For The Love Of Port

I think I forgot to share this tragic story with all of you. I was just reminded when re-reading one of my postings in a thread that has been replied to recently...

I recently purchased a few bottles while down in the US and brought them back home to Canada with me.

As soon as I opened the suitcase I knew something had gone horribly wrong. The suitcase was drenched with a sickly-sweet 'port-smell'. I had packed four bottles (Taylor '77, Vesuvio '94, Otima 20 yr Tawny and the Niepoort 1976 Colheita)... the Taylor 77 and Vesuvio 94 (being the two treasures for me) were in a shippers box and the other two were on either side, double-wrapped in various articles of clothing for protection.

My first thought was "Not the '77... NOT the '77!!!"
It was not. Thank god!
The Niepoort 1976 Colheita was destroyed. In my packing (whilst under the influence of 1991 Krohn VP) in my hotel room, I inadvertently packed that particular bottle right on top of what I suspect was the metal "rib-cage" of my suitcase (I generally try to avoid the rib cage when packing anything of value, especially bottles). I suppose that even though the bottle was double-wrapped (a sweater and a pair of slacks) that a sharp blow to the side of the suitcase (for example when it lands on the conveyor belt from rough baggage-handler treatment) would force the rib of the suitcase into the bottle. Enough force would (and did apparently) shatter it.

I'm crushed. The Niepoort Colheitas are not available up here, at least not that I can find in Edmonton, and worse it was a bottle (the first I could find) of anything from my birth year. <sigh>

In any case, at least the '77 Taylor ($190USD!!! ) survived as did the Vesuvio. I will eventually open both these and toast tha memory of my fallen comrade.

(Talks with the airline did not go well - the suitcase itself was not damaged and as I had not placed it in a proper shipping case, there was little they could, or would, do.)

Learn from my mistake folks!!! Pack your bottles in shipping cases, no matter how much they cost!!!

Todd

My deepest Commiserations.

Now tell the truth...Did you lick any well sodden item of clothing?

Todd,

Bad luck - I am glad to say this has never happened to me.

However, I did have an experience recently that made me madder than hell. I bought a gift for a client to mark his retirement. It was a bottle of Taylor's 1977 (the year he started work with the company) and an engraved Taylor's decanter, both packed in a presentation box. I wrapped it very carefully and put 6 labels, one each side saying "Fragile". I took it to the special baggage desk at the airport in the UK and watched it disappear in the hands of a very careful young man.

When the plane landed at Dublin I looked out the window to see a spotty teenage baggage handler lift the box from the plane and kick it across to his mate who was loading the baggage cart. If only I had a gun I could have taught him a lesson he would never forget so long as he lived, which would not have been long :?

The good news is that the packaging saved the bottle and decanter from disaster. I can't wait until they allow us to carry these bottles on again, it was so much less stress in the good old days

Derek

Oh lord...



Truth be told, I did wring out the sweater, which was the first article of clothing surrounding the port, and briefly thought about tasting it... I then thought of all the loads of laundry that my wife has done and how many loads of wash that particular sweater has seen... I added to this, the fact that it was a sweater obtained at an Ironman Triathlon event and which I wore back to the hotel after the race was over (with 13+ hours of sweat and the blood from a cut) soaked into said sweater... then added the fact that it may have been combined with articles of clothing from my two year old daughter, who has been known to soil a few diapers past their safe absorption limit and may contain urine...

Adding all that up, what do you thin was my choice?!?! :)


Ok, I tried to sample it... The gag reflex was quite strong (not unlike I imagine your gag reflex would be when sampling the NN'06 grape juice from that other thread we were discussing Alan!!! :o)
In the end, it was far too cloudy and astringent for me to do more than touch it to my lips...

A shame.


Todd

Hey Alan, I just thought... perhaps this is the "port Gods" punishing me for my excessive premature infanticide discussed in the Port basic forum"!!!! :S

At least I can laugh about it now...

Bummer, at least the other bottles were ok.

Todd-

Sorry to hear of your troubles getting your treasure home. Come back down, we'll get you another one!! :) Beltramo's and Weimax both have them on hand.

Stay strong.

Rich

Todd,

At least you can laugh about it now, but I guess we've all lost bottles one way or another. My port disaster stories tend to involve port, carpet and lots of time spent cleaning and scrubbing (ie. wasting good port drinking time).

Mind you, given everything else that was already absorbed by your sweater, I recommend that next time you are in the same situation that you wring the juice out of the sweater and let it stand for a while. At least that way you should be able to clear the haze and sediment and have a decent wine to try.



Alex

bridgema wrote: My port disaster stories tend to involve port, carpet and lots of time spent cleaning and scrubbing

Didn't you lose one in a horrible Bolognaise sauce incident a few years ago :?

Derek

[quote="Derek Tu

Derek Turnbull wrote: Didn't you lose one in a horrible Bolognaise sauce incident a few years ago :?

Derek

IIRC it was really GREAT Bolognaise sauce!!!

BTW Derek, it's likely a GOOD thing you didn't have a gun when you saw that baggage handler kicking your box around... it's really tough to get port in jail (or so I understand )

Alex, you're right, I should have used the unbleached coffee filters... should have gotten rid of most of the nastiness...

Todd