1985 30-year retrospective - February 26 - Chicago, IL

[John Danza]

If you want me to make placemats for this event, just ask and it will be done.

At a minimum you’ll need to send me a date, a list of Ports, a list of people, a location (?), and some facts about organisation such as whether you’ll pre-pour. You should also be willing to check that it has been done correctly — errors sneak in when folks don’t look carefully.

Thanks very much Julian. I'll take you up on that when we have the details finalized.

[R Smith]

I'd love to attend! I can bring 1985 Ferreira or 1985 Royal Oporto if you're feeling adventurous!

[Brian C.]

I have 1985 Fonseca. I can probably locate other producers around here if it's easier for someone else to bring Fonseca.

[John Danza]

I'd love to attend! I can bring 1985 Ferreira or 1985 Royal Oporto if you're feeling adventurous!

Either one is fine. Let me know which one and I'll put it on the list.

[John Danza]

I have 1985 Fonseca. I can probably locate other producers around here if it's easier for someone else to bring Fonseca.

Hi Brian,

I've put you down for the Fonseca. I'll bring a Gould Campbell instead.

[John Danza]

I have locked Friday, February 26 with the yacht club. Please let me know if this effects your ability to attend.

[A dschus]

I will bring a 1985 Dow's and if R Smith doesn't want to bring the '85 Royal Oporto, I will bring that, too.

The date of Feb. 26 works for me.

[R Smith]

I'd love to attend! I can bring 1985 Ferreira or 1985 Royal Oporto if you're feeling adventurous!

Either one is fine. Let me know which one and I'll put it on the list.

Sounds good! Plan on me bringing the 1985 Ferreira.

-Ryan

[Jamie Garard]

John,
Linda and I would like to attend. Please hold this event to a maximum of 16 and consider 2-3 hrs for tasting. That has been my experience for several of the past events I have attended and that works well. We did the '85 last January in Seattle over 2 days and tasted over 34 ports. I can bring those notes (on cellartracker) to the tasting. Count us in for a Warre and a
Calem.
Jamie

[John Danza]

John,
Linda and I would like to attend. Please hold this event to a maximum of 16 and consider 2-3 hrs for tasting. That has been my experience for several of the past events I have attended and that works well. We did the '85 last January in Seattle over 2 days and tasted over 34 ports. I can bring those notes (on cellartracker) to the tasting. Count us in for a Warre and a
Calem.
Jamie

That's great Jamie. I agree with your thoughts on duration and numbers, so we'll make that happen. Also, your notes from the Seattle event would be good to see.

See you soon.

[Roy Hersh]

As much as I'd like to make it, that is the exact weekend of the Vancouver Wine Festival. But I am thrilled there is a new group forming amongst our community. Fabulous!

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

Limited to 20 people, so that one bottle can stretch for tasting purposes.

Tastings in London are capped at fourteen people. In Chicago, whether or not the streets might be mean, the pours definitely are.

hold this event to a maximum of 16

OK, maybe the streets are really mean, and the side-kick pours are trying to be mean, but not succeeding more than a little.

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

If you want me to make placemats for this event, just ask and it will be done.

Thanks very much Julian. I'll take you up on that when we have the details finalized.

Current draft of the placemats.


I will maintain the draft placemats in this post, rather than repeatedly re-posting. Come back here for them — if necessary, forcing the browser to update images.

However, do not print from the link. What can happen is that computers cache copies, so printing from this link might cause an old version to be printed. To prevent this—which has been a problem with London events—I will email the latest version to whoever is printing. Nearer the time, that person to email me (JDAW contact information).

[A dschus]

I'll add my wife, Dagmara Schusler, to the tasting. She will bring a 1985 Royal Oporto.

[A dschus]

If you want me to make placemats for this event, just ask and it will be done.

Thanks very much Julian. I'll take you up on that when we have the details finalized.

Current draft of the placemats.

The names are the FTLOP names. If you want consistent naming (perhaps initials, “JDAW”, or the likes of “Julian W.”) then I would need to be told the details.

I will maintain the draft placemats in this post, rather than repeatedly re-posting. Come back here for them — if necessary, forcing the browser to update images.

However, do not print from the link. What can happen is that computers cache copies, so printing from this link might cause an old version to be printed. To prevent this—which has been a problem with London events—I will email the latest version to whoever is printing. Nearer the time, that person to email me (JDAW contact information).

