1st Annual FTLOP Gala Port Celebration

[Roy Hersh]

I am happy for the airlines who hopefully locked in some oil futures with this sub $45/barrel price. Besides the Microsoft Convention that will be taking lots of rooms here, it is a typically quiet time of year here, although with the economy not having hit bottom yet, it should be very interesting to see what happens.

[Eric Menchen]

Don't ask United what they locked in for a price. :help: http://www.domain-b.com/aero/airlines/2 ... lines.html

[Andy Velebil]

Don't ask United what they locked in for a price. :help: http://www.domain-b.com/aero/airlines/2 ... lines.html

No one said they were good at predicting things :devil:

[Roy Hersh]

Please do continue emailing your wine selections. So far we have quite an amazing array of Madeira, Colheitas, Douro wines and Vintage Ports. Keep 'em coming.

I hope all of you who are planning to join in the fun have locked in your hotel reservation. All is shaping up very nicely.

[Paul David]

Well now that the year end craziness is subsiding it is time to give this serious consideration. Got the green light from the "authorities" and arranged to crash at a friend's place -next stop shopping for flights. Roy please add me to the insider's info e-mail - Hope I can make it, see you again and meet all the fanatics

[Roy Hersh]

Hi Paul,

I will email you some more details. Please send my regards to Susan and thank her for letting you join us. I was speaking with Mitch today and advising him on some WA wine to purchase from you.

Look forward to having you join us for what is looking like an amazing 3 days.

I hope you both have a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration and a HEALTHY 2009!

Roy

[Paul David]

Thanks for the kind wishes. I would like to take the oportunity to wish you and all the participants a great and happy new year!
Really looking forward to this event -it will cap a month long celebration of my 5o years on planet earth. I asked Mitch if he'll join but he's got other fish to fry. I expect to see him soon during the bday festivities.

[Roy Hersh]

Guest Status update

List of definite attendees:

1. Jim Silverman - PA
2. Eric Ifune - CA
3. Rich Nigro - CA
4. Todd Estroff - GA
5. David Spriggs - CA
6. Glenn Elliott - WA
7. Kris Henderson - WA
8. Stewart Todd - WA
9. Andy Velebil - CA
10/11. Eric Menchen & Marijke Unger - CO
12/13. Jeff & Laura Karp - AZ
14. Heather Hathwell - CA
15. Marc Jackson - CA
16. Alan Gardner - Canada
17. Brian Ziegler - IL
18. Paul David - CO
19. Roy Hersh - WA

I need to hear from these two individuals:
Moses Botbol - MA - will come or not ... with Sean
Sean Corrigan - MA - the Waffle King :hello:

Decisions pending:
Richard Beeken - still deciding - Canada
Andrew Taper - WA - pending work schedule. Last minute.

[Al B.]

I have my flight purchased! I'll have to miss Friday -- it's my son's birthday. But will be there Saturday and Sunday.
I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!
-Dave-

I did a double take on this message...
...until I saw it was from Dave, using Andy's logon ID!

Enjoy the event everyone, I really wish I could be there with you. Maybe you can set up a webcam and stream the video to all of us who can't be with you in person.

For those of us not coming to the event, please please please tell us what the wines are which are lined up.

Alex

[Roy Hersh]

In due course, I will post the lineup when everyone has finalized their selections.

[David Spriggs]

I did a double take on this message...
...until I saw it was from Dave, using Andy's logon ID!

Yeah, I don't know how that happened. Some screw up with the forum software... and It can't be fixed up. oh well.

[Roy Hersh]

So far we have a plethora of Douro wines. 7 old Madeira bottles and close to 40 impressive bottles of Port.

And ... I haven't even put my case in yet!!!

I am not sure whether to do horizontals, verticals or back filps! :help:

Ladies and gentleman ... start drinking water NOW ... please. Also, please bring a spare pair of livers and an extra set of hollow legs.

I wasn't kidding when I said this would be the greatest bash of 2009 ... but what are we doing to do for the rest of the 11 months

The only question is this ... will this year's Fortification Tour and/or Harvest Tour ... be able to top this?

:blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah:

[Andy Velebil]

Just a shade over 2 weeks away from the grand event. Can't think of a better way to start the new year. To be honest, I am even more excited to meet all the members in person than I am about drinking. That doesn't mean I won't drink though I am very excited and it's been a bit like when I was a kid waiting for christmas morning to come...the anticipation is killing me.

