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Return to Newsletter Archive Index
Dear friends of Port wine,
A couple of
months have passed since the last issue of FTLOP. I had committed to a two
month project which had me sequestered out of town and away from my
computer. Not only that, but I did not have a single bottle of Vintage
Port with me, so with the onset of the 2005 Port drinking season, I am now
ready to indulge my taste buds.
I would like to thank those of you whom have taken a moment to visit the new website and especially those of you that have participated in the interactive FORUM, which can be viewed here: http://www.fortheloveofport.com/forum/index.php. It was gratifying to learn that it was perused by members and guests from 51 countries within the first nine days that the Forum was operational. Conversing in this format has been most enjoyable and has brought the newsletter full circle. My favorite part of FTLOP has always been the MAILBAG section, which allowed me to communicate with the folks who sent in questions or suggestions. The Forum has personalized the dialogue and opened up a wide variety of topics on Port, Madeira and travel, while allowing novices and experts alike to share their ideas, tasting notes and ask lots of great questions. Later this month, Mario and I will lead our first tour through the Port territories and we look forward to meeting the folks who have signed up for our maiden voyage. Shortly thereafter, we’ll be visiting the adegas, wine shops, restaurants and hotels in Madeira and planning dates for our 2006 trips to both destinations (Lisbon/Madeira and Oporto/Douro). Stay tuned for some shared pictures, stories and tasting notes in an upcoming newsletter.
Thanks for
your supPort!
Roy
_____________________________________________________
CONTENTS:
~ Did You Know?~ Tasting Note: 1966 Sandeman Vintage Port ~ Op Ed: Why not offer 500 ml bottles of Port? ~ Roy’s Port Website Recommendation: www.infoportwine.com ~ Protecting the name of Port: International Agreement is Signed ~ Which vintage? Roy’s Vintage Port Vintage Chart: 1900 - 2003 ~ On the Record: Ryan Catavino interviews Roy Hersh ~ PortoLover's Mailbag: Letters and e-feedback
_____________________________________________________
~ Did You Know?
~ October's Tasting
Note: 1966 Sandeman Vintage Port
Decanted 4 hours. Offering a brick red color with some tawny showing on the rim that fades to a pink hue. Aromatics of rose petals accompanied by antique mahogany, toffee and chestnut nuances. This is a delicate wine that is best on the first day. It began to show a bit of alcohol the second day, which was more prevalent than on the first. I have had many bottles of this wine from a number of bottling sources, which always makes comparison more difficult. The flavors were delicious with mostly sweet prune and currants that were prominent, but also some caramel and pralines. The finish was long and velvety, but there was a touch of alcohol that lingered. This is a wine (or a bottle at least) that is now fully mature, and showing tertiary notes. It is elegant and enjoyable but it will be best to drink now through 2010. This should not be too hard to find today. 90 points
_____________________________________________________
~ Roy's Monthly Port Website Recommendation
Why would I promote a competitor’s website on Port wine?
Simply because I do not look at this fantastic website as
a competitor, but one that is also trying to promote Port wine and
supply accurate news and information about it. Along with FTLOP, it is
the best Port website on the internet. I have been a long time
enthusiast and frequent visitor to this website:
www.infoportwine.com is an
online magazine that is produced in both English and Dutch. It is
revised once per month on the first weekend of each month by Elly and
Herman Gerdingh, a very nice couple from Deventer in The Netherlands.
They have been focused on Port for a very long time and we have been
email friends for years and someday, I hope to meet them in person and
open one of my very best bottles of Vintage Port for them. Please do
visit their site and I’m sure you will find lots to learn there!
Leading U.S.,
European Wine Regions Sign Declaration
Napa, Oregon and Washington
Joined by Champagne, Port and Sherry Regions
NAPA, CA - Producers of Champagne, Port
and Sherry joined winemakers from Napa Valley, Oregon, and Washington
State in signing a declaration of joint principles stating the
importance of location to wine and the need to protect place names. This
unprecedented meeting marks the beginning of a broader, collaborative
effort on the part of these trade associations focusing on educating
consumers about the importance of wine origin and the practice of clear
and accurate labeling.
