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Realizing that the proposed date follows hot on the heels of the tasting on 26th March and that this is the Easter week when people may have retreat to their chalets, cottages, country piles or whatever, is there any interest in an informal gathering on Tuesday 31st March?

I have been busy with work and offspring #2 (not that #1 is plain sailing) so i have not been able to attend any of the recent tastings, nor will i be able to do any of those currently planned. For the Easter week however, the better half (and sprogs) will head to the Ards peninsula a few days ahead of me so there is a window of opportunity for me to be let out. Also, we're most likely relocating to Sweden in early summer rendering my future attendance nigh on impossible.

Please let me know of interest and availability.

Theme: bring a bottle shown blind but no constraints on shipper, vintage etc.
Venue: B&F at 18:30 (Green Room has been booked for 8 people)

Attendees:

1. MW;
2. DRT;
3. jdaw;
4. AHB (probable);
5. DJ;
6. flash;
7. CMAG.

Magnus

Current draft of the food order for 31^st March 2015.

Current draft of the placemats.

That date looks ok for me at the moment, count me in

I have a better than even chance of being able to attend.

The Ards peninsula! Well. If you're near Belfast perhaps I can distract you for a night.
I may be able to attend on the 31st.

djewesbury wrote:The Ards peninsula! Well. If you're near Belfast perhaps I can distract you for a night.
I may be able to attend on the 31st.

A distraction would have been manna from heaven. Alas, neither time nor protocol allow for any such escapades. The Easter weekend will be spent eating incinerated roast beef and biting my lip whilst being garotted for hauling the family off to Sweden, where apparently:

- there are no chapels of the right denomination; and
- 80% of men divorce their wives; and
- both children will lose limbs due to frost bite.

We live in enlightened times.

I suspect wide-scale enlightenment will reach that part of the world at roughly the same time it reaches Alabama and Tehran.

Good luck with the move. I hope your wife doesn't become one of the 20% of wives who divorce their husbands.

If there's still space count me in for this.

I’m likely to be available. Please sir, may I?

And please may I edit your first post to add placemats and other stuff?

Idj and jdaw most gratefully added.

Feel free to edit first post. Thank you for your help.

Hi Magnus - I would love to join you, but the chance is very slim (~10%); will let you know if it becomes viable.

At least if you're heading to Sweden there are one or two port fans there who hold regular tastings, if you are anywhere near, or able to travel to, their location. Hope all your travel plans go smoothly.

PhilW wrote:Hi Magnus - I would love to join you, but the chance is very slim (~10%); will let you know if it becomes viable.

I have put you down as very tentative. We live in hope.

Hi Magnus, I fear that I will struggle to make this as well as the event on the Thursday before...I will try my best though to make it! If we don't get to catch up, all the best with your travels and moves.

CMAG might be joining us.

flash and CMAG added to the list. Would be great if you both could make it.

I've booked a flight.. I now have to figure out what to do about a bottle. I'll report back.

djewesbury wrote:I've booked a flight.. I now have to figure out what to do about a bottle. I'll report back.

Excellent. You have gone from tentative to firm.

PopulusTremula wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I've booked a flight.. I now have to figure out what to do about a bottle. I'll report back.

Excellent. You have gone from tentative to firm.

I thought there were changes taking place, but I didn't have a name for them yet.

And I have a bottle sorted out also.

PopulusTremula wrote:Feel free to edit first post. Thank you for your help.

The placemats have been added to the first post.

PopulusTremula wrote:Venue: B&F at 18:30 (Green Room has been booked for 6 people)

Nine people won’t squeeze into the Green Room. Please consider amending the booking for the Red Room.

jdaw1 wrote:

PopulusTremula wrote:Venue: B&F at 18:30 (Green Room has been booked for 6 people)

Nine people won’t squeeze into the Green Room. Please consider amending the booking for the Red Room.

Red Room is not available as it's already booked. Tom at B&F suggested the Ovens which apparently can seat up to 30 people. They hold a wine course there during the day but this finishes at 5:30 after which they can set the tables we need.

Tentative attendees (flash, PhilW, AHB, CMAG): please advise your current likelihood of attending. I would rather not have B&F do extra work if we end up being only six or less.

Thanks
Magnus

PopulusTremula wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:

PopulusTremula wrote:Venue: B&F at 18:30 (Green Room has been booked for 6 people)

Nine people won’t squeeze into the Green Room. Please consider amending the booking for the Red Room.

Red Room is not available as it's already booked. Tom at B&F suggested the Ovens which apparently can seat up to 30 people. They hold a wine course there during the day but this finishes at 5:30 after which they can set the tables we need.

Tentative attendees (flash, PhilW, AHB, CMAG): please advise your current likelihood of attending. I would rather not have B&F do extra work if we end up being only six or less.

Thanks
Magnus

I've moved from being tentative to probable, but not yet certain (and won't know for sure until the end of next week).

PopulusTremula wrote:Tentative attendees (flash, PhilW, AHB, CMAG): please advise your current likelihood of attending. I would rather not have B&F do extra work if we end up being only six or less.

