For The Love Of Port

Thanks for the heads-up Frank. I hope you are well and the sale is not due to health issues.
I'll keep any eye out for it - I'm local as well which makes post-auction pick-up easy.

Cheers, Mike

I've bought a few of them when I've happened across a discount. The quality is inconsistent. Some are excellent, while others are 'merely' very nice. Agreed though that they need to be spectacular at that price point. My last purchase was the recent 1961 release which is quite excellent.

lol, I missed this the other day. Yea, when I was lucky enough to try the 1863, it did NOT last long. We downed it in one evening. Not sure I can bring myself to buy the 1896, since I was a drinker not a buyer of the 1863, but if I did, I was wondering if it could be drunk over a few days, if it wa...

I've got the standard CDC card. But my wife, who was vaccinated at a major city hospital, didn't get a CDC card, the hospital didn't hand them out :shock: For her, we can apply to the state immunization board to get her official records. So I'm picturing me standing there with a CDC card, and my wif...

Madeira says they will accept proof of vaccination - but I've been wondering if you need a negative COVID test to get through Lisbon on the way to Madeira. What interests me the most though, is what does a European country consider proof of negative test or vaccine? With no international digital sta...

I friend of mine just competed in this mountain bike race down the slopes of Madeira. Boy I miss this scenery!

Here is a highlight video from 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMeITWMExco

Here is a video from this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WILYU9o70RA

Watched the Portugal episode last night with the bride. Great show, looking forward to other episodes.

My wife was excited to see the 2009 Ramisco, as she picked up two bottles of that vintage when we visited Casal Sta. Maria in Colares a few years ago.

Awesome, thanks!

H&H T '54 was on the sweeter side for T when we tasted it 4 years ago. Very good ++ (and I try to be objective not be inflationary with my ratings) One of the best "young" Ts. Good call on the H&H T '54, I forgot about that one. I agree it is excellent. Wish it wasn't so pricey.

Here are the Terrantez bottlings I've had: D'Oliveiras 1971 - A big wine, one of my favorites D'Oliveiras 1977 - Thin and delicate D'Oliveiras 1978 (launched in 2018) - Thin and delicate Blandy's 1976 (bottled 1997) - My favorite of the two - Complexity and richness beyond it's years in the barrel, ...

1957 H&H Boal (Bottled in 1992) 1969 Blandy's Terrantez 1976 Blandy's Terrantez NV RWC New Orleans Tricentennial Reserve NV RWC Wanderer Special Reserve (60 bottles Bottled in 2006) Medium Sweet Nice! I prefer Blandy's 1976 Terrantez (the ones I've had were bottled in 1997) over their 1977 whic...

Eric Ifune wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:06 pm Rare Wine Company Benjamin Franklin 10 year anniversary Special Reserve.

Nice! What do you think of it?
Manny's write-up was quite intriguing.

Really? That seems odd to me, because the Vinho do Reitor is only 94 g/l residual sugar. It is also noticeably lower total acidity, though, so maybe it just presents sweeter? Tasting both of these side-by-side is actually quite fun. :) I think you are right Glenn, the higher acidity on the "50...

Barbeito O Japones 50 Year Old Malvasia While a very nice Madeira, I didn't feel it lived up to the hype I'd seen about it. It was lighter and more ethereal than most older Malvasias, and according to the spec sheet is only 97 g/l residual sugar. That seems rather low for a Malvasia, which I'm sure...

D'Oliveiras Colheita Malvasia 1992 (bottled 2013) Will need a few days in the decanter to blow off the bottle stink. Oh, the flavor! Candy bar in a glass. Great viscosity, chocolate, caramel, and cherries. Acid arrives towards the finish to balance it perfectly. Touch of citrus on the finish. So gla...

From their website, it looks like the 2000 vintage was bottled in 2010.
Are you saying this wine continues to improve significantly in the bottle?
How does it compare to a good Moscatel Setúbal?

Thank you Glenn, great points.
Clearly more study is required on my part. I'll get right on it ...

I'm intrigued when a producer puts out a Colheita of approximately the same age as an age stated Tawny - and the Colheita is far better. I put the Kopke 40 and their 1978 Colheta in the same group. The 40 is very nice, but the 1978 is unquestionably the better wine, and at a lower price. With the '...

What it cannot do is go toe to toe with the superb 1999 Kranemann colheita, which for my money is the far better purchase at a like price from the same producer. I'm intrigued when a producer puts out a Colheita of approximately the same age as an age stated Tawny - and the Colheita is far better. ...

Taylor Very Old Single Harvest Tawny 1961.

Didn’t know there was such a creature, stumbled across it in a store. Bottled 2020.