The Christmas offline 2010

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 15:02 Sat 27 Nov 2010

Wouldn't the Scion be refused at the Xmas offline for not being vintage port?

It would have to appear at one of Jacob's Brown & Sticky offlines.

Deleted_User_1 · Post by **Deleted_User_1** » 07:26 Sun 28 Nov 2010

You must agree It clearly qualifies as 'peculiar'though

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 10:54 Mon 29 Nov 2010

AHB wrote:
JacobH wrote:...a "peculiar" this year!
<<gulp>>

Hopefully it's not a bottle of Taylor's first vintage Rose...

Cookie wrote:Would a Taylors 1855 Scion be classed as 'peculiar' or 'unknown'??....I have had the stuff under my nose but it was snatched away before it touched my lips ...for an extra £166 each we could try this juice...any takers??

Well, I would have thought that there were enough uncertainties for this bottle to allow it to fall into the ‟unknown” category!

AHB wrote:Wouldn't the Scion be refused at the Xmas offline for not being vintage port?

I always thought that, despite our expectations, a feature of the Christmas offlines was the pretty good performance of the non-vintage Ports: wasn’t an Andresen 1969 in the top three last year and a Cálem White Colheita in the top two the year before?

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 20:01 Mon 29 Nov 2010

Now you're just being awkward, using facts to disprove my argument.

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 21:09 Mon 29 Nov 2010

Hi there,

here some boring admin stuff; we will have only 1 special guest and hence we have two further free spaces:

uncle Tom
WS1
DRT
Axel P
Chris Doty
AHB
1 special guests
KillerB
Cookie
JacobH
Alex Moffat
RAYC

Please let me know if there is further interest to come along to our christmas tasting. I remember Cookie had also interest to invite a friend of his.

regards

WS1

Post by **jdaw1** » 21:22 Mon 29 Nov 2010

I have drawn this to the attention of a witty friend. Don’t hold a space for him first come first served but maybe he will play.

Deleted_User_1 · Post by **Deleted_User_1** » 05:23 Tue 30 Nov 2010

As there is now space for 14 attendees could I have a place for a friend?

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 11:03 Wed 08 Dec 2010

Sorry guys but I'm going to have to pull out of this. I've been trying to get the logistics right but it's getting too much. I am extremely busy at the moment including all of next week. I also have a host of other things going on including oraganising a party for the following Saturday (which you're all invited to btw).

Very sad to drop out as I've been to them all so far and feel an obligation to it but I am running myself ragged. Enjoy yourselves without me and let me know if there is any expense for which I'm liable,

Alex

Post by **DRT** » 20:36 Thu 09 Dec 2010

Sorry about this chaps but I also have to pull out of this event. I now have to be at the other end of the country on Thursday and Friday on business so it will not be possible for me to make it to The Bell.

I hope you all have a great time and look forward to seeing you all in 2011

Derek

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 21:18 Thu 09 Dec 2010

anybody going to put this on video conf?

Post by **DRT** » 23:03 Thu 09 Dec 2010

g-man wrote:anybody going to put this on video conf?

You have clearly never visited The Bell. It exists in a different dimension in a land without internet or mobile phones. Beer is served in wooden jugs and witches burned at the stake at midnight. Anyone who turned up with video conference equipment would be immediately condemned as a witch!

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 16:22 Fri 10 Dec 2010

DRT wrote:
g-man wrote:anybody going to put this on video conf?
You have clearly never visited The Bell. It exists in a different dimension in a land without internet or mobile phones. Beer is served in wooden jugs and witches burned at the stake at midnight. Anyone who turned up with video conference equipment would be immediately condemned as a witch!

BURN THEM@!!

Deleted_User_1 · Post by **Deleted_User_1** » 16:37 Fri 10 Dec 2010

Sorry to hear Derek and Alex K are unable to attend...there is always the second bite of the cherry on 29th December

...and for information we do not burn our witches any more....we extradite them to Scotland

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:18 Sat 11 Dec 2010

DRT wrote:You have clearly never visited The Bell. It exists in a different dimension in a land without internet or mobile phones. Beer is served in wooden jugs and witches burned at the stake at midnight.

Manifest nonsense. Utter rubbish. These Scots know nothing of English customs. Witches pah! In England they have always been burnt during daylight hours.

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:19 Sat 11 Dec 2010

I guess I’m on placemat duty. People are buying new smaller water-soluble labels. Such people need to send measurements soon. Please cope.

