Lots of new faces ... please introduce yourself

[Dylan Howard]

Roy,

That sounds great! I picked up a bottle of the 2003 Smith Woodhouse which you highlighted in this forum a few weeks ago (great deal, thanks!). I also picked up a bottle of the 2005 Quinta do Vesuvio at a local retailed called Atlantic Wine or something like that. If you know of a store here that specializes in ports, please let me know. Its a bit hard to come by any sort of variety around here.

thanks,

dylan

[Roy Hersh]

Yes, it is Atlanta Wine Inc., and ask for Patrick if you go back there and tell him you are from and he will take very good care of you!

[Dylan Howard]

Very good to know Roy. If it weren't snowing, I might swing over there now. Its not too far from where I live. There are two locations I believe, I wonder which Patrick works at...

dylan

[Eric Menchen]

Welcome Dylan. I picked up some 2003 Noval from Atlantic late last year at a great price. I don't know if they have any more of that cheap, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. In any case, enjoy the Croft.

[Eus Wust]

Hi, my name is Eugene Wust, living in Amsterdam and just entered the Forum. Although i visited Portugal many times, i just recently discovered the tasty world of port. My knowledge is still basic but one thing for sure: i like that stuff.

Just bought my first "real" bottle, a Niepoort vintage 2003. Those guys seem to have their roots in Holland, so the decision to buy the first one from them wasn't that difficult.

To grow up i'am reading "Port and the Douro" from Richard Mayson and of course following you guys on the Forum. If my tasting-experience grows as fast as my knowledge i will be a very happy man.

Looking forward for many "portfully" hours with you all

Cheers

[Andy Velebil]

Eus,
Welcome to the forum! You've done well in choosing the 2003 Niepoort as your first "real" purchase. It's an amazing bottle that will last for decades and only get better during that time. Mason's book is highly regarded in our circles as the "Port bible." And if you can get a copy of James Suckling's book that is another good one. Although a bit dated in tasting notes and the history of some houses, it still offers a good read and reference.

What parts of Portugal have you visited?

Again,

[Eus Wust]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your reaction. Great to hear that my first purchase wasn't a bad bargain. In Holland they say: "Een goed begin is het halve werk" which translates to "Well begun is half done". I just found James Sucklings "Vintage Port" on Amazon UK. I hope it will drop on my doormat within a couple of day's... In the eighties and nineties i stayed and made trips in the area's of lisbon, alentejo and algarve. Lot's and lot's of good memories. Nice country, nice people and as i recently discovered, very nice wine to.

Cheers

[Kevin B]

Hello all,

My name is Kevin and I have been lurking on the board for many months and trying to learn as much as possible.

I recently became intrested in port after having a glass while I was enjoying some cigars with my regular smoking crew. Ever since I have been consuming on a regular basis.

I have finally gotten my cigar stocks at a comfortable level so now I am changing my buying habits to focus on port and recently freed up a wine fridge that previously stored cigars to help.

Mostly drinking 10, 20 , 30 year old Taylor Tawny I also have a 40 in store I am saving. The Taylor LBV 2003 is my favorite cheaper port - as of today. Tried some others along the way but I will not bore you with details as they are all pretty common - living in Saskatchewan I have limited choices (but I am looking to fix this)

Looking to learn more and really get into it - thanks for having me.

[Roy Hersh]

Eugene,

It is a pleasure to have another person from Holland here. Welcome to and we're glad you introduced yourself to us as I am sure you'll get to know many of us by name and our Port preferences.

I was on the phone this afternoon with Dirk van der Niepoort who was in Eastern Canada at the time. His family's wines and Ports are excellent if you like the style which I personally do, very much. As Andy mentioned, your 2003 is a fabulous Vintage Port and one of the very best made that year, imo. If it is your only bottle, hold onto it for as long as your patience will allow. If you are able to find more and afford more, then do so and open one early on to see how beautiful this young one is ... however, it needs a lot of air time in the decanter ... or it can be enjoyed over the course of a week or so (at this stage anyway).

We look forward to your participation, sharing experiences and learning together. Feel free to ask questions and chime in whenever you are in the mood. We're always here to help.

