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I schlepped a 1966 Kopke colheita along with a 1936 garrafeira particular - the only 1936 that I have ever been able to find - to the New World, these being the birth years of my sister and mother. The '66 was superb, as ever; the '36, which I had likewise tasted in the past, had assuredly been in t...

How do you mean "fake," Alex? My thinking on the fly is this: The label is homemade nonsense, though such (poor) quality is hardly unusual in the unregulated (by the IVDP) market in Portugal. The question is whether the contents are what the label claims, which is something that I most certainly am ...

There is a popular website in Portugal named CustoJusto (www.custojusto.pt) at which the Portuguese, as is their wont, advertise for sale all manner of goods, most of them rubbish. Stated succinctly, CustoJusto is a down-market, cyber, car boot sale, the one redeeming feature of which is a section d...

Picking up the cellar-defender thread which appeared at The Port Forum in July 2019, it might be of interest to some readers to set out, from time to time, the impressions of members upon consuming inexpensive ports sold without selos or, for that matter, without labels. By way of a start: A 1978 co...

Much of the characteristics you have described of this bottle remind me of the damage a bottle will suffer if exposed to too much light - the murkiness, the colour and the loss of all flavours except a little honey. Could this have been a bottle which was stored badly - but not too badly - before i...

Careful readers of TFP may recall that your correspondent purchased recently the bottle in question in the mistaken belief that he was acquiring a 1960 colheita. It was quickly pointed out to the neophyte (i.e., the author of this tasting note), who had forgotten about the somewhat unique symbol fou...

Quinta da Foz will be known, at least by sight, to anyone who has visited Pinhao, situated as it is at the confluence of the Pinhao and Douro Rivers. Owned by Calem for well over a century, the property was sold to an Angolan general in 2010. Or so it is said. Had your correspondent been aware in hi...

Messias Cachao vintage port is ubiquitous on the Portuguese secondary market; your correspondent, attracted by the very favourable prices at which examples from the 1970s and 1980s can be acquired for mid-week quaffing, has consumed six or eight such bottles over the last couple of years. As a gener...

A slightly-corked Burmester 1984. This was not the first time that I have found Burmesters of both the 1984 and 1985 vintages to be corked out of the relatively small number opened over the last three years. When these years are not flawed, they make for inexpensive, albeit pleasant second-tier wine...

Quinta do Castelinho, situated in the Sao Joao da Pesqueira region, was owned by the Saraiva family until 2014. The property and its assets – less the port stocks, which were sold by the Saraivas to Gran Cruz in 2005 – were purchased in a distressed state for one Euro in 2014 by Pedro Mendes, a Lame...

I am really laughing at myself, and I hope that the rest of you are too! Even on a second look, albeit with evidently failing eyesight, I would guess again that I was looking at a 60. However, that is clearly not the case. As for the (broad) arrow, and the rest, I had forgotten the GB logo, I suppos...

Purchased inexpensively last week through an online flea market in Portugal. I did (and do) not have any great hope for the content. What caught my attention was the broad arrow on the cap, which indicated to me that the bottle run was prepared for HMG and, in particular, the Ministry of Defence. Ha...

Where would I even start with the 1970/80s Colheitas? Is this an auction play or direct from the producers? I have no idea how to go about that, so far most of my purchasing has been online or in supermarkets/wine retailers. Over the last two years, I have sourced a few dozen bottles as follows: 1....

A very interesting thread. For unplanned (so to speak) port drinking, I opt for colheitas or tawnies, given that I do not enjoy LBVs nor younger, inexpensive VPs which have not benefited from several hours in a decanter. I keep plenty of 40 year olds for this purpose (noting Glenn's comment), though...

The Taylor lodge offers the customary tour, which is pleasant and well organised, and a bar at which one can have a glass (or two) of port prior to or after the tour. Should your budget permit as much, said bar occasionally has some better ports open which are not on the menu card. The restaurant at...

Profuse thanks for the response. In the end, I used Mailboxes which, as I only took a few bottles, was just as you say - a bit pricey.

Having just purchased a few bottles at auction in the UK, which I need to have collected (and packed) for shipping to the Continent, I am wondering if anyone has hit upon a reliable courier to such end since this discussion started?

I made a purchase from BI a few months back, which involved the wines being sent to me on the Continent. The entire experience was of the first order and, whilst I have not had cause to purchase anything since, the firm's marketing emails are (in contrast to all the other crap of this nature which I...

Please would you email me ( contact information ) a really good picture of the bottle, for inclusion in the Errata, with credit to you? I’m hoping for face on (not at an angle), in good light, with good focus, at high resolution. That is, I’m hoping for the picture you would want in your reference ...

Should we start a thread on TPF to help the author with his second edition? We could create a list of Ports we encounter which are not mentioned in the book, along with photographic evidence to back up our findings. A possible contribution: The author expressed uncertainty whether Burmester produce...

I would suggest that you try another shipper and let us know how you get on, should you choose to do so. My firm has various courier accounts and we try to avoid DHL, save where it is the only option, to shift anything other than documents as DHL invariably throws up unnecessary customs requirements...

Thomas - Here's a 1993 VP on offer at auction:

https://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/181 ... s-in-total

No problem. Send me a private message whereupon I will provide you with an email address to which to send the photos.

I have a Cockburn's VP 1950 in the cellar; what is left of the wax seal might be described as dark brown in colour, making for only a slight contrast to the colour of the bottle itself. Evidently, the same wax was used by Cockburn's to seal the 1947 VP - or so it seems when I hold the two bottles ne...