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News archives 2004.
All articles older than 1 to 3 months are entered in News archives. We start with a title list with accompanying dates. You will find the full articles by linking the titles.

REGISTER FOR NEWSLETTER.

04/12/04. The Douro region and Oporto in November 2004.
04/12/04. Dutch Graham's Port Trophy 2005.
04/12/04. Mayson: finest 20 years old Tawnies equal to the best Vintages.
04/12/04. Extraordinary Vintage tasting Warre's and Dow's.
04/12/04. Christmas offer Krohn: personified labels.
04/12/04. Tourist profile Oporto and the Douro.
04/12/04. A Souza tasting by Roy Hersh.
04/12/04. The Symington Family bought two quintas.
04/12/04. Link of the month December 2004.
04/12/04. IVDP events calendar as of December 2004.
04/12/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 180 November 2004.
30/10/04. The Symington Family: 2004: A very unusual Vintage.
30/10/04. International Wine Challenge 2004.
30/10/04. Links page: change in November 2004.
30/10/04. Entry for Graham’s Trophy 2005.
30/10/04. Link of the Month November 2004.
30/10/04. Vintage years Quinta do Vesuvio.
30/10/04. Decanter World Wine Awards 2004 (2).
30/10/04. IVDP events calendar as of November 2004.
30/10/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 179 October 2004.
02/10/04. Investing in tourism by Cálem.
02/10/04. Personal September 2004.
02/10/04. Restart Poças Newsletter.
02/10/04. My trip to Portugal by Nicos Neocleous.
02/10/04. Decanter World Wine Awards 2004.
02/10/04. IVDP book O Vinho do Porto now also in English and French.
02/10/04. Link of the month October 2004.
02/10/04. Henrik Oldenburg: Port.
02/10/04. Wine Spectator Auction Index: Port down.
02/10/04. Private individual sales old Ports (2).
02/10/04. IVDP events calendar as of October 2004.
02/10/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 178 September 2004.
04/09/04. Single Quintas in Wine International.
04/09/04. Additions to Round trip September 2004.
04/09/04. Wine Cluster Co launches Port Solene Reserves.
04/09/04. International Wine Challenge 2004.
04/09/04. Links page: additions in September 2004.
04/09/04. New Barco Rabelo sails the Douro.
04/09/04. News from Quinta do Passadouro.
04/09/04. Link of the month September 2004.
04/09/04. Warre’s Otima20.
04/09/04. Private individual sales old Ports. 11/09/04.
04/09/04. IVDP events calendar as of September 2004.
04/09/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 177 August 2004.
07/08/04. Symington Family Port Award 2003.
07/08/04. Production quota 2004 up.
07/08/04. Roy Hersh: a Niepoort tasting.
07/08/04. Report IVDP tasting in San Francisco.
07/08/04. Douro region in chain European Unesco wine regions.
07/08/04. Concurso Internacional de Vinhos Cidade do Porto 2004.
07/08/04. Wine Spectator Auction Index: Port Up.
07/08/04. Sales figures January to May 2004.
07/08/04. Link of the month August 2004.
07/08/04. International Wine and Spirit Competition 2004 - Harpers.
07/08/04. Cockburn's still no. 1 in UK.
07/08/04. Good article at BBC Online.
07/08/04. River tourism increases again.
07/08/04. San Francisco International Wine Competition 2004.
07/08/04. IVDP events calendar as of August 2004.
07/08/04. Revista deVinhos  no. 176 July 2004.
03/07/04. Real Companhia Velha and Sogrape.
03/07/04. The 6 Vintages 2002 of Symington.
03/07/04. Tasting note Casa do Douro 1963.
03/07/04. Link of the month July 2004.
03/07/04. Sélections mondiales des vins 2004.
03/07/04. New logo and publicity campaign of Cálem.
03/07/04. Links page: changes in July 2004.
03/07/04. Cooperation Rozès and CroisiEurope.
03/07/04. Heavy weather around Murça and S. João da Pesqueira.
03/07/04. Transfer premises Museu do Douro.
03/07/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 175 June 2004.
05/06/04. Godfrey Spence launches website.
05/06/04. Showroom of the Rota do Vinho do Porto.
05/06/04. Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintages.
05/06/04. Looking for a Port from 1973.
05/06/04. A new life for the Rabelos.
05/06/04. Annual Port tasting of Roy Hersh.
02/05/04. Link of the months May and June 2004.
05/06/04. Symington launches 6 Vintages 2002.
05/06/04. Various tourist news items.
05/06/04. Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2004.
05/06/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 174 May 2004.
02/05/04. Infoportwine sponsored by the IVDP.
02/05/04. Wine Spectator's 2003 Top 100.
02/05/04. New IVDP logo.
02/05/04. Wine Masters Challenge - Estoril, Portugal.
02/05/04. Roy Hersh: Newsletter and Fladgate tasting.
02/05/04. Link of the months May and June 2004.
02/05/04. Vinitaly 2004 - Verona, Italy.
02/05/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 173 April 2004.
03/04/04. Taylor's Vintage 1977: How you should not do it.
03/04/04. News from the Casa do Douro.
03/04/04. Vinalies Internationales 2004 Paris.
03/04/04. Port versus its Australian counterpart.
03/04/04. Link of the month April 2004.
03/04/04. Sales figures 2003.
03/04/04. Essência do Vinho/Taylor's parallel tasting.
03/04/04. Bacchus Awards in Madrid.
03/04/04. Revista de Vinhos nr. 172 March 2004.
13/03/04. Quinta do Grifo purchased by SPR Vinhos.
13/03/04. Exceptional Quinta do Noval Vintage tasting.
13/03/04. Revista de Vinhos: the "Best of the Year 2003".
13/03/04. Roy Hersh starts Port newsletter.
13/03/04. Link of the month March 2004.
13/03/04. Good article about Tawnies in the Washington Post.
13/03/04. Links page: changes in March 2004.
13/03/04. Port Museum in Oporto.
13/03/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 171, February 2004.
07/02/04. Graham's Trophy Contest in Amsterdam.
07/02/04. Unique parallel tasting Taylor's Quinta Vintages.
07/02/04. Link of the month February 2004.
07/02/04. Column about Reserves/Vintage Characters in The Detroit News.
07/02/04. Wine tourist centre in Santa Marta de Penaguião.
07/02/04. TAP gives discount in Solares do Vinho do Porto.
07/02/04. Fake Ports in 4 countries.
07/02/04. Links page: changes in February 2004.
07/02/04. Stock sales Casa do Douro at an impasse.
07/02/04. Definitive growth numbers river tourism.
07/02/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 170 January 2004.
03/01/04. Sogrape: Port strategy.
03/01/04. Richard Mayson: Port In A Storm.
03/01/04. President IVDP: continuity.
03/01/04. Link of the month January 2004.
03/01/04. The Port Lover's Library of Isaac Oelgart.
03/01/04. Sabrosa: another tourist project.
03/01/04. Links page: additions in January 2004.
03/01/04. Growth train tourism in the Douro region.
03/01/04. Revista de Vinhos no. 169 December 2003.

