For The Love Of Port

I purchased about 8-10 bottles of S. Leonardo 40yo tawny a few years back direct from the importer. (2017 bottling date) They have been drinking beautifully over the last couple years - always a standout and one of my favorites. Two weeks ago I opened a bottle and it didn't seem right. It was tasty,...

As it’s unlikely I’ll be allowed into Portugal this year, I’m recreating Roy’s Madeirathon at home today. So far today I’ve ‘visited’ Justino’s, Barbeito, D’Oliveiras, and Fajã dos Padres. I’ll continue ‘touring’ all day. I believe the only stop I can’t make is Borges. What are you good folks enjoyi...

Yes, thanks for sharing the pictures!

Port tongs are such fun, I wish I got to use them more often.

Madeira is most appropriate

Served to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Thanks for the info. I recognized the website when I found it. Great selection, albeit not easy to navigate; and some reasonable prices, some less so for a bargain hunter such as myself. As with any retailer, you need to know your pricing. Some of their prices are good, some not. They’ve been very ...

During the same time period I ordered from another shop in Lisbon (who I order from a couple times a year) and it arrived in the usual 3 days. I've done all my shopping at GN in person, so I don't know about their shipping. Care to share what the other shop is that ships to you? I've shopped at the...

For folks who have ordered wine from Garrafeira Nacional in Lisbon - what has been your average delivery time to the U.S.? I have a current order (my first from them) that has been in transit for over a month. The tracking# shows it leaving Portugal, and that's about it. During the same time period ...

And to rub salt in my wounds, this morning I received an email from TAP encouraging me to take advantage of the great fares and routes from the US to PT.

Getting ready for Fathers Day weekend, opened an H&H Boal 1954 today. (bottled 1993).

The smaller the barrel, the faster it can add influence. You’ll want to be thorough with the conditioning or those barrels will quickly do things you may not like. I’m not sure how they do this in the wine world, but folks doing this for whisky aging often use grain alcohol for the first fill.

Quinta Dos Pesos 1996 (bottled 2018) One of only two producers in the tiny Carcavelos DOC just west of Lisbon. N - bold aromas of leather, apricot preserves, brown sugar, vanilla, and a touch of oak T - syrupy mouthfeel with honey, apricot, mandarin orange. Good acid balance. Vanilla cream, nutmeg, ...

2 x Barbeito 50 year Malvasia "O Japonês” Saw that email and was tempted but held out...barely. David and I chatted about it briefly, and in doing some research on it I saw both the price and the sugar level and decided that it was probably too dry (and too expensive) for me. 97 g/l sugar is f...

Eric Ifune wrote:Mike,
where'd you source the Simoes "Excellent?"

NAPOLEAO - Wine Shop, in Lisbon.

https://www.napoleao.eu/cc/

Excellent staff, plus shipping to the US is quick and fairly priced. Currently 130€ for 18 bottles to the US.

Received a quarantine resupply package today.

That was a nice time! Thank you to everyone who organized and attended. Looking forward to next time.

Ooooo - that looks good!

I've been consoling myself with a nice glass of tawny or madeira while watching travel videos on TV or Youtube.

Thanks for the info.
Still seems like they only ship to CA?

D'Oliveiras was originally a partidista and didn't sell directly to the public. They sold to the export companies. I had a couple from the Madeira Wine Company that had AO stenciled on the bottle. The initials for Anabelle Oliveiras who started the firm. Thanks! That could explain a mere passing me...

Next up: Madeira, The Island Vineyard by Noël Cossart From the dust jacket blurb: Noel was the fourth, and final, generation of his family to manage Madeira's most important wine producer, Cossart, Gordon. He entered the firm in 1925 and managed it from 1936 until 1953, when economic conditions forc...

I've been ready a number of books about Madeira lately. So I thought I'd share my recommendations and invite others to do the same. First up: A World Ago by Maria Mendonça and Edward Lee. The memoir of a woman who grew up in rural Madeira during the 1960's and 1970's. A fascinating account of life i...