I am sure that someday we shall share some fine Ports together!

[Roy Hersh]

HI Kevin,

There are dozens and dozens of Canadians who frequent FTLOP, but most are either in Montreal, Edmonton/Calgary or Vancouver. In fact, from what I know of our subscriber and Forum base, you are the very first 'er from Saskatchewan ... so we're very pleased to have someone from another Canadian Province.

You can always chime in on our OTHER DISCUSSIONS area and enlighten us as to the feelings of what you're seeing/hearing about the Winter Olympics.

I am excited that one of my closest friends and his girlfriend are coming down this weekend from Vancouver, excited to "escape" BC, as they live downtown VAN and right near many of the great clubs there and are not getting any sleep and they live on the 13th floor, but the noise is intense from the street. He's going to bring down some fine stogies and I am psyched. They're ridiculously taxed where I live and almost impossible to get great ones without friends visiting.

Your choice in Ports, the Tawnies with an indication of age ... a great way to start and please DO NOT be embarrassed to mention the cheap or lower-end Ports that you are or have tried. We've all been there and on occasion we all try some of the new ones or old ones from time to time. Nothing wrong with a fine ruby to enjoy with a cigar. Personally I prefer Tawny Ports with my cigars or Madeira, but that is just me. I can say that unless someone else is opening the bottle, I'd never waste a Vintage Port whilst smoking a cigar, but I know LOTS of people love the combo so it is really a matter of personal taste.

We've had some fun topics on cigars here in the past and I know we have lots of current participants that are seriously into cigars as well. Feel free to start a new thread on cigars or even better ... revive one of the old ones. As to the Taylor 2003 LBV, it is a gorgeous LBV and one of the best of the '03 and '04 LBVs currently on the market. However, there were a bunch of really fine ones made in that great vintage year.

Again, aboard and keep on coming back and joining us!

[Lester Lee]

Just visited Portugal for the first time in January - a sort of pilgrimage I'd always wanted to make since I started enjoying port in 2003.

I spent a day at Graham's and met Gustavo, who recommended I check out FTLOP :) I bought the last 1980 Graham's at the lodge for my birth year and have been on a mini-run in the last month: 2005 Quinta do Vesuvio, 2007 Quinta do Noval, 1994 Dow, 2007 Dow, 1983 Graham's, 2000 Quinta do Tedo, 1995 Warres LBV, and more! Looking forward to learning more about port here.

[Andy Velebil]

Kevin,

Welcome to and as Roy mentioned there are some other cigar lovers on our forum as well. I'd include me in that group as I have a nice humidor full, but racing bicycles prohibits me from smoking very many a year. Mostly just with friends on special occasions, but IMO that's the best way to enjoy them. I also like them with either a nice acidic aged tawny, Madeira, or and old cognac.

I've spoken highly of the 2003 Taylors LBV as it is probably the best filtered LBV from this year you can buy. They really knocked this one out of the park! While I'm not a major fan of the Taylor's 10 and 20 year old tawny's, I think their 30 year old is spot-on and one of the better easier to find 30 year olds. Oddly, I like it just a touch better than the 40 year old. For me it shows a bit fresher on the palate. YMMV.

Look forward to your posts...and don't forget some cigar ones too

[Andy Velebil]

Just visited Portugal for the first time in January - a sort of pilgrimage I'd always wanted to make since I started enjoying port in 2003.

I spent a day at Graham's and met Gustavo, who recommended I check out FTLOP :) I bought the last 1980 Graham's at the lodge for my birth year and have been on a mini-run in the last month: 2005 Quinta do Vesuvio, 2007 Quinta do Noval, 1994 Dow, 2007 Dow, 1983 Graham's, 2000 Quinta do Tedo, 1995 Warres LBV, and more! Looking forward to learning more about port here.

Lee,
I am glad you got to meet Gustavo, he's a great guy and very knowledgeable about Port as well. Especially with his knowledge about small Port producers...amazing! You've bought some really nice ones. 1980 Graham's is lovely. I Love the 2007 Noval and 1994 Dow's. And the 1995 Warre's LBV is drinking nicely right now but still has a few more years ahead before it peaks.