The Douro region and Oporto in November 2004.
04/12/04. After two earlier visits during the harvest period of 1999 and 2002 we had now chosen for the first half of November, because everybody would have more time then for guided tours and information.
The pruning of the vines had just started and the plumes of smoke of the burning twigs were very characteristic. The autumn colours in the vineyards were great. We were very happy with the weather, no rain and very much sun although sometimes with a cold wind. The two years ago everywhere visible cultivation or replant activities had almost been completed.
The great difference between the clean properties and farmlands and the trash at sites which do not seem to belong to anybody sadly still catch the eye. It is positive that many small roads have been improved in the past years, but without the dominating sight of the asphalt.
During our visit we have renewed earlier contacts and made new. It again broadened our horizon. It was fascinating further to discover the similarities and differences. Like every man, every quinta and every company has its own story, not only in the past but also today:  the story of ambition and intention, possibilities and impossibilities, old and new money, Portuguese and other nationalities and the position of women.
Our experiences with Ports not made for the market but for private use were again overwhelming. Every wine farmer, not recognized by the IDVP as a producer, is allowed to make half a pipe of Port every year. These around 275 litres give, after adding aguardente, some 350 litres of Port for private use and not for sale. The taste is not adapted to the market, but is completely aggravated to personal preference. This creates, if possible, still greater differences than at the commercial markets. Ports with an enormous personality which you only can discover by visiting the region, the quintas and the people themselves.
Because Port tourism is the chief  purpose of our visits, we especially see smaller quintas and wineries. That’s why it was particularly educational to be able to participate in an excursion to Quinta do Sol of The Symington Family. This huge winery has been equiped with the most modern technics we had already read much about. But it is something else to stand next, above and under it and lay down on your knees to feel the “feet” of the robotic lagares.
Maartje Koning, winner of the Dutch Graham’s Trophy 2004, will soon report on it on this page.
Not everything went well before and during this trip. It was especially difficult to get written information and e-mails were not or hardly answered. One of the quintas we have visited was Q. da Timpeira near Lamego, a magnificent accomodation with very friendly people. This quinta is mentioned as Port Wine and table wine producer with wine information/animation in the publications of the Rota do Vinho do Porto. This appeared not to be correct, Q. da Timpeira is situated even outside the demarcated Douro region. The Rota membership of this quinta is incomprehensible for us.
We will incorporate the result of all new information next time in our chapter Round trip and probably publish it early Januari 2005. 

Dutch Graham’s Port Trophy 2005.
04/12/03. The semifinal of this extraordinary contest did not occur on November 29th, but will now take place on December 6th in the Portuguese embassy in The Hague. This event will only be open to candidates and organizers.
The questions and answers of the theoretical qualifying round were as follows (see also our News item of 30/10/04):

1. When did the Portuguese government decide to suspend the shipping of Port in bulk? July 1^st ,1996.
2. What’s the aim of Port grapes treading? To obtain a maximum of colour extracts. To shorten the fermentation process.
3. Which Port producer developed the first fully automated stainless steel lagares? Graham’s.
4. What was the former name of Quinta do Vesuvio? Quinta das Figueiras, owned by Dona Antónia Ferreira.
5. Which country is the largest worldwide importer of Port? France.
6. What does “Rabigato” mean? It is a white grape (cat’s tail) and an allowed grape type for the Port production.
7. Finally: Indicate in a creative way which possibilities you see to develop the share of the better Port qualities, like Late Bottled Vintage and Aged Tawny, in the Dutch market.

The following participants have been selected for the semifinal:
- Steven Kooy.
- Ronald Wortel.
- Luis Nunes Viconte.
- Wieger Roelevink.
- Arno Aartsen.
- Ingrid Larmoyeur.
- Jeroen Boom.
- Henk Romp.
- Jeroen Dullemen.
- Anne-wies Gransjean.
The final will be held during the Wine Professional in the Rai in Amsterdam on Monday January 10^th, 2005. 

Mayson: finest 20 years old Tawnies equal to the best Vintages.
04/12/04. Richard Mayson says in an article on Tawny Port in the December issue of the English magazine Decanter: “I am not alone in ranking the finest 20 years old (Tawnies) just as highly as the best Vintage Ports.” David Guimaraens (winemaker of the Fladgate Partnership) and Charles Symington (winemaker of The Symington Family) speak in the same way in his article. Mayson gives a good 2 pages-survey of all Tawnies in the article.
The second, fully revised and updated edition of Mayson’s book “Port and the Douro” is published this month by Mitchell Beazley, priced 20 English pounds.

Extraordinary Vintage tasting Warre’s and Dow’s.
04/12/04. The Symington Family and importer Oud Reuchlin & Boelen organized a very particular Vintage tasting in the Grand Hotel in Amsterdam on November 15^th. About 20 sommeliers and journalists participated in it. More special of this tasting was that nobody had a direct commercial interest in it. It was a rare, pure informative and educational event excellently  guided by winemaker Charles Symington and export director Euan Mackay. The tasting enclosed the following Vintages:
-         the Dow’s 1945,
-         the Warre’s 1955 and 1963,
-         the Dow’s 1966 and 1970,
-         the Warre’s 1977 and 1980, 
-         the Dow’s 1985 and 1994,
-         the Warre’s 2000.
The colour differences were very striking. The 2000 being dark is normal, but the 1994 and even the Warre’s 1980 being almost equally dark in colour surprised many. You could almost drown in all smells, how different they might be. It is difficult to say which one was  appreciated most, it was not asked explicitly. The Dow’s 1945 was much praised, but we are always afraid that this is especially because it was the oldest. Our personal favourite was the Warre’s 1980, because it showed, in our opinion, the perfect balance between fruit and maturity. 
The tasting was closed with two cask samples from 2003, both from Quinta do Bomfim. The first one has been made of the Touriga Francesa and the second one mainly of the Touriga Naçional. Both they are promising.   

Christmas offer Krohn: personified labels.
04/12/04. The Portuguese company Casta Nobre which cares for, among other things, the tourist activities in the lodges of (Wiese &) Krohn in Vila Nova de Gaia has a Christmas offer with personified labels. The offer concerns single bottles as well as a lot. The company uses all available Ports of Krohn including many Colheitas and Vintages. Sending is possible within entire Europe. More information can be get through castanobre@hotmail.com 

Tourist profile Oporto and the Douro.
04/12/04. Susana Silva of the Escola de Negócios e AdministraVão has done a study of the visitors profile to Oporto and the Douro region.
Her report entitled “O perfil do Porto e do Grande Porto” gives the following picture:

1. 53.6% of all tourists is female and 55.9% is between 20 and 39 years old. A large majority of 84.6% is professionally active and some 40% have had an education of 13 to 15 years.
2. Almost 71% of these tourists stay in the region for four days. They spend 300 Euros on average and 55% choose the car as a means of transport.
3. A large majority of 90% of the visitors is from the European Union. The largest part of 34% is from France, followed by Spain, Potugal, England and Italy. The large amount of emigrated Portuguese in these countries that visit Oporto and the Douro region is striking.
4. The reasons for their visits are the splendid heritage (85%), the landscape (86.3%), the lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia (73%) and cultural activities (71.7%).
5. The most frequently visited places are the lodges (92.8%) and the river Douro and its neighbourhood (90.1%).
6. Oporto is the most frequently visited town with 99.7%, followed by Vila Nova de Gaia with 92.8%.

Source: Diário de Notícias of 30/09/04.

