When was the first time you shared some port with Julian

[Jeff G.]

I recall actually it was an 94' horizontal tasting + vesuvio vertical tasting.

the first time i saw those tasting mats , I was speechless

[Glenn E.]

Mine was at the Old & Odd tasting in NYC during November of 2008, which was also my first tasting.

It wasn't clear whether the title referred to the Port or the attendees.

Having never attended a tasting before, Julian's placemats seemed "normal" to me in that they made perfect sense. It never occurred to me that it might be possible to hold a tasting without placemats because Julian's worked so well.

[Moses Botbol]

Several years ago with Sean C. in Boston, we had a port-o-thon that went almost till sunrise.

[Al B.]

This thread made me laugh. I remember I first met Julian when we were both at an auction in London in 2006 and were bidding against each other. We went for a coffee afterwards and discovered that we were both posters on FTLOP.

In those days my work used to take me to the US every couple of months, but I don't think it was until

Several years ago with Sean C. in Boston, we had a port-o-thon that went almost till sunrise.

February 2008 that I joined Roy, Moses, Sean and Julian in Boston for a solid weekend of Croft port from 1896 to 1985, including a forged 1933.

Later that year I was also in New York and able to join the Old & Odd

Mine was at the Old & Odd tasting in NYC during November of 2008, which was also my first tasting.

which was an interesting tasting, with Barros 1947 colheita, Barros 1952 colheita, Butler Nephew 1932 Croft 2000, Elviro Garcia 1896 refreshed tawny, Hooper 1938, Hooper 1942, Hooper 1944 colheita, Infantado Vintage Character and an Unknown Shipper's 1873 (Bottled by Schofield Brothers).

[Moses Botbol]

February 2008 that I joined Roy, Moses, Sean and Julian in Boston for a solid weekend of Croft port from 1896 to 1985, including a forged 1933.

So, it was 2007 when I met him. I believe it was 2007 I met you as well for a port night you were not expecting.

[Al B.]

February 2008 that I joined Roy, Moses, Sean and Julian in Boston for a solid weekend of Croft port from 1896 to 1985, including a forged 1933.

So, it was 2007 when I met him. I believe it was 2007 I met you as well for a port night you were not expecting.

Yep; we first met in Boston in Feb 2007 when I was visiting and hadn't expected to meet up with fellow port lovers - and got surprised by you and Sean generously sharing with me a Ferriera 1980 (from the weird case where the bottles were packed upright), a Sandeman 1966 and a Croft 1963 all in return for a share of a half bottle of Warre 1983 that I had brought with me from the UK for my week's drinking.

[Derek T.]

I first met Julian on 1st September 2007 at a Fonseca vertical. When I walked in the door he handed me a Sercial 1940, the first Madeira I had ever tasted. We then drank lots of Port together.

Oh how times have changed

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

October 1987, my matriculation dinner at Queens’ College Cambridge. At first taste I was smitten. Alas I didn’t record what it was — we were all young once — but other evidence suggests that it might have been Taylor 1970.

I recall actually it was an 94' horizontal tasting + vesuvio vertical tasting.

the first time i saw those tasting mats , I was speechless

Those placemats used on 11th December 2007.

Mine was at the Old & Odd tasting in NYC during November of 2008, which was also my first tasting.
…
Having never attended a tasting before, Julian's placemats seemed "normal" to me in that they made perfect sense. It never occurred to me that it might be possible to hold a tasting without placemats because Julian's worked so well.

Those placemats used on 7th November 2008.

Several years ago with Sean C. in Boston, we had a port-o-thon that went almost till sunrise.

I distinctly remember the presence, for a part of the evening, of a surgically-enhanced damsel. The surgery might have been that day. Anyway, this is not the place to say more.

So, it was 2007 when I met him. I believe it was 2007 I met you as well for a port night you were not expecting.

The Croft vertical was on 9th February 2008 (placemats); we had met some months earlier for a less formal ‘tasting’.

