For The Love Of Port

According to Ricardo there are no records that half bottles were ever produced. Ricardo insists they are fake. The small back labels look curiously authentic. With the various fraud in recent years, there has been not been an instance that I am aware of where a new label with graphics was used. And ...

The half bottles predate, by a number of years, Ricardo's find last year. I believe. he only was able to bottle four 750's from what was found, He made a special numbered labels and gave them to Mannie for his private collection.

I believe that the result of the find was two to four bottles, all given to Mannie for his private collection.

Agree that the 1977 Borges Bual was not expressive two to three years ago, but now it is a different wine. Jancis Robinson recently raised her rating, as well...to 18.5! Also agree that the 1990 Sercial is a worthy little brother to the 1979.

The Borges Madeiras are now available in the US from Flickinger Wine in Chicago, Macarthur (Bassin's) in Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania LCB. Hopefully, other places in the future.

It sure does...this further suggests that "colheita 1915" is just something the bottler decided to print, without any rule or convention at the time. The bottling clearly occurred prior to any EU regulations. I reviewed both Liddell and Cossart and found nothing to suggest otherwise (as Al...

Additionally, because it wasn't otherwise designated, one would presume that the LMR 1915 to be a blend or tinta negra, as opposed to one of the 'noble' varietals.

I would appreciate hearing your impression of the wine....thanks

Engarrafado means bottled or 'placed in bottle'. (We will give Roy a pass, knowing his schedule and the late hours he keeps.) Garrafeira and Frasqueira (synonymous) actually mean wine cellar or storage, and one might surmise that the use of these to designate the year that the 20 year barrel aging b...

Many of the bottles in the December Christie's New York sale went to British and other foreign buyers, including those at the stratospheric prices. They will not freely reveal this after the sale (except off the record to known long-time buyers). While listening to the sale live, they announced wher...

1802 Accaiaoly Terrantez
1920 Cossart Gordon Malvasia
1920 Barbeito Malvasia FV

When I posted my first note a little over a year ago, I may have been a bit naive and unfocused and perhaps because of that, responses were either not forthcoming, or directed to a admitted beginner. However, after reading the Forum notes for over a year now, I realize that my amateurish questions a...

I'll be in SF the last couple of days in October and first few days (weekend) of November. If an event is planned at that time...I'd love to be there and bring wine that will compliment the tasting.

Peter...I'd say your article most strongly points to this wine being the same as the IVM bottling and that these are in all likelihood genuine. It is curious that Barbeito has bottled a 1795 T. I wonder the source? One might think that Justino would have had any left over supply from IVM. The Barbei...

Frank...let's talk !!!

i think I actually may have found the answer....more later.

Is there any information, new or old, regarding the legitimacy of this company or their products? I have seen their wines listed in old auction records, but have also read that there has been some question as to whether the wines are fakes. Thanks

The more I delve into the history and mystery of madeira, the more questions I seem to be confronted with. There can be 'vintage' bottlings of a wine and then potentially ten subsequent bottlings of a solera of the base wine. There are very few records that I can find about the individual bottlings,...

I recently came across this Madeira...typical Harvey's label which also states it was bottled in 1960. Auction records in the 2nd edition of 'Madeira, The Island Vineyard" only document Harvey's "R.S. Solera" and varietals noted for 1836 on the Madeira Wine Guide include all EXCEPT Bu...