A Souza tasting by Roy Hersh.
04/12/04. Barros, Almeida & Ca. Vinhos, S.A. is especially known for its brand Kopke, somewhat less for its brand Barros and also for its many less known brands. Souza is one of these and Roy Hersh had the opportunity to organize an extensive tasting of this brand and reports on it. 
In 1925 Alcino Vieira de Souza started a Port trade. After a while Manuel Barros became his partner. In 1941 de Souza passed away, leaving Barros as the sole owner of the company.
The tasting included the Vintages 1985, 87, 95 and 96; the Colheitas 1967, 81, 82, 83 and 89; the LBV 1994 and two “pirates” the Quinta do Noval LBV 1994 and the Rochas Colheita 1966 (also of Barros, Almeida).
The article can be found at www.wineloverspage.com/port/souza.phtml  

The Symington Family bought two quintas.
04/12/04. The Symington Family has recently bought two quintas from Castelinho Vinhos.

1. Quinta da Perdiz, with 22 hectares, is situated in the Rio Torto valley and has Port rights in class A. This quinta has been bought together with Bruno Prats, former owner of Chateau Cos d’Estournel in the Bordeau region. The acquisition is especially meant for the production of the Prats & Symington Douro wines Chryseia and Post Scripton. Q. da Perdiz is in excellent condition.
2. Quinta do Atalho, with 12 hectares, is situated westernly of the Rio Varosa and has Port rights in class C.

It is not yet known, or and with which Syminton brands these quintas will be placed.

Link of the month December 2004.
04/12/04. For this special month we have chosen a special website: www.dourowine.com 
Although the name presumes otherwise, this site is completely dedicated to Port. It is a Port encyclopedia that gives the best information on all facets of Port we know on the net.
Dourowine.com is part of Amorim/Natureza/Burmester/Gilbert’s and contains the following chapters: History, From the Vine to the Glass, Tasting, Traditions, Sector Bodies and Glossaries.
Just the paragraph Wine Tasting Course with the parts Taster, Preparation of the Tasting Session, How to Taste and Organoleptic Tasting makes a visit to this site a special event.
(See also our News item of 04/10/03).

IVDP events calendar as of December 2004.
04/12/04. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Belgium and Luxemburg:

Courses in Belgium and Luxemburg.
Catering Colleges:
6th December- Stella Maris of Antwerp
November/December, to be confrrmed, - Brussels at Ceria.
December to be confirmed - Fleurus.

Sommelier Associations:
13th December - L'air du Temps Restaurant, Eghezée.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=696

Revista de Vinhos no. 180 November 2004.
04/12/04. The November issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:
New products:
The Cálem LBV 1998 gets 17 points from the editorial staff on a score chart of 0-20. The Quinta de São Domingos 10 Years Old Tawny also gets 17 points.
Casa da Q. Sta Eufémia and Q. da Gricha:
Much information about Casa da Q. Santa Eufémia and Q. da Gricha of Churchill’s is given in an article dedicated to this year’s harvest.
Score charts:
The editorial staff uses at this moment the 20 points system as well as the 100 points system.
Readers choice:
The annual readers choice is published for the sixth time. The list for Port is as follows (between brackets the score in 2003):

1. Noval (1).
2. Fonseca (5).
3. Niepoort (4).
4. Ferreira (3).
5. Taylor’s (2).
6. PoVas (10).
7. Ramos Pinto (-).
8. Graham’s (6).
9. Burmester (-).
10. Dow’s (8).

Cálem and Warre’s have disappeared from the top ten.

The website www.revistadevinhos.pt  where these articles could be found before is still under construction.

The Symington Family: 2004: A very unusual Vintage.
30/10/04. "The 2004 harvest followed an extraordinary viticultural year. The last three months of 2003 were very wet but then we had an incredibly dry start to 2004. Only 147 mm of rain fell at Quinta do Bomfim from January to the end of April. This is less than half the ten year average, a dramatic lack of rainfall at a very crucial period.
We were very concerned as to how the vines would cope with a normal hot Douro summer, given the low reserves of water in the soil.
Charles Symington reported slighty less than normal fruit set due to very rapid shoot growth that was encouraged by the unusually dry, warm and sunny conditions in May.
Our concern grew as August approached, normally the hottest month of the year. The vines were in excellent condition, but excessive hydric stress was clearly going to occur. In the event the almost impossible occured: rain in August.
Rain fell on the 9th, 10th and 11th August and again on the 16th and 17th. In total 77 mm fell during the month, the highest August rainfall for 104 years. This was accompanied by relatively lower temperatures. As a result ripening slowed dramatically. Early September started with unsettled weather that could easily have caused considerable damage to the grapes. Charles commented that we faced a major dilemma: start the vintage with un-ripe grapes before any rot set in as a result of the rain, or wait and hope for better weather. However the forecast swung in our favour and we took the risk of starting our harvest some 10 days later than usual at most of our Quintas. The risk paid off as we then had 25 days of uninterrupted sunshine with temperatures around 30° C everyday. The entire harvest was completed without a drop of rain falling. On 9th and 10th October the weather finally broke with heavy rain and strong winds, but by then our grapes were all safely in our wineries.
Peter Symington commented that in his 40th Vintage, a unique achievement in today's Port community, he had never seen a vintage that could have so easily swung between near disaster or success.
As a direct result of the very unusual weather pattern, we had an exceptional vintage that surpassed all expectations. Yields were lower than average due to the very warm weather, but the colour of the musts in the lagares and the fementation tanks was excellent. Cooling equipment was essential as our grapes were coming into our wineries on some afternoons at 24° C and the fermentations would have been much too fast and too hot if we did not have equipment with which to cool the must. The grapes were in excellent conditions: Baumés were well above average at 13° and higher. The Barroca seemed to perform particularly well, suffering the least from the hot September weather. It should be remembered that we always have very low yields in the Douro, about 1.68 kgs per vine for Touriga Franca and as low as 0.49 kgs for the old vines.
Charles commented that the young wines, still only a few days old, show good colour, power and structure.
There is no doubt that we have made some very good wines this year. It will be interesting to see how they develop over the next few months."
The Symington Family, Oporto, 14th October 2004.

International Wine Challenge 2004.
30/10/04. The results of this competition by the English magazine Wine International have been published in their November issue.
The Fortified Trophy - Port went to the Taylor’s 40 Years Old Tawny.
The Vintage Port Trophy went to the Smith Woodhouse Vintage 2000.
The Great Value Trophy - Fortified went to Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage 1999. 
Winemaker of the year - Fortified was awarded to David Guimaraens of Taylor’s (The Fladgate Partnership).
The silver and bronze medal winners and the Seals of Approval can also be found at: www.wineint.com/winesearch.asp 

Links page: change in November 2004.
30/10/04. Ports Paradise, the site with daily unofficial news in Portuguese, has made a restart with a completely renewed website. The address has changed in http://portsparadise.blogs.sapo.pt 

Entry for Graham’s Trophy 2005.
30/10/04. It is possible to sign up for the Dutch Graham’s Trophy 2004 contest till November 19^th. The organizers celebrate the fifth anniversary of this competition this year. Only professionals from the catering industry and the trade, active with wine and Port, are allowed to enter. (See also our News item of 07/02/04.) The event is organized by The Symington Family, Verbunt Wijnkopers and The Wine & Food Association / Proefkrant / Proefschrift.
Interested people can present themselves for the theoretical qualifying round by means of a registration form (see below). After acceptation they will receive a list with 7 questions.
The best 10 of the qualifying round will go through to the semifinal and receive the book “Port and the Douro” by Richard Mayson.
The semifinal (theoretical/practical) is organized on November 29^th during the “Nacht der Lekkernijen” in Amsterdam and contains:
-         a blind tasting with 10 Ports of the Symington Family and 1 “pirate”.
-         the writing of an essay on the basis of the received book “Port and the Douro” (choice from 3 subjects).
The best 5 from this round are entered into the final.
The final (practical) will be organized on a still to be determined date during the fair “Wine Professional” from January 10^th to 12^th in the Rai in Amsterdam and contains:
-         a blind tasting with 5 Ports.
-         the making of a character description of a blind tasted Port.
-         a blending contest: to determine the blend of an Aged Tawny made up of 3 components.
The winner will of course receive The Graham’s Trophy 2005 and will be invited to a 4-days trip to Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos in the heart of the Douro region.
After the prize-giving ceremony a festive Masterclass Port-Food will be organized in cooperation with a prominent Chef.
Entry for this magnificent competition is still possible:
-         at Verbunt Wijnkopers, Tilburg, c.v.nispen@verbunt.nl
-         during the Horecavak from November 1st to 3rd in the IJsselhallen in Zwolle and during Culinair Friesland 2004 on November 14^th from 11-17 o’clock in Hotel Landgoed Lauswolt in Beetsterzwaag in both cases at The Wine & Food Association.
At present over 50 entries have already been received.

