In the planning thread AHB wrote:So what happened? And who took on the role of official scribe? I'm looking forward to reading the review and tasting notes.
In reply uncle tom wrote:It went very well, despite being an extremely hot day. The dining table looked absolutely fantastic, and the embassy staff were most professional.
One of the Dow 80's was corked, which was annoying, as I had brought a spare bottle, but the problem wasn't clocked when we decanted..
Surprise of the night was the Warre Cavadinha '84, which was a very peppery and spicy wine - and perfectly mature. The Niepoort experimental '56 acquitted itself very well, and appeared to be an intermediate between ruby and tawny in style - and the Martinez '48 made for a classic ending.
The Ambassador's guests were excellent company, as was the Bishop of Norwich who was most gregarious..
When I suggested that we would have to repeat the exercise in two years time to celebrate the World Cup, the Ambassador immediately stood up and offered his hand to seal the deal - which I accepted..