This effort comes at a time when there
is growing concern about mislabeling and the lack of legal protection
for place names in the United States. In fact, last month at Vinexpo,
the world's largest international wine and spirits exhibition, wine
leaders from around the world signed on in support of a declaration
produced by the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) that addresses this issue in
very clear and simple terms.
"Winemakers worldwide know that when it
comes to wine, location matters," said Joel Aiken, president of the NVV
board of directors. "Our goal for this initiative is simple - In Europe
most people are familiar with the concept of "terroir", but in the U.S.
this concept is not part of the vernacular. We have joined together as
winemakers to help promote a broader public awareness of why place is
important to wine, and why the names of the places where great wines are
produced need to be used accurately."
In the declaration, the signatories
state that: "Wine, more than any other beverage, is valued based on its
association to its place of origin - and with good reason. The names of
these places are familiar, and synonymous with quality." The declaration
goes on to say that, "The geographic place names of wine regions are the
sole birthright of the grapes that are grown there, and when these names
appear on wines that do not contain fruit from that region, they lose
their integrity and their relevance, becoming merely words."
"Regardless of what side of the
Atlantic you come from, we all agree that great wine is made in unique
places all over the world and that these unique place names must be
protected. A failure to do so does nothing but diminish the credibility
of our industry as a whole," said Bruno Paillard, representing the
Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC). "Just as it
doesn't make sense for Florida oranges to come from New Mexico or Idaho
potatoes from Georgia, a wine bearing the name of Napa Valley or
Champagne should not come from China. We are committed to educating
consumers about the importance of place and ending the use of misleading
labels."
"Port is the first demarcated and
regulated wine region in the world. Our hundreds of years of history
have taught us that location is integral to the grapes we grow and the
wine we make," said George Sandeman, President of the Port Shippers
Association (AEVP). "We are pleased to join these other wine making
regions in pledging to work together to ensure more consumers understand
the impact that location has on wines ."
As part of today's event, Champagne,
Port and Sherry also announced plans to open the Center for Wine Origins
later this year. The organization will be dedicated to educating U.S.
consumers and policymakers about the importance of location and accurate
labeling. It will be a central part of the European participation in the
name protection campaign launched today.
"Today marks an important milestone for
the wine world. While we each represent different, unique regions around
the world we are all united in one fundamental belief - location
matters," said Bosco Torremocha, Vice Presidente, Consejo Regulador de
las DD.OO Jerez-Xeres-Sherry. "While this is a principle for which
Sherry has long been an advocate, the fact that today we are joining
hands with so many others truly marks an historic day."
"Oregon's wine
industry has long recognized the critical importance of 'place'," adds Harry
Peterson-Nedry, chair of the Oregon Wine Advocacy Council Advocacy
Committee. "Since 1977 Oregon wine labels have not allowed unauthentic place
names or semi-generic geographical indicators to be used. We heartily
support worldwide recognition of accurate place identity as a basic tool for
the consumer in purchasing wine and other products whose quality depends on
where it is grown or made. Unless we want commonplace wines, we should honor
unique places where great wines are made!"
All the attending trade associations
have committed to working together on a host of initiatives in the
coming months, ranging from joint public awareness efforts to potential
collaboration on research and analysis, policymaker outreach, etc.
The full text of the declaration can be
found at
http://www.napavintners.com/news/2005_media_handout_declaration.pdfand Roy
Hersh - © copyright October 2005
The chart below
includes most major
It was about 3 years
ago that I first started visiting the bulletin board over at
erobertparker.com. At that time I was just starting to fall in love with
wine and I had a lot of questions. Fortunately I found this forum to be a
good place to ask those questions that I couldn’t find answers to elsewhere.
Due to the high level of wine knowledge among the members of the board I was
able to learn about regions and ideas I had never heard of before.
One such member of the board
is Roy Hersh, a man who has probably forgotten more about Port wine than I
will ever fully know. I found that reading his tasting notes and listening
to his comments helped me to learn and appreciate Port in a new way. About a
year ago this sharing of knowledge became a bit more formal when Roy
launched an email only newsletter called: For the Love of Port. At
first a informal “send me your email” type arrangement, it is currently
about to go public with the introduction of a
For the Love of Port website. Last month I sent Roy a note
requesting an interview. My hope is that the following Q&A, conducted by
email, will provide all of you with some good information about Port wine
and other wines of the Iberian Peninsula. This is the first in what I hope
to be a long line of interviews with wine producers, importers, and other
people with a high knowledge of wine from Spain and Portugal. Enjoy the
interview and let me know what you think. -Ryan 1) When did you fall in
love with port and why? I worked in a fine dining
restaurant in NYC called,
THE WATER CLUB, which was literally situated directly on the East River.
