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For The Love Of Port
April 2004
2nd Issue
Article and photos © copyright 2004 by Roy Hersh
Dear friends of Port wine,
"Be careful
what you wish for," is a time worn axiom. I was hoping that this
newsletter would gain popularity in time, and that there would eventually
be enough Port enthusiast subscribers that would enjoy reading
FOR THE LOVE OF PORT.
Well your response has overwhelmed me, literally, as I almost have to quit
my day job just to keep up with requests and adding names to the mailing
list. I am certainly NOT complaining. Actually, I want to thank you all
for reaching out and joining me on this journey into Port wine.
I will do my best to put out one newsletter per month at this point,
through the end of this year and together we'll see how it goes. I really
enjoyed receiving lots of your encouraging emails and feedback. At some
point I will figure out how to make the time to create a web site, so that
we can make this more of an interactive experience which would really work
out nicely. For now though, this will have to do.
I am getting excited for my Annual Port Tasting which is held here in the
burbs of Seattle. Coming up with a theme is not easy after having done
this for a decade now. This year things will be far more casual and last
year's youngest wine will equate to this year's oldest. We won't have the
Broadbent family, Richard Mayson (Decanter and International Wine
Magazine), Dirk van der Niepoort and a few other luminaries with us this
year. But there are still a few tricks up my sleeve and this promises to
be a fun weekend of wine debauchery anyway.
There are quite a few interesting new parts to this month's issue of
FOR THE LOVE OF PORT.
I hope you will enjoy the read. Your feedback counts!
Roy
CONTENTS:
~ With a little help
from my friends
~ Feature article: The
Fladgate Partnership Port Tasting
~ Check it out: Roy's
monthly Port website recommendation
~ Letters
and e-feedback
* * * * *
~ With a little help
from my friends ...
In getting started with the first issue
of my Port newsletter, there were so many considerations and details to
plan before diving in. As soon as they heard that I was going to be
producing a Port newsletter, two wonderful women of wine offered their
assistance to help promote it, and I want to thank them publically.
Sue Courtney who I have never met in person, yet know for nearly four
years, is one of the most brilliant minds in the New Zealand wine scene.
She is an outstanding writer and very well versed in wines from all over
the world. Sue maintains a phenomenal website and authors a newsletter
that specializes in wines from New Zealand. When Sue touted my Port
newsletter, I received dozens of requests from the Southern Hemisphere and
even some from the US, who were avid readers of her
New Zealand Wine of the Week
(http://www.wineoftheweek.com/).
Have a look at this well written and creatively designed website.
The second person who graciously gave mention and helped to promote this
newsletter was Jancis Robinson. I even received emails from folks in
Mexico, Scotland and China to name a few, that have requested to be on
the mailing list upon Jancis' gracious recommendation. I have had the
distinct pleasure to meet, drink and speak with Jancis on a few vinous
occasions in Florida and Aspen. Not only is she charming, but disarmingly
and refreshingly candid in her opinions. In addition to her wine video
series (Jancis Robinson's Wine Course) she has written The Great Wine Book
and the legendary, Oxford Companion To Wine, and at least a dozen other
wine books. Today, much of Jancis's time is devoted to her wine website:
jancisrobinson.com (http://www.jancisrobinson.com/)
which is one of the most comprehensive wine websites for the
novice through MW, that I've ever come across.
My sincere thanks to both Sue and Jancis for their efforts and support
during this genesis.
***
Feature article
***
_____________________________________________________
FOR THE LOVE
OF PORT©
This was a terrific tasting held in Los Angeles,
California ... see details at the link above.
Should you be interested in
some of my other recent articles on Port, please visit the
Article Archive
_____________________________________________________
Roy's monthly Port website recommendation :
This is a new
addition to the newsletter this month, but will be a regular feature in
all future issues. Given the fact that the
Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto
Port and Douro Wines
Institute
(http://www.ivp.pt/uk/)
or IVDP (Port and Douro Wine
Institute) is the most important single entity involved with the
regulation and marketing of the entire Douro region's Port and table
wines, this website is the first that I will promote. I have learned
about so many facets of the Port industy from this website and actually
had the opportunity to spend some time at the IVDP headquarters in
Oporto during my last trip. When you have a moment and are sitting back
with a glass of fine Vintage or tawny Port, this should make for a great
exploration:
*
* * * *
 And
now for something completely different:
Baxters Stilton & White Port
Soup
Brands of Britain
Price:
$3.79
Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days
Offered by: Brands of Britain
(Seller
Profile)
~
Letters and e-feedback:
Dear Roy
Thank you for your letter. I don't mind at all you quoting me in your
newsletter about the change of label, both for Noval and Nacional.
