Lurkers on this Forum

[Andy Velebil]

I did not find a section to introduce myself so i'll do it quick here.
I like port since 5 or 6 years. My cousin bring me a Taylor Fladgate 10 years tawny and since this time i started to love port. But i really start to love port since 2 years. Probably because of the 2011 vintage. The story of port, the country and the people, the way to make port... all this make me really love port. So since 2 years i buy almost all port and no more wine. The price for the wine is really too high and i have to hang up a lot of bottles but for port its almost all accessible.

I like tawny and vintage. Both have their pleasure. Almost all my ports are vintage. Just one Colheita (Single Harvest ) and just one LBV.
My favorite is Taylor Fladgate. But i really like Fonseca, Dow and Warre. Maybe Niepoort too but i just drunk once (vintage).

I drank a lot of 2011 to taste them oung and have an idea (i have 2 or 3 bottles of each).
I'll open soon a Fonseca 1970 and a Dow 1977 magnum (i'm scared... i'll see). I'll open in about 2 weeks Taylor F. Single Harvest 1964. I have 3 Taylor F. Vergellas Vinha Velha 2011 (i drank one last year... awesome). I have some "big bottles" that will wait too. I tell you this so if you have comments on these bottles ill be happy to read you. I start to buy LBV to open them in 5 or 10 years too.
But I don't drink too often port (about one each 2 weeks). And often it's LBV (i like them too!).

I'll stop here and continue to read you all.

A wonderful introduction and thank you for doing so! Your English is perfectly fine, much better than my non-existent French. I also look forward to reading your notes on the Ports you try.

[Roy Hersh]

Thank you for posting this. If you don't mind a copy and paste, we have an area to introduce new forum members. Please look at the 2nd area down the list called PORT BASICS. Then go to the thread called: Lots of new faces ... please introduce yourself Then paste your post there so many others can see this and welcome you properly.

[LOUISSS J]

Thank you for posting this. If you don't mind a copy and paste, we have an area to introduce new forum members. Please look at the 2nd area down the list called PORT BASICS. Then go to the thread called: Lots of new faces ... please introduce yourself Then paste your post there so many others can see this and welcome you properly.

Thanks it will be done.

[John Trombley]

For those of you who don't think you have anything to add to the discussion, there are two things that all of us would like to hear about, I can tell you as a semi-lurker.

1. A particular port: do you like it or not? Why or why not?

2. A particular opinion already written on the board: Do you agree with it or not? Why or why not?

Any post by anyone on either of these two subjects, to say the least, is always welcome. You may warn us that you are a 'newbie', if you think it would help. I promise you I'll treat your opinion respectfully, and I know from experience that the others here will do the same.

[Daniel R.]

I visit often but post very little. I feel no intimidation whatsoever; I just think many times that I have nothing of value to add to the discussions!

[Richard Henderson]

I have not been here in a long time but I am not a lurker or a stalker. Just AWOL a few years. I have opened some 92 Taylor and some Fonseca recently in honor of my son, Ian , who was born in 1992 as was your Taylor , Roy. Great ports. I still give them 99-100 points.
Cheers.
Richard

[Roy Hersh]

First Ray, then Daniel and now Richard ... quite the reunion week for old-timers here. Nice to see you post again, Richard. I hope you've been well!

Actually my daughter was born in 2002 and recently turned 13. Time does fly though.

Look forward to reading more from you Rich!

[Scheiny S]

intimidated by regulars, scared of sounding like a beginner

I have been on here for a couple of years and I post occasionally. I really don't feel that I have that much interesting to add to the conversation or I would post more. A little of it may be intimidation because I don't own any rare or really expensive ports or Madeira. After all how many times can you post about Grahams Six Grapes.

I like port and came here to learn more about and I have but flying from GA to CA for a port tasting I might as well be going to the moon. I think FTLOP is a great forum to learn about port from the pros but it is hard to jump into conversation when a lot of what is being written about in tasting notes and port tastings are about ports most of us will never experience.

It is like going to Ferrari forum and reading about other peoples Ferraris but what can you add to the conversation when you drive a Chevrolet.

John you are correct, I have never been abused or talked down to, it is more a feeling of not thinking you have anything really important to say.

ditto. i also don't want to ask redundant questions, most of what i need to know at this point is the basics so i use the Search function often and only ask if i can't find the topic.
actually, on that note, you might consider putting a note on the proper glass into the FAQ on the website.

as far as being intimidated, though, you are all incredibly nice and supportive. it's wonderful.

[Scheiny S]

and i feel i look like a jerk if i post in a bunch of threads and no one comments after me in them. like i shouldn't see my name in the index so much.

[Glenn E.]

LOL... don't worry about any of that. Ask away! Even if a question has been asked before we often get new answers and opinions when it comes up again, so new threads are perfectly fine. If something really is a duplicate, Andy or I can merge the threads. But there's usually no need.

