This is going to be the most difficult Port trivia question I have ever put before you. It is open to anybody who is a participant in the FTLOP Forum. I wanted something that will require your skills not only as a researcher, but someone with a curious Port nature. This is one of a bazillion emails I get to provide assistance in authenticating old bottles.
I must change the names to protect the company and individual, but otherwise all information is EXACTLY as it appeared to me.
The riddle begins:
Dear Roy,
I'm contacting you for a rather unusual subject which I think might be of your interest and certainly of mine. I am the Marine archaeologist and Operations Director of the company XXXXXXXX, specialized in marine archaeology.
During last year excavation season in what we think might be a British trader of 1840-1860 sunk in the waters off Mozambique, we found a large cargo of wine bottles, many of them with the inscription “ VINHO PORTO” and an emblem engraved in lead seal over the corks of the bottles. I'm sending you some photos for better explanation.
As we still don't know the identity of the ship (we are still in the research process) it will be a tremendous help if we can get an idea of the owner of that emblem to be able to track down shipments in the mid XIX century. As an expert of Port wine you may have information that is not easily found in normal archives.
Thanking you in advance for any information you can provide on that subject, and in total disponibility from my side to exchange any information that could be of your interest.
I remain with kind regards,
Lic. XXXXXXXXXX
Offices in XXXXXXXXXX (Europe) and XXXXXXXXXX (Africa)
Marine Operations and Archaeology
Here are the photos this gentlemen sent me.
The challenge is to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, what the bottle's origin is, in terms of the actual shipper. In addition to just a name, you must provide the methods employed and sources ... of how you found out the answer (if anybody actually can ).
Send them to me by email (you don't want to give away your sources and be beat on a technicality) to: [email protected] ONLY and put CONTEST RESPONSE in the Subject Line.
Contest Rules:
a. besides requests from above, the Contest will end on August 5th. All submissions must be in by noon Pacific Standard Time on that day.
b. Wild guesses without a full string documenting their research will be excluded from winning.
c. The winner (only 1) will be announced no later than August 10th 2007
d. Only currently registered guests of the Forum may participate regardless of their location or affiliation.
PRIZES:
The winner of this contest will be awarded:
* A voucher for up to two people, 25% off discount passes for ANY future week long FTLOP Port and/or Madeira trip with Roy & Mario to Portugal. The value of this discount exceeds $2,000 per couple.
* IF a bottle of this is made available to me, I will personally share it with the winner and one guest whenever we can arrange a time to be together. There is no guarantee that ANY bottle will be made available to me, but I have asked the question.
* FTLOP hat & golf shirt
* A write up in the FTLOP newsletter
Best of luck to everyone!