(Roy's text) Up until
the change took place with the 1996 Nacional, almost all previous
bottles stated, "Produced from Pre Phylloxera Vines." As a Port
historian, I knew that this was not the case but who am I to quibble
with this revered Shipper, that has promoted this notion for over a
half century. Well someone must have finally taken notice and this was
then removed from all future bottlings. This is one of the odd quirks
that I have debated with many a Port collector. I would love to hear
from anyone who reads this that can explain who is responsible, or how
the change came to be!
(Christian's text) It
was me actually. You might have gathered from the tasting that I took
the great wines from the Sixties and before as my inspiration,
particularly of course the 1931. (I have drunk the Noval several times
and in fact now the Nacional once as well, though like you it was a
disappointment in my case because of a bad cork. But the 1931 Quinta
do Noval is a magical wine, and proves what I have always believed
about Noval, that the Nacional may be its most remarkable expression
but that the Quinta do Noval Vintage can be as great and sometimes
better.) So I decided to go back to the original Noval label from 1994
onwards, as an illustration of my wish to bring Noval back to its
former glory. I decided not to put " I decided not to put "Produced
fromk Pre-Phylloxera Vines" because although the intention had
obviously been to say that the vines were ungrafted and therefore as
they were in the pre-phylloxera era in the mid 19th century, I thought
that it was potentially misleading and could lead some people to think
that the vines themselves in our vineyard all dates to that time,
which obviously could not be true.
The vines are certainly ungrafted, but not in fact dating to the
period before phylloxera (their average age is about 35 years in
fact). I know what they were trying to say, but I decided it was
clearer just not to put it."
This began a small Q&A session:
Roy: Out of curiosity sake, which Nacional
vintage is your personal favorite of all? How about Quinta do Noval
vintages?
Christian:
I am very fond of several, but of course the 1963 has a very special
place in the Pantheon. The 1994 is very important to me and I think to
Noval, as it marks the turning point in the renaissance of Noval. Of
course the 97 and the 2000 are great, but an underestimated one is the
1996, which I love because it proves something very important about
great wine: 1996 was not a Vintage year for Noval, but after the harvest
I was tasting all the lots of very good LBV quality wine with Antonio
Agrellos, and we came across one extraordinary wine, almost black
compared to the others: it was the Nacional. We don't know why it was
like that - certainly we made it in the same way as all the rest. It
just decided itself to be remarkable that year. The Nacional sometimes
marches to a different drum and expresses itself in a unique and
individual way.
Roy: Would you be willing to venture a
guess as to how many bottles of the '31 Nacional are still in existence
in the world today? Nobody I have spoken to has any real idea.
Christian: I have no idea, but I don't
think very many! Not one at the Quinta.
Roy: One other question I was asked and
cannot answer regarding Nacional was this: Were there ever magnums of
Nacional bottled in any vintage? Your response would be most welcome!
Christian: As far as I know never. I wanted
to bottle 50 magnums in 2000, but (and this will be hard to believe)
there are only two bottle producers who make Port bottles and they both
decided not to make magnum bottles for Port that year, so I couldn't do
it. Another time.
With all best wishes, Christian Seely
++++++++++++++++++++
Tom Black, host of the Nacional tasting
wrote to Christian and then sent me a copy of the response:
Tom: Could you tell me how to verify if
1931 is a Nacional or a regular bottling?
Dear Tom
Glad it went well. The cork is the only reliable way. NACIONAL is always
printed horiuzontally along the corks of Nacional, the only problem of
course being that they tend to disintegrate a bit after 40 years or so.
Best wishes, Christian
Thanks for the article which was spot on.
