London Port Offline - please answer the poll

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 6:17 am

I've spoken to a few places in London and they basically fall into two camps - expensive and sensible. At the expensive end, you get a private dining room, service and an "a la carte" meal. Cost is in the range of £100-200 depending on the number of people.

Personally, I prefer the sound of the sensible camp and this is the option that I have put most effort into developing. Approximate cost would be £50 per head (plus bring a decanted bottle of port from your own cellar), part payable on the night and part in advance as a deposit against the booking. For this we would get the following:
- private table for our exclusive use
- glass hire and corkage
- 3 course meal per person (either hot from the menu or cold buffet)
- bottled water
- waiter service for the food

The venue that I have my eye on is the Crusted Pipe in Covent Garden. This is open from 11am to 11pm Monday to Saturday. They have a large table in an alcove that would comfortably seat 8-12 people and would be happy to book this table out to a group of port drinkers for a large part of their working day. It would be easier for them to do this after Christmas than before.

My preference would be to meet on a Friday night or early on a Saturday afternoon as I'm not sure how well I would function the next day if we met midweek.

I've attached a poll to this post to try and guage interest in this offline. If enough people (which to me would mean 3+) are interested then I will take the organisation to the next step and start trying to find dates that work and running a poll on a theme. If only 4'ish people are interested then I would be inclined to try a horizontal since we would at least be able to try 4 comparable wines against each other. If more than 4 people are interested then a vertical becomes an option - 5 people means that we could try a wine from each decade of the 00's, 90's, 80's, 70's and 60's. More people would mean that you could try intervening vintages - '66 and '63, '94 and '97 for example.

So far I've had 3 people from this board say they would be interested, plus Roy if his travel plans work out, plus 3-4 people who Roy knows in London who are not on this board. If anyone knows people on one of the other wine boards who might be interested, let them know about this idea and ask them to respond to this poll.

Thanks,

Alex

Stuart Chatfield · Post by **Stuart Chatfield** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:30 am

1. OK by me, gald to see you've taken the initiative.

2. Let's try to include Roy and pick a date that suits him.

3. Let's do the winebar thing and save money for the port.

4. Central London, with an early enough finish to "get the last train" to the suburbs is what I'd need. Saturday afternoon would be perfect, but Friday night with an early start would be good.

5. There are some dates I can't do in Feb. Late Jan would be ideal.

Justin Willott · Post by **Justin Willott** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 12:38 pm

That sounds great.

A Friday evening would also be best for me. I come up to London 5 days a week and don't want to start making it 6!

Thanks for setting this up.

Steven Kooij · Post by **Steven Kooij** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 4:24 pm

I've voted "yes" - but would need to know well in advance in order to be able to get cheap airfare...

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:50 pm

Thanks for your support on this. I'll wait a week or so before I start the next step in organising this but I'm pretty confident that we will have enough people to make it worthwhile - I estimate that we have 8 people so far.

I will also work to see if there's a date we can go for which would fit with Roy's travel plans so that Roy could take part. However, if that doesn't work out but Roy is in London then we could always make a separate arrangement.

Alex

Mario Ferreira · Post by **Mario Ferreira** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:35 am

StevieCage wrote:I've voted "yes" - but would need to know well in advance ...[...]..

Likewise, I've voted "yes" :) but need to know in advance to arrange my calendar. I'm counting on having Roy attending it too. Hopefully that will be possible. I understand that one bottle, a VINTAGE PORT, from each personal cellar should be brought. However, if it's not a problem, I would be happy to bring more than one :) I'm also glad for the initiative. /Thank you Alex. MF

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:55 pm

I am in if you gents are flexible. I leave Mario and Madeira, then fly from Lisbon (he could take the same flight though) on Friday, November 4th and arrive in London around 5 p.m. that evening. I probably would have my good friend Nicos Neocleous join us (and maybe a couple of other Londoners from the Squire's BB) but I am mostly looking to have Nicos join us ... the others if they so choose ... (Linden Wilkie for example). That said, I just need to decide whether to hand carry the bottle from the USA, through our Port trip, Madeira and finally to London ... or ship it over in advance. Anyway, that is the least of my real concerns.

I like the idea of casual, with a few courses of solid pub food (this is only my 2nd visit to London ever, and the last time I was there for the Wine & Spirits Fair in 2002, a very short trip). Central or North London would be great locations. Sunday afternoon would be great and party through dinner as well, and not make a real late night out of it, if we met around noonish. I am pretty open though and don't leave until Monday a.m. I am truly looking forward to meeting you guys. Bring on the great bottles of Vintage Port. Leave the Colheitas, LBVs and all the rest at home.

I will make sure to bring something worthy of my return to London. Is football season on at this time? Wanker of a Yank, excuse the ignorance!

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:59 pm

Maybe I should not make assumptions, but is it safe to assume that we'll be drinking the VPs blind?

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:02 am

Just a quick post to say that we now have enough people who have said that they will attend to make the offline worth organising.