I'm a very weak tentative at the moment...I will need to use this weekend to build up a good case for having two events within a 5 day period

CMAG has now confirmed his attendance.

PopulusTremula wrote:Tentative attendees (flash, PhilW, AHB, CMAG): please advise your current likelihood of attending.

I had hoped this would be moving into the "possible" camp, but am afraid it is currently "unlikely" for me.

jdaw1 wrote:Nine people won’t squeeze into the Green Room. Please consider amending the booking for the Red Room.

Julian: Would the Ovens at B&F be suitable for a tasting in terms of light, privacy etc? Also, can the green room fit seven (current probable headcount)?

If yes and no, then I'll book the Ovens but i haven't seen either room in person so would like an informed opinion before changing.

Thanks
Magnus

PopulusTremula wrote:Julian: Would the Ovens at B&F be suitable for a tasting in terms of light, privacy etc? Also, can the green room fit seven (current probable headcount)?

The Ovens seemed good, but have not been tested. And the Green Room could hold seven.

Events have conspired to prevent me from attending Thursday's tasting. While that is a catastrophe, there is a silver lining. I can now attend this tasting

flash_uk wrote:Events have conspired to prevent me from attending Thursday's tasting. While that is a catastrophe, there is a silver lining. I can now attend this tasting

For the purpose of this event, that is good news indeed. I have edited the first post.

Also, I spoke to Kasha at B&F this morning. She is of the opinion that 8 people plus the required amount of glasses will fit in the Green Room but she can still put us in the Ovens. I would prefer staying in the Green Room but if our B&F regulars feel it will be too tight let me know and I will have it moved to the Ovens.

Magnus

jdaw1 wrote:

PopulusTremula wrote:Feel free to edit first post. Thank you for your help.

The placemats have been added to the first post.

Excellent work on these. I especially like the title, which I only noticed now.

Please keep the list of people in the first post updated, as the placemats match that list.

PopulusTremula wrote:Also, I spoke to Kasha at B&F this morning. She is of the opinion that 8 people plus the required amount of glasses will fit in the Green Room but she can still put us in the Ovens. I would prefer staying in the Green Room but if our B&F regulars feel it will be too tight let me know and I will have it moved to the Ovens.

I think that eight would be tight. Others?

jdaw1 wrote:I think that eight would be tight. Others?

This photo suggests eight might not be so bad...

A client has determined that I have to now be in Glasgow on 31 March and despite investigation into whether I can still get back in time, this is not realistic and so reluctantly I'll have to drop out

jdaw1 wrote:Please keep the list of people in the first post updated, as the placemats match that list.

Done. We're currently at 6 confirmed, one probable and one unlikely.

idj123 wrote:A client has determined that I have to now be in Glasgow on 31 March and despite investigation into whether I can still get back in time, this is not realistic and so reluctantly I'll have to drop out

Sorry to hear, you will be missed!

Will we need a bottle of red with dinner? Ages ago Cynthia left in our care a Domaine René Engel Vosne-Romanée 2003; and before Christmas Ramos-Pinto sent me a Reserva Duas Quintas 2012. Should I bring one of these, and if so, which?

(This question also asked re the tasting on 26^th March.)

Vosne-Romanée please.

Food orders please. And without the benefit of a menu — Davy’s website is down. But you are welcome to take inspiration from our food orders on 19^th January 2015, 9^th February 2015, 2^nd March 2015, and 26^th March 2015.

Scallops and an Alex-style steak please. Nothing besides.

The food order for 31^st March 2015.

A correction. Alex-style for me meant black and blue. But if not black and blue, I'd like it rare, not medium rare.

Scallops and Sirloin Steak medium rare, please.

Beetroot salad followed by medium rare sirloin with chips, bearnaise and buttered carrots please.

For me please:
Potted shrimps with granary toast
Chargrilled sirloin steak with hand-cut chips and grilled tomato (Rare)
Peas and beans with mint lemon and butter
If skinny fries were possible rather than hand-cut chips that would be wonderful.

Also, being unsure of the quality of one bottle, I am supplying two, so one of the spare bottle slots on the placemat will be used.

Updated: the food order for 31^st March 2015. Missing only Alex and Phil.

flash_uk wrote:Also, being unsure of the quality of one bottle, I am supplying two, so one of the spare bottle slots on the placemat will be used.

Updated: the placemats. (Edit: and just noticed error. Will be re-updated soon. Edit edit: fixed.)

As it is my 50th birthday this weekend I am seizing ancient powers and declaring that the line-up will include five bottles of 1965 VP (GM, FG, Ms, S & TV).

Can other please not bring more than one bottle otherwise we will have too much Port for a school night.

I have already agreed this with the organiser and have allowed DJ to adopt one of my five bottles so he will not be bringing another.

{"Ms" = my best guess at Messias}

Happy Birthday Derek. Looking forward to Tuesday.

A placemat question: will they be partially blinded (DRT1, DRT2, DRT3, DRT4, DRT5) or full revealed?

Separately, is this sensible? If you feel that your health is so imperilled that a quintuple dose of immortality is required this year, then it is required this year. But if not, might this shorten the stocks of ’65 by four years — with the obviously detrimental consequences to your life expectancy?