I remember reading that a bottle of 31 Noval, whether it was Noval or
Nacional I do not remember, was served up at 10 Downing Street when
Germany's then Chancellor Kohl visited, to mark his year of birth. I
hope he appreciated it!
Regards,
John
++++++++++++++++++++
After reading the comment in your review
that says you didn't notice that much difference between the regular
2000, and the Nacional, do you believe that will change significantly
over time? I now have several of the regular 2000, which is probably my
favorite of the 2000 vintage. I don't think I can bring myself to go
for the Nacional (even if I could find it at a "reasonable" price), and
just wonder how close I will be coming to the experience with the
regular bottling. Any opinions?
Regards,
Alan R.
Alan,
I was a but surprised to see how closely the
2000 regular bottling actually came to the Nacional. The difference to
me was in the mouthfeel and overall density of the Nacional which was
fuller. To be honest, these wines are still so very young that trying
to discern how they will both perform decades from now is very
difficult. I would be happy to drink either of these in thirty to forty
years when they start to show some signs of maturing.
Roy
Wow, great story about your quest for the
Holy Grail of wine! Wonderful narrative and notes on a bevy of wines,
any one of which would make my year! Thanks, Roy.
DBG
I've been collecting Ports since the early
90's, unfortunately not long enough to have a truly extensive
collection, but I've managed to build up a smattering of houses and
vintages going back to 1970. In fact, the regular Noval 2000 is most
definitely my favorite of that vintage, and your notes have inspired me
to keep an eye out for opportunities either to buy or taste more Noval
wines (well, at least taste the Nacional, unless I win the lottery).
Thanks and regards.
Many
thanks for that - I read the article on Quinta do Noval Nacional with
great interest - however I don't think, no matter how much you love
the wine, that 1 bottle of 2000 QdNN is worth a case of any of the
other VP's. If money is no object however, then....
Tom, UK
Things I
would have done to attend the Nacional tasting:
1) Sell
my soul to the devil
2) Sell
my body to the devil
3)
Anything else, basically
Within
the realm of wine I don't expect there's much that would surpass that
experience.I'll be reading your notes, with great pleasure, on the
subway on my way home tonight. And many thanks for including me on
your list for the newsletter! I'm looking forward to future
revelations about port.
Cheers,
Sverker,
Sweden
I was
pleased to receive the first issue of your new newsletter. My wife
and I are learning that Port is our favorite wine. I look forward to
your future newsletters. Also, thank you for the recommendations you
gave me last year regarding stocking our cellar with Port - your
suggestions (and suppliers with the best prices) were excellent!!
Keep up the good work,
Steve Sponseller
Thanks for the heads up on your
newsletter. It was a drooling great read. A port question (request
for post or info please): I've been very curious about the 2001
vintage. Taylor and Fonseca got some really good reviews recently
(Wine and Spirits ?) for Panascal, Guimaerens & Vargellas too. What
can you tell us about the the 2001 vintage since they are starting
to show up ? I find some really great buys from the "Top 2"
sometimes when they come alongside such a great classic vintage. I
like the potential for value, quality and "earlier" drinkability
(i.e. Fonseca/Taylor '91/95).
Grapefully,
Mike in Seattle
Mike,
The feature article on the Fladgate
Partnership tasting should answer your questions of the 2001
vintage, including the specific wines you mentioned above. I do
agree about seeking out and finding some excellent buys when it
comes to Vintage Port in general, but more specifically ... VP from
an adjacent vintage to a big one. For example, even today there are
many bargains from the 1995 vintage that followed directly after the
impeccable 1994 bottling. Thanks for your interest.
Roy
_____________________________________________________
Should you
be interested in some of my recent articles on Port, please visit our
Article Archive. I welcome
your feedback, critiques, suggestions, or questions on any Port related
topics. Please be sure to mention if you do not want your email (whole or
in part) incorporated into the text of the newsletter*.
My e-mail address is:
roy@fortheloveofport.com
and I look forward to
hearing from you. I will do my personal best to respond to all e-mails
addressed to me, in a timely manner.
Roy Hersh
*** LEGAL STUFF***
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