there's waves of people making pictures of the river
anyway, the more important things in life:
Le Salon du Vin Portugais was in the beautiful Parc Floral at Bois de Vincennes. I didn't really make any pictures for several reasons. Because it's hard doing that while holding a glass, because the fair itself looked quite boring with all different brands having identical booths apart from the bottles in them, because i didn't feel like it... so you'll have to use your imagination. all the ports tasted have not been decanted as far as i know. being unexperienced, most of my notes are quite... brief. and i might say some things some of you strongly disagree with, if so, that's the way things go
First i went for a walk to get an overview of the fair and where to start my tasting. Since there was quite a lot of port i decided to focus on that and i kind of ignored the other wines. As i'm not a big fan of tawnies and whites, i focused on LBV and Vintage. this is the reason i skipped Noval (among others) as they only had colheita's, tawnies and their 2009 LBV that i already knew and love. (a sip of Graham's 20Y confirmed i still don't really like tawnies)
Having no clue what to start with i went to the middle of the hall, joined a conversation at the Quinta do Passadouro booth and soon received some of their delicious 2010 LBV. After some time talking with the lovely lady at the counter we realized my accent wasn't French and hers wasn't Portuguese. This is when i found out that the owners of the quinta are in fact Belgian, and our conversation went on in Flemish
the 2010 LBV was elegant, light and full of fruit.
the 2008 vintage was in that same style but really got my attention. the taste kept on going and evolving long after the last sip of my glass.
both wines are on my buying list now. (and not just because they are fellow Belgians but because these 2 wines might have been the best i had on this fair

)
after talking way too long i decided to move on to other ports and we agreed i would come back to report before i left.
first a 2013 vintage by Vasques de Carvalho. This was very heavy on the nose, very bold and powerfull but also short with not much aftertaste and a sticky mouth. It was one of the ports that was dark deep red in color and really stuck to the glass as well. Maybe the contrast in style was too big right after the Passadouro but this was not a port for me.
i've read a lot about Quevedo here so it was time to finally taste some of their port.
the first thought i had when smelling the 2011 LBV was strawberry jam. a sweet full nose full of it. but the taste was more pleasant than that and revealed a balanced LBV. it just lacked a bit of an edge for me. pleasant but not memorable.
In the same booth i found some wines by Vesuvio, Graham's, DOW and others. These are the ones i selected to taste:
Quinta do Vesuvio vintage 1995. this was a powerful balanced wine. made me a happy man and i just couldn't spit

their 1989 vintage didn't please me as much. it had a surprisingly different style and an almost smokey taste.
i went on with a 2013 Senhora da Ribeira by DOW. this is the intense, hot and dry DOW that i like and the reason i buy their wines.
i stayed in 2013 with Quinta do Vale Meao. this is one of the more elegant wines i had. it starts almost too light and just when i thought "oh is that it?" it got me. it takes your taste buds for a gentle ride visiting lots of beautiful flavors. it makes me want to have a bottle over a whole night without sharing. and then getting sad because i wouldn't experience the taste as well anymore as i get drunk.
The Warre's Cavadinha 2001 after that was very pleasant as well, with nuts, berries and spices. like a good dessert.
I went to have a chat at Quinta do Crasto and checked i still really like their 2011 LBV. i do.
at Graham's i tried the Malvedos 1999 vintage. the exact words i wrote down are "easy but nice". i guess this means i would drink it with pleasure when it's offered but i want more excitement in ports i buy.
Barao de Vilar was another new one for me.
The 2012 LBV was a bit sticky on the lips and had a distinct style. dry herbs and spices. a hint of clove and citrus, almost bitter.
in the 2007 vintage in noticed the same style but it didn't have the stickyness which made it more pleasant. it also had a much longer aftertaste.
i'm not a big fan of these wines.
at the Niepoort booth there was a nice conversation going on and i joined in for a while having some wines to keep our mouths from going dry

the Bioma Velha 2009 vintage as a starter was young, bold but balanced and well behaved at the same time.
The 2001 LBV was good. not great.
the 2012 LBV after that was a step up for me. fresher, more defined, more character.
while we were discussing the LBV's an unsuspected treat showed up. someone returned from a masterclass with a glass that still had a sip of an unknown 1934 port.
A yellowish brown color that i haven't seen before in a glass of port. (the oldest port i've had so far was 1982 so i have no reference at all)
i tasted citrus, honey and oak. as you probably understand by this time i was a bit saturated so sadly it's hard for me to say much more about his one. but it was a completely new experience in port wine for me.
my hopes came through: good times.
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