AQFTPT

[Roy Hersh]

It is time .. or almost to send out my next A QUESTION FOR THE PORT TRADE, to the members of the Port trade. It has been so long since anyone has put together a question that I've used, which would be my preference, instead of having to come up with my own all the time. So over the next few days, I would appreciate questions offered up here that would be broad enough that all levels of readers would find it interest and at the same time, not so geeky or controversial that the Port trade will ignore answering. It is a fine balance. Thanks in advance for your participation!

[John M.]

Garrafeira & Crusted Ports: Why aren't these universally not made anymore? Why are you making them?..or if you do why do you make them?

[Carl D]

Is the recent wave of releases of 19th century colheitas (Scion, Tributa, 5G, etc) a good thing for the Port industry in general? Do you think more producers will jump on that bandwagon?

[Al B.]

In the past few years, I have drunk port from bottles sealed with corks, compound corks, t-stoppers, crown corks and screw caps. What experimentation are port producers doing to learn whether there is an alternative to the traditional cork for long term bottle maturation?

[Frederick Blais]

Anyone is looking to put Port in bags like wine in a bag? It is always a difficult topic in the Cork country to release wine/port with no cork, but would it make sense for restaurant or even at home to have always fresh and available ready to drink Port. I can manage it back home but I just hate to go to a restaurant where they think Port is like Cognac and survives everything. I can make the difference between a fresh and oxidized Port, but the majority of the customer does not and it is probably affecting negatively the image or the Port.

[Tom Archer]

The principal French wine regions have for many years standardised their bottle designs, providing them with a strong regional identity.

A standard design also encourages competition between the glass manufacturers, and permits them to manufacture and ship bottles with the greatest possible efficiency, thereby bringing down costs.

- Does the trade recognise the potential benefits of standardising the design of port bottles?

[Andreas Nielsen]

How will the port trade ensure that younger people discover and drink port (both short and long term) in a period with increasing prices, financial crises and significant unemployment among young people (at least in Europe)?

[Roy Hersh]

I like a couple of these and will be using one of them for sure, so thanks to everyone for pitching in and providing really thoughtful questions!