For The Love Of Port

Hi, everybody --

FYI, as part of Watsons Wine Week, there will be a Masterclass in Hong Kong on Warre's Vintage Port on Monday, October 30, 2017, at the Mira Hong Kong hotel in Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Event is from 7 - 8:30 pm and cost is HK$350 per person (HK$250 per person for Watsons Wine Club Members; roughly HK$7.75 = US$1).

Line-up consists of:
Warre's LBV 2004
Warre's Quinta da Cavadinha Vintage Port 2001
Warre's Vintage Port 2003
Warre's Vintage Port 2000
Warre's Vintage Port 1985
Warre's Vintage Port 1980
Warre's Vintage Port 1977 (magnum)

Nice that as part of Port Harvest Tour 2 recently, we visited Quinta da Cavadinha, which is a key quinta for Warre's and is using mechanical treading machines inside the lagares. After the visit, Roy/Mario had organized a Warre's vintage tasting and Quinta da Cavadinha tasting at DOW's Quinta do Bomfin. The Warre's vintages tasted included 1977, 1980 and 1985 (also to be included in the above tasting). The Cavadinha single quinta vintages tasted included the 2001 also included in the above tasting.

I had also tasted just before PHT2 the Warre's 1980 vintage port using the oenomatic dispenser machine inside the Graham's lodge.

This is a Hong Kong tasting I've requested a seat for, and, if obtained, can report on.

They are copying me again?

They probably are, given that our host for the Bonfim tasting Euan McKay noted during the PHT2 tasting that you had personally selected what we sampled that day and Euan visits Asia from time to time.

But we had the Cavadinha vintages: 2015, 2005, 2004 and 1992 as well as the 2001 the Hong Kong tasting has. Plus we had your contemporaneous insights into both the Warre's and Cavadinha vintages.

Someday I'll have to bring my 1978 Quinta da Cavadinha to a vertical. Roy reported a while back that they don't have any more at the lodge.

Yes, I had asked for several other vintages and they were not able to fulfill my request for those. But I don't think we did too badly. Glad the a/c was good that day!

Tsimshatsui - that's a name from the past. I spent some of my childhood growing up in Hong Kong in the mid-1970s. My grandfather was the lead architect and project designer on the Tsimshatsui project. I must go back to Hong Kong one day and see how the project looks today.

Al B -- Tsimshatsui is a very built up area and tourist/shopping/hotel/restaurant mecca now

On the HK Warre's tasting, it was conducted by Jorge Nunes as expected. The surprising port on this occasion was the Warre's Vintage Port 1980, which was showing way younger than I remember form earlier samples this year at Symington properties . First, out of the oenomatic dispensers in the vintage tasting room at Graham's, and then again at Roy's Port Harvest 2 Warre's tasting conducted in late September this year by Ewan McKay.

In Hong Kong, the Warre's Vintage Port 1980 was showing very young relative to its age. Still primary flavors mostly and not having much evolution evident despite the 37 years of ago. I guess that also means it has many years ahead, but it was surprisingly young even relative to prior tastings of the same this year. Probably also goes to bottle variation.

On the Warre's Vintage Port 1977 in magnum, this has become more popular in HK and Mainland China after Chinese President Xi drank this at Buckingham Palace when he visited about two years ago. Here's the menu from that dinner, per the web. Love Haut-Brion; always have.

Interesting there was Port but also a leading South African dessert wine, Klein Constantia, both served.

Fillet of West Coast turbot with lobster mousse
Roasted loin of Balmoral venison in a Madeira and truffle sauce
Braised red cabbage
Cocotte potatoes
Timbale of celeriac and butternut squash
Delice of dark chocolate mango and lime
Fruits de dessert

Ridgeview Grosvenor 2009
Meursault 1er Cru Santenots, Domaine Marquis d'Angerville, 2007
Chateau Haut-Brion 1989
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2008
Warre's Vintage Port 1977

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... utfit.html

Poyee K wrote:... at Roy's Port Harvest 2 Warre's tasting conducted in late September this year by Ewan McKay.
In Hong Kong, the Warre's Vintage Port 1980 was showing very young relative to its age.

Perhaps this bottle in HK showed even younger, but 1980 Warres has multiple times amazed me in it youth, including the tasting you mention. My note from PHT2: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=40877
And two years prior: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=38968