Link of the month November 2004.
30/10/04. For this month we have chosen www.ramospinto.pt  
Ramos Pinto, owned by the French Champagne Roederer since 1990, has a rich history as a Port house but also in the field of art and culture (see our News items of 06/01/02 and 10/01/02).
One facet of this other history is the basis of the RP website; namely the splendid, designed by artists , series posters from the early 20^th century. The theme of these posters is also the theme of the website: “A tale of Seduction”.
The site is magnificent to see. The information in Portuguese, English and French is extensive on all aspects of the company, but too brief on Port in general and the Port products.
The RP site also has a News page but, just as for many other Port firms, has sadly been totally ignored already for years.

Vintage years Quinta do Vesuvio.
30/10/04. One of our visitors has drawn our attention to the fact that we have wrongly indicated 1993 and 1999 as years that Quinta do Vesuvio of The Symington Family did not produce a Vintage. This is incorrect. This is only the case in 1993. In 1999 a Vintage was really made.
We have corrected this in our News item “Link of the month October 2004” of 02/10/04 and in our article “Types” (5d. Vintage).

Decanter World Wine Awards 2004 (2).
30/10/04. The remaining results of this competition have been published in the November issue of the English magazine Decanter. (See also our News item of 02/10/04.)
The totals of entries and awards for Port are as follows: 118 entries; 1 Regional Trophy; 79 medals of which 4 gold, 27 silver, 35 bronze and 13 commended.
No gold medal was awarded in the category less than 10 English pounds (14.50 Euros). Silver medals went to the:
-         Quinta do Tedo Ruby.
-         Taylor’s Finest Reserve, Marks & Spencer.
-         Croft Late Bottled Vintage 1998.
-         Dow’s LBV 1998.
-         Rozès LBV 1995 Unfiltered.
The other results can be found by choosing Port under Countries at: www.decanter.com/worldwineawards/results.php   

IVDP events calendar as of November 2004.
30/10/04. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Belgium and Luxemburg, Portugal,  Scandinavia, and the USA:

Courses in Belgium and Luxemburg.
Catering Colleges:
26th November - Liège.
29th November - Stella Matutina of Michelbeke.
2nd December- Ter duiden Koksijde.
6th December- Stella Maris of Antwerp
November /December, to be confrrmed, - Brussels at Ceria.
December to be confirmed - Fleurus.

Sommelier Associations:
15th November - Restaurant de Eike Restaurant, Antwerp (to be confirmed).
13th December - L'air du Temps Restaurant, Eghezée.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=696

Special tasting in Portugal.
6th and 7th October during the Encontro com o Vinho e Sabores in o Centro de Congressos de Lisboa.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=704

Port Wine Tastings in Scandinavia.
31st October: Copenhagen dinner with Port and Douro.
1st November: Port tasting in Borsen Palace, Copenhagen - Denmark.
3rd November: Port tasting at the Oslo Militære Samfund, in Oslo – Norway.
4th November: Port tasting in Helsinki – Finland.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=686

Port and Douro Wine Tasting in the USA.
1st November: Morrells Restaurant, 900 Broadway @ 20th Street, New York.

Revista de Vinhos no. 179 October 2004.
30/10/04. We have sadly not received the October issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos.

Investing in tourism by Cálem.
02/10/04. Cálem of the Spanish Caixanova/Sogevinus will invest 6 million Euros in the tourist activities in its lodges at the Douro bank in Vila Nova de Gaia. On average 120,000 visitors are annually given a guided tour in 7 languages in these lodges.
Building activities will last 7 months and comprise over 4,000 metres square in which the following will be realized: a museum, an auditorium for 120 persons, a multifunctional room, 3 meeting rooms and a restaurant.
Historic objects including bottles of the 1875 and 1920 Vintages will be exhibited in the museum. Sculptures, paintings, graphic art and photographs from the art collection of Caixanova will be showed in the multifunctional room.
Cálem possesses another site close to the D. Luis 1 bridge with a capacity for groups up to 200 people. This site, named “Caves do Ponte” has 2 terraces along the river.
In 2003 Cálem sold over 3.5 million bottles of Port and has invoiced some 14 million Euros. Present stocks comprise 8 million litres. The company has 72 employees, exports to 30 countries and is market leader in Portugal and Scandinavia.
Cálem will purchase a quinta of 250 hectares in the Douro region to be less dependent and to utilize the tourist possibilities.
(Source: ICEP Empresas of 07/09/04, ICEP Revista de Imprensa Estrangeira of 10/09/04 and Correio da Manhã of 13/09/04.)

Personal September 2004. 02/10/04.
-         The American magazine Wine and Spirits has chosen João Nicolau de Almeida of Ramos Pinto as 1 of the 50 most influential winemakers in the world.
-         The English magazine Wine International has chosen David Guimaraens of The Fladgate Partnership (Taylor’s, Fonseca, Croft and Delaforce) as Winemaker of the Year for fortified wine.
-         The same Wine International has nominated Peter Symington of  The Symington Family (Dow’s, Graham’s, Warre’s and so on) Wine Personality of the Year together with 49 others.

Restart Poças Newsletter.
02/10/04. After over a year Manoel D. Poças Júnior - Vinhos S.A. has put new life into its newsletter. The glossy publication in A4-size (2 pages) is entitled “Poças Porto & Douro”. The company gives brief information about gained prizes, new products, weather and vine evolution and statistical data on trade. New are: a column “Editorial” each time on a different subject and written by well-known people from the Port trade and a section “Little hole” for everybody who wants to send a contribution with news from his company or market, events or curiosities.
The September issue contains the following information on Port:
-         the announcement of an article in the next edition on the 9 gold and 12 silver medals Poças has lately won in competitions.
-         the presentation of 4 new gift sets.
-         a preview on the good prospects for the coming harvest.
-         some figures on the world Port trade in the first half year.
This newsletter is an excellent way to inform professionals and Port lovers on the Poças activities.

