Port Collecting Fanaticism

[Peter W. Meek]

...Yahoo! more younger Port geeks....

I try, but at 66, I find my usual companions are rarely in their early 20s. Hard to introduce younger people to port if you don't 'hang' with them. I am reduced to grabbing young passers-by (a la Ancient Mariner) and saying, "Here! You've gotta try this!" They fight to get away at first, but the port usually calms them down.

[Andy Velebil]

...Yahoo! more younger Port geeks....

I try, but at 66, I find my usual companions are rarely in their early 20s. Hard to introduce younger people to port if you don't 'hang' with them. I am reduced to grabbing young passers-by (a la Ancient Mariner) and saying, "Here! You've gotta try this!" They fight to get away at first, but the port usually calms them down.

Kidnapping I see, I won't say a thing since it's for a good cause

In L.A. there is a huge amount of people who are on-line, on various wine boards, that are from their early 20's to 70's. Needless to say there are lots of offlines I attend with these people. I'm the Port pusher down here as I rarely attend a tasting without bringing some type of Port or a Douro wine or two. It's amazing how many people young and old initially said they didn't care for Port. That is until I gave them a good one to try. I think many people had a bad experience when younger with some cheap Port and it's turned them off. I think serving them a better Port up front helps change those minds. But kidnapping also works

[Glenn E.]

I think many people had a bad experience when younger with some cheap Port and it's turned them off.

And it was probably with some cheap Aussie or California "port," too.

There are reasonably good products from Australia and California, but they are far out-numbered by the syrupy dessert wines and thin fortified wines that only call themselves "port" because they don't know what else to call themselves. That's been the case with all of my friends that I've introduced to Port - once they try the real stuff they're impressed.

[Andy Velebil]

I think many people had a bad experience when younger with some cheap Port and it's turned them off.

And it was probably with some cheap Aussie or California "port," too.

There are reasonably good products from Australia and California, but they are far out-numbered by the syrupy dessert wines and thin fortified wines that only call themselves "port" because they don't know what else to call themselves. That's been the case with all of my friends that I've introduced to Port - once they try the real stuff they're impressed.

Amen to that.

[Jim R.]

Have to balance the "younger" nutters. I am past 60 and collect the corks, the bottles take up too much space and obviously I keep my tasting notes (on 3 by 5 index cards). I did labels in my early collecting years but that got to be too cluttered. I keep all the corks not just Port corks and have four computer paper boxes full of them. I plan to make display cork boards at some time in the future when I find the time. I respectfully request a seat as well.

Jim

[Andy Velebil]

Have to balance the "younger" nutters. I am past 60 and collect the corks, the bottles take up too much space and obviously I keep my tasting notes (on 3 by 5 index cards). I did labels in my early collecting years but that got to be too cluttered. I keep all the corks not just Port corks and have four computer paper boxes full of them. I plan to make display cork boards at some time in the future when I find the time. I respectfully request a seat as well.

Jim

Request granted, welcome to the club

[Al B.]

I'm allowed a certain amount of space in our house for Port related souvenirs. In the garage in the space between the top of the cupboards and the ceiling I am permitted to store my collection of "special" empty bottles. There are around 30 of them, including one of those 10th Anniversary Quinta do Vesuvio commemorative chests that were released in 1999. I also have my collection of Vesuvio ceramic bin labels nailed to a wall in the garage.

I make small articles of furniture out of empty Port cases. Some of these are straightforward — an empty wooden box of Fonseca 1966 was sanded down, waxed, had brass hinges, clasp and feet added and now acts as a storage box for our CD collection. A black Dow 1977 Tappit Hen box matches the piano beautifully so became a box to hold sheet music. Before my daughter went to college I made her a container for storing A4 work papers and books in from a 12 half bottle sized case of Skeffington 2009. My wife also uses a wooden 6 bottle box of Taylor 1994 as a cleaning basket to keep all our cleaning equipment and bottles in; all I had to do was to sand and polish it and add a rigid handle that was easy to use to carry the box around.

