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A year on from the original planned date for this tasting, I am proposing that we invite Oscar to join the Port Forum on Wednesday 14th December to open the first of his Closure Experiment cases of the 2014 Vintage Port from Quevedo.

I suggest as well as the four bottles of Quevedo 2014, we also have a theme of "Bring an interesting bottle to share with Oscar and Nadia". It doesn't have to be Port - it doesn't even have to be fortified - but it should be something which Oscar will hopefully find interesting. (I suggest not bringing a Quevedo product since Oscar gets lots of opportunities to taste these.)

Where: The Lutyens Room, 67 Pall Mall
When: 18.00 for 18.30 on Wednesday 14th December 2022
Theme: The Quevedo 2014 Closure Experiment and a few interesting bottles
Who:

1. Oscar Quevedo
2. Michael Mee
3. Tony Carter
4. Julian Wiseman
5. Ben Petrie
6. Mike Meehan
7. Neil Colman
8. Christopher

NOT ATTENDING DUE TO THE STRIKE

• Simon Doggett
• Ian Johns
• Charles Redshaw
• Ben Read
• Wolfgang Starz

Reserves:

• -

Please don't everyone bring an "interesting" bottle. Doing so would mean (a) too many bottles and (b) a large bill @ £30 per bottle corkage. Please would each odd-even pair (eg. Tony and Charles, Ben and Wolfgang) agree between them who will bring a single bottle and an appropriate way to share the cost of the bottle brought.

I'll see what 'interesting bottles' I have!

yes please

Yes please, I'd love to join for this.

Would love to attend -yes please.

Yes please but will need to confirm v shortly.

yes please

Yes please.

Yes pleade.

Please

Reserve list please

Doggett wrote: ↑11:37 Fri 22 Oct 2021 Yes please but will need to confirm v shortly.

It looks like the Port gods have smiled and decreed that I can make this one, happiest of days!

I purchased 4 of those closure experiment packs, retained 2 for myself which are stored differently, and distributed 2 others to Port friends who have storage capabilities different than mine. So my 4 packs are being stored in:

1. my wine refrigerators
2. my study at room temperature, which in the study is a pretty constant 68 F
3. a friend's wine cellar
4. another friend's wine storage room, which is not "room temperature" but is also not cellar/refrigerator temperature

1 and 3 are likely to have similar results because they're kept at similar temperatures. 4's temperature is likely normally in the mid 60s F and fairly constant, whereas 2's temperature is normally around 68F but likely ranges between as high as 70F to as low as 62F seasonally.

I am very interested to hear the results of this opening and tasting!

Thank you Alex for putting this up. It seems that we will have a full room

Gleen, I am very interested about your experiment withing the Closure experiment!

Yes please.

Comment on the comparison: Diam vs Screwcap, at Tom Cannavan.

Could I go on reserves please, albeit highly unlikely to see promotion!

Ian - one of the seats held for a guest of Oscar's has come free. Would you like it?

Time to start thinking about what to eat on Wednesday 15th. We have the Christmas menu to choose from so please let me know your choice of the following (NB: price will be £55-60 per person, including service, corkage etc.)

STARTERS
- Wild Mushroom soup, chive cream (v)
- Chapel & Swan oak smoked salmon, roasted beetroot and orange
- Duck liver pate, toasted sourdough bread, house pickles
- Roasted pumpkin and candied beetroot, quinoa salad (v)

MAINS
- Cod loin, lemon and caper herb crust, mash, red wine jus
- British roast turkey with sage and apricot stuffing, pig in blanket
- Salt baked celeriac, roasted leek and sweet potato Wellington, tomato and tamarind sauce (vg)
- Slow braised beef bourguignon, mash, orange gremolata
- Chargrilled Surrey Hills sirloin steak 240g and Bordelaise sauce (£5 supplement)
All mains are served with roast carrots, brussels sprouts, and roast potatoes

DESSERTS
- Christmas Pudding with clotted cream or Bailey’s ice cream (v)
- Chocolate brownie, hot chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream (v)
- Chocolate and cherry trifle
- British cheese plate: Tuxford & Tebbutt Stilton (v), Cotswold Brie (v), Westcombe Cheddar, grapes, ale chutney, biscuits

Please let me know your choice by posting below. Your deadline for doing so is close of business on Tuesday 7th December so I can get our order in to Plantation Place a week ahead of our dinner.

Julian - the table is looking as though we might be very tight for space and we may need to re-use glasses. Are you able to draft glass stickers plus tasting note sheets and voting sheets for the tasting?

By email, OJMQ has requested:
Roasted pumpkin and candied beetroot, quinoa sala
Slow braised beef bourguignon, mash, orange gremolata
British cheese plate: Tuxford & Tebbutt Stilton (v), Cotswold Brie (v), Westcombe Cheddar, grapes, ale chutney, biscuits

And a steak cooked medium rare the following night.

- Duck liver pate, toasted sourdough bread, house pickles
- Chargrilled Surrey Hills sirloin steak 240g and Bordelaise sauce - Black and Blue
- British cheese plate: Tuxford & Tebbutt Stilton (v), Cotswold Brie (v), Westcombe Cheddar, grapes, ale chutney, biscuits

Thank you

Could I please have:
Mushroom soup
Turkey with relevant trimmings
Christmas Pudding with clotted cream.