Roy,
We got a line up of wines/Ports yet?

[Paul David]

Andy, Roy is such a tease -he's keeping his cards close to the vest
I am hearing some rumors about an after hrs cellar raiding party at his house .... :twisted:

[Roy Hersh]

Paul,

Trust me, if you want to plan a trip down to LA between our weekend events, I bet you will have access to his cellar. Then again, you'd have to get past the explosive charges he has planted in his room. If you don't understand this now, you will once you meet Rambo (aka Andy) Velebil.



Andy,

Patience grasshopper!

I am still getting some wines in place with a few folks who have not yet finalized. I will not put up a partial/incomplete list.

[Roy Hersh]

A question about preferences for the weekend flights ... just to hear your opinons.

We have a few ways we can put the tastings together and although Andy and I will be doing this for each of the 3 events and decanting all the bottles ... here is the question:

We have a fantastic lineup of about Colheitas from 1937-1974 with the vast majority leaning towards the older side of the range. This will be followed by some pretty stellar (at least 8) bottles of Madeira. Oh yeah, that is just the first night.

The next night we have 1977 vs. 1985 vs. 1994 - with a plethora of great bottles from each vintage.

On Sunday afternoon into evening we finish off with the oldies. These go back from 1970 and keep on going into the 1940s. In addition, there are stellar horizontals of 1963, 1966 and 1970.

That said, with the potential for 6 flights of pure vintages ... in other words (for example) we could taste all 1970s together (six to eight bottles) and the same for the other vintages ... to provide a great insight into specific years.

Or ...

We can choose a producer like Fonseca and put the 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1985 and 1994 together. We would have these vertical tastings for at least a half dozen producers.

As mentioned this will be a surreal onslaught of some remarkable Ports, Madeiras and don't forget our dinners with great Douro wines too.

So (all EXCEPT ANDY ... who gets to vote in person) ---

what would you prefer to see take shape?

Andy reserves the right to change his mind, at least twice!

[Glenn E.]

Wow! This is going to be pretty awesome!

I think on Friday night I would like to see the Colheitas in one flight and the Madeiras in the other. I think that would give me the best chance to actually appreciate some good Madeira by overwhelming my palate and forcing it to adjust.

Then on Saturday and Sunday I think I'd like to see the Ports served in flights by vintage (or a close approximation thereof). I suspect that grouping by vintage will help me learn more about the nuances of the various shippers, and I'd really like to start understanding those nuances better.

Serving verticals by shipper would theoretically help me learn how Ports age, but since they all seem to age differently I'm not sure that's a lesson I'm ready to learn just yet. I feel like I need a firmer grasp of what makes Fonseca or Taylor special before I can start to understand how they age.

I hope someone is bringing a 1994 Vesuvio. I have 6 of those and really want to try one, but I don't want to open one yet!

[Eric Menchen]

I'm with Glenn. I vote for tasting horizontally, by vintage that is. Hopefully I'll still be vertical when we're done.

[Paul David]

Yo Roy -the cellar rumored to be raided is yours .....

Of course with the amount of wine to be consumed, this may prove a little difficult as we may be in a Madeira coma....

Did you already print the liability wavers....For those not familiar with Roy's events spitting will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate ejection from the rest of the events

Oh and as to your question I vote YES!

PS Sounds like you and Rambo will be very busy setting up flights pre. decanting etc...That is a lot of work -A massive "Thank You" for all the effort you guys are putting into this. I am happy to volunteer to help with the pouring, as with 20 or so participants regulating pours will be paramount.

The anticipation is killing me .....

[Andy Velebil]

Andy reserves the right to change his mind, at least twice!

Not true...make that 3 times :help:

Then again, you'd have to get past the explosive charges he has planted in his room. If you don't understand this now, you will once you meet Rambo (aka Andy) Velebil.

I'm bringing the handcuffs, mace, sting-ball grenades, and taser gun just in case any of you get out of hand before the rest of us do :joker: Oh, and my cellar will be booby trapped while I am gone, so don't even think about it. C4 does quite a number on the human body :twisted: :devil:

For those not familiar with Roy's events spitting will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate ejection from the rest of the events

Spitting is for wimps

Of course with the amount of wine to be consumed, this may prove a little difficult as we may be in a Madeira coma....

Umm as long as you never stop drinking, you won't get a hang over. Shh, don't tell anyone but thats the trick to surviving the Portugal trips too