For The Love Of Port

I'm delighted to hear about another Madeira tasting dinner (or two) shaping up for the Bay Area. The ones Roy organized here in the past were phenomenal. I'm personally more interested in the higher bar dinner than the lower one, simply because I will probably have tasted one or more times already t...

Andy,
Thanks so much. Have you seen other vintages of this on auction, or just this '62/'63 blend?
--Richard

Has anyone run across this unusual bottling before or know anything about it? It's labeled as a "Special Cuvée," being a blend of 1/3 1962 Quinta do Noval Nacional and 2/3s 1963 Quinta do Noval vintage Port. The label further indicates it was bottled in 1965 in London by John E. Fells &...

Eric, This bottle has definitely been around for awhile. There's quite a bit of black sediment at the bottom of the bottle, it appears to be a minimum of 30 years old, but more likely 40 or more. Unfortunately nothing in the way of a date anywhere. The best clue is the label indicating it was a Stua...

Anyone encountered this beast before? K&L had an odd, old looking bottle for sale this weekend, and I couldn't resist. I'm guessing it's a white port, but it could be a very dry tawny. I've looked through all my Port books and searched online and can't find a reference to this bottling anywhere....

I have to agree with both Eric and Steve, for the reasons they've stated. If we're asking best producer of all time, it would be tough to choose between Blandy's and Cossart. If we're talking best current producer, it has to be D'Oliviera.

2004 Marco De Bartoli Marsala Superiore Vigna La Miccia - Italy, Sicily, Marsala Superiore (6/25/2011) From 500 ml - medium golden orange color with 3 millimeter clear meniscus; pan sauteed peanuts, salty caramel, baked lemon nose; tasty, rich but poised, sweet baked lemon, baked peach, salty caram...

N.V. Marco De Bartoli Marsala Superiore 1986 Riserva Marsala Superiore Samperi - Italy, Sicily, Marsala Superiore (6/26/2011) From 500 ml - Medium dark orange amber color with pale meniscus; rich, appealing, VA, dried orange, walnut, date, subtle baked lemon nose; rich, warming, complex, silky text...

N.V. Marco De Bartoli Marsala Superiore Riserva 10 anni - Italy, Sicily, Marsala Superiore (6/25/2011) From 500 ml - dark orange amber color with 2 millimeter clear meniscus; VA, lifted, nutty, roasted almond, date, anise nose; rich, complex, oily textured, roasted almond, date, tart apricot, spice...

I thought other Madeira lovers on this forum might find my review of Marco De Bartoli's artisanal Marsalas, especially one that reminds me of a vintage Verdelho Madeira, and the following background info on Marsala, of interest. This is the most recent post to my blog: MARSALA MASTER AND SICILIAN IC...

I would love to read your review Richard, but I can't! I'm writing a review right now for publication in the Wayward Tendrils quarterly. I don't want to take a chance on any overlap, no matter how unintentioned. After it gets published, I'll take a look at yours. However, I can definitely report th...

I thought forum members might be interested in seeing my book review of this terrific resource on Madeira that I posted to my blog yesterday. Here's the link: http://www.rjonwine.com/vintage-madeira/book-review-2nd-edition-noel-cossarts-madeira-the-island-vineyard/ The new edition is published by Th...

Thanks for the news Roy! I think it's good news, reflecting the growing health of the Madeira trade.

Thank you Pete and Tom. Tom, I very much agree with you that it is unbecoming and unprofessional for someone in the same field to slam a competitor with personal attacks--to try to succeed simply by tearing a competitor down. That's for political contests, not professional disagreements. I don't com...

Tom, I appreciate your questions, as well as your thoughtful analysis. I consider myself a student of wine, and I learn by tasting, researching what I'm tasting, and then writing about it. I am not currently paid for my efforts. My website, and trying to turn it into a useful resource for others, co...

To address some facts.... 1- It is correct that Mr. Suckling missed several days during his week in the guest corner thread. 2- The Guest Corner with Mr. Suckling was not closed due to his missing several days. It was closed at the end of the normal week in which the topic was scheduled to be open....

Pretty heavy. I don't care for him for other reasons, but the essay seemed slightly ad hominem to me. Peter, It was ad hominem. I was attacking Suckling, not his argument. What's his argument? That it's okay to write articles that feature and laud and quote particular producers without mentioning t...

Because I mention James Suckling's brief guest appearance in the FTLOP forum in this post on my blog about why I loathe the Suckling, including those hideous videologs, I thought it might be of interest to readers here: http://www.rjonwine.com/wine-critic/james-suckling-pomposity-corruption/ [This o...

Roy,
Miguel Martins was there from Vista Alegre. You're right--the program indicated they are seeking an importer.

Welcome to FTLOP!

You've mentioned that special moment with a '55 Dow. Have there been other epiphany or memorable moments with particular Ports in the 20 years or so since your book was published that come to mind? And what are your favorite '94 VPs?