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Following the recent T85 case testing, interest was was shown for a similar tasting of a Symington port from the 1980s. A decision was therefore made to repeat the tasting format with a six bottle case of Graham 1980. The objectives are threefold: (i) to assess the potential variability of this wine, (ii) to assess its overall quality and state of maturation and, (iii) to enjoy some port in the good company of like minded individuals.

Date: Wednesday 2nd April 2014.

As only six bottles are included in the case study, depending on the number of attendees and our degree of thirst, we can supplement the six with additional bottles of other wines if required.

Please let me know if you're interested and let's agree on a date as soon as possible so i can book the BH. So far JDAW, AHB and Chris Doty have shown interest so i am reserving spaces for you but can you please confirm if you are coming or not. Any others who happen to be in town, or who want to come over for this event are welcome to join.

Confirmed:

1. Populus Tremula;
2. JDAW;
3. DRT;
4. WS1;
5. CPR 1;
6. AHB;
7. MPM.

Extra Bottles: MPM, CPR 1, AHB, DRT.


Current draft of the placemats.

May I humbly ask that we move this either forward or back as that Tuesday (8th) is the date of our next Belfast tasting - to which I hope to entice some of you; but also I'd like to attend this one.
The week following Easter is the week of the Big Fortified Tasting; we were to have a tasting the evening before. Has that been confirmed?

djewesbury wrote:May I humbly ask that we move this either forward or back as that Tuesday (8th) is the date of our next Belfast tasting - to which I hope to entice some of you; but also I'd like to attend this one.
The week following Easter is the week of the Big Fortified Tasting; we were to have a tasting the evening before. Has that been confirmed?

Noted. How about 2nd or 3rd of April, i.e Wednesday or Thursday the week before?

PopulusTremula wrote:So far JDAW, AHB and Chris Doty have shown interest

That showing of interest hereby repeated.

PopulusTremula wrote:

djewesbury wrote:May I humbly ask that we move this either forward or back as that Tuesday (8th) is the date of our next Belfast tasting - to which I hope to entice some of you; but also I'd like to attend this one.
The week following Easter is the week of the Big Fortified Tasting; we were to have a tasting the evening before. Has that been confirmed?

Noted. How about 2nd or 3rd of April, i.e Wednesday or Thursday the week before?

That week quite crappy for me unless it were the Tuesday (1st). But others will be more flexible and nearer to hand, so please take their demands into account first. If it so happens that I can come, I will come.

I wish I could be there.

Yes please.

Would like to come to and prefer Wednesday 2nd of April.

regards

WS1

Sounds like a fascinating experiment thus in the interests of science - yes please

slight preference for either Tues / Wed night.

Thanks

List of attendees updated. Date is provisionally set for Wednesday 2nd April.

Yes please - and Wednesday 2nd April works for me

Update: can I be a a provisional (as we say in Belfast)?

djewesbury wrote:Update: can I be a a provisional (as we say in Belfast)?

Not everyone in Belfast has a stutter.

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:Update: can I be a a provisional (as we say in Belfast)?

Not everyone in Belfast has a stutter.

Wow. Tangential, dude...

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:Update: can I be a a provisional (as we say in Belfast)?

Not everyone in Belfast has a stutter.

Wow. Tangential, dude...

I'm on fire. I think it's the Tramadol.

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:Update: can I be a a provisional (as we say in Belfast)?

Not everyone in Belfast has a stutter.

Wow. Tangential, dude...

I'm on fire. I think it's the Tramadol.

Oh no - you haven't been taking them without Talisker have you?

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:Update: can I be a a provisional (as we say in Belfast)?

Not everyone in Belfast has a stutter.

Wow. Tangential, dude...

I'm on fire. I think it's the Tramadol.

Oh no - you haven't been taking them without Talisker have you?

BH has been booked.

Draft placemats added to first post. Six glasses, six types of chess piece (♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙): why not?

Would there be room for one more, which would be my first appearance at a tasting? Would be great to put faces to the names and posts!
Best
Flash / Mike

flash_uk wrote:Would there be room for one more, which would be my first appearance at a tasting? Would be great to put faces to the names and posts!
Best
Flash / Mike

You have been added to the list of attendees. I'm very much a beginner at this myself so look forward to see you there.

/Magnus

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jdaw1 wrote:Draft placemats added to first post. Six glasses, six types of chess piece (♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙): why not?

Thanks for drafting these, they look very good.

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Thank you very much. Seeing my name at the top in the list, I probably should have thought about how my board username would translate into a three letter acronym

flash_uk wrote:Thank you very much. Seeing my name at the top in the list, I probably should have thought about how my board username would translate into a three letter acronym

We typically use real-world initials. Please, what are they? And for purposes to be revealed are you left-handed?

Aha. Real world would be MPM (Mike Patrick Meehan). Right-handed.

Updated draft of the placemats.

• +MPM.

(Mike: right- and left-handers have slightly different pages, which is why the question was asked.)



(This post edited Fri 07 Mar to show second page of glasses.)

