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It's been a crazy few days from a port consumption point of view and a great start to 2008. First there was possibly "the greatest 1966 horizontal tasting ever" a week ago today. That was followed by a blind tasting that turned up two 1963 vintage ports, a 1970, a 1983 and a 1985. Then there was Saturday's 1963 horizontal.

So far, we are 35 days in to 2008 and I have drunk from 36 different bottles. Thank goodness that I was not on a January Abstainance programme - what would I have missed out on?!

What fun!

I was on a January Abstainance programme and I managed the 1966 Horizontal, the blind tasting attended by AHB, a 6-bottle 1985 Horizontal, a Madelena 1988, a Noval 1982, a Dalva 1970, a Noval LBV 1997 and a bottle of M&S Pink Port.

I think that makes 32 bottles - this is the best Abstainance Programme I have ever been on

Derek

and still 11 months to go

I can remember thirty-five bottles so far this year, with another fourteen due this coming weekend, and a further handful at the 1970 horizontal on Valentines Day. Though no abstinence program for me.

Now it's 42 days in to 2008 and 58 bottles...

...but it will slow down a lot next week and I'll be back to my normal 1-2 bottles per week.

Oh my Lord

ADV wrote:Oh my Lord

I take it that it wasn't my port consumption that you were commenting on...

No, the apparition scared me

Is that Lord C?

I'm told that it is not Lord C, but is in fact the Marquis de Croft.

46 days in to 2008 and 71 ports down.

Time for a break, I think. I'm giving up port for lent now.

At least for lent until I drink the next glass of port...that reminds me, I have some Grahams 1985 in 5cl miniature bottles for drinking on the plane home tonight.

OK. I'm giving up port for lent starting tomorrow morning.

Alex,

I assume Lent finishes before 6th March when we will be drinking port in Dublin?

Derek

Derek T. wrote:Alex,

I assume Lent finishes before 6th March when we will be drinking port in Dublin?

Derek

My sources in the port trade have advised me that Lent finishes on February 17th. Is that not correct?

Ahh,

You're talking about Port Lent, not the Lent that leads up to Easter.

Yes, it ends on the 17th. Well done, you've done very weel to get throuh it thus far and only have 2 days to go

Derek

Chaps,

I comment the Port Lent, of which I had not previously heard. I would like to boast that I managed to give up cigars, haircuts, peaches and watching Bob the Builder over the period, which is pretty impressive, eh? I feel positively purged.

For those sadly tied to the Christian Lent (a much more tiresome affair, I fear), there is yet some good news of which I have not been aware for very long. That is, in order to have 40 days of Lent between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, you have to count weekdays and Satdis, but not Sundis. Yer Sundays are not in Lent!

Giving up fags? You can still puff 40 a day on the Sundays! Off choccies for Lent? Binge all you like on the Sabbath!

This is something that the Church does not seem to publicise. We could draw controversial conclusions about that, but I'm not hear to criticise religion. I just wanted to help those suffering from abstinence by offering an arguably legitimate cheat.

This also makes me wonder whether JC popped down from the wilderness to see his folks at the weekend. Probably not, of course. But why (and I guess this is my real point) do we not start Lent 40 days before Easter Sunday, on the Tuesday _after_ Ash Wednesday? So maybe I am criticising religion a bit.


Ghandih

I don't believe in the above Catholic interpretation of Lent. Forty days after Ash Wednesday comes Palm Sunday, which is the day that Jesus returned from the Wilderness and gave up fasting. No problem with Sundays, just forty days the same as the bloke that it's about. The taking Sundays off bit was included after somebody pointed out the anomaly, presented after somebody else insisted it was up to Easter. Rather than admit the error they threw in a mindless piece of gibberish about having Sundays off to get plastered.

Lent finishes on Palm Sunday if you think about it.

Keeping off-topic:

When it comes to the "OK to do it on Sundays" rule, I wonder how liberally this is applied around the world? Do Monks apply the same rule to celibacy or Nun's to silence? Should one love thy neighbour, except on a Sunday? Is it OK to covet thy neighbour's wife on the Sabbath? All sorts of possibilities open up here but it's safe to say that if this rule applies then I wouldn't want to be an Altar Boy

I think Port Lent is a far more spiritually enlightening concept than the Christian alternative, regardless of whether or not we are talking about the Lutheran or Catholic flavours.

Port Lent has the distinct addvantage that is stops immediately before you take your first sip of Port subsequent to the date and time that you declared that it had started. It is therefore impossible to fail to abstain from drinking Port throughout Port Lent.

Derek