My trip to Portugal by Nicos Neocleous.
02/10/04. A travel report by the in England living Greek Nicos Neocleous has been published at the Wine Lovers Page of Robin Garr. It is readable, but offers little that is new except the paragraph about the tasting panel of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto, which is excellent. Appendixes with many tasting notes have been added to the report. The article can be found at: www.wineloverspage.com/port/douro.phtml  

Decanter World Wine Awards 2004.
02/10/04. The results of the category over 10 English pounds (14.75 Euros) of the first version of this competition of the English magazine Decanter have now been published in print and online. Gold medals went to:
-         Graham’s Vintage 1980.
-         SPR Vinhos São Pedro das Águias Vintage 2000.
-         Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas Vintage 1996.
-         Taylor’s 20 Years Old Tawny.
The Regional Trophy Best of the Golds went to the Taylor’s 20 Years Old Tawny.
The other results in this price range can be found by choosing Port under Countries at: www.decanter.com/worldwineawards/results.php  It is annoying that the type indications are lacking in this list.
The jury had been made up as follows: Richard Mayson, writer (regional chairman); Adrian Bridge, managing director The Fladgate Partnership (Taylor’s, Fonseca, Croft, Delaforce); Peter Cobb, writer; Godfrey Spence, writer and wine educator; Charles Symington, production director The Symington Family (Dow’s, Graham’s, Warre’s, Q. do Vesuvio, and so on).
The results of the category under 10 English pounds will be published in the magazine and online on November 3^rd , 2004.
For more information on this competition see our News item of 02/08/03.

IVDP book O Vinho do Porto now also in English and French.
02/10/04. At the end of 2003 the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has published the book O Vinho do Porto in Portuguese. This book is now also available in English and French. O Vinho do Porto deals with the region, the history, the production and the markets of Port among other things.
The book is available in all IVDP establishments (offices, solares and shops).

Link of the month October 2004.
02/10/04. For this month we have chosen www.quinta-do-vesuvio.com 
When The Symington Family bought this quinta of 408 hectares in 1989 they made it into an independent shipper, not brought under one of their other houses (Dow’s, Graham’s, Warre’s, Smith Woodhouse, Quarles Harris and Gould Campbell). Since then The Symington Family have made a Vintage of every harvest, unless the quality did not allow this at all (1993 and 1999).
The website of this quinta is nicely designed with good information and magnificent photographs.

Henrik Oldenburg: Port.
02/10/04. To day we have published a review of Port by Henrik Oldenburg. It is a magnificent book with excellent information. Because it was published in 1999, some points have obviously changed in the meantime. It is a pity that the information on unfiltered Ports is not entirely correct. More at: Files/Library.

Wine Spectator Auction Index: Port down.
02/10/04. Peter D. Meltzer comments the last Wine Spectator Auction Index in the September 30^th issue of this American magazine as follows:
“Demand for Vintage Port usually drops as the weather warms up and this (second) quarter was no exceptation. As a category, Vintage Port fell 3%. The 1997 Vintage was down 13% and the !970 Vintage dipped 11%. However, the 1994 Vintage, which is inching toward maturity, rose 15%. The biggest gainers were Graham’s 1994 at U$ 76 per bottle (up 95%) and Warre’s 1994 which averaged U$ 47 per bottle (up 47%).”
The Vintages 1963, 70, 77, 94 and 97 of Fonseca, Graham’s, Taylor’s and Warre’s have been entered in the index tabel.  

Private individual sales old Ports (2).
02/10/04. We have to draw attention to those who have read the first item with this headline between September 4^th and 11^th to the fact that the list of offered Ports has been changed as follows:
-         1 Garrafeira 1834,
-         one box with 2 Garrafeiras 1847, 1 Vintage 1927 and 1 Vintage 1935,
-         one box with 3 Garrafeiras 1847 and 2 Vintages 1927.
More information can be received through: galhanoalves@yahoo.fr 

IVDP events calendar as of October 2004.
02/10/04. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Belgium and Luxemburg, Canada, The Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland and the USA:

Courses in Belgium and Luxemburg.
Catering Colleges:
26th November - Liège.
29th November - Stella Matutina of Michelbeke.
2nd December- Ter duiden Koksijde.
6th December- Stella Maris of Antwerp
November /December, to be confrrmed, - Brussels at Ceria.
December to be confirmed - Fleurus.

Sommelier Associations:
15th November - Restaurant de Eike Restaurant, Antwerp (to be confirmed).
13th December - L'air du Temps Restaurant, Eghezée.

Port Wine Shows in Canada.
19th October: in the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver.
21st October: in the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.
25th October: in the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.
27th October: in Montreal.

Portuguese Wine Fair in The Netherlands.
18th October: in the NH Utrecht Hotel.

Port Wine Tastings in Scandinavia.
31st October: Copenhagen dinner with Port and Douro.
1st November: Port tasting in Borsen Palace, Copenhagen - Denmark.
3rd November: Port tasting at the Oslo Militære Samfund, in Oslo – Norway.
4th November: Port tasting in Helsinki – Finland.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=686

Port Wine and Desserts Week, Madrid - Spain.
In the week between the 18th and 24th October.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=666 

Very Special Port Wine Tasting in Switzerland. 
5th October 2004: Au Premier, Hauptbahnhoff, Zurich – Switzerland.  

Port and Douro Wine Tastings In the USA.
4th October: Bob Chinn's Crabhouse Chicago, 315 North La Salle Street, Chicago.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=700   
27th October: Hampshire House, 84 Beacon Street, Boston.
1st November: Morrells Restaurant, 900 Broadway @ 20th Street, New York.

Revista de Vinhos no. 178 September 2004.
02/10/04. The September issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:
New products:
The Quinta das Heredias (Senhora do Covento) 10 Years Old Tawny gets 16.5 Points from the editorial staff on a score chart of 0-20. The Q. de São Domingos (Castelinho) 20 Years Old Tawny gets 17.5 points.
LBV tasting:
João Afonso reports a tasting with 35 Late Bottled Vintages of which 3 Unfiltered. The tasting panel established large differences in style, but almost all were of great quality. This is also proved by the high average score of 16.8 points. The highest score of 17.5 points went to:
-         Dow’s 1998.
-         Noval Unfiltered 1998.
-         Poças 1999.
-         Poças Q. de Santa Barbara 1999.
-         Q. do Vale D. Maria (Olazabal & Filhos) Unfiltered 1999.
At the bottom of the list we find the Dalva (C. da Silva) 1999 with 15.5 points.
Viniculture Barros, Almeida:
João Afonso describes the viniculture at the quintas of Barros, Almeida (Q. da Dona Matilde and Q. São Luís) which is more and more carried out with biological techniques. Tasting notes have been printed along with the article. The Barros Colheita 1965 gets 18 points, the Barros Q. da Dona Matilde Vintage 2002 gets 17 points.
Port at Sotheby’s:
Luís Lopes presents a survey of tens of lots as recently auctioned at Sotheby’s in London.
The website www.revistadevinhos.pt where these articles could before been found is still under reconstruction.

Single Quintas in Wine International.
04/09/04. In the September issue of the English magazine Wine International an article by David Cobbold was published on single quintas in the Douro region. The article entitled “Single Solutions” is historically well documented. Many spokesmen of the large shippers are extensively quoted and 2 of the 3 single quinta types receive excellent descriptions.
The text about the quintas of the large shippers and the exceptions amongst them – Q. do Vesuvio of the Symington Family and Q. do Noval – is above reproach. But the text part about the independent quintas is plain weak. Here the emphasis lays on quintas of foreigners and descendants of large shippers – often with limited activities – while the quintas of the often well educated Portuguese farmer’s families are ignored.
Consider Q. do Portal, Q. da Seara d’Ordens, Q. do Maurão, Q. de Casa Santa Eufémia, Q. de Marrocos, Q. do Estanho, Q. do Bucheiro and others, all quintas with a large range of Port products. Not one spokesman of these quintas, or of the in fact mentioned Q. do Infantado, or of the organization of independent quintas AVEPOD have evidently been heard or at least are not quoted. Exactly this group of independent quintas forms in our opinion the core of recent development, which still continues. Young, university educated winemakers are often the great stimulators in the transformation of family companies.
Of course small producers have more dificulties with the production process, marketing and sales. But as long as they earn more on every self-sold bottle than by selling grapes or young Port, this development will continue. Considering the ever better and sometimes excellent results of these independent quintas in international competitions we will continue to follow this development with great interest.