Post by **DRT** » 22:47 Sat 11 Dec 2010

jdaw1 wrote:
DRT wrote:You have clearly never visited The Bell. It exists in a different dimension in a land without internet or mobile phones. Beer is served in wooden jugs and witches burned at the stake at midnight.
Manifest nonsense. Utter rubbish. These Scots know nothing of English customs. Witches pah! In England they have always been burnt during daylight hours.

Apologies. I must have been there at the last noon eclipse witch-burning. It's a miracle I survived.

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 18:16 Sun 12 Dec 2010

Julian,

can you please help us with the placemats? With regards to the labels I will send you a separate e-mail tomorrow. Hope there is enough time left. With regards to your coments about witches and the Scottish please bear in mind that the Scottish are essentially Germans/Schwaben like me that were thrown out because they were wasting money. You should be a little more tolerant

Derek, Alex K,

I am very sorry to hear that you cannot make it. In case there is a short notice glitch that could bring you to the tasting, please let us know. It looks now that we may have not a full attended tasting.

Hi Cookie,

please advise the name of your friend, I will add him to the attendee list.

regards

WS1

Post by **jdaw1** » 18:47 Sun 12 Dec 2010

WS1 wrote:With regards to your coments about witches and the Scottish please bear in mind that the Scottish are essentially Germans/Schwaben like me that were thrown out because they were wasting money.

Surely, Wolfgang, it’s Germans/Schwaben like you who are essentially Scottish?

Placemats: please post more detail. Who is coming? Wines numbered? How many? Sizes of the small-labels pages please.

Post by **DRT** » 18:59 Sun 12 Dec 2010

jdaw1 wrote:
WS1 wrote:With regards to your coments about witches and the Scottish please bear in mind that the Scottish are essentially Germans/Schwaben like me that were thrown out because they were wasting money.
Surely, Wolfgang, it’s Germans/Schwaben like you who are essentially Scottish?

I must have been off school on the day of this particular history lesson. I can understand a claim for lots of English people to be German (the present Royal family being a good example) but I wasn't aware of a migration one way or the other between Scotland and Germany. I would be happy to be enlightened.

Post by **jdaw1** » 19:17 Sun 12 Dec 2010

Wolfgang’s words suggest that the Scottish are like the Germans/Schwaben who are like Wolfgang. That might or might not be many.

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 19:45 Sun 12 Dec 2010

Derek,

I am afraid to disappoint you here, there is no direct connection. It is more like a running joke that is widely distributed from that stretch in Germany I come from. The people believe there that they are very productive and mean. And to put in perspective they came up with this idea that they are even worse than the Scottish who are for whatever reason considered to be extremely efficient and not wasteful. You see since you are not mean and i am not either we could not make in this area.

I do not think this is a bad thing and does not touch that your are being Scottish and me being Schwaebish by origin. To use in part this story/joke was to get the thread away from these dark ideas like burning people etc.
And believe it or not it worked

regards

Wolfgang

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 20:00 Sun 12 Dec 2010

Julian,

as far as I can see as attendees we have so far

uncle Tom
WS1
Axel P
Chris Doty
AHB
1 special guests, please use initials D.N.
Cookie
JacobH
Alex Moffat
RAYC
friend of Cookie

Hopefully Cookie comes back with the name of his friend quickly and our special guest arrives safely on Thursday afternoon in London where I pick him up. With the Labels I have a simple idea just using the Initials e.g. W.S. and the the number of the Dekanter underneath. So whenever we have a new Port also a set of labels are stuck on the glasses the port is poured into. Since we will probably open not more than 15 different ports and have 18 decanters I think if we have 18 lables for each participant we are on the safe side. As long there is port in the glass there is no problem and as soon as it is empty the glass can be reused with the appropiate label stuck on. Please let me know what you think; also wanted to talk to Alex B about it but was sidetracked with a 1955 vintage Port tasting in Germany

. The tasting was great with all ports showing brilliantly!

regards

WS1

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:22 Sun 12 Dec 2010

First draft of placemats.

The pages are as follows.

Tasting-note pages;
2 × Vote-recorder pages;
3 × decanter-label pages. In advance these should be: printed; glued to the back of a business card; punched; strung with string.
3 × bottle-label pages, to be printed onto Ryman product 0220013460;
4 × glass-label pages, using mis-estimated sizing. Awaiting accurate values of, with page held portrait:
- The paper size, presumably A4;
- The number of rows;
- The number of columns;
- The gap between the rows of labels;
- The gap between the columns of labels;
- The non-label margin on the left of the page, that is, the gap between the left edge of the page and the left edge of the leftmost column of labels;
- Mutatis mutandis, margins on the right, bottom, top;
- The label size quoted on the packet;
- Link to the product.