Julian, thank you! This will add such a professional touch to the tasting.

I will be printing out the placemats using my work's paper and printers. What size paper do I need if we have 14-16 people? Will the paper size change if we only have 10 people? What is the diameter of each circle?

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

I will be printing out the placemats using my work's paper and printers. What size paper do I need if we have 14-16 people? Will the paper size change if we only have 10 people? What is the diameter of each circle?

It is much more sensible to reverse the question: what sizes do you have? The software can cope with any size, but the obvious sizes between which to choose are 8½″×11″ (= /USL), 14″×8½″ (= /USLegal), and 17″×11″ (= /USL2).

If there are lots of glasses to be printed on 8½″×11″, then they are spread over multiple pages. This imposes a separate constraint: how much table space will there be per person. If you have only 17″ of table space each, and glasses of some fixed size, then there can be only so many glasses.

The next three diagrams show circle diameters, for various numbers of circles per page, on the three US paper sizes.


So, how big are the glasses? How much table space will you each have? On what paper sizes can you print?

For 15-18 people, the natural thing would be six glasses on each of three /USLs (if glass diameter ≤3.51″), requiring at least 25½″ of table space each. Would that work? At a pinch you might be able to squeeze 15 glasses on one /USL2 (if glass diameter ≤3.29″), so needing only 17″ of table space.

(If you have detailed questions about the software, please ask them in the FTLOP software thread.)

[Glenn E.]

I have put as many as 18 glasses on 11x17 paper and it works just fine. Julian and the London tasters do tend to find that a little tight, but we've never had a problem with it here in Seattle. Jamie and Linda have used such placemats before, so they could give a second opinion.

[John Danza]

If there are lots of glasses to be printed on 8½″×11″, then they are spread over multiple pages. This imposes a separate constraint: how much table space will there be per person. If you have only 17″ of table space each, and glasses of some fixed size, then there can be only so many glasses.

The next three diagrams show circle diameters, for various numbers of circles per page, on the three US paper sizes.


So, how big are the glasses? How much table space will you each have? On what paper sizes can you print?

For 15-18 people, the natural thing would be six glasses on each of three /USLs (if glass diameter ≤3.51″), requiring at least 25½″ of table space each. Would that work? At a pinch you might be able to squeeze 15 glasses on one /USL2 (if glass diameter ≤3.29″), so needing only 17″ of table space.

(If you have detailed questions about the software, please ask them in the FTLOP software thread.)

Since we'll be max'ing at 16 people, 8 people each side of the table, we can easily give everyone 24" to 30" of space, so there will be plenty of room. If we get to the full 16, I would recommend 4x4 spread out, as it's a natural multiple. Or we can do the 3x6 as Julian recommends, with a couple of open spaces.

I'll have to work with the club on which size glasses they have the most of. They tend to use a single size glass for all wines, which have bowls that are about 4" or so at their widest (just an estimate). I'll be able to get that nailed down as early as possible in February (the club is closed in January for maintenance), so we'll have that solved prior to printing of the sheets.

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

I have put as many as 18 glasses on 11x17 paper and it works just fine.

That’s just under 3″ diameter. Even if the glasses fit, that seems tight for glasses+fingers. Still, if the ‘laboratory’ says that it works, then it works.

Since we'll be max'ing at 16 people, 8 people each side of the table, we can easily give everyone 24" to 30" of space, so there will be plenty of room. If we get to the full 16, I would recommend 4x4 spread out

Just because there are sixteen people wouldn’t necessarily mean that there are only sixteen bottles. Some will be imperfect (bottles, rather than attendees); and some will be thirsty (attendees, rather than bottles).

[Glenn E.]

I have put as many as 18 glasses on 11x17 paper and it works just fine.

That’s just under 3″ diameter. Even if the glasses fit, that seems tight for glasses+fingers. Still, if the ‘laboratory’ says that it works, then it works.

A generic example of 20-up on 11x17 can be seen on page 98 of Roy's most recent newsletter, while a non-generic example of 18-up can be seen on page 110. Those are the placemats we used for the FTLOP 10th Anniversary Tastings this past July (Saturday and Sunday respectively). I would upload a copy here, but apparently .pdf files are not allowed as uploads. I believe that you have at least one example in your archives from Roy's series of ancient Madeira tastings.

To make 20-up or 18-up work, you do need to be using Port glasses (or, at least in theory, Champagne flutes). White wine glasses are too large.