ThePortForum.com

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.

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.

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.

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

Yes please.

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

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

Have moved booking from Red Room to Green Room.

Placemat draft added to first post.

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.

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

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

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...

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!

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.

JacobH wrote: ↑09:26 Thu 13 Jan 2022 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.

JacobH wrote: ↑09:26 Thu 13 Jan 2022 a fortified wine from Cornwall made out of imported prickly pears

I... want to try this...

Glenn E. wrote:

JacobH wrote: ↑09:26 Thu 13 Jan 2022 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...

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

jdaw1 wrote: ↑11:04 Sun 16 Jan 2022 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?

Doggett wrote: ↑11:18 Sun 16 Jan 2022

jdaw1 wrote: ↑11:04 Sun 16 Jan 2022How 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”.

Glenn E. wrote: ↑18:45 Fri 14 Jan 2022

JacobH wrote: ↑09:26 Thu 13 Jan 2022 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”...

jdaw1 wrote: ↑11:04 Sun 16 Jan 2022 How thirsty will we be? Would a magnum be useful?

Is that in addition to your bottle?

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?

jdaw1 wrote: ↑18:16 Mon 17 Jan 2022 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.

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.

JacobH wrote: ↑09:45 Tue 18 Jan 2022 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.

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).

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**

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

nac wrote: ↑12:15 Tue 18 Jan 2022I'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.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑18:16 Mon 17 Jan 2022There 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?

Clue: It’s not vintage!

hadge wrote: ↑20:01 Tue 18 Jan 2022 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.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑20:46 Tue 18 Jan 2022

nac wrote: ↑12:15 Tue 18 Jan 2022I'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.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑18:16 Mon 17 Jan 2022There 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.

nac wrote: ↑13:54 Wed 19 Jan 2022

hadge wrote: ↑20:01 Tue 18 Jan 2022 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!

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


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


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


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.

ETA before 6pm