I was the Back of House Manager and responsible for all of the purchasing
and other duties. We had a very progressive Wine Steward named Sam Correnti,
who created one of the finest dessert wine lists in the city back then. We
had one of the early
Cruvinet systems which kept wine preserved with inert gas for a few days
or longer. There were a few great vintage Ports on the list and my favorite
was the
1963 Sandeman at the time. Whenever Sam would decant a new bottle to
remove the sediment, he’d make sure I was present. He’d filter it through
cheese cloth and we’d each have a sip. He knew I loved the stuff so he would
hand me the still dripping cheese cloth when he was done. It had the
sediment in it and I would hold it above my head and ratchet it tightly and
squeeze every last drop from it. He used to get a kick out of watching me do
that. This is my earliest memory of Port that goes back 22 years, now. 2) In your opinion
what is the most exciting non-Port wine currently coming out of Portugal? Ok, let me ask you, what is
your favorite child? Neither are easy questions to answer. For whites I am
really excited to see the great progress that has been made qualitatively
speaking, with
Vinho Verde. I first started to drink it, in 1994 when I ventured north
of the Douro Valley into the
Minho District where much of the top “Green Wine” comes from. At the
time, there was very little in terms of exuberant juice and most was sold in
bulk or made for supermarket brands at very low price points. There has been
a lot more attention paid to this style of wine today and the quality has
increased exponentially. Fortunately, the USA has started to catch on, and
some importers are doing a great job with this wine but it is still far from
a mainstream wine on the shelf. The red wines that I love
from Portugal, are naturally from the Douro River Valley region and come
from the same grapes as Port, and are fermented dry and obviously, not
fortified. The
Touriga Nacional grape and also
Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo in Spain) are probably my two favorites for dry
red table wine production. There are currently about 2 dozen world class
wines that are coming out of the Douro today and many new entries are taking
the domestic market in Portugal by storm. Dirk van der
Niepoort is one of the leaders with his troika of Charme, Betuta and
Redoma (tinta and branco). Fabulous quality.
Quinta do Crasto is another fine producer and their Reserve Red and
Touriga Nacional bottlings are at the top of my list. Quinta do Ventozelo,
Quinta de Roriz, and a red called Pintas from the husband and wife team of
Jorge Borges and Sandra Tavares-Borges, are doing wonderful things and
gaining notoriety too. 3) Who are the most
exciting new producers? I am glad you asked. Port as
we all know, has a very long and storied tradition behind it. Some of the
old guard have been around since the 1600s. Along with some regulatory
changes in 1986 which permit the cellaring and marketing of Port wine from
the Quintas up the Douro River, (instead of
Vila Nova de Gaia’s historic Port Lodges), has brought forth many Single
Quinta Ports and some spectacular Vintage Ports, not to mention their
stunning table wines too. But back to Port! Some of the new names to keep
an eye on are
Quinta do Portal which has been around since the 1994 Vintage and is
making some of the most exciting new Vintage Ports, with the 1999 vintage
being the turning point, in my opinion.
Quinta do Vallado, Quinta do Ventozelo,
Quinta do Vale Dona Maria are just a few of the dozen rising stars that
I have enjoyed. There are many other names and wines to be tried and I have
a report on over 40 of the 2003 Vintage Ports in my upcoming July issue of
my newsletter. I bet there are nearly ten producers of the 40 that almost no
Americans have even heard of. This too shall change. 4) Do you think Portugal
will survive the “wine
glut” that is occurring world wide, and if so, why or why not? I foresee four countries on
the verge of a world wide break out situation in terms of a wine explosion.
