For The Love Of Port

I often look for 10-15 year old 'reserve' Madeiras but have found very little in the way of Sercial or Verdelho, the Madieras with which I'm least familar. I am used to spending $100-125 max on a very special bottle of Vintage, which means that I don't buy much these days. My recent purchase (q.v) l...

Dear Peter, Thanks for your effort on the superb site you've brought together. Just a comment. I put a little caveat on your instructions for recorking old wines, the part about using glass balls to eliminate ullage. Great care should be used to use undenatured spirit or methylated spirit containing...

Hi John! Looks like you got a great price, at least these days. Perhaps you, and Roy, would be interested to know that Barbara and I are going to be spending 17 days in the German winelands in September. I remember meeting with you and many others in the Johannishof along the Moselufer outside Bern...

I recently bought a bottle of Justino's 1954 verdelho, which also appears to have a T-cork. Shining a light up into the neck of the bottle reveals a very short cork with a beveled edge. Does Justino's regularly use T-corks for their vintage madeiras? Do any other companies use them? Gary Yes, Gary,...

Roy wrote: Just as an FYI, Mannie has been retailing Madeira for between 15-20 years. _________________ Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com Yes, Roy, but the rest of us weren't really paying attention (smile). What I refer...

Thanks, Todd. Hope the cyclist you're for did well. Did some further investigation on the web. There was an interesting offering in an Australian auction, Langton's, in June 2006 in Sydney, at admin.langtons.com.au/uploads/catalogue/S251.rtf HENRIQUES & HENRIQUES, Vintage 1860 Grand Old Boal Mad...

Don't think that I should make everyone who wants to view these pictures of this new purchase open up all these pics, so I've listed the URLs so you can click on them at the bottom of this post, since it's important to see that this is an old machine-made bottle, an H and H specially made one with t...

I hate to mention a price, Roy, but I've paid almost as much for certain bottles of 1990's ports. Therefore, genuineness and condition are concerns...

That's why I'm grateful to Madeira Wine Guide, which I had actually come across on my own--extremely impressive. And to you, of course. Thank you.

I came across at a local store what seems like an excellent buy on an Henriques and Henriques 'Special Grand Old Reserve Vintage 1860 Boal' bottled 1927, rebottled 1955. What is known about this bottling? Seems like Henriques et Henriques released several old madeiras around that time, as I have see...

I haven’t seen the port, only the picture. Would it be correct to say something like “dark rich red, showing slight pinkiness at the edge, but neither blue nor brown”? And to answer the original question: yes please, both would be ideal. Of course, you put your finger on the problem, jdaw. The colo...

Nice idea, but probably easier and more informative to give a written description.. Tom As you may remember, I did that yesterday. Is this any better than that, Tom, or not? I'm wondering if it would be helpful, especially for Port. "....Purple with a slight brownish cast, with a purple-green,...

I thought it might be interesting to attempt to give a feel for the appearance of this wine photographically, with a view to perhaps doing this routinely in TN's in the future, although it would add some work. Take a look and let me know if you think it's worth it to have this kind of information. A...

Marc Jackson wrote:GREAT notes! I'm looking forward to popping a of this in the near future.

Thanks, Marc.

Andy V. wrote:John,

thanks for the TN....one question. Was there more sweetness or acidity in it?

Andy: Seems tp have a very 'usual' balance for a Grahams VP, if you are familar with their standard, which I know you are. Of course there's a touch more sweetness than with a Taylor's or a Dow's, by my palate.

In my limited experience, my problem with old corks is where the moist bottom third/quarter hits the ultra dry middle and top. The Dry bit is happy to disengage with its moister, tighter bottom! This idea of a shorter tighter cork does seem, theoretically, a step forward in that respect. Although t...

If it's like the half bottle then it's not so much short as thin. Thanks for the notes, I have six bottles of 1996 and having tasted some at an event I know it has years left in it - I suspect at least a decade before it is ripe. The '92 is perhaps a bit more mature, I'd guess. It's a 'standard' si...

Tom, I've seen this logic in German wines as well where it's supposed to prevent the leakage caused by overfilling. Verdict: Doesn't work. All it seems to do is make it impossible to get the cork out intact in more than 50 percent of the bottles. If you haven't guessed, I'd prefer a longer, standard...

Just remember, Gentlemen, that every time you exert discipline and don't drink one of those young ports, you're depriving US of a tasting note.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q91/rieslingrat/April%2007%20and%20later/Img_0570a.jpg TN: 1992 Graham's Malvedos Vintage Porto , bottled 1994; 20 pabv. $34.95, Cost Plus Wine Warehouse, Eastern Market, Detroit, MI. Premium Port Wines, Inc., Sausalito, CA. I wonder why Graham's doesn't put a ful...

To be taken into consideration is the difference, at least in the past, between traditionally Portuguese-owned houses and British-owned houses. A style expression should ideally probably be a high-quality NV blend (just like in Champagne). The house style should be well-expressed by a blend by a goo...