Great experience yet to be accomplished

[Frederick Blais]

Appart from drinking one single legendary bottle of Port, anything you would like to achieve, or even dream of. Meeting someone, visit a vineyard, lodge etc?

Please share and jump all in the topic!

[Andy Velebil]

I'd love to be able to spend an entire year in the Douro with several producers learning as much as possible about the Port industry, and of course, trying all the legendary vintages

[João Rico]

i Will make 3 dreams.......all yet to accomplish


1. Go on Harvest Tour with you guys
2. Have dinner with Dirk Niepoort and have a vertical of his Ports
3. Become Winemaker



João Rico

[Andy Velebil]

Joao,

I think you should join us on the Harvest Tour this year...you'll have a ton of fun...which is why I am going again this year.

[Frederick Blais]

On my side, I'd like to be certified by the IVDP the official and unique photograher of the Douro. Wouldn't it be amazing that the only way official pictures of the Douro would have to be taken by me. This means I'd have to be at all the great events and tastings

[Adam F]

1. Harvest tour with you lot (3 month old makes it unpractical for now)
2. Spend time exploring the douro and enjoying great vintages with the people of the valley
3. I too would like to own a vineyard outright butprobably not one in the douro

[Shawn Denkler]

I would love to have the time to photograph the Douro. I love the rock terraces and would take many pictures of them. The amount of work to build them is amazing, and many are falling into disrepair - those would make some great shots too. The views up and down the Douro are amazing. The old vines, the flowers, so much to photograph.

Of course every afternoon and evening would be spent drinking great port with the friendly people in the wine trade. Drinking port into the wee hours might interfere with my early morning photography, so I need many years to keep at it!

[Gilles Séguin]

I also would love to travel with you people on the harvest tour, one day it will happen.

In my dreams I am able to buy a house in the Douro and have the time to visit one and every port house and taste their ports. That would be incredible. Dreaming doesnt cost anything. Thats nice.

[Roy Hersh]

I have only three:

1. my dream would be to run a B&B in the Douro that would accomodate our tour guests during the "season" and make for a great getaway during other times of the year. It would have one grand tasting room with extremely comfortable surroundings and accoutrements for splendid Port and Madeira tastings and a LARGE kitchen with restaurant quality equipment to allow for some real hedonistic feasts.

2. one day being able to speak Portuguese so that others could actually understand me.

3. just enough disposable income to be able to fly friends, FTLOP members and acquaintences to stay at dream #1.

[Erik Wiechers]

Roy,

the day you open your B&B i'm there !

[Todd Pettinger]

1. my dream would be to run a B&B in the Douro that would accomodate our tour guests during the "season" and make for a great getaway during other times of the year. It would have one grand tasting room with extremely comfortable surroundings and accoutrements for splendid Port and Madeira tastings and a LARGE kitchen with restaurant quality equipment to allow for some real hedonistic feasts.

2. one day being able to speak Portuguese so that others could actually understand me.

3. just enough disposable income to be able to fly friends, FTLOP members and acquaintences to stay at dream #1.

I would hope to be among #3, but in case you don;t happen to come across said disposable income to make #3 happen, if you make #1 happen, I would love to be a guest at your B&B.

That being said, although a Harvest Tour right now is a financial impossibility this year, and likely next, if you continue doing these tours for a number of years Roy, I would love to be on one of them. To learn the history of the Douro first hand, to tread grapes in a lagare, to stand on the hallowed Nacional soil... to visit my favourite producer's vineyards and facilities... well, all of this would be a dream come true.

And if I could try a '63 Noval and Nacional, well, that would just about complete the dream. If we were to go WAY out there, a '31 tasting with Noval and Nacional, but I don't see that being realistic in my future, unless a lottery win comes my way! :) And if it did and was of sufficient size, your #1 and #3 might become reality!!!

Todd

[Roy Hersh]

Thank you and I must say that you guys crack me up!

[Todd Pettinger]

I've had a bot of time to think on this topic and finally have a response that is not in response to another post, etc.

Having just recently entered into the world of exploration of Port, in particular VP, and partially because it is so cost-prohibitive to be a younger guy just discovering this world, with a young family, 2 kids to save for college for, mortgage, vehicle payments, landscaping a yard in a new(er) house, developing a basement in said house, etc, what one of my goals to accomplish is the following:

1. Attend or organize a true offline with a wide range of Ports, in particular Vintage Ports, that will allow me to really expand my experience with VP.

2. Open one truly GREAT bottle of MATURE Vintage Port that will knock my socks off. I have had some very good VP in the last half year since joining this forum, but suspect I really have not truly experienced a REALLY GREAT bottle of VP. (For example, I have yet to try a VP by Fonseca or Taylor, or even a Niepoort, Dow, Warre or Graham, with or without any age - I think this is is because the area I live in artificially inflates the prices for these producers based upon reputation.)

Todd

[Luc Gauthier]

Three things :
1. 1931 Quinta Da Noval Nacional
2. Speak Portuguese
3. Hold Freds camera while he's on assignment in the Douro . . .