By the time you have a chance to read this sentence, our guest for the first week of November will be preparing to join us on our Forum.

Please welcome João Nicolau de Almeida of Ramos-Pinto fame, who studied both in Bordeaux and the University of California at Davis, (America’s finest oenology program) will be here to discuss Port & Douro wines and anything remotely related to either. He is a brilliant viticulturist and winemaker and esteemed by his peers. We arranged this last summer and his visit here to FTLOP has been something I've been looking forward to for months!

Those of us on the Port Harvest Tour had the opportunity to visit with João at Quinta da Ervamoira and we had a fantastic time and tasting with him there, in the wilds of the Douro. It is truly one of the most remote venues of any working Port and Douro wine Quinta you will ever see. The Ramos-Pinto Ports and Douro wines they produce, like the beautiful Duas Quintas, provide the music while the serene setting, the ambience requisite to appreciate it.

Come join us in the discussion that will begin on Sunday (he will answer all questions, beginning on Monday, November 1st) and will stay with us through Sunday, Nov. 7th. No question is too simple, so please feel free to ask anything you'd like that is "on topic." Don’t be shy, but even for those that are not yet comfortable reaching out to one of our guests from the Port trade (and they’ve all been very open, engaging and witty) at least pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of some fine Ramos-Pinto and enjoy reading the conversations with João Nicolau de Almeida on the FTLOP Forum.