They are Spain, South Africa, New Zealand and Portugal. All but NZ are
traditional old world wine producing nations, with a variety of terrains,
regions and grapes. The current “wine glut” is their opportunity to gain
market share, even though I believe the cyclical nature of the glut, will
change market dynamics during the rest of this decade. Portugal is a very diverse
country when it comes to wine production. In addition to the Vinho Verde and
Douro regions, I foresee the
Alentejo and
Dao regions as becoming “hot spots” in the coming years. They can
produce both red and white wines that are not only gaining in popularity,
but the prices are quite palatable. There is no shortage of juice and the
producers have been ramping up the quality slowly over the past 5-10 years
and they’re poised for a breakthrough. The tidal wave is coming as consumers
become more open minded and look to find something besides Australia, Chile
and Argentinean in their quest for value added wine experiences. 5) How is the 2005
vintage shaping up for Portugal? Honestly, I have no idea. I
am so focused on evaluating 40+ cask samples of 2003 Vintage Ports, my focus
has been solely on that vintage recently. I can tell you that the 2004
Vintage Ports are of a high quality and had 2003 not been generally
declared, my bet is that 2004 would have been. I still think there will be
some very good VPs to come from that vintage. As to 2005, it is just about
time for veraison to occur in the vineyards, so it is really still too early
to make any type of forecast. 6) 2003 was a declared
vintage for Port, how do you think 2003 will compare to the past vintages? Quite favorably. For
specifics, you’ll just have to read my next newsletter. I will say though,
that from the 30+ Vintage Ports I have opened so far, my expectations have
been exceeded, in terms of overall quality. Sorry, but I can’t elaborate
more, but in three weeks, my opinions will no longer be closely guarded. 7) Some questions about
your “For The Love Of Port” newsletter: Why did you start it? Okay, I am still waiting for
the easy questions to come! In June of 2003, I was one of
two Americans “enthroned” into the
IVDP or Port and Douro Wine Institute’s “Confraria”
(or Brotherhood) in a somber ceremony attended by Portuguese President
Sampaio in addition to all members of the Portuguese trade and many past
Confraria members. For this honor, I took an oath, “I swear to lend my
support to the Confraria and to continue fighting for the dignification of
Port wine.” If you’d ask my wife, she’d tell you that I take this oath, way
too seriously. I truly have dedicated the title of my newsletter to this
quest and that is the reason, I will never charge for subscriptions. FOR THE
LOVE OF PORT, is truly just that and the newsletter is both educational and
promotional while offering Port related insights, that are not found in your
typical wine magazine. What do you want people
to get from it? I would like to believe that
my passion comes across to subscribers and that they gain knowledge and have
access to tasting notes, articles and breaking news that makes each issue
worth reading from start to finish. What are your future
plans for it? My future plans for the
newsletter are humble. I expect that the format won’t change too
drastically. I have yet to decide if it will remain a monthly venture or if
it may eventually wind up a quarterly newsletter instead. That will probably
be decided by the readership. I am pushing for more interactivity with
myself and the readers. Currently, I receive about 30-40 emails a week
requesting information on Ports and also
Madeira which is another Portuguese passion of mine. This summer, the
newsletter will be linked with my articles by a website:
www.fortheloveofport.com Any hints about upcoming
article ideas? I have been writing articles
on Port since 1995 and will have some of my archived pieces on the
aforementioned website. In the upcoming July issue of FTLOP newsletter, I
will release my 2003 Vintage Port Forecast and it promises to be
informative. My article on the 2000 Vintage Port Forecast was copied in six
languages and placed on websites around the globe. I hope this garners the
same level of attention. Beyond July, I foresee doing a 2005 harvest issue
and a few interviews later in the year. What do you hope the
future holds for your newsletter? The future for the newsletter
and website are bright and I plan to make a career change, enabling me to
visit the Port and Madeira areas, numerous times during the year. I am going
to be starting up an “insider’s” tour of everything Port and a separate
itinerary for
Madeira. In leading these trips with a Portuguese partner who is a close
buddy of mine, we’ll present “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences that will
include exciting culinary and vinous explorations, that will be not only
fun, but almost like a casual, sensorial seminar. This will provide me with
great photo opportunities and fodder for timely articles in the future,
while offering our guests, experiences to “meet, eat and drink” in ways they
could never duplicate on their own. I am looking forward to this change in
life. 8) Have you explored
Spanish wine much, and if so, what excites you? I can not claim to be
well-versed in Spanish wines, but I have had my share. I have been fortunate
to try some old bottles of Rioja from the late 1950s through the late ’70s.
