About John Danza

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So far John Danza has created 353 blog entries.

40 Years After: 1977 Vintage Port

The 1977 Port vintage was heralded from the outset. It had been seven years since the excellent 1970 vintage and 14 years since the outstanding 1963 vintage. The market, and Port enthusiasts, were ready.   I’ve always been a big fan of the 1977 vintage and have had a good representation of the vintage in [...]

By |2018-09-03T11:10:41-07:00August 9th, 2018|Categories: Guest Corner Articles, Roys Blog|Tags: , |0 Comments

Is Historic Port Tradition Ready for a Change?

Is now the time to end the notion of "generally declared” Vintage Ports? For the past couple of centuries, it has been common practice for the Port trade to declare Vintage Port three times per decade based on the quality and quantity of excellent grapes harvested in a given year. There have been very few [...]

By |2018-01-28T21:05:16-08:00January 28th, 2018|Categories: OP/ED, Roys Blog|4 Comments

Bastardo and Moscatel – The Tasting

After five years of concentrating on one Madeira grape at a time: Terrantez, Verdelho, Bual, Malvasia and Sercial respectively, it was time for a change of pace. To put it in perspective, all of the nearly 100 bottles we’ve tasted under the same roof in NYC; have combined for a staggering total of circa 17,000 [...]

By |2019-09-02T18:27:48-07:00December 12th, 2017|Categories: Madeira, Madeira_NYC|Tags: , |1 Comment

Musing about Madeira: Colheita

A quick aside, Colheita Madeira unlike Colheita Port (the latter of which requires 7 years in wood) but with Madeira, Colheita rules have required a minimum of six years in neutral cask, since the category was created in the early-mid-1990s. In the new regulations passed in 2015, that was changed to where Colheita Madeira now [...]

By |2017-05-17T22:20:27-07:00March 16th, 2017|Categories: Featured, Madeira, Roys Blog|Tags: |1 Comment

Sensational Sercial – Pre-Phylloxera 1875 – 1800

The late ripening Sercial grape is unquestionably the driest (up to 1.5% RS) and often the most crisp style of Madeira, with lemon, grapefruit and nutty nuances along with mineral characteristics. Madeira’s Sercial grape is noted for its rarity, as well as its fresh, razor-sharp -- some would say, “searing” – acidity, hints of VA and delicate mouthfeel as [...]

By |2019-09-02T18:35:24-07:00December 12th, 2016|Categories: Madeira, Madeira_NYC|Tags: , |0 Comments

The Majesty of Malvasia

This was our 4th consecutive year of exploring the various cultivars of Madeira. Having previously surveyed Terrantez, Verdelho and Boal grapes, the natural progression from dry to sweet, led us to the marvelous Malvasia grape. The perfect ambience, spacious banquet room, excellent food and service staff at NYC’s Del Posto restaurant, has continued to deliver [...]

By |2019-09-02T18:34:20-07:00December 12th, 2015|Categories: Madeira, Madeira_NYC|0 Comments

Reflections on Douro Wine and the 2004 Vintage

This my twentieth year since first visiting the Douro, has provided me pause for thought. While looking back on two decades of visits to Northern Portugal, I’ve taken time to consider all of the people that I have met in the Port and Douro wine trade. It has also allowed me to sit back and [...]

By |2017-05-19T21:28:23-07:00August 30th, 2015|Categories: Douro DOC, Douro Weather, Featured|Tags: , |2 Comments

Fortified Wines Continue to Face an Uphill Ride in America

Fortified wines have faced a roller coaster ride in the U.S. on-premise market in the recent past and wine sales from this segment of dessert wine remains challenging today. The three greatest obstacles for sale of fortified wines are: Possibly the most difficult hurdle of all for fortified wine; it becomes an even tougher sell [...]

By |2017-05-19T21:30:08-07:00August 18th, 2015|Categories: Roys Blog, Trade News|Tags: , , |0 Comments

The Beauty of Boal

Bual or Boal as the Portuguese spell it, is a white grape that immediately appeals to those who enjoy Madeira as it provides ethereal aromatics and perfect balance between medium-sweet torrefacted flavors and crisp acidity that allows it to age well for centuries.   Article and photos by Roy Hersh © October 2014 [...]

By |2019-09-02T18:35:25-07:00December 12th, 2014|Categories: Madeira, Madeira_NYC|Tags: , |0 Comments