Dave - thanks for the message that sparked off the thoughts and discussion. It made me think back to the time that I first became hooked on port. That was 12 years ago - I know that because my wife and I went on a summer holiday cruise up the Douro River in August 1993 and 5 months later my daughter was born. I had a great holiday - my wife is still sulking that I got to taste all her port and she got to taste lots of different types of water :)
I don't know what made us decide to visit the Douro since neither of us were port drinkers at that time, no were either of us really serious wine drinkers. We enjoyed wine but had never tried port. I think it was probably the scenery and rugged look of the area. Most of our holidays at that time had been a little off the beaten track (now, with young children, they tend to be much less exciting). The idea of a cruise up the Douro on a boat that had to be dismantled every time it went under one of the bridges was quite appealing.
The result of that holiday is that we came back hooked, me more than my wife. The first bottle of VP I ever tasted was a bottle of 1979 Malvedos - a bottle which still sits on my display shelf. We drank it with a couple of friends who we made on the cruise at a party one night. That was it. I was hooked and have been ever since.
Until Roy started up this forum, I don't think I have ever posted a tasting note of a wine that I have drunk. I used to keep my own notes on a spreadsheet, so I have a record going back about 5 years of the wines I have drunk and what I thought of them. Over those 5 years I have gone from writing "Nice wine, bit too sharp to be really good. Don't repeat." to the sort of tasting notes that Roy has just said turn him off. In these, I'm trying to capture and describe what the wine tastes like as well as what I thought of the wine. I'm always interested in learning and will reflect on what Roy has said and will try to adapt my next tasting note to better interest others when they make their decision on what to buy or drink or to expect when they open their wine. I know that I'm not particularly good at tasting or describing what I taste (and have met some people on this site who I would say are VERY good at it), but what the heck. If it helps or interests others, then I'll do what I can. Perhaps I'll make up in enthusiasm what others have as natural ability.
Again, until Roy opened this forum and website I had never really followed how a port changes over time in the decanter. Now I am fascinated by the difference in flavour and balance over a 3-4 day period. When is the wine at its best? I love the fact that what I really like, another person can just say "Ummm" and move on to what they really like. I am also stunned by the way a wine changes flavour when you take a mouthful - how does it feel when it first goes into your mouth? What is the next thing that hits your tastebuds? What happens next? What happens when you swallow?
I guess I own up to being one of the most frequent posters on the forum. I do that for three reasons:
1) A few years ago I decided that life was too short to be able to try and taste everything so I decided to concentrate on port wines
2) This is a supportive forum and people are genuinely interested in the opinions and thoughts of others
3) I am full of enthusiasm at having found a forum focussed only on the one wine I am really interested in.
I read what people post here quite frequently and often find myself learning and suddenly thinking "Oh, I never thought of that". I am interested in reading what people think of all different variations of port and welcome people posting notes on the wines that they have drunk - whatever variation of port that might be. I have been given a bottle of Cockburn's Finest Reserve port for Christmas this year. I have never tried this wine before and would love to read a tasting note on it. At some point, I will search the site for a tasting note, but I don't recall having seen one. If anyone has tasted this wine and would like to tell me what to expect, please do. I don't care if the tasting note you post is as brief as "Horrible, never again" or as long as one of my "pantry pufferies" - although something in between would be great
Port can be an expensive hobby, but, for me, I don't think it is much more expensive that wine. I find that I drink less port than I would wine so instead of spending £5 each on two bottles of wine, I will spend £10 on a bottle of port. I also echo what everyone has said in this thread so far - I am interested in what you write and what you think about a wine. I have seen that a lot of people don't have English as their first language - and I don't care. I'm very grateful that people like Fred and Monique are kind enough to post here in English. I value what they have to say and have no problem with any errors that might be made - it is their thoughts on their experiences that I am interested in.
So anyone out there thinking of posting, please do. Anyone out there who wants to post but isn't too sure of what or how to say things and would like to talk it over first, then please feel free to send me a private message. I would be more than happy to help "behind the scenes".
I really enjoy this forum and would love to see it flourish and grow. Thanks to everyone who posts, everyone who reads and everyone who watches the conversations. Most of all, thanks to Roy and Stewart for making this all happen.
Alex