Additions to Round trip September 2004.
04/09/04. We have made several additions in our Round trip article. The most important are:
-         the Port Wine museum in Oporto in paragraph 3.
-         trips with traditional Barcos Rabelos in paragraph 7.
-         extension of activities at Quinta do Passadouro in paragraph 14.1d.

Wine Cluster Co launches Port Solene Reserves.
04/09/04. The new Portuguese company Wine Cluster Co (WCC) has only recently launched a Ruby Reserve and a Tawny Reserve of the brand Porto Solene. WCC itself has the following to say about these products:
“Porto Solene … was created and developed by WCC in association with … Poças Junior. Goal is to differentiate Port Wine through package (and) creating a recognizable taste and consistent quality … Porto Solene is an exclusive product, with numbered and limited edition …”
Both wines are marketed in half a litre bottles of clear glass. Bottles, labels and boxes have been designed in taut lines.
WCC activities are wine marketing, promotion and sales. The company is not a producer. WCC is looking for interested importers.
See also: www.portosolene.com 

International Wine Challenge 2004.
04/09/04. During the International Wine Challenge 2004 of the English magazine Wine International 2 Trophies were awarded to Port:
- a Top Trophy in the category The Fortified Trophy, Port Trophy went to Taylor's 40 Years Old Tawny.
- a Regional & Varietal Trophy in the category Vintage Port Trophy went to the 2000 Vintage of Smith Woodhouse.
Gold medals were awarded to:
-         Poças LBV 1998.
-         Quinta do Vallado 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Ramos Pinto Q. da Ervamoira 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Warre’s Otima 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Dow’s 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         Graham’s 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         (Wiese &) Krohn 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         Taylor’s 40 Years Old Tawny.
-         Churchill’s Vintage 1991.
-         Smith Woodhouse Vintage 2000.
-         Q. do Vale Meão Vintage 2001.
The many silver and bronze medals and the Seals of Approval can be found at www.wineint.com/winesearch.asp   

Links page: additions in September 2004. 04/09/04.

1. We have added to Port links: 

     -         www.quinta-do-passadouro.com/producten   
-         www.portosolene.com  the products of the Portuguese Company Wine Cluster Co.

2. We have added to Port tourism links:

     -         www.greatwinecapitals.com the collaboration of 8 wine capitals including Oporto, with extensive information.
-         www.quinta-do-passadouro.com/douropass with walking tours, tastings and classes.

New Barco Rabelo sails the Douro.
04/09/04. The cruise company Douro Azul has build a Barco Rabelo in association with Caves Ferreirinha. These open boats were formerly used for the transport of Port casks from the Douro region to Vila Nova de Gaia. The new boat, named “Barão de Forrester”, costs 100,000 Euros. The construction of the boat is completely traditional, without keel and with the classic quadrangular sail.
The “Barão de Forrester” will make one-hour trips between the Luiz 1 and the Arrábida bridges (from Oporto to Vila Nova de Gaia) and will call in at both banks. The trips have started on August 7^th . The boat has a capacity of 12 passengers. The fare will amount to 8 Euros a person. It will, of course, make stops at the Ferreira lodges for a guided tour and a tasting.
(Source: O Primeiro de Janeiro of 08/08/04.)  

News from Quinta do Passadouro. 04/09/04.

1. The cooperation between Dirk van der Niepoort and Q. do Passadouro of the Belgian Dieter Bohrmann was terminated at the end of March. Winemaker Jorge Serôdio Borges, who worked for both Niepoort and Passadouro, and Niepoort decided to break in May. In June Borges became the new man at Passadouro. For the time being this quinta only has small stocks of Ruby, LBV 1996 and 1997 and some table wines. The 2000 Douro Tinto DOC will be released in September. Information on these products can be found at www.quinta-do-passadouro.com/producten  Stocks of the Passadouro Vintages can still be found at Niepoort’s. Jorge Serôdio Borges and his wife Sandra Tavares (winemaker at Q. do Vale D. Maria of Cristiano van Zeller) produce, as their own project entitled Pintas, one of the most promising table wines from the Douro region.
2. The tourist activities of the Dutch couple Jet Spanjersberg and Ronald Weustink at Q. do Passadouro are going well. (see: www.quinta-do-passadouro.com ) They are also doing a great job in organizing walking tours (with and without guide), tastings and classes. See more on this: www.quinta-do-passadouro.com/douropass 

Link of the month September 2004.
04/09/04. For this month we have chosen the website of Wiese & Krohn: www.krohn.pt 
The typeface on the Homepage of this site is hardly legible. This is much better on the other pages.
The product information of the company is excellent. All available years of the Colheitas, Vintages and LBV’s are given.

Warre’s Otima20.
04/09/04. After the Otima10 some years ago, Warre’s has now launched the Otima20, a 20 years old Tawny. Warre’s states these Tawnies are lighter and more contemporary.
The Otima20 is marketed in the same half a litre bottle of clear glass in which the Otima10 is also supplied. The label of the Otima20 has the same form as of the Otima10, but the background colour has been changed into black/blue and minor changes have been made in the layout.
The Otima20 will be available in all countries Warre’s is represented. The newcomer got 94 points on a scale to 100 in the September issue of Wine International.

Private individual sales old Ports.
04/09/04. The Portuguese J.P. Galhano Alves is selling a stock of old Ports (and old French and Spanish table wines). It concerns 2 boxes Ferreirinha each with 6 bottles from 1847, 1 bottle from 1917, 4 bottles from 1927 and 1 bottle from 1935.
11/09/04. On September 9th we heared that the list is now as follows after carefully studying of all bottles and labels and elimination of all not filled bottles:
- 1 Garrafeira 1834,
- one box with 2 Garrafeira's 1847, 1 Vintage 1927 and 1 Vintage 1935,
- one box with 3 Garrafeira's 1847 and 2 Vintages 1927.
A specialized expert will determine the prices after offerings. More information can be received through galhanoalves@yahoo.fr 

IVDP events calendar as of September 2004:
04/09/04. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Brazil, Canada, Scandinavia, Holland, Switzerland and Spain:

Tastings in Brazil.
14th September: Port Wine and Desserts Tasting in the Carême Restaurant in Rio de Janeiro. Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=681 and http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=683  
21st September: Port and Douro Wine Tasting in the Portuguese Embassy in Brasilia.

Port Wine Shows in Canada.
19th October: in the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver.
21st October: in the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.
25th October: in the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.
27th October: in Montreal.

Port Wine Tastings in Scandinavia.
29th September: Port tasting at the Vinkallaren Grappa, in Stockholm – Sweden.
31st October: Copenhagen dinner with Port and Douro.
1st November: Port tasting in Borsen Palace, Copenhagen - Denmark.
3rd November: Port tasting at the Oslo Militære Samfund, in Oslo – Norway.
4th November: Port tasting in Helsinki – Finland.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=686

IVDP Promotional Events in Holland.
10 year-old Tawny tasting for the Dutch Wine Brotherhood: September.
10 year-old Tawny tasting for Perswijn trade magazine: 1 October.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=617

Very Special Port Wine Tasting in Switzerland. 
5th October 2004: Au Premier, Hauptbahnhoff, Zurich – Switzerland.

