Topic WHITE aged ports, Tue 17th May 2022

[Nelly]

Theme: drumroll please: White aged ports!

Should we do blind? Or will we end up bringing the same stuff?

Location: Boot & Flogger.

People:

1. Nelly W.;
2. Julian W.;
3. Neil C.;
4. Zak R.;
5. Ian J.;
6. Mike M.;
7. Charles R.;
8. Alex B.;
9. Elizabeth B.

Reserves:

• Harry H..

Withdrawn:

• Dave L.;
• Phil W.;
• George G.;
• Tony C.

Current draft of the placemats.

[jdaw1]

Available that evening. Should I book B&F?

[hadge]

Looking forward to hearing about this, should be free that evening.

[nac]

Should be free. Please count me in.

[akzy]

An excuse to meet up and drink? Wonderful. I'm in.

[Doggett]

Disappointed to say I can’t make this one. The B&B is full so I can’t get to London. Hope all goes well and welcome to the madness Nelly!

[idj123]

Yes, should be free for this.

[winesecretary]

I am likely to be available, with some port.

[Alex M]

Likely to be available.

[CPR 1]

This should work - I am in

[jdaw1]

Come on Nelly: what’s the theme? I might not have bottles and so be forced to host a rival tasting that evening.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I should be able to make it - put me down for a seat please.

[DaveRL]

This works for me. Yes please.

[Nelly]

Theme: drumroll please: White aged ports!

Should we do blind? Or will we end up bringing the same stuff?

[jdaw1]

Should we do blind? Or will we end up bringing the same stuff?

Several people know my one non-Churchill white.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Ooh! If that’s the theme, please could I bring Mrs B as my guest? She loves White Port and has access to a decent range of them.

We prefer blind, despite the risks to our credibility.

[Nelly]

Ooh! If that’s the theme, please could I bring Mrs B as my guest? She loves White Port and has access to a decent range of them.

We prefer blind, despite the risks to our credibility.

Brilliant!

[PhilW]

Yes please; I really enjoy the aged whites.

[winesecretary]

I have a suitable bottle (well, half-litre).

[jdaw1]

Please can it be sighted, for several reasons.

• They don’t need decanting, so will likely be poured from bottle. Even with wrapping in tin foil, bottle shape will reveal much to those who know.
• Many are ½ litre (incl. mine). There are already thirteen of us. So two × 500ml will typically be needed. So there will be leftovers — people will want to take home their remnants, which further discourages use of decanters.
• If you provide a Graham 1970 (thank you) and a Hutcheson 1970 (whatever the insult was, I didn’t mean it that badly), then I might have a prior opinion about the Ports (G ≫ H). There could be risk of label bias. But of whites I know little: telling me that α = Kopke and β = Poças and γ = Krohn ≈ Taylor doesn’t give me bias, because I have no opinion about which will be more apricot and which will be more walnuts, nor which will be best.
• Keeping track of two copies of blinded bottles will be administratively fussy.

Please can it be sighted?

[DaveRL]

Hahaha, the theme took me somewhat by surprise, but in a good way. I have just checked my cellar, and I'm not at all surprised to find I have exactly no suitable White aged Ports. We drank the Quevedo 30 just before Christmas (it was lovely) and just like that, the cellar was dry. That isn't quite true, I do have a couple of the Quevedo White 90ml bottles left from the Advent Calendar, and I was considering bringing them just to see the look on Julian's face when I popped them on the table, but the thought alone is enough to make me quietly amused all day. Anyway, I have just rectified my bottle problem, so all good to go when the delivery arrives. Looking forward to it, and thank you Nelly

[Nelly]

Ahahaha, guys, you are so funny! It was meant to be destructive right from the start that it’s organised by a woman )))
I’m happy to see you puzzled and having a discussion, I welcome opinions from the rest on preferences (blind/open).

[Nelly]

Hahaha, the theme took me somewhat by surprise, but in a good way. I have just checked my cellar, and I'm not at all surprised to find I have exactly no suitable White aged Ports. We drank the Quevedo 30 just before Christmas (it was lovely) and just like that, the cellar was dry. That isn't quite true, I do have a couple of the Quevedo White 90ml bottles left from the Advent Calendar, and I was considering bringing them just to see the look on Julian's face when I popped them on the table, but the thought alone is enough to make me quietly amused all day. Anyway, I have just rectified my bottle problem, so all good to go when the delivery arrives. Looking forward to it, and thank you Nelly

You made me laugh of that thought as well! Well, let’s make it fun! Isn’t it how tastings supposed to be?

[akzy]

Would prefer sighted. I'm gonna have to purchase something and suspect others will also have to. Given limited UK market, decent chance on having similar things.

[jdaw1]

Ahahaha, guys, you are so funny! It was meant to be destructive right from the start that it’s organised by a woman )))
I’m happy to see you puzzled and having a discussion, I welcome opinions from the rest on preferences (blind/open).

It is not the first time we have disagreed about blind versus sighted.

For these purposes, female irrelevant.