I'll post more details late next week when I have given people a chance to respond to private messages I have sent them.

Check your private messages - if you're UK based and active on the forum then I've dropped you a note to see if you are free to meet up with Roy on the first weekend of November!

Thanks,

Alex

Linden W. · Post by **Linden W.** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:35 pm

I'm keen to join something in January / February.

I'm busy right through the week from Friday 4th to Friday 11th November, but I'm free on Thursday 3rd. I'm sorry I'll miss the 6th.

Cheers,
Linden

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:49 pm

I am saddened to learn that Linden won't be able to join us. He gets Port and I really enjoy reading his tasting notes from the many great tastings he lines up in London!

Fortunately, I believe I will be in London more often in the coming year.

Alex K. · Post by **Alex K.** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:34 am

I'm in, try and make it Stevie, if it's half as good as the BBR tasting then it will be a great night.

Do I take it that Vintage Port is on the agenda or can I bring along the bottle of Cruz Ruby that my Mum won in a raffle?

Ronald Wortel · Post by **Ronald Wortel** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:04 am

Did anyone mention Cruz...? Now I'm surely out!

Mario Ferreira · Post by **Mario Ferreira** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:44 pm

KillerB wrote: .... can I bring along the bottle of Cruz Ruby that my Mum won in a raffle?

KillerB - please allow me to tell you, this joke is a real Killer

............ [kiding] /regards.

nicos neocleous · Post by **nicos neocleous** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:48 pm

Alex,

Put my name down. I'd love to share a table and Port with Roy and you guys! I'll bring the '66 Sandeman.

Nicos

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:57 pm

Don't worry Nicos. I made sure that a spot was reserved for my best friend in the UK. I can't wait to see you and drink some fine wine and Port! It has been too long, at least six months.

Alex K. · Post by **Alex K.** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:01 am

Mario Ferreira wrote:
KillerB wrote: .... can I bring along the bottle of Cruz Ruby that my Mum won in a raffle?

KillerB - please allow me to tell you, this joke is a real Killer ............ [kiding] /regards.

What joke?

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 10:10 am

Alex,

Provided it is Vintage Ruby Cruz and you can bring the 1963, the 1966 and the 1970 then I am sure that we can taste a complete mini-vertical alongside the Fonseca, Taylors, Grahams and Sandeman.

On the other hand, you could bring it for the curiosities flight. Now where did I put that bottle of port from the Tanzanian Wine Company I was given...the one in the old milk bottle with the dead moth in it.....

Alex

Alex K. · Post by **Alex K.** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:20 am

Alex

I've tried the 1989 Vintage Cruz and even posted a TN for it on WS. I'll see if I can find it and paste it into here.

Alex

Alex K. · Post by **Alex K.** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:26 am

Vintage Cruz 1989 Part I:

This is another KillerB test-drive. I saw this on the shelves at £9.99 per bottle, which is, let's say, a more than reasonable price for vintage port. Could I resist even though I'd never heard of it? Behave!

Stood it up yesterday and just decanted so not tasting yet but thought I'd put down first impressions and update later.

Please note that it has the obligatory Gold Medal sticker on it, this time from Bruxelles.

First impressions - bottle was too damned dark: couldn't see the light through it properly so may have shed a little sedimant. Colour very dark. Cork in excellent condition which it should be for 1989. No powerful aromas bashing out from the bottle but the cork smelled fine if a little gooey. Decant time 5:00 PM.

Will try this room temperature, cooler and chilled over the next couple of days. I maybe regretting this very soon.

Part II:

Just taking a snifter to see if it's ready yet.

A dark purple colour with pink rim and a slight brownish tinge. Clear, so decanting was OK. Not bad looking but not good looking either.

Nose. I can't get anything but Surgical Spirit! Is that what they used to fortify it? It makes me cough.

Mouth. Not convinced that this is actually port. It's hot with alcohol but the mouth feel is all wrong. Just managed to get a hint of cherries but no other fruit and nothing else.

Finish. Really awful. Not so much a finish as a lingering after-taste - dry and unpleasant.

So far, so bad.

More later.

Part III:

OK - over four hours since it was decanted.

Lady K has tasted it and got plums! She even says she likes it!

I can now get caramel flavours from it so it is changing into something different in the decanter. It is now noticeably better but still not anything that I would want to drink.

Part IV:

Having it chilled now and a day later; it shows no sign of being a Vintage Port apart from having had to decant to get rid of the grit. It might better be described as 'Ruby Character'.

The last VP that I had was the 1966 Croft at BirDungy's which was absolutely delightful. The colour was beautiful, the nose gorgeous and it was a dream to taste.

Now this. The sink awaits - it's not good enough to cook with: my pears are too valuable.

For The Love Of Port

London Port Offline - please answer the poll

Are you interested in attending a London port offline meet in January or February 2006 at a cost estimated at £50 plus a bottle of port from your own cellar?

London Port Offline - please answer the poll

I'm in!