For The Love Of Port

Tom, good to hear your comments. The question now is the mini bar. You cannot be a five star hotel in Portugal without a minibar in the room even if you have 24 hour room service. Small bottles, poor rotation and environmental damage. Tough choices. Adrian

The question now is the mini bar.

I always have a look at the contents of mini-bars in hotels, but rarely raid them, as the prices are usually outrageous. Some are no more than a fridge with a couple of bottles of complimentary water. Does the requirement for 5* status demand that the bar be fully stocked?

With 24hr room service, there is no need to have everything under the sun in a mini-bar. A small unit holding a choice selection of premium products, elegantly arranged; might complement the ambiance of the establishment. Do make sure the interior of the unit is well lit; a feeble little fridge light can make the content appear tawdry..

Tom

Adrian,

You gotta have a mini-bar. Where else can I stick my full size bottles of Port to keep them cool while lunching at Restaurante Barão de Fladgate

I am very pleased to see more and new Port trade members posting here on and realizing that it is in their best interest to communicate with those that are their true Port ambassadors, as you all are.

Earlier in this thread I wrote:

Moreover, I would be most interested in listening to those of you ... folks new to Port wine as well as long time collectors and enthusiasts: What do you believe will be the most innovative change(s) that we'll see over the next decade, which will have the greatest impact on the Port business as a whole?

Put on your thinking caps and dazzle us with your predictions!

The MOST INSPIRATIONAL response between now and the release of the AUGUST newsletter will win a really nice and significant Port-related present from yours truly. Feel free to enter early and often.

Although I decided to produce a September newsletter and not one in August (this was the only other month I will skip ... (2x/year) ... I have selected the winning post from the many great ones in this thread as things are drifting away from the original premise.


Uncle Tom came in 2nd place and deserves honorable mention for this idea: - A review of distribution systems, so that more of the consumer's money goes to the producers, and less to distributors.

I could not agree more with what Tom has written. It just seems backwards in today's global market and the changing ways that people can have access to Port. Although FTLOP has taken a leadership role in this exact dynamic (since late in 2008) others will assuredly follow and maybe even improve upon what we are doing. I am limited by ethics from broadening this throughout the USA, which I believe could be done and I've not entirely given up pondering the possibilities with this dynamic.

But the Grand Prize winner for the most innovative post in the thread, belongs to Moses B. for his thoughtful post:

Consistency: Making a good product every vintage: If the consumer can buy any bottle of Port and find a good value at the price point, they will continue to buy more. Not worrying whether the vintage is good one or not and not relying on salesperson who may or may not know. Products like pink/rose ports, as well tawny blends like Otima that cater to a modern taste and aesthetic.

Tourism: More people visit the Douro, the more they will be nostalgic and buy Douro wines and ports. Their friends will try it, and it all starts from there…

Internet: Port wine manufacturers getting involved to promote their products in a way that were unavailable to them 15 years ago.

What I would like to see happen is Symingtons, Taylor… Get involved in sports sponsorship to promote their products. Football and Cycling are ripe for them to get their name out to a public who does not know or may’ve forgotten about Port. Ronaldo with a glass of Port advertisement could go a long way… One can only dream about Niepoort – DeRosa Cycling team, lol…

If you told music industry or Cognac houses that the rap music world would embrace Cognac 20 years ago, they would've laughed like no tomorrow...

For his fine post, if Moses will please send me his home address, I will ship a bottle of 1994 Dow from my cellar which was purchased on pre-release. I chose this bottle as it was the first property I visited in the Douro back in 1994, and this excellent bottling has great meaning to me!

However, there is one catch, Moses (who has admittedly consumed very few 1994 VPs) must agree to drink this specific bottle before 2010 arrives and submit a TN on it.

Moses, what do you say?

Roy Hersh wrote: For his fine post, if Moses will please send me his home address, I will ship a bottle of 1994 Dow from my cellar which was purchased on pre-release. I chose this bottle as it was the first property I visited in the Douro back in 1994, and this excellent bottling has great meaning to me!

However, there is one catch, Moses (who has admittedly consumed very few 1994 VPs) must agree to drink this specific bottle before 2010 arrives and submit a TN on it.

Moses, what do you say?

Wow, this is an honor! I have not had the '94 Dow. I can't wait and I'll actually do a full TN on it! I did finish off the '94 Presidential last night and a bottle of '80 Sandeman.

Moses,
Congratulations on winning. I look forward to your upcoming review of the Dow's.

Lucky Moses