In the study I have a cork pin-board made from old corks glued into a frame (my wife made that for me for my birthday a few years ago) and in the corner of one room there is a large, thigh-high, glass jar that is full of old Port corks that I have been able to get out of the bottles intact. When this gets full, around every two years, I'll empty it out and throw away duplicates or illegible corks. I also have three large envelopes in a filing cabinet of old Port labels which I have been able to remove, which is not always easy with modern adhesives! There are a handful of bottles dotted about the house as ornaments — a Sandeman 1963 in a decorative cradle, a Dow 1977 Tappit Hen, a double magnum of Sandeman Vau 1997 that was turned into a lamp — but that's about it.

During the spring and summer old wine boxes act as growing trays for fruit, vegetables and flowers in the garden, but this is becoming less easy as more and more people move to 6 bottles cases. The 12 bottles cases might have been a pain to carry round when full of bottles, but they are a much better size for growing things in that the much smaller 6 bottle box.

So do I qualify for the Port collection "nutters" Society? If so, I'll celebrate tonight by opening another bottle of Port and keeping the empty bottle. I have a plan to turn bottles into a wall in the garden by filling them with sand and mortaring them together...

[Moses Botbol]

I just started collecting some of the cooler looking bottles to line a wall on the stairs down to my cellar. Only have room for so many and trying to keep a theme/pattern of sorts. Keep most empty OWC’s either for potential storage or grow plants in them in our gardens.

Here’s an iPhone pano shot of the "worthy bottles" drank here since moving to my current address.

[Al B.]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who keeps worthy bottles. I've got more than I should, but pride of place is a bottle of Noval Nacional 1963 that was opened for my 50th birthday in 2013. I'll have to try to take a picture of my "worthy shelf".

Moses - your pano shot hasn't come through on FTLOP.

[Moses Botbol]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who keeps worthy bottles. I've got more than I should, but pride of place is a bottle of Noval Nacional 1963 that was opened for my 50th birthday in 2013. I'll have to try to take a picture of my "worthy shelf".

Moses - your pano shot hasn't come through on FTLOP.

You're sure, here it the direct link used as the image reference = https://i.postimg.cc/W31hjfKM/port-wall.jpg

[Glenn E.]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who keeps worthy bottles.

I keep worthy bottles on top of the cabinets in the kitchen. It's a safe place for them because even I can barely reach that high. Unfortunately they do get very dusty and greasy, as it is the kitchen after all.

I still have the first bottle of Port I ever drank, as well as other memorable bottles from over the years. There are still 3 up there from the Old & Odd in November, 2008 for example.

[Al B.]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who keeps worthy bottles.

I keep worthy bottles on top of the cabinets in the kitchen. It's a safe place for them because even I can barely reach that high. Unfortunately they do get very dusty and greasy, as it is the kitchen after all.

I still have the first bottle of Port I ever drank, as well as other memorable bottles from over the years. There are still 3 up there from the Old & Odd in November, 2008 for example.

Which 3 did you "rescue" from the Old & Odd?

[Glenn E.]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who keeps worthy bottles.

I keep worthy bottles on top of the cabinets in the kitchen. It's a safe place for them because even I can barely reach that high. Unfortunately they do get very dusty and greasy, as it is the kitchen after all.

I still have the first bottle of Port I ever drank, as well as other memorable bottles from over the years. There are still 3 up there from the Old & Odd in November, 2008 for example.

Which 3 did you "rescue" from the Old & Odd?

Three Colheitas - the '38 Hoopers and the two Barros bottles... I don't remember their vintages off the top of my head. I think possibly '47 and '52? As I recall, the '38 Hoopers was my adopted bottle.

[Eric Menchen]

I keep worthy bottles on top of the cabinets in the kitchen. It's a safe place for them because even I can barely reach that high. Unfortunately they do get very dusty and greasy, as it is the kitchen after all.

I've put my old bottles on top of the kitchen cabinets as well. Given the grease factor, I'm trying to put the more worthy bottles further away from the range top burners.

[Roy Hersh]

Why do we let our wives dictate and/or limit the space allocated for our Port passion and empty bottles?