1st Annual FTLOP Gala Port Celebration

[Paul David]

Hang over what's that? The party is starting 2 mile high in the Colorado mountains this Thursday: 50 here I come!. By the time I stumble onto the tarmac in Seattle I should be well trained and hope I can just keep going .....

[Roy Hersh]

Well the good news is that the hotel that the majority of people are staying at will provide a very easy 3-4 block walk to and from the restaurant. However, spitting is never a bad idea when tasting so many wines. It depends on if you are going to be drinking to have a fun time or will be writing down notes. I can say that we'll be taking a few minutes at the beginning of each flight to provide some quiet time for those that like to take notes and then a discussion of each wine will ensue and people will have the chance to provide their impressions of what is before them. This will be very educational and I hope that format works.

Tastings will precede dinner at all of the 3 events, but 2 will have flights after dinner as well as before it, to mix things up nicely.

Arrival and start times for all 3 events:

Friday - 5:30 arrival 6 p.m. begin tasting

Saturday - 3:30 arrival 4 p.m. begin tasting

Sunday - 1:30 arrival 2 p.m. begin tasting


I am looking forward to meeting those of you whom I've not yet had the pleasure and I can promise that you won't be seeking out any Port or wine to drink on Monday night ... although it might just provide the "cure."
For those of you that I've already met, it will be a pleasure raising a glass together this year and what better excuse than this? See you all soon enough. Just about 2 weeks left. :hello:

[Andy Velebil]

Ah the excitement is mounting....just 5 days until the first kickoff. Can't wait to meet some new faces, see some old ones, and dive into some Port, Madeira, and Douro wines :lick:

[Richard Beeken]

Can we look forward to a detailed description of the lineup for all three days tastings and the dinners before Friday? It would be nice for those of us who will be taking notes.

[Jeffrey Karp]

This is going to be the greatest port drinking event of our lives! The only fear for me and my wife was our inability to follow thorugh and consume Roy's prescribed protocol of 3 bottles per night! We are both lightweights in a heavyweight title fight!

We can't wait to meet everyone!

Jeffrey and Laura Karp

[Glenn E.]

Oh don't worry, I'm a lightweight too!

I've been on a training regimen of 2 glasses per night for the last 2 weeks. I'm upping it to 3 glasses per night this week in the feeble hope that I'll be able to make it through the weekend!

Oddly enough, I think those of you from out of town have an advantage. If you're staying in the hotel Roy recommended you won't have to worry about how to get home... I doubt I'll be in any condition to drive home after each event, so I may be asking my wife to shuttle me back and forth to the events!

[Eric Menchen]

I'm with Jeff on this one too. I may be a wimp and spit some. At least I do have sea level and walking to the hotel on my side.

BTW, what's the dress code? My social director who will also be in attendance wants to know.

-Eric

[Glenn E.]

Well, it's Seattle. We're pretty casual out here. With the exception of a handful of really hoity-toity restaurants, Dockers and a dress shirt would be considered "dressing up" for most events. I've worn that to events at Benaroya Hall (Seattle Opera, Seattle Orchestra, etc) and not been out of place.

There's a pretty good chance I'll be in jeans and an FTLOP polo shirt unless Roy chimes in with something more specific.

[Roy Hersh]

I am just back from 8 days on the other coast and I've had little time to deal with anything beyond familial obligations as I am sure you can appreciate. My wife remained here so that she could accept all of the wines that were delivered last week ... quite a stash.

I will be playing catch up through Wed. a.m. and finalizing all arrangements. By Wed. I will compile a list of all table wine, Madeira and Port that will be at the event. Andy and I will be organizing flights either horizontally or vertically (still no final decision yet) and doing all of the decanting. I will get the list of all wines sent out to all participants and eventually put here in this thread as well, but first you'll see it by email.

There are many dozens of bottles, some going back in time to the first decade of the 1900s and well over a dozen between the 1950s and 1960s. It is very exciting and I am thrilled that we'll get to meet some fantastic active participants from this Forum as well as others who are subscribers to the newsletter who only lurk here.

[Ronald Wortel]

I wish I could be there to celebrate with you. Have a good time all!

[David Spriggs]

I'm finally getting excited about this. It's just around the corner! It seemed like it was far off in the future... but it's almost here now. I'm not drinking anything this week in preparation. And based on the last Roy tasting, I will need to spit! It's going to be a lot of wine.

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!
-Dave-

[Glenn E.]

Roy, Andy,

If you guys need any help with anything, give me a call. I'm only 5 minutes away!

[Derek T.]

All,

I hope you have a fabulous time in Seattle and that the ports show well. I regret that I have been unable to join you on this occassion but hope to do so at a similar event in the not too distant future.

Have fun!

Derek

PS: Please don't feel any sympathy for me that I cannot be there with you, I will be consoling myself with a 35 bottle 1970 horizontal in London on 30th Jan :help:

[David Spriggs]

I will be consoling myself with a 35 bottle 1970 horizontal in London on 30th Jan :help:

You UK guys have too much fun! Sounds like a lot of work

-Dave-

[Derek T.]

I will be consoling myself with a 35 bottle 1970 horizontal in London on 30th Jan :help:

You UK guys have too much fun! Sounds like a lot of work

-Dave-

We are obviously only doing this for the good of the world's port loving community :devil:

Derek

[Andy Velebil]

I will be consoling myself with a 35 bottle 1970 horizontal in London on 30th Jan :help:

You UK guys have too much fun! Sounds like a lot of work

-Dave-

We are obviously only doing this for the good of the world's port loving community :devil:

Derek

Uh huh

Have fun guys, its one heck of a big line up. I dare say even the legendary Derek will be spitting with that many in one evening.

[Roy Hersh]

I haven't had a sip of a fortified wine in two weeks. Talk about out of practice ... but it is like riding a bike, right?

The UK gig sounds like a ton of fun too. Hopefully for the sake of our friends on the other side of the pond, they've scheduled dinner in the middle of some awesome flights to that they will still be able to depart in the upright position at the end of the evening.

[Derek T.]

What's all this talk about spitting and having dinner between flights? You guys must think we're as soft as Americans :devil: :help:

If my arithmetic is correct, 87 bottles of port, 23 bottles of Douro wine and 7 bottles of Madeira (117 bottles!!!) will be consigned to history this weekend at events attended by 33 dedicated port lovers on either side of the Atlantic.

Is that dedication to the cause or what?

Have fun everyone

[Andy Velebil]

What's all this talk about spitting and having dinner between flights? You guys must think we're as soft as Americans :devil: :help:

If my arithmetic is correct, 87 bottles of port, 23 bottles of Douro wine and 7 bottles of Madeira (117 bottles!!!) will be consigned to history this weekend at events attended by 33 dedicated port lovers on either side of the Atlantic.

Is that dedication to the cause or what?

Have fun everyone

I learned how to have dinner between tastings in England...so it must have originated there :twisted:

All I can say is this weekend is a great one for Port lovers on both sides of the Atlantic, thats for sure!!

[Roy Hersh]

If my arithmetic is correct, 87 bottles of port, 23 bottles of Douro wine and 7 bottles of Madeira (117 bottles!!!) will be consigned to history this weekend at events attended by 33 dedicated port lovers on either side of the Atlantic.

Math is clearly off by at least 7 bottles, but at least your Port drinking is not ... so at least you have your priorities in the correct order.

We have 53 bottles of Port, 30 bottles of Douro wine and 7 Madeira. But you were close!

Have a great time and enjoy that fantastic lineup of '70s. I hope they'll all show well for you guys.