The CHALLENGING year of 2022 for Vintage Ports Call me a contrarian, but in reality, after spending every waking moment for some weeks tasting through and writing about 2 dozen diverse 2022 VPs and having spent almost a month in Douro in 2022, visiting a couple of dozen properties in all 3 sub-regions, I think [...]
2021 … for whatever reason, when requesting samples from producers, the vast majority told me they were not releasing 2021s. They did not give reasons, and I did not want to seem pushy at the time and ask that question outright. And yet there are some significant names, just two examples Quinta do Noval, with [...]
2020 is a year that most of us will never forget. It was the first time that we were stuck in our homes, some in forced lockdowns, with businesses closed, travel overseas non-existent, and some in Douro unable to tread grapes in lagares during the Covid-19 plague. It is mostly in the rear-view mirror nowadays, [...]
We need wine — now more than ever. It builds community, fosters a sense of connectivity, and sparks joy. On National Drink Wine Day, who better to chat with about Port wine than the ultimate champion of fortified wines in the United States: Bartholomew Broadbent. He's the CEO and Founder of Broadbent Selections, a fine [...]
I had to go back through my notes and photos from this year, in order to compile a list of my favorite Portuguese white wines that I opened this year. These white wines are not listed in any particular order, but it does include which region they are from. 2022 Quevedo "Q Lab" Branco [...]
FTLOP is proud to present: ADRIAN BRIDGE 1. Please share some information about your life and how you wound up working in the Port trade, and at what age? Other than trying Port at home with my family I guess my Port journey started when I was sent off to Boarding School at the age [...]
FTLOP is proud to introduce you to: GEORGE SANDEMAN 1. Please share some information about your life and how you wound up working in the Port trade, and at what age? I was born in London in September 1953, because "my mother was there". My mother was Romero Valdespino by birth, descended of D. Alonso [...]
The FTLOP series, Port Personalities In Focus, is proud to introduce you to: Mark Squires 1. Please share some information about your life and how you wound up working as a wine writer after your career as a lawyer, initially covering Douro wines, then Port and eventually all of Portugal, as part of your extensive [...]
On a recent Port Harvest Tour, Mario Ferreira, (Tour Director) invited his lifelong friend, Elio Vicente to join us to create a unique enhanced video of our PHT2. In doing so, Elio would bring his expert skills as a drone videographer and editor to put together substantial footage for us. When you have [...]
Roy reviewed over seventy 2017 Vintage Ports when they were released. Download the 2017 Vintage Port Forecast and read about the vintage, read the tasting notes, and see his top picks for this vintage. Coming on the heels of two other good vintages (2015 & 2016), Roy finds a lot to like about the 2017s. [...]
