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Some brisket tips for Ben: At this past weekend's competition (the Hudson's Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cookoff), I was reminded that most competition teams use the "Texas crutch" when cooking brisket. Which means that after smoking your brisket for several hours, you pull it off the smoker, add...

then in Portugal the week of May 19-25 If Will W. (or anyone else) is around at that time, maybe some small tasting can be arranged. What are your plans when in Portugal? Still being determined. I am probably going to use Roy to set up the bulk of the trip as a private tour, but that still leaves m...

As it turns out, my brother has been independently planning a trip to Scotland to see our ancestral lands, and his trip is likely to be the week of May 26 - June 2. He just mentioned it to me today. So my planned trip is now likely being extended. Roughly, I'll plan to be in London the week of May 1...

Right now, when i look at Garrafeira Nacional, i spotted a 1963 Taylor's VP for €549. It is a good plan? The rest of my budget would be dedicated to whatever vintage Ramos Pinto has in their cellar for sale (82 or 83'). Garrafeira Nacional is not known for their good prices. €549 is quite steep, ev...

I second all of the above; you have received excellent advice. I typically recommend Ramos Pinto, Graham, and perhaps Sandeman for lodge visits and/or tours. All are covered above. In addition to 1982 Ramos Pinto, I heartily recommend their 1983 Vintage Port as well. That vintage was a general decla...

I would say that although the seal looks like it's sliced open, on one side, the side with the tax stamp looks like it is fully intact. To me that would say that the bottle has not been opened and refilled because the logistics of doing so would necessitate the tax stamp being cut open as well. ......

After googling around, it’s possible it was used for either olive oil or poison. At least originally. Those are the only two things I could find that used similar types bottles. Of course, that’s just googling and reuse of bottles was common so… Pretty sure I don't want a bottle of Port that's re-u...

The flat surface looks as though the hot glass got laid on a flat metal surface before it had cooled sufficiently to hold its shape. A bit, yes. But were that the case, I would expect that at minimum there would be an obvious bulge where the flat part meets the round part. That seam should not be n...

In my experience, V94 needs at least 8 hours of decant and usually peaks between then and 12 hours. Often closer to 12. It does not surprise me at all that it was best after 24 hours.

I wouldn't describe it as a beast, but it requires the decant time thereof.

I don't see anything on that label to indicate that it might be a 1900 Colheita. What I do see is "Finest Old Tawny Port" which sounds to me very much like a Tawny Reserve. Though as Andy said, labeling wasn't always clear (or consistent) back in those days. Even if a 1900 Colheita, the li...

. This was the point at which we learned that wine labelled “Noval” has been made using grapes grown by long-term contract farmers on their own land. Wine labelled at “Quinto do Noval” has been made from grapes grown exclusively on land owned by Quinta do Noval. By law, any wine that is called &quo...

Over the years we have noticed several apparent discrepancies between UK bottles and US bottles. 1985 Taylor is another example - you in the UK seem to like it quite a lot, at times even preferring it to 1985 Fonseca, which makes our eyes go wide over here in the US. For us the Taylor is rather pede...

I have also sent a PM.

Not at all common - this is the first time I've seen one! No idea why it might have been made/used like that.

They've been pretty good for me. Not sure where they got that reputation.

2017 in general seems to be pretty amazing. Maybe not quite to the level of 2011, but even being able to make the comparison says something.

"Bottled immediately after we purchased Wiese & Krohn."

I notice from FTLOP that in a recent large scale blind tasting the Vesuvio came top of the 1994s which mirrors our experiences this side of the pond. To be fair, if that's the tasting that I was at, the Fonseca and Graham were both off in some undefinable way. I had them at 90 and 88 points respect...

What a great pic! Although '83 isn't a top notch vintage, I'm sure there are going to be some very good Ports drunk tonight. My money is on the Gould Campbell and Offley Boa Vista showing well. And of course, the Graham's. Enjoy! Overall, I think that 1983 is better than 1985. Sure, '85 has a small...

idj123 wrote: ↑13:01 Sun 21 May 2023 Ck, C and Cr.

Pray tell, what is C if neither Ck nor Cr?

Next year is a Significant Birthday (tm) year for me, and so my wife and I are planning several events and trips. One of those is currently looking like a trip to London for this tasting, followed by popping over to Porto for a tour. This is still a year out so we haven't started looking into flight...

Plus anything else local and interesting such as markets etc. I missed this part! There are lots of fun things to see in and around Porto, not even including all of the Port lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia. Amongst the lodges I always recommend Ramos Pinto for a tour because the tour includes their old...

Taberninha do Manel on the Gaia waterfront
Bufete Fase for the best Francesinha in Porto
Taberna dos Mercadores in Porto... very small so you'll need reservations

Let's add me to this list at least for now. I have 1942 through 2017 and will have 2020 when I get around to it.

Also GST 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, and soon 2021.

It is possible that Q4 might work, but I won't know for sure until after summer.