle currently contains Port, and that this statement is right next to a picture of a Porto Cruz rosé cocktail.

**gulp**

[hadge]

is there a space for this tasting? if so, it is looking likely i can attend with the way that everything has been going.

[jdaw1]

I'm in the office on Thursday so will print them then (in case there are any last minute changes).

Thank you. They have just been updated.

There was a light disagreement about sighted versus blind. Then Alex revealed “Believed Vintage Port”. I have hinted “Magnum”. Do any others wish to reveal clues of similar type?

Harry, Ian, ’Dia: any hint or clue or statement?

[idj123]

Clue: It’s not vintage!

[nac]

is there a space for this tasting? if so, it is looking likely i can attend with the way that everything has been going.

Definitely! See you there.

[Constandia]

I'm in the office on Thursday so will print them then (in case there are any last minute changes).

Thank you. They have just been updated.

There was a light disagreement about sighted versus blind. Then Alex revealed “Believed Vintage Port”. I have hinted “Magnum”. Do any others wish to reveal clues of similar type?

Harry, Ian, ’Dia: any hint or clue or statement?

I will be bringing two bottles, one is a vintage, the other is an obscurity of a port.

[hadge]

is there a space for this tasting? if so, it is looking likely i can attend with the way that everything has been going.

Definitely! See you there.

great! I will be bring a bottle of port, I have no idea of what or size as i need to go and find one!

[Alex Bridgeman]

Unknown - and old

D86E8ADA-DB70-4000-AA6A-8547AD1C643C.jpeg (12.69 KiB) Viewed 4805 times

This is my bottle for this evening. Unknown, believed Vintage Port.

Bumpy glass

3A063E93-B7EC-44CD-AB1B-1E3FC3951936.jpeg (16.26 KiB) Viewed 4805 times

The bottle is clearly old, note the bumpy glass. I estimate that it is probably last quarter of the 19th century.

Burgundy wax

C6405F6A-120D-453C-9872-A88793FC2305.jpeg (13.32 KiB) Viewed 4805 times

A low shoulder fill and a pale colour, but no signs of recent leakage.

Note flared and uneven base

73589976-9503-41E8-8210-7AC848707B63.jpeg (15.99 KiB) Viewed 4805 times

The bottle comes from the cellars of Alnwick Castle. We’ll open it at the B&F tonight. It’s unlikely the cork will be branded, but at least everyone will be able to inspect the bottle.

[idj123]

ETA before 6pm