What excites you most about Port?

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:59 pm

I think this should provide for some interesting reading if enough of you decide to participate. For those that are shy about posting for what ever reason, please at least take part in the poll.

If anybody else would like to share what about Port has them hooked, I believe it will make for an insightful read for those that may want to jump in.

Paul Eddy · Post by **Paul Eddy** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 2:03 am

Interesting choices Roy! I went for tasting the legends options as this in the end is what it is all about for me; but I struggled as collecting port and the aim of visiting the douro came a close second. I believe that whichever one you choose if you are into it enough a lot of the other choices will come along and grab you.

Paul.

Rich Greenberg · Post by **Rich Greenberg** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:11 am

Roy-

I cast my vote for "Building a Port Collection." This seemed closest to the most basic thing that excites be about port -- the enjoyment of drinking them. Along with that goes the same thing that attracts me to wine in general, the opportunity to explore the variety presented by different producers, styles, vintages, etc. The only reason I find building a collection exciting is that I get to drink them all, and share them with people who also enjoy port.

I'd be quite surprised if these sentiments are note shared by a very large percentage of the port lovers here.

Rich

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:07 am

So far, it looks like there are a variety of reasons. Interesting so far. Hopefully, others will respond as well.

David L. · Post by **David L.** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:49 am

Dear Roy: nice, interesting but very difficult question!!! It was tuff to choose between "building a port collection" and" it has become a serious area of appreciation in my life", but in the end I voted for the 1st one. After building a good collection is time to start to drink it...

Todd Pettinger · Post by **Todd Pettinger** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 1:25 pm

Wow. Tough question to answer with only one. I have chosen:
It has become a serious area of appreciation in my life...
because it seems to be the most general, and appropriate, choice for me. Since February, when I discovered this site, I began posting in order to
Grow a broader Port-centric group to socialize with..
which will help me
Become a far more savvy Port buyer...
so that I can...
Build a Port collection...
and in doing so...
Taste the Ports legends are made of -or- aka worthy QPR Ports...
which in turn leads to...
Enjoyment from learning about Port history...
in order to better know the history and tradition surrounding this wonderful drink. As well, hanging out with this group, reading Roy's newsletters and details of the various Fortification and Harvest Trips, leads me to really want to...
Visit the vineyards of schist and Douro vistas...
to see this history and the beauty of the Douro itself

How much more ambiguous can a guy get??

Seriously though, it is a little (or a lot) of all. While I am still nowhere near the knowledge of most on this forum, I still enjoy participating and chipping in my two cents whenever I feel qualified and/or have an answer someone is looking for. (Everyone has to start somewhere, and it is only through my participation and asking question after question that I have come to the knowledge I possess today.)

I am quickly coming to understand that it is near impossible to gain such experience as folks on this forum have, especially being in the current financial situation I am in, where Port is so expensive and difficult to find a wide variety of. However, in participating in the Virtual Tastings, I find that if I set aside two bottles a month it is manageable. One for whatever VT we are doing for the month (Fred, et al are very good about keeping the theme changing so you can try a wide variety of different Ports) and one bottle of my own choosing. This would be a great start for some of the folks who are out there lurking, but may be hesitant to post because they may not think they are qualified or are used to the ridiculing that goes on on some other wine forums. From what I have seen, there is very little snobbery here and all opinions are welcomed.

Todd

David L. · Post by **David L.** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 1:43 pm

Bravo TODD!!!

Kris Henderson · Post by **Kris Henderson** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:42 pm

Hi Roy, As Rich alluded to, I think you missed the most obvious answer. For me, it is the taste and enjoyment I get from drinking a good bottle of Port. I choose "Building a Port Collection" which seems closest to my initial thought. Someday, I hope to have a wide selection of Ports that are 20 to 40 years old. Right now, I have a meager 15 bottles in this age range.

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:37 pm

Kris, maybe this just was not clear enough, but it is exactly what you are looking for:

Tasting the Ports legends are made of -or- aka worthy QPR Ports

Keyword: tasting = drinking.