Port Wine and Desserts Week, Madrid - Spain.
In the week between the 18th and 24th October.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=666 

Revista de Vinhos no. 177 August 2004.
04/09/04. The only Port news in the August issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos concerns a short item on the launch of Porto Solene. See more on this: Wine Cluster Co launches Porto Solene Reserves.

Symington Family Port Award 2003.
07/08/04. The second version of this award for the best, about Port written, piece published in the UK (see also our News item of 01/11/03) has jointly been granted to:
-         Neil Beckett for his article “Cleaning out the closet” in the Port Supplement of Harpers Wine & Spirit (October 2003) and
-         Robyn Lewis for her article “Post-Prandial Promotions” in The Drinks Business (September 2003).
These articles are not available on the internet as far as we know.
Last year’s winner (“Iberian Express” by Andrew Jefford in Waitrose Food Illustrated) was a lyrical travel report about the Douro region. This year it concerns 2 more technical subjects. Neil Beckett writes on viniculture including vineyard classification, Robyn Lewis reviews Port consumption in the catering industry in the UK.
Both winners received a cheque for 1,250 pounds and a case of Graham’s 2000 Vintage Port.
The members of the jury were Allan Cheesman, Steve Daniels, Sebastian Payne, Jancis Robinson en Marcia Walters.
The Symington Family is looking forward to the entries of this year’s award.

Production quota 2004 up.
The interprofessional counsel of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) has determined the production quota for the next harvest at 126,000 pipes (casks of 550 litres) must (before adding aguardente). This is a rise of 18,100 pipes or almost 16.8% compared to last year (107,900 pipes) and the first increase since 2001 when 154,000 pipes had been allowed (2002: 135,000 pipes). The increase is possible because sales have risen.
At the assignment to the vineyards classes A – F a swing has been used to the better classes for the first time for years. The figures are now as follows (successively we mention the quota in 2003, the quota for 2004 if they all would be increased with the above-mentioned 16.8%, the definitive quota for 2004 – all in litres/hectare – and the increase percentages compared to 2003):
A: 2188; 2556; 2570; +17.46%.
B: 2188; 2556; 2529; +15.59%.
C: 1997; 2332; 2339; +17.13%.
D: 1997; 2332; 2287; +14.52%.
E: 1738; 2030; 1979; +13.87%.
F:   784;   916;   861;  +9.82%.  
For the full communiqué see: www.ivdp.pt/pt/noticias/cv2004.pdf  

Roy Hersh: a Niepoort tasting.
The American Port guru Roy Hersh has published an excellent and extensive report on a tasting of Niepoort Colheitas, Garrafeiras and Vintages. He was able to judge the Colheita’s 1863, 1900, 1934, 1962, 1979, 1987, 1988 and 1994, the Garrafeira’s 1952 and 1977 and the Vintages 1970, 1987, 2000, 2000Secundum, 2001Secundum and 2 cask samples of 2003.
The article can be found at  http://wineloverspage.com/port/niepoort.phtml  

Report IVDP tasting in San Francisco.
07/08/04. On June, 10^th , San Francisco was witness to a successful Port and Douro Wine event. Over 83 Ports and 21 Douro wines were provided to both a trade and consumer audience.
Many people commented on the educational and fun element of the event and asked when the next one will be.
The full article can be found at www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=641 

Douro region in chain European Unesco wine regions.
07/08/04. Seven wine regions, which have been designated as Cultural Heritage by Unesco, are going to form a chain with the aim to vary the tourist offer. The associated regions are the Rhine valley in Germany, Cinqueterra in Italy, Ferdo/Neusiedlersee and Wachau in Austria, the wine area of Tokaj in Hungary, Saint Émilion and the Loire valley in France and the Douro region.
Representatives of the Loire valley are in charge of the chain. The Gabinete Técnico Intermunicipal, the Liga dos Amigos do Douro Património Mundial and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro and do Porto are involved in the project on behalf of the Douro region.
(Source: Jornal de Notícias of 11/07/04.)

Concurso Internacional de Vinhos Cidade do Porto 2004.
07/08/04. During the fourth Cidade do Porto 1 Great Golden Medal was awarded. It went to the 10 Years Old Tawny of Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira.
The many golden and silver medals can be found at www.portugalnews.pt/imgupload/vinhos.doc   

Wine Spectator Auction Index: Port Up.
07/08/04. The last Wine Spectator Auction Index has been published in the June 30^th issue of this American magazine. Peter Meltzer comments on the results:
“The first quarter of the auction season is usually a quiet period, with fewer sales than during the Christmas crush. … The index dropped from 197 to 195. … Vintage Port rose dramatically with 17%. … Warre’s proved to be the most popular label, with the 1997 Vintage averaging U$ 49 per bottle, up 104%. Warre’s was also the strongest performer in the 1963 Vintage, averaging U$ 183 per bottle, up 69%.”
The Vintages 1963, 1970, 1977, 1994 and 1997 of Fonseca, Graham’s, Taylor’s and Warre’s have been entered in the index table.

Sales figures January to May 2004.
07/08/04. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has published the sales figures of the first 4 months of the year.
The top 8 in volume were:

1. France 31.7%; -12.1%.
2. The Netherlands 20.4%; +9.4%.
3. Belgium 12.3%; +0.1%.
4. Portugal 10.6%; +3.6%.
5. UK 5.8%; -27.1%.
6. USA 4.9%; +16.8%.
7. Germany 2.6%; -54.7%.
8. Canada 2.1%; -28.3%.

The top 8 in revenue were:

1. France 26.2%; -14.2%.
2. The Netherlands 15.8%; +4.2%.
3. Portugal 12.2%; +4.4%.
4. Belgium 10.9%; -4.3%.
5. USA 9.3%; +5.8%.
6. UK 7.0%; -40.8%.
7. Canada 4.4%; -23.3%.
8. Germany 2.4%; -52.3%.

The full information can be found at www.ivp.pt/pt/Estatistica/estatistica3.shtm   

Link of the month August 2004.
07/08/04. For this month we have chosen www.taylor.pt 
Taylor’s is part of The Fladgate Partnership which also includes the brands Fonseca, Croft and Delaforce.
Taylor’s pleasantly designed website offers good and extensive information in English, Portuguese and French.
The chapter “Port Professor” deserves special attention. Especially the paragraphs “Judging a Port’s Age” and “Matching Port and Food” are very instructive.

