For The Love Of Port

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...

I'm pretty sure it was NOT rebottled! My bottle still had the original 'identity' sticker that was put on all the wines (not just the Pather). All of the wines (I've had the 1780 twice) were put in identical bottles and a sticker attached to each. After 'distribution' some inheritors added stencils ...

This post refers to a tasting held recently for the members of the ‘Estufarians’ – a Madeira tasting group in Ontario that has been meeting for over 30 years. 22 members attended which explains why I couldn’t invite any of the worthy friends I’ve met over the years. Our scoring system is based on 20...

Thanks Eric,
I do note the various 'suspensions' of that Treaty.
Perhaps we can agree that the Treaty Of Windsor is the oldest CONTINUING treaty.

I'll happily raise a toast to either!

We can't ship to Canada - in practice. Theoretically it can be done but we have to do it through an "authorized customs broker" and we are charged Provincial mark ups - essentially around 100% in taxes/duties PLUS the brokerage charges (and shipping) - and there's only ONE authorized broke...

Hi Eric, Only just saw this. Very interesting - particulaly as it is only the 637th Anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!! How do I know this? In 1986 Christie's had their first (and only?) auction of Vintage Port & Madeira - I attended and there are numerous references in the catalogue to the signing on 9 May...

February on the west coast would certainly appeal to me as well.

Alan

My notes were not transcribed to computer and I 'cleaned out' in 2015 when I moved. So original source material has gone. However, I recall that the English bottlings was my favourite - the 'Scottish' bottling came last and the Fonseca bottling was in the middle. As a separate tasting, one of my Por...

I know we laid this to rest some time back. BUT the explanation described here is suddenly 'questionable' again! The source of the "Palther" is claimed to be Henrique Borges - and all bottles were (purportedly) similarly misspelled (and waxed). A recent tasting note from a Swiss tasting (i...