Where else did you visit? Please post about your trip and visit's I know I'd like to hear about it and I know others would as well.

[Eus Wust]

Hi Roy,

Thanks for your warm welcome. You and your team make "fortheloveofport" a comfortable place to be! Today in the local port store a Vesuvio 2007 was smiling at me. I could not resist and invited her to further mature at my place. Now she is standing besides my Niepoort 2003. A nice couple, ready to get old!

I am really looking forward meeting you someday, have laughs and a port or two.

Eugene

[Roy Hersh]

Hello everyone; this is Rob here and I live in the town of Richmond, Vermont which is about 15 minutes outside of Burlington.

I became interested in Port in a rather indirect way; partly through an interest in collecting antique decanters but also through mixology. I thought wouldn't it be nice to put something in the decanters instead of just having them filling my china cabinet. I work in hospitality and frequently ask one of our more well-travelled employees about spirits and fine wines; he recommended trying port several months ago.

Then an article appeared in Saveur magazine shortly after that. Fate gave me another nudge when embarassingly enough, I caught a snipet on the Food Network where one of the celebrity cooks was in Portugal and they endorsed samplings of port while over there. "Interesting..." I thought. My GM had lived in New Bedford before her current position and had told me interesting tales of the madiera festival that occurs there every summer; I had no idea that they were similar products.

Went out to dinner at a hip little bistro / wine bar last Friday night and was delighted to see port on their extensive wine list. I chose a Taylor Fladgate after dinner and was absolutely thrilled. Immediately on leaving the restaurant, I proceeded to a liquor store and picked up a Cockburn 10 year tawny to sample and I think the rest will be history. I was quite surprised at the selection and wish I had visited this site first before shopping...but it was a start. It sounds like there's a lot to learn; I look forward to picking up some other kinds of port and broadening my knowledge. This website has helped immensely; eventually I would love to attend a port tasting in a nearby city, or perhaps even host my own.

Hi Rob,

Sorry I missed your post until now. It looks as if you'll need to modify your profile to fit our real names policy.

I really enjoyed reading your story and finding new and enthusiastic Port lovers is what we are all about. We'll find great ways to spend your money on Port (maybe Madeira and Douro wine too)! In all seriousness, I think you made a decent choice with the Cockburn's 10 year old Tawny as a good jumping off spot for seeing what Tawny Port is all about, without having to spend a ton of money. Are the wine shops in VT State controlled? For some reason, I remember them being that way, but it has been many years since my last time there. I skiied all over VT when I was younger and loved it up there. Great winters for people who appreciate lots of the good white stuff and don't mind ice on the slopes.

Anyway, and please do stick around and feel free to ask anything that you would like to know. Just reading here is "ok" but being in the midst of discussions can be a ton of fun.

[Roy Hersh]

Hi Les,

Very sound buying decisions. We're glad you stopped in here and hope you will continue to visit. Gustavo is good people and you were fortunate to run into him. I love the 1980 Graham's and it can be enjoyed now or in another 15+ years. You live in a great Port market and buying Port in SF is quite easy. Lots of Port on dessert wine lists there too.

I haven't been down there since last summer and at some point this year, will be back in the Bay area. I am sure our paths will cross at a Port event at some point. Glad you had a great time in Portugal!

Cheers!

[Roy Hersh]

Eugene,

It will happen at some point, that's for sure. Whether in a year or two or ten ... it will happen!

[David Sawyer]

First post. I'm very active on the Squires and Berserker boards but have never really gotten too into Port. I'm trying to change that. Being a huge Sauternes fan, I think the progression can't be too much of a stretch. I'll post questions in the newbie board. Thanks.

David Sawyer

[Andy Velebil]

David,

Welcome to and I'm glad you've come over to join us here to learn more about the best wine on the planet....yes, maybe I'm a little biased Please ask away with your questions no matter how small, as you'll find we are quite a bit more civil than some other boards

[Roy Hersh]

Hi David,


Nice to have you drop by here and we look forward to having you hang around, ask questions, post TNs in our cool database and learn along with the rest of us!

aboard.


Cheers!