Kris Henderson · Post by **Kris Henderson** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:44 pm

I guess I misunderstood that one. Can I change my vote?

Scott Anaya · Post by **Scott Anaya** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 3:00 pm

My vote went to: Tasting the Ports legends are made of -or- aka worthy QPR Ports

Since it is not every week or even every month, I love it madly when I get to taste and drink a legend. And I am just as amused (well almost) when I find an enjoyable QPR like the recently purchased 2000 Dow's LBV at $14 USD/btl at Costco--which last night was a pretty good drop at that price.

Ted D · Post by **Ted D** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:13 pm

What can I say? I just love the taste!
Yes other things about Port are cool too, but it's the pure hedonistic pleasure I love best

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:18 am

For me, with the amount of travelling that I do in my work, FTLOP has been great at introducing me to new friends in many parts of the world that mean that when I travel I can often brighten the tedium of business travel with a get-together shared over a bottle of great port.

I always find that I enjoy my port more when drunk in the company of friends who also love the stuff - especially when drinking those great or special bottles.

Alex

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:30 am

Growing a broader Port-centric group to socialize with

Why am I not surprised at all that you are the other person to have voted for the above?

Erik Wiechers · Post by **Erik Wiechers** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:00 am

Building a nice collection and then enjoying them is my first motivation. I love to look at them when they lie down in my crawlspace. I made a hole in the floor and covered it again with hard plastic plates just to look at them.

Yay !!! Saturday my case of Niepoort 2005 will arrive !

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:56 pm

Growing a broader Port-centric group to socialize with

That was my choice because I've made several very good friends as a result of Port. To me it is more enjoyable opening bottles to share with others that I know love and appreciate Port. Sit around, laugh, share our knowledge with each other, sip some fine vino, and an occassional really good cigar (Sean and Alex R.

) . That is what Port drinking is all about to me!

Nikolaj Winther · Post by **Nikolaj Winther** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:33 am

No fair - I could answer is several of those categories - and none of them actually fits my favourite "excitement".

Not that it happens very often, but drinking very old port (or wine for that matter) really makes the beating of the wings of history resonate in my mind. And the usual long aftertaste from complex ports only lets the mind linger at the thoughts of what happned in 1967 or whenever your drink is from.

That's what gets me the most excited about port.

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 6:38 am

Nikolaj,
Great to have you back and I hope all has been well with you. The history part is fun for me too. I love to find out what was happening in the world at a time when field workers were hard at work picking and treading the grapes that I am now drinking.

Nikolaj Winther · Post by **Nikolaj Winther** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:17 am

Hi Andy. Yeah, I figured out what was wrong with my posting and logging in (I have to log out, the log in again and everything works fine). I was on my way to abandoning the site because I couldn't figure out what was wrong. However, now I'm back and ready to roll.

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:46 am

Andy V. wrote:Nikolaj,
Great to have you back and I hope all has been well with you. The history part is fun for me too. I love to find out what was happening in the world at a time when field workers were hard at work picking and treading the grapes that I am now drinking.

I do the same, I have a note next to (almost) all of my bottles on my cellar list that highlights a few of the global events that were happening when the grapes were growing.

For example, tonight we will be drinking a 1980 Smith Woodhouse. In 1980 these were some of the things going on in the world:
- US unsuccessfully attempts to rescue US nationals held hostage in Iran
- Voyager I launched towards Saturn
- CNN launched by founder Ted Turner
- Solidarity shipyard strikes in Poland lead to the recognition of Solidarity as the first trade union in communist Europe
- Yugoslav president and WW II resistance hero Tito dies
- Volcano Mount St Helens erupts in Washington State
- The US and 57 other countries boycott the Moscow olympics in protest of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan
- Ronald Reagan elected President of the USA, replacing Jimmy Carter after one term
- John Lennon is shot in New York

Alex