Castillo Ygay’s 1959 and Ribera Del Duero’s
Vega Sicilia Unico from ‘53, ‘70, ‘75 and ‘91 stand out in memory. I
have enjoyed lots of sherry but can never wrap my mind around the Fino
style, as I have a sweet tooth. I was fortunate to unearth a gold mine of
ancient
Malaga and
PX wines from 1911 through the early 1930s bottlings. Great stuff!
Currently, one of my newest fascinations in wine is Priorat, over the past
year or so. So far my epiphanal Priorat experience was a 1994 Clos Erasmus,
but I have had quite a few great bottlings from the late 1990s and am a big
fan of
Clos Martinet and
Mogador too. My own collection ranges with a few older bottles but
contains mostly 2001s. These are great wines and I am glad that they have
not become more mainstream yet, as they are already quite pricey. 9) Finally, and most
importantly, what is your favorite $10, or less wine, and your favorite “no
budget” wine? Yikes, I don’t get to drink
enough wines in that price range. I recently had a great bottle of
Broadbent Vinho Verde that was an excellent value at $9. I have also had
the good fortune to buy very reasonably priced South African wines during a
couple of trips to the winelands. There are so many bargains over there. Ahh,
I did buy a handful of 2001
Onix Priorats, the entry level bottling and paid $11 a piece (close
enough to $10) and they were terrific in the scheme of things. On the high
end, I am a sucker for
Henschke’s Hill of Grace,
Phelps Insignia, Pichon Baron and
Hanzell Pinot Noir … but my dessert island wine would be a great 19th
century Madeira, without question. On a final note, after I sent
Roy these questions, I received his For the Love of Port newsletter issue #9
where I read this: No one
who knows me would normally describe me as naïve, but little did I realize
the impact of my words in the May edition of FTLOP newsletter. That all
changed over the past few weeks, after I featured a piece in issue #8,
entitled: Ranking the Port Shippers and Producers: The Top 30. After
publication, I rather quickly received around a half dozen emails and even a
phone call one very early morning, from principals within the Port trade. It
seems that my placement of Shippers and Producers into a “tier system”
caused a minor commotion and certainly a few discussions. I no longer have
any claims of naïveté as a writer. As with each and every segment that is
included in FOR THE LOVE OF PORT, considerable thought went into the
rankings as well as the parameters utilized to determine the placement
within the various tiers. As a Port loving amateur journalist, I lacked the
perspective to foresee the train wreck just around the bend. In all
fairness, the emails were extremely professional and polite. However, they
were clear as an azure sky in summer, and their “suggestions” left little to
the imagination. One such respected industry respondent explained that these
rankings could take on more historical significance than he believed I had
realized. Humility tastes better, when sprinkled with sugar and consumed for
breakfast. Although it would have been easy to ignore or to politely brush
these comments aside, I realized that within a week, I would be facing a few
of these same gents whom had penned critiques, in person. So, with honesty
as the best policy, no excuses were offered and I did my best to provide
specific details, stating my case backing up the rankings.
Wanting to know more about
the “stir that occurred”, I asked Roy: I read about your
“ranking” of Port producers causing quite a commotion in the port community.
I was wondering what you hope the rating system you implemented might do
for/to the trade? I don’t know what my rankings
will do for the trade. I am just one man and this was my opinion of what are
the top 30 companies producing Vintage Ports given specific determinants. I
now know that the Port trade certainly was paying attention to what I wrote,
which I guess was the positive facet that came out of the entire clamor at
the time. The ONLY other thing I would
very much appreciate is if you would have folks email me:
roy@fortheloveofport.com, if they’d like to get free subscription to the
newsletter. All I need is the following information:
·
first and last name
·
city, state and country of residence With that I
would like to thank Roy for taking the time to talk with me and lending his
expertise on Port wine. Make sure to check out
For the love of Port, it should be up and running sometime near the end
of July. Also, let me know what you think of this interview and let me know
if there is anyone else you would like to see interviewed at
catavino.net! ~ Letters and E-feedback:
Dear Mr. Hersh,
Hi Roy,
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