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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
It all began in the restaurant business from the age of 26. Straight out of culinary school, and then earning a Hotel & Restaurant Management degree which landed me an excellent job in NYC. I was Back-of-House Manager at The Water Club. A sophisticated eatery where high rollers of New York came to dine, knowing [...]
Port Personalities In Focus is proud to introduce you to Marta Lourenço. This FTLOP Series has become vital in our mission to introduce readers to members of the Port, and Portuguese wine trade. In Focus brings you candid comments, personal perspectives, and a better understanding of the people inside the Portuguese wine trade: from sales [...]
Roy explores Portuguese history and how the Methuen Treaty, the relationship between the Portuguese and the English, and the demarcation of the Douro shaped the Port trade.
My first overseas flight of the year, Portugal of course, but somehow this one was very different. I was not heading over for wine tasting, nor a wine tour. I was flying to Porto, to find a new place to live … a new home. This was a first, and I was unable to sleep [...]
