ThePortForum.com

Date: Thursday 28th December 2023.

Theme: Bring A Bottle Or Two, ideally at least one from the sixties or seventies or eighties, blind.

Location: the Red Room at The Boot & Flogger.

People:

1. JDAW;
2. AHB (tentative; prefers blind);
3. AJM (tentative; prefers blind);
4. CEM (tentative; “happy with blind”);
5. NAC (“Pretty sure”; ambiguous preference);
6. CPR (“yes please”; no preference);
7. IDJ (“should be available”; no preference);
8. TC;
9. CA.

Reserves:

• MPM (availability has become doubtful).

Current draft of the food order.

Current draft of the placemats.

Tentatively yes.

We haven’t had a blind tasting for some time so blind please.

Tentative yes please.

Concur with blind suggestion.

Regret unavailability due to family commitments.

I'd love to but I'm in Madera!!

Tentative yes, thank you.

Tentatively yes - happy with blind. Is this limited to port only or at least one port + other, or is it open season?

Pretty sure 28/12 is a "yes". Always prefer sighted, but given we haven't done a blind tasting for ages then might be fun.

yes please.

I should be available.

Nobody strongly objects to blind, so I’m ruling that it is blind.

We have the Red Room (as the Green is already reserved).

The Christmas 2023 à la carte menu has been emailed to me, so I’ve uploaded it.

cem wrote: ↑07:08 Mon 20 Nov 2023Is this limited to port only or at least one port + other, or is it open season?

Not everybody should bring non-Port, but some can.

Please add a 2nd bottle space for me on the placemat (you might want to include a couple of blanks for possible Christmas cheer additions by people as well)

Would absolutely adore to but alas back up north with the family.

Have just selected & stood-up my bottles. Will be bringing a fortified & a non-fortified.

Domestic negotiations are currently in progress to determine whether 0, 1 or 2 of us will be attending.

My expectation is that it will be 1 of us. Hopefully that 1 will be me.

I'll need another placemat please. Bringing one unfortified and 2 fortified.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑18:07 Mon 20 Nov 2023The Christmas 2023 à la carte menu has been emailed to me, so I’ve uploaded it.

Food orders please,

Mine:
• Ham hock terrine, toasted sourdough, mulled cranberry and apple chutney;
• Slow braised beef bourguignon, crushed buttered baby potatoes, crispy shallots;
• Welsh rarebit (you at the back — do try to look surprised);
• Christmas pudding, mulled cranberries, clotted cream.

Starter - pigs in blankets
Main - sirloin steak, medium rare, no peppercorn sauce, fries
No dessert.

Starter - Oak smoked gravlax, melba toast.
Main - Slow braised beef bourguignon, crushed buttered baby potatoes, crispy shallots and fries.
Dessert - Welsh rarebit and Christmas pudding, mulled cranberries, clotted cream.

Same food order as Alex M for me please.

Yes please to this...

Starter - Oak smoked gravlax, melba toast.
Main - sirloin steak, black / blue, no peppercorn sauce, fries, carrots
Dessert - Welsh rarebit

Thank you

Starter-pigs in blankets
Main-steak (M-R), fries and green beans
Dessert-super cheesy Welsh Rarebit

Thanks!

Having looked through what I have at home, I shall just be bringing the one bottle.

There is a draft of the food order.

Mike: guessed your main, please instruct re starter.

Cliff, Tony: please instruct.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑21:19 Wed 13 Dec 2023 There is a draft of the food order.

Mike: guessed your main, please instruct re starter.

Cliff, Tony: please instruct.

Think you’re missing desert orders for myself and Alex M.

Starter: gravlax melba toast
Main Steak (M-R) roasted tomato, fries + extra red cabbage (no peppercorn sauce)
No desert

Thanks Julian

You are missing my Welsh rarebit again

Sent from my SM-S911B using Tapatalk

The draft of the food order has been updated.

Updates:

• Mike’s attendance is in doubt. Mike: if you can, show on the night.

• Cliff has requested another circle, his fourth.

• Tony’s food is “gravlax and the bangers and mash” (food order believed finished, somebody please check).

• Tony is bringing “wine and something really off piste (fortified)”.

So we are eight people, with Port (9 bottles and 1 magnum), non-Port fortified (1 bottle), and unfortified (3 bottles). In CH₃CH₂OH terms, that’s ≈1¾ bottles of Port per man. Which is more than enough. (If anybody says they’ll bring more, then I’ll uninvite my magnum.)

I will request 120 glasses.

I propose an early start. 17:00?

Concur with request for 1700 start. Rail replacement buses in every direction!

I haven't told you the size of my one bottle. You have assumed it will be 750ml. It might be only 50ml. It might be 9000ml. Who knows what will appear when I arrive...

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑12:46 Sat 16 Dec 2023I haven't told you the size of my one bottle. You have assumed it will be 750ml. It might be only 50ml. It might be 9000ml. Who knows what will appear when I arrive...

On the placemats how should your bottle be Overtitle’d?

I think an overtitle of *NICE PORT* would be accurate.

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑12:10 Sun 17 Dec 2023I think an overtitle of *NICE PORT* would be accurate.

Done.

And food order sent.

Alex M wrote: ↑09:59 Sat 16 Dec 2023 Concur with request for 1700 start. Rail replacement buses in every direction!

Currently unsure if can arrive by 1700. Was planning 1800 but will endeavour to be there earlier.

The Red Room has been booked from 13:30, which is when Cliff and I will start.

Do with this information as you see fit.

Sounds like Cliff and Julian will have shared 6 bottles of Port before the rest of us arrive! For my own part, my eta will be about 5.30pm currently and I will be accompanied by a bottle of fortified wine.

Peeps: reminder that this is happening tomorrow = Thursday 28 December 2023.

Hoping to be with you before 4pm with two bottles. Might have to leave a little earlier than usual to avoid replacement bus.

jdaw1 wrote: ↑19:45 Wed 27 Dec 2023 Peeps: reminder that this is happening tomorrow = Thursday 28 December 2023.

Hadn’t forgotten. Worst case should arrive by 1730, but hopefully earlier.

Very much looking forward to this.

I’ll probably arrive around 16.30 +/- 30 minutes.

All being well with the intended train I should be with you about 5pm. Like Tony, I might have to be strict with time of leaving given the frequency of the trains this evening.

Non-fortified double decanted and VacUVined at 0900 this morning.
VP opened and decanted shortly after, then 2.5 hrs in decanter before back in bottle and VacUVined.

I can't be bothered to start a review thread for the wines we had at this blind tasting, so I've created this list of links to the (fortified) wines we had that evening:

1970 Delaforce
1964 Dow LBV
1970 Fonseca
1985 Fonseca
1955 Graham
1966 Graham
1975 Graham
1945 Kobenhagen
1962 Quinta do Noval Nacional
1963 Sandeman
1968 Sandeman
1948 Taylor