I first met Julian on 1st September 2007 at a Fonseca vertical. When I walked in the door he handed me a Sercial 1940, the first Madeira I had ever tasted. We then drank lots of Port together.

We had met online, at , and had already decided that we didn’t like each other. Presumably I won him over with my good looks.


(A thread about me? Bizarre.)

[Andy Velebil]

I do believe the first offline with Julian was also the Boston Croft tasting. The now infamous tasting with a counterfeit bottle of Croft, was it 2(?) surgically enhanced damsel's, a reference to Scarlet Johansson, a meat smoker, and a smoking jacket and pipe. That was a wild weekend for sure.

[Derek T.]

I first met Julian on 1st September 2007 at a Fonseca vertical. When I walked in the door he handed me a Sercial 1940, the first Madeira I had ever tasted. We then drank lots of Port together.

We had met online, at , and had already decided that we didn’t like each other. Presumably I won him over with my good looks.

Presumably I won you over by turning up with a dozen decanted bottles of Fonseca?

[Roy Hersh]

Julian will have to remind me which came first ... the Boston vertical of Crofts or our experience at The Acker Merrall & Condit event of dueling verticals of Fonseca/Taylor in NYC.

Andy wrote:

I do believe the first offline with Julian was also the Boston Croft tasting. The now infamous tasting with a counterfeit bottle of Croft, was it 2(?) surgically enhanced damsel's, a reference to Scarlet Johansson, a meat smoker, and a smoking jacket and pipe. That was a wild weekend for sure.

The next day was also fun, when 1967 Nacional rocked the Casbah late morning. I opened that early in the day because Julian (and/or Alex) was departing early and I wanted to make sure he had a chance to taste it. That night a certain individual fell asleep at the table and then fell asleep on the couch holding a nearly empty glass of Port after 3 ladies showed up @ 1:30 a.m. Now that was truly funny and quite the fun time at Sean's old apartment.

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

Presumably I won you over by turning up with a dozen decanted bottles of Fonseca?

What’s not to like?

Julian will have to remind me which came first ... the Boston vertical of Crofts or our experience at The Acker Merrall & Condit event of dueling verticals of Fonseca/Taylor in NYC.

The latter. Seven vintages, Taylor and Fonseca, and for each pair of glasses we were told the vintage and had to make the TF|FT binary decision. We each got four out of seven correct — though not the same four. At that event I met several port people for the first time.

[Roy Hersh]

Parlor tricks aside, (blind guessing) ... do you remember when that was? I kind of remember it being December. Was it 2006?

BTW, what year did you join us for the Port Harvest Tour, 2007 (I am thinking this was the year) or 2008 (also plausible)? They all seem to run together.

[Glenn E.]

Seven vintages, Taylor and Fonseca, and for each pair of glasses we were told the vintage and had to make the TF|FT binary decision. We each got four out of seven correct — though not the same four. At that event I met several port people for the first time.

Parlor tricks aside, (blind guessing) ... do you remember when that was? I kind of remember it being December. Was it 2006?

Though I wasn't there, I remember being told about that tasting and at the time believed that the tasting was a recent one. I joined FTLOP in January of 2008, so I would guess that this tasting was late in 2007, not 2006. But that's just a blind guess based on hearsay.

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

Parlor tricks aside, (blind guessing) ... do you remember when that was? I kind of remember it being December. Was it 2006?

About the 5th or 6th or 7th of December 2007.

BTW, what year did you join us for the Port Harvest Tour, 2007 (I am thinking this was the year) or 2008 (also plausible)? They all seem to run together.

Harvest 2008.

[Roy Hersh]

Time flies when you are having fun. Thanks Julian. I also remember that after Boston's debauchery; you, me and Alex wound up at Mr. F's home in Brooklyn for that fun blind tasting event of Vintage Port. IIRC, all from the 1970 Vintage?