Many thanks,
Simon

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑12:08 Tue 30 Nov 2021 Ian - one of the seats held for a guest of Oscar's has come free. Would you like it?

Most certainly please Alex!

Please may I request the following:

- Chapel & Swan oak smoked salmon, roasted beetroot and orange
- British roast turkey with sage and apricot stuffing, pig in blanket
- Christmas Pudding with clotted cream

please can i have the following,

Chapel & Swan oak smoked salmon, roasted beetroot and orange
Chargrilled Surrey Hills sirloin steak 240g - MR
Chocolate brownie, hot chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream (v)

And another tasting bites the dust. I'm going to have to bow out of this one I'm afraid. Ian, you're up!

akzy wrote: ↑22:15 Tue 30 Nov 2021 And another tasting bites the dust. I'm going to have to bow out of this one I'm afraid. Ian, you're up!

Am already in-think it's over to Neil...

Shall we invite Boris so that it doesn’t get scuppered at the last minute?!

idj123 wrote: ↑08:55 Wed 01 Dec 2021

akzy wrote: ↑22:15 Tue 30 Nov 2021 And another tasting bites the dust. I'm going to have to bow out of this one I'm afraid. Ian, you're up!

Am already in-think it's over to Neil...

Still available.

Alex, could I order the mushroom soup, sirloin & cheese please. Thanks, Ben.

nac wrote: ↑11:58 Wed 01 Dec 2021

idj123 wrote: ↑08:55 Wed 01 Dec 2021

akzy wrote: ↑22:15 Tue 30 Nov 2021 And another tasting bites the dust. I'm going to have to bow out of this one I'm afraid. Ian, you're up!

Am already in-think it's over to Neil...

Still available.

Assuming I'm now off the bench, my food order is:

- Duck liver pate, toasted sourdough bread, house pickles
- Cod loin, lemon and caper herb crust, mash, red wine jus
- Christmas Pudding with Bailey’s ice cream (v)

Request that no sprouts go anywhere near my plate as they are the work of Satan.

Real challenge is to now find an appropriate "interesting bottle".

nac wrote:Real challenge is to now find an appropriate "interesting bottle".

My "interesting bottle" selection should be a fun experiment...

nac wrote: ↑12:03 Wed 01 Dec 2021Request that no sprouts go anywhere near my plate as they are the work of Satan.

Hear hear.

nac wrote: ↑12:04 Wed 01 Dec 2021 Real challenge is to now find an appropriate "interesting bottle".

1908 Cockburn, 1945 Niepoort or 1963 NN should do it.

As a reward for such a humble and restrained request, I think nac should take all three.

Neil - you’re in.

Doggett wrote: ↑13:22 Wed 01 Dec 2021

nac wrote: ↑12:04 Wed 01 Dec 2021 Real challenge is to now find an appropriate "interesting bottle".

1908 Cockburn, 1945 Niepoort or 1963 NN should do it.

Unfortunately think I've finished all of these.

Please:

- Wild Mushroom soup, chive cream (v)

- Slow braised beef bourguignon, mash, orange gremolata

- Christmas Pudding with clotted cream or Bailey’s ice cream (v)

Given the changes recently made by the UK government for international travel and the increase in COVID cases I have decided to ask Oscar NOT to travel to the UK next week and to postpone until 2022 the opening of the Aging Experiment pack.

I am also going to stand down from the tasting on the 15th December. We have a table booked at Davy's Plantation House so I am happy to pass on to someone else the organising of a "bring a bottle" dinner that evening. If anyone is willing and able to, please let me know and I'll give you the details.

I have updated the first post to show the seats which are now vacant for reserves and others to fill.

Seems like the sensible course of action, however disappointing it is. I will no longer travel into London on Wednesday then so my seat at the table would be free if needed. But would like to maintain a place at the future tasting if possible

I'm afraid I'm going to make the same call as Simon and postpone my trip to London. Please can I maintain my position on the Quevedo tasting when that happens?

Alex, I feel very much the same as Simon & Rich. I have been expecting this to be postponed for the last week or so - it comes as no real surprise and you have done the right thing in asking Oscar not to travel. So close to Christmas, the last thing any of us want is for someone else to have their Christmas plans affected by covid.

I'm happy to offer seats at the reorganised tasting with a first offer to the people who confirmed attendance at the tasting originally organised for next week.

First post updated to show Ben, Simon and Rich no longer attending.

I'll also give Wednesday a miss, but would like to attend the reorganised event.

Would this be an opportunity to switch this to an online tasting? Obviously that depends on those still listed as attendees and whether they'd prefer to keep things face to face, but if most are planning to withdraw for now, I would suggest a Quevedo themed virtual might be a good replacement.

If no-one steps forward by lunchtime today to take over the organising of this tasting I will cancel our booking.

If I cancel I will try to get our deposit back or transfer it to another booking next year. If I can’t, I’ll ask those originally planning to attend to cover the £10 per head I had to pay to secure our booking.

This tasting has been cancelled for the moment and will be reorganised once travel rules in the UK and Portugal have eased a little

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑16:26 Fri 10 Dec 2021 This tasting has been cancelled for the moment and will be reorganised once travel rules in the UK and Portugal have eased a little

Was there any charge?