International Wine and Spirit Competition 2004 – Harpers.
07/08/04. The 2004 IWSC president was Paul Symington of The Symington Family.
Gold medals were awarded to:
-         Warre’s Warrior Special Reserve.
-         Dow’s Crusted 1999.
-         “Marks and Spencer” LBV 1998.
-         Ferreira 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         Dow’s 30 Years Old Tawny.
-         Andresen Colheita 1968.
-         Graham’s Malvedos Vintage 1996.
-         Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage 2001.
The many silver and bronze medals and the “Commendations” can be found at www.iwsc.net/searchFortified.cfm?Page=awardsFW  

Cockburn’s still no. 1 in UK.
07/08/04. After some confusion earlier this year Cockburn’s proves still to be the largest Port brand in the United Kingdom. Taylor’s, mistakenly been pointed out as such, is second best.
More on this can be found at www.harpers-wine.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=1494&i=1  

Good article at BBC Online.
07/08/04. BBC Online has published a good article by Will Smale entitled “Port still tickling taste buds”. Smale discusses the issue within the scope of the special relationship between England and the Port industry. There are still 4 English Port firms: 
-         The Fladgate Partnership (Taylor’s, Fonseca, Croft and Delaforce).
-         The Symington Family (Dow’s, Warre’s, Graham’s, Smith Woodhouse, Gould Campbell, Quarles Harris and Quinta do Vesuvio).
-         Cockburn’s (Allied Domecq).
-         Churchill’s.
However, the first 2 belong to the 3 largest companies and have a marketshare of 30 – 35% together. The third company in the top 3 is Sogrape (Sandeman, Ferreira and Offley).
The article can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/3818175.stm  

River tourism increases again.
07/08/04. In the first 6 months of 2004, 40,202 passengers were carried by the 23 cruise ships on the Douro. In 2003 this was 32,360, an increase of 24%. For the entire year an increase is expected from 168,000 to 200,000 passengers. The majority of these tourists are Portuguese, French, North-American and English.
The 5 hotel boats amongst the 23 ships carried 5,087 passengers of whom 95% were foreigners mainly from France.
(Source: PúblicOnline of 07/07/04.)

San Francisco International Wine Competition 2004.
07/08/04. During the 23^rd SF International Wine Competition 2 gold medals were awarded to the following Ports:
-         the Dow’s Reserve and
-         the Ramos Pinto 30 Years Old Tawny.
The silver and bronze medals can be found at www.sfwinecomp.com/results/2004_results_winery.pdf    

IVDP events calendar as of August 2004:
07/08/04. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Scandinavia, Holland, Switzerland and Spain:

Port Wine Tastings in Scandinavia.
29th September: Port tasting at the Vinkallaren Grappa, in Stockholm – Sweden.
31st October: Copenhagen dinner with Port and Douro.
On the 1st November, the Great Port Tasting Copenhagen will take place as usual in Borsen Palace.
3rd November: Port tasting at the Oslo Militære Samfund, in Oslo – Norway.
4th November: Port tasting in Helsinki – Finland.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=644

IVDP Promotional Events in Holland.
10 year-old Tawny tasting for the Dutch Wine Brotherhood: September.
10 year-old Tawny tasting for Perswijn trade magazine: 1 October.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=617

Very Special Port Wine Tasting in Switzerland. 
5th October 2004: Au Premier, Hauptbahnhoff, Zurich – Switzerland.

Port Wine and Desserts Week, Madrid.
In the week between the 18th and 24th October.
Read more at: http://www.ivp.pt/uk/noticias/noticia.asp?id=666   

Revista de Vinhos no. 176 July 2004.
07/08/04. The July issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:
New product:
The Quinta do Javali Ruby Reserva gets 17 points from the editorial staff on a score chart of 0 – 20.
Quinta de Ventozelo:
This quinta, owned by the Spanish group Proinsa, is described in an article by António Falcão. Q. de Ventozelo is the largest quinta in the Douro region with 600 hectares, of which 160 hectares vineyards at the end of this year – all of class A. The surface of vineyards will increase to 250 – 300 hectares in the future. The editorial staff values the Reserva with 16 points, the LBV 1999 with 16.5, the 10 and 20 Years Old Tawnies with 17 each and the Vintage 2001 with 17.5 points.
Cockburn’s:
João Afonso reports in his article on Cockburn’s extensive and long-term experiences with grape types and viniculture at its 4 own quintas with collectively some 300 hectares vineyards. Tasting notes of Cockburn’s Quinta dos Canais Vintages have been printed along with the article. The 1992 is valued with 16.5 points, the 1995 with 17.5, the 1998 with 17, the 1999 with 17.5, the 2000 with 18 and the 2001 with 17.5 points.
Ferreira and Sandeman:
Fernando Melo reviews the tourist activities in the lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia of these 2 Sogrape brands. He values Ferreira with 17 points and Sandeman with 18.5 points.
Gran Cruz:
Jean Cayard, the founder of Cran Cruz, has died. The start and the expansion of this French Port house is described in an In Memoriam.
The website www.revistadevinhos.pt where these articles can normally be found is still under reconstruction.

Real Companhia Velha and Sogrape (Sandeman/Ferreira/Offley). 03/07/04.
1. Well-informed sources have told the newspaper Diário Económico that Sogrape is studying the purchase of Real Companhia Velha (RCV – Royal Oporto).
RCV was founded in 1756 and is the oldest Port company. The business of the Silva Reis family was occupied and nationalized during the Portuguese revolution of 1974. Although this nationalization was rectified later, financial problems have always remained afterwards. Large blocks of shares changed of owner and in 1990 a block of 40% ended up in possession of the Casa do Douro which, because of that, got into dire straits itself. As the large shippers continued to trade with RCV during the period of nationalization a deep gap was created between them and the Silva Reis family. RCV is still the only large Port producer not associated with the organization of large shippers (AEVP).
The annual sales of RCV amount to 30 million Euros, the sales of Sogrape are 170 million Euros. There is a possibility that Sogrape will sell its brand Offley after purchasing RCV.
(Source: Diário Económico of 01/06/04.) 

2. Sogrape has sold the Sherry activities of Sandeman to the Spanish company Garvey. The selling price might be 38 million Euros. The sale includes all except the brand name Sandeman that has been preserved for the Port products.
(Source: Diário Económico of 08/06/04.)

The 6 Vintages 2002 of Symington.
03/07/04. Euan Mackay, director of the Symington Family Port Shippers, has informed us that of the 6 Vintages 2002 (see our News item of 05/06/04) only the Quinta de Roriz will be sold promptly. The other 5 will not be released onto the market for another 7 to 10 years.

Tasting note Casa do Douro 1963.
03/07/04. Much to our pleasure a tasting note is available of the Colheita 1963 marketed by the Casa do Douro (see our News items of 06/09/03 and 03/04/04). The Dutch connoisseur and enthusiast “Stevie Cage” made the note. It can be found in one of the Wine Spectator Forums at http://forums.winespectator.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=9306023451&f=3146091161&m=44860515  

Link of the month July 2004.
03/07/04. For this month we have chosen www.realcompanhiavelha.pt
RCV is the oldest Port house with, at times, a stormy history (see also our News item Real Companhia Velha and Sogrape).
The site of RCV is nicely designed with good information in Portuguese and English. The description of the company’s 6 quintas is extensive.
The sections Ports and Chocolates and Ports and Cigars behind the link Harmonies are the best we know on these subjects. 

Sélections mondiales des vins 2004.
03/07/04. During the 13th Sélections mondiales des vins from June 3^rd to 7^th  in Montreal, Canada 2 Grand gold medals were awarded to:
-         the Gran Cruz Special Reserve and
-         the Barros Colheita 1996.
The many gold and silver medals can be found at http://smsaq.saq.com/htm/en/gagnants2004.html#Ptgl   

New logo and publicity campaign of Cálem.
03/07/04. Cálem of the Rogério Silva family has renewed its logo. The sailing ship from the old logo has been maintained, though the image has been somewhat enlarged. The word Porto and the year of foundation 1859 have been added.
In June Cálem has started a publicity campaign in the national and international press as a result of this new logo.
The old logo:
 
The new logo:


Links page: changes in July 2004. 03/07/04.

1. We removed the site www.cirdd.pt of the interprofessional committee especially occupied with the production quota (benefício). The tasks of this committee has been taken over by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