So everyone coming to this session is right-handed. Using Tommy Cooper-think, if a couple more people sign up, one of them will be left-handed.

flash_uk wrote:Using Tommy Cooper-think

‟And there are five people in my family, so it must be one of them”?

Exactly!

PopulusTremula wrote:Confirmed:

1. Populus Tremula;
2. JDAW;
3. DRT;
4. WS1;
5. CPR 1;
6. AHB;
7. DJ;
8. MPM.

I’ve just notice that we are eight people, for whom a mere six bottles will be a woefully inadequate bagatelle. What should be done about this?

jdaw1 wrote:I’ve just notice that we are eight people, for whom a mere six bottles will be a woefully inadequate bagatelle. What should be done about this?

Beer.

DRT wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:I’ve just notice that we are eight people, for whom a mere six bottles will be a woefully inadequate bagatelle. What should be done about this?

Beer.

More port

flash_uk wrote:

DRT wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:I’ve just notice that we are eight people, for whom a mere six bottles will be a woefully inadequate bagatelle. What should be done about this?

Beer.

More port

Both.

jdaw1 wrote:

flash_uk wrote:

DRT wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:I’ve just notice that we are eight people, for whom a mere six bottles will be a woefully inadequate bagatelle. What should be done about this?

Beer.

More port

Both.

Life is all about compromises, so I agree to both.

PopulusTremula wrote:As only six bottles are included in the case study, depending on the number of attendees and our degree of thirst, we can supplement the six with additional bottles of other wines if required.

Would it be an idea to constrain additional bottles to be only horizontal or vertical from G80?

Lets not do any additional G80 as one of the objectives is to assess intra-case variability. Although another G80 could be said to represent an outside reference for the same wine, thus contributing to objectives 2 and 3, let's limit this wine to the six siblings from the case.

Bringing of other wines is very much encouraged however. These can be blind or sighted, my preference being the former. DRT's Malvedos '76 on 26 Feb is a case in point; collective headscratching and incorrect guesses ensued.

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My suggestion was perhaps a bit vague I realise now! I was definitely not thinking more G80, but rather for additions either have more G, like a 77 or 83, offering an opportunity to compare and contrast a little older and a little younger to the case of 6, or, have more 80s which are not G, to offer a reference point to the same vintage. All serving to help with objectives 2 and 3. Could still do this blind.

flash_uk wrote:My suggestion was perhaps a bit vague I realise now! I was definitely not thinking more G80, but rather for additions either have more G, like a 77 or 83, offering an opportunity to compare and contrast a little older and a little younger to the case of 6, or, have more 80s which are not G, to offer a reference point to the same vintage. All serving to help with objectives 2 and 3. Could still do this blind.

Re-reading your post, no vagueness was found. My initial befuddlement is blamed on the early hour combined with standing room only on a Southeastern train.

Your suggestion is wholly endorsed, feel free to bring non-80 Grahams or other 80s. Let's keep these blind if possible.

OK, bye bye ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙ placemat theme.

Who is bringing extras? I have none to hand matching the specification, but could adopt. Or maybe there could be general split adoption, in effect adding half a bottle per person.

I have a selection of bottles that meet the criteria and am happy to bring one blind if that helps the evening along.....

I also have one that would fit the bill.

jdaw1 wrote:OK, bye bye ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙ placemat theme.

That seems a shame. Could we not retain this placemat for the case of 6 and supplement with another for whatever extras arrive?

flash_uk wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:OK, bye bye ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙ placemat theme.

That seems a shame. Could we not retain this placemat for the case of 6 and supplement with another for whatever extras arrive?

Perhaps the next 6 could show the possible moves for each piece using a series of checked squares within each circle?

CPR 1 wrote:I have a selection of bottles that meet the criteria and am happy to bring one blind if that helps the evening along.....

That is most appreciated. Please bring. We'll do the two emergency flares blind.

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flash_uk wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:OK, bye bye ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙ placemat theme.

That seems a shame. Could we not retain this placemat for the case of 6 and supplement with another for whatever extras arrive?

I agree, the theme should remain, too good to skip. Would it be possible to create black versions of the pawn and knight for the two wines brought blind by CPR and flash?

Magnus

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flash_uk wrote:I also have one that would fit the bill.

Flash: thanks for offering to bring an extra. Offer hereby gratefully accepted. Please bring blind.

Magnus

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PopulusTremula wrote:

flash_uk wrote:I also have one that would fit the bill.

Flash: thanks for offering to bring an extra. Offer hereby gratefully accepted. Please bring blind.

Magnus

will do.

flash_uk wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:OK, bye bye ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙ placemat theme.

That seems a shame. Could we not retain this placemat for the case of 6 and supplement with another for whatever extras arrive?

No. The theme can be used another time, when we have exactly six Ports.

Updated draft of the placemats.

• Greeks instead of chess pieces;
• +Ports names after MPM and CPR.

I have port which meets the criteria for additional port. I am unclear whether I should bring a bottle. Could someone clarify for me whether this is required?