For The Love Of Port

Andy Velebil wrote: ↑Tue Jan 23, 2024 6:39 pm They did. however, the interview could have taken place before and it was just now being published.

I considered that distinct possibility, and that's probably what happened. So, shoddy journalism.

... including port brands such as Croft, Fonseca, and Krohn.

Um, I thought they just sold off that last one, at least the name.

Roy Hersh wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2024 12:02 pm I would have put Nacional in 6th place and was deciding if I liked the Quevedo more, for 5th place, as it was really very good and shared the same score.

Nacional vs. Quevedo ... and just think how many Quevedos you can buy for the price of one Noval Nacional.

As far as auction sites, John's right, Winebid is a good place to find a variety of Ports. Ackers, Zachy's. The Chicago Wine Company auctions and Heritage Auctions (out of TX) are good. Brentwood Auctions which are a part of Benchmak Wines has some good stuff, but they've really jacked up their shi...

2007 Quinta do Noval Silval
Took this up to the mountains for some time off with friends. Didn't take any notes, but definitely a great QPR at $26. (Purchased ~10 years ago as I recall.)

Even after all these years, I get a jolt of excitement whenever my scores match those of a professional. I've had the opportunity to taste with Roy on many occasions, but I'm still happy that I "got it right" when our scores and notes are similar. Beer judging has an official standard and...

I think your assessment of the popularity of vintage Port vs. colheitas and tawnies is correct. And I certainly witnessed the spike in Madeira prices around 2017 that you mentioned. I personally think Roy and Mannie have some responsibility for this with the many big dinners and tastings that were o...

1977 Gould Campbell, magnum
1968 Taylor "Very Old Single Harvest Port"

Many things affect evaporation of a barrel, but certainly not limited too: - size of the barrel - weather (humidity, heat, etc) - type of wood - age of the wood (grain sizes) - contents - If a barrel is buried and essentially cocooned in, that would also affect evaporation rates. Those are certainl...

English widely spoken. Just don't try Spanish! :evil: One of the best restaurants in Funchal is Armazem du Sal. Chalet is a good low-mid priced place close to Reid's Palace. Do Forte is another good place in the old Funchal fortress. In Lisbon, Belcanto is the best known. I actually prefer the sist...

1968 Blandy's Sercial (magnum)

As you alluded, this is not highly favored. I haven't tasted the 1982. 1983 was o.k., but still very weak compared to the great Nacionals. In general, Noval was weaker 1970-1994 exclusive. Agreeing with John, $50 is a non-brainer in. For me, $500 would be a non-brainer out. Since I am a Port geek, I...

1994 Quinta do Vesuvio - Strong as usual.
1937 Rocha Colheita, 375ml - An older bottling from 2005, this was certainly tasty but not as great as some other 1937s I've had.

They still have the d'Yquem

I have tasted Pez candy, but have no recollection of what it tastes like. Might you dispense some descriptors for that?

Moses Botbol wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:31 am Standing around holding a MAP torch & tongs is not my first choice. If there is a ready roaring fire available, I'd be inclined to use the tongs on every bottle.

My stove top has a large burner that can be turned down to only use the inner ring which is just the right size.

So sad to break the necks off very old bottles. Prefer to push the cork in and bag it out in one piece and keep the old bottle intact. Hopefully it shows well. I have old bottles on display that have been tonged. You can't tell that by looking at them. The tops are just sitting on top. Maybe if I w...

6x 2019 Niepoort - Tasted this a few years ago and found it very approachable for a young wine. I'm not buying much more young VP, but I thought this was worth acquiring at about $35/bottle.
1x 2000 Niepoort
6x 2003 Croft in 375 ml.
5x 2003 Fonseca in 375 ml.

A.S. Demka wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2023 8:05 am - Graham's 2020 @ € 198,-

Ouch! But I just looked at wine-searcher.com, and that's better than the prices I found in the U.S.

1994 Graham VP
I identified this as a hole is my collection during a recent 1994 tasting. Saw one at auction for a reasonable price so I'm ready for the next time, or when the mood moves me.