For The Love Of Port

I’m still in touch with Bob Stern – and alerted him to the ‘outstanding answer’! He forwarded some correspondence in which some (but not all) participants gave info ‘in confidence’. {My words}. However, I have extracted some salient points and hope these are helpful. IVM/IVBAM report: [Regarding] “S...

And that's why I use a Durand for any aged bottles!
Which I did for these AFTER the issues with the first bottle.

In order of serving (randomized order by last two digits of selo, to avoid bias). [Note: previous tastings have shown a slight bias for first and last wines served to show higher than average results] A. 1991 Dow’s My score 88, My rank #3, Group rank #2 Lightest of the samples – pale rose in colour ...

What was the best taster performance, based on 1 point for house and 1 point for vintage? We each do our own guesses - but they remain 'secret' unless volunteered - so I don't have individual guesses - only the summary scores - we also use a 20 point scoring system (we pre-date Parker) so I do a 'b...

Hi Glenn, I expected you to jump in! The two 1991's certainly were lighter in colour, so easy to pick out (although not necessarily as easy to pick the Producer) and the 2000's the darkest (also as expected). But this is an experienced group - who have learned (over 30 years) to not be over-influenc...

I had both the Sandeman Vau from 99 and 2000. Sadly, the 2000 was corked.
But they both sold for $19.95 canadian upon release - but definitely early maturing.
Drink up.

Our port tasting group has suffered some involuntary departures recently, so we convened to discuss the future. With only seven (surviving) members we decided to taste some relatively mature half-bottles, so it was an improvised tasting although it turned out to be surprisingly ‘structured’. By ‘des...

I know - very old but I just pulled a bottle of the Leacock from my cellar and it clearly states 'Bottled in 1988' (NOT 1998 as suggested in the response). Of course, with Leacock (Stephen that is) being a 'famous Canadian', it's possible that the Cossart bottling was relabeled (for Marketing purpos...

I've been fortunate enough to try many of these 'great Vintages'. EVERY 27 has been superb - and I've had several bottles of 'unknown shipper' so that vintage gets my vote! Limited exposure to 1931, although I have had several bottles of the 1931 - more than 60 years later, and it was still solid bu...

Echoing Edward J here in terms of drinking. This means a very high % (~95) of the cellar are Vintage Ports (as the wood-aged have been consumed). I also favor the 20-year-old tawnies as the preferred balance of cost and enjoyment. But the bottle size is also a major variable for me. Essentially, I o...

As I said in the "old" post - a lot of technical stuff and adjusting on the fly. We've made a shaved ice version (not my favourite) but never managed a realistic 'gelato'. I'm not a fan of custards so haven't made any recent attempts. But if anyone wants to donate a 150 -year-old madeira I...

Faced with the ‘problem’ of following a comparative tasting of two bottlings of the 1720 Pather, we decided to try the oldest known wine – The 1715 Terrantez! There have always been ‘suspicions’ about this wine. I ‘thought’ there was a review in Noel Cossart’s book – but upon searching, I can’t find...

(is it Terrantez ... I am still not convinced) Buried above was my assessment. The 'family bottling' I guessed was a 'field blend' - it didn't show any specific varietal (for me), although more 'Bual' than anything else. There was also a distinct 'honey' note on the nose, that reminded me of botryt...

Then how do maintain a youthful complexion? My advice (as a non-qualified doctor) is to switch to showers using an 'estufa' process madeira. That way the madeira has less contact with the skin. For additional safety, also take a rat with you into the shower and check closely for skin lesions. In th...

Paul Miles (of the family, although the Miles' themselves are no longer involved) confirms that the MWC indeed is bottling their Tinta Negras under the Miles label. Sadly (for us in Canada), we can no longer get the frasqueiras as the ethyl carbamate content is above the 'legal limit for Canada'. Th...

That's a very nice line up, Thomas, but I'm surprised that the '66 Fonseca didn't come out on top. It's my favorite VP that I've tasted to date. Add me to the list for 1966 as my favourite. 1970 was 'mixed' for me. The 'estate bottled' version was solid, but some English bottlings were even better ...

Thanks Andreas.

Shows that there is 'more than one' bottle type.
Now, if only we could verify whether they are all 'genuine'!

Oh, for the days when Madeira was inexpensive enough that it didn't reward 'counterfeiting'.

But still not for me!
Have you refreshed? Could be a cached version.

Thanks Eric, I also tried their general website with the same message returned. Maybe they're updating inventory or some technical reason. Hoping the site will return soon - but still wary about posting my own pictures for the stated reasons - don't want to cause possible issues with genuine enthusi...

That's a big issue. There are some fakes around so I deliberately chose NOT to post any pictures, to prevent potential 'counterfeiters' from using the info. BUT, I saw a 'very similar bottle' (being deliberately vague) posted on the internet https://www.garrafeiranacional.com/en/1720-madeira-h-m-bor...