[Thomas V]

and i feel i look like a jerk if i post in a bunch of threads and no one comments after me in them. like i shouldn't see my name in the index so much.

Hahah I feel the same sometimes. But that isn't going to stop me from posting...

[Lisa Stevens]

Why don't I post more on the forums?

Probably because I don't like communicating through typing that much. I am much more likely to communicate face to face with somebody. I like the interaction of talking. I rarely post to any of the forums that I frequent. I like reading them for information, but just don't like communicating unless there is something that I feel I can contribute. Even in areas where I am considered an expert, I rarely post. I don't update on Facebook or make comments on other folks' posts. I don't send emails very often though I read hundreds per day.

To complicate things on the FTLOP forum, I feel like a newb even though I have been doing this with you for years and have been on three port harvest tours. I realize that makes me NOT a newb. But I am still getting all this port stuff categorized in my head.

Tell ya what, I will make an effort to participate more. But just to let you, it goes against my grain so it will be an uphill battle. :)

-Lisa

[Christian Gollnick]

and i feel i look like a jerk if i post in a bunch of threads and no one comments after me in them. like i shouldn't see my name in the index so much.

Mental note to myself: Whenever I see a posting from Scheiny I have to quickly comment a "+1" so that he doesn't see his name anymore as the last poster and therefore feels better...

[Mads Barnkob]

As others have stated, it is hard for new comers to overcome the line in the sand where you have enough knowledge and experience to really get into the discussed subjects.

Taste notes are also something that very few "new to port" wants to publicize here as there are so many results and one think it is a absolute list, that if you get out of line with more than a point you have failed the tasting game :) I am much more fluent in weiss/wheat/wit beer than port, but still I got two top lists of all tasted in my site, one for beer and one for fortified wine http://www.disorder.dk I use it as a guide line when buying something to drink, just so I know that I am buying something that I like :) Why did I not add the taste notes here? Well..

I am currently in a bit of sleeper state port wise, economy is not there for buying much in 2016, unless 2014 is declared (daughters birth year). Once we buy a house and build a wine cellar, ill return with a story on that

I enjoy checking back a few times a week to see whats new here, but often I do not feel like I have any of interest to add.

[Michael T]

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[Andy Velebil]

I will say that I have posted a couple of links to articles in the past and although not directed at me personally the articles were ripped to shreds. Sort of makes me wish I had not posted the link.

As Port Nerds here we sometimes forget you have to make things simple for the masses and that is what those articles do. I know I've been guilty in the past of being overly critical.

[Christian Gollnick]

I will say that I have posted a couple of links to articles in the past and although not directed at me personally the articles were ripped to shreds. Sort of makes me wish I had not posted the link.

Well... I think a lot of people here love to go through every article about Port Wine and to search it for mistakes and omissions... And as most articles are really basic and often bad, they do find a lot of things... But I'm sure that everybody here appreciates if you post links to articles... because the internet is so big, there are so many things out there that we otherwise wouldn't see... so please continue to post links... and if the crowd gets rough, then it's because of the author of the article - never because of the person that posted the link!!!!

[Michael T]

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[Scheiny S]

and i feel i look like a jerk if i post in a bunch of threads and no one comments after me in them. like i shouldn't see my name in the index so much.

Mental note to myself: Whenever I see a posting from Scheiny I have to quickly comment a "+1" so that he doesn't see his name anymore as the last poster and therefore feels better...

ha! perfect!

as far as erroneous articles go, they bother me *because* i'm new. before i found this website, i read lots of things that when i got here turned out to be not quite right if not flat out incorrect. that's really frustrating. now when i see them i want to throw up my hands and yell "Why??" at the author through my computer.
BUT! seeing the corrections the knowledgeable folks post help me learn more! and sometimes i pass that commentary on to friends. so keep posting links! i probably wouldn't find them on my own, anyway.

[Glenn E.]

Taste notes are also something that very few "new to port" wants to publicize here as there are so many results and one think it is a absolute list, that if you get out of line with more than a point you have failed the tasting game :)

Ha! I enjoy posting "contrary" tasting notes. It makes me feel like some sort of Port Rebel, as if being nicknamed Mr. Tawny isn't enough.

But in all seriousness, your tasting notes are just your opinion. I tend to rate more highly than others, but as long as I'm consistent then other people may still find my notes useful. The same is true for anyone... post away and we'll all slowly learn what you like.

What you may also discover by posting tasting notes is that someone else may have a similar palate... there are a couple of other people here who post notes and I have learned how to "translate" their notes and scores into what mine would likely be, so I can read their notes and know pretty much exactly how much I'm going to like a Port! Roy and I don't like the same things, but I've learned how to interpret his tasting notes. And he's learned that when I score something low and talk about how strong and impenetrable the tannins are, that he's probably going to love it.