There are no pages on which to put glasses.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 23:09 Sun 12 Dec 2010

WS1 wrote:I do not think this is a bad thing and does not touch that your are being Scottish and me being Schwaebish by origin.

I did notice that there are a lot of letter in common in the words "Scottish" and "Schwaebish". It would also explain why DRT is so good at sniffing out those supermarket bargains - there is some sort of inherited memory within him that forces him to ensure that he is not wasteful in the hope that he is one day permitted to returned to his true home in SW Germany.

On a serious note, there are a couple of people I would like to ask along to offlines over the next year. Since we are only 11, might I be allowed to ask one along to the Xmas offline if they are free at such short notice?

Deleted_User_1 · Post by **Deleted_User_1** » 18:08 Mon 13 Dec 2010

[quote="WS1"]Julian,

Hi Cookie,

please advise the name of your friend, I will add him to the attendee list.

Friend in Barbados so will not attend...most likely to be at the 'Cold Turkey' offline.

Post by **jdaw1** » 19:12 Mon 13 Dec 2010

Updated draft of placemats.

”“RLC’s +1.
Glass label sizes set to Avery J8651, each sheet of which has 65 labels, each 38.1mm×21.2mm.
Glass labels identified with names. That was slightly trickier than optimal.

Please:

Check carefully, now.
Print the labels in advance there might be a surprise problem.

Chris Doty · Post by **Chris Doty** » 09:44 Tue 14 Dec 2010

Sorry gents -- I'm now needed in NY tomorrow, and will be unable to attend

A real pity, as I was really looking forward to it.

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year chaps -- will see you in 2011!

Post by **jdaw1** » 10:56 Tue 14 Dec 2010

Updated draft of placemats.

”“CSD.

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 17:33 Tue 14 Dec 2010

I have bottles stood up for Me, Cookie, Wolfgang and Rob (if needed) I also have a couple of spares on hand should anyone find themselves landed with a horrid bottle!

- Have I forgotton anyone?

Tom

Post by **jdaw1** » 20:32 Tue 14 Dec 2010

Please send all spares to me in Paris.

Post by **jdaw1** » 10:28 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Updated draft of placemats.

+DFM.

Hopefully not too late.

Axel P · Post by **Axel P** » 10:43 Wed 15 Dec 2010

What a pity, Chris. Good luck in finding some good port in NYC.

Axel

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 15:03 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Hi there,

apologies for the delay of passing on some administrative stuff. It looks like we will be 11 people for our christmas offline:

uncle Tom
AHB
WS1
Axel P
friend of uncle Tom
special guest, please use initials D.N.
Cookie
JacobH
Alex Moffat
RAYC
friend of Cookie

We will start ~7:00 PM in the Bell in Wendens Ambo. Please factor in cost for food and transportation of ~ 40-50£s. The offline is expected to finish ~ midnight. There will be a cab service to the Saffron Hotel from the Bell ~ Midnight. The last train towards Central London leaves Audley End station at 11:10 PM (towards Liverpool Street station).

Julian,

can you pleasse add another Extra guest to the placemats please?

regards

WS1

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 15:35 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Is anyone passing the Saffron hotel before going to the Bell and so able to pick up keys for the others? In the past AHB has, very kindly, done this for me, but I presume from the above he is no longer able to attend.

Post by **DRT** » 15:37 Wed 15 Dec 2010

WS1 wrote:special guest, please use initials D.N.

Are we allowed to try to guess who it is?

Is it Joseph James Forrester?

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 17:23 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Chris Doty wrote:Sorry gents -- I'm now needed in NY tomorrow, and will be unable to attend

A real pity, as I was really looking forward to it.

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year chaps -- will see you in 2011!

If you have an evening free while you are in NY then let the guys there know. You may be able to organise a consolation offline...

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 17:31 Wed 15 Dec 2010

JacobH wrote:Is anyone passing the Saffron hotel before going to the Bell and so able to pick up keys for the others? In the past AHB has, very kindly, done this for me, but I presume from the above he is no longer able to attend.

I'm still attending, but seem to have been transformed in the list from AHB to "friend of Cookie". Since both denominations describe me, I'm not in the least bit worried. There is port being served. I will be there.

Jacob - I will (try and remember to) pick up your key when I check in. Could you do me a favour and call or email the hotel to let them know this is a request from you.

Post by **jdaw1** » 17:52 Wed 15 Dec 2010

AHB is still on the placemats: no change there.

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 18:24 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Thanks Julian for keeping Alex on the placemates; in short I messed up. we are 11 people and Alex is coming.

Alex,

I am very sorry; tried to do too many things.

regards

Wolfgang

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 18:32 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Hi Derek,

please feel free to guess; I am sure you have already a good idea who it might be. He will hopefully arrive in London Gatwick with TAP TP334.

I think I gave now enough cloes. And it is not Joseph James Forrester!

regards

WS1

Glenn E. · Post by **Glenn E.** » 21:24 Wed 15 Dec 2010

WS1 wrote:please feel free to guess;

It's a trick! D.N. clearly stands for "de nada" or "it is nothing" in Portuguese.

Post by **DRT** » 22:26 Wed 15 Dec 2010

WS1 wrote:Hi Derek,

please feel free to guess; I am sure you have already a good idea who it might be. He will hopefully arrive in London Gatwick with TAP TP334.

I think I gave now enough cloes. And it is not Joseph James Forrester!

OK. Let's review the clues:

1. Someone who qualifies as a "special guest" at a port tasting
2. Initials are D.N.
3. Not Joseph James Forrester
4. Arriving on a flight from OPO (this was deduced from the flight number in the last cryptic clue)

Is it Johnny Depp?

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:37 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Deborah Noval, founder and owner of the eponymous vineyard?

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:38 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Doris Nacional, founder and owner of the eponymous vineyard?

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:39 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Dow Naughty (known as Dow Tee to her agent), founder and owner of the eponymous vineyard?

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 22:41 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Hi Derek,

DRT wrote:
WS1 wrote:Hi Derek,

please feel free to guess; I am sure you have already a good idea who it might be. He will hopefully arrive in London Gatwick with TAP TP334.

I think I gave now enough cloes. And it is not Joseph James Forrester!
OK. Let's review the clues:

1. Someone who qualifies as a "special guest" at a port tasting
2. Initials are D.N.
3. Not Joseph James Forrester
4. Arriving on a flight from OPO (this was deduced from the flight number in the last cryptic clue)

Is it Johnny Depp?

No our special guest is not Johnny Depp! Though I am sure Johnny Depp would also make an interesting guest, but he is not. Also I am sure he would not be as qualified and knowledgable as our special guest. Have another go!

regards

WS1

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 22:46 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Hi Alex,

AHB wrote:
JacobH wrote:Is anyone passing the Saffron hotel before going to the Bell and so able to pick up keys for the others? In the past AHB has, very kindly, done this for me, but I presume from the above he is no longer able to attend.
I'm still attending, but seem to have been transformed in the list from AHB to "friend of Cookie". Since both denominations describe me, I'm not in the least bit worried. There is port being served. I will be there.

Jacob - I will (try and remember to) pick up your key when I check in. Could you do me a favour and call or email the hotel to let them know this is a request from you.

once more apologies for the confusion caused, (made a copy and paste error

). Could you please also pick D.N. key and mine up when you are there. I doubt that we will have time to check in the hotel before.

I will inform the hotel tomorrow.

regards and once more sorry

WS1

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:47 Wed 15 Dec 2010

WS1 wrote:No our special guest is not Johnny Depp! Though I am sure Johnny Depp would also make an interesting guest, but he is not. Also I am sure he would not be as qualified and knowledgable as our special guest.

But the string ‟port” appears thirteen times on his Wikipedia page.

Post by **jdaw1** » 22:49 Wed 15 Dec 2010

WS1 wrote:Could you please also pick D.N. key and mine up when you are there. I doubt that we will have time to check in the hotel before.

This posted at 22:46? A triumph of organisation.

WS1 · Post by **WS1** » 22:49 Wed 15 Dec 2010

Julian,

jdaw1 wrote:Dow Naughty (known as Dow Tee to her agent), founder and owner of the eponymous vineyard?

jdaw1 wrote:Doris Nacional, founder and owner of the eponymous vineyard?

jdaw1 wrote:Deborah Noval, founder and owner of the eponymous vineyard?

all good attempts but I am afraid no cigar yet

Also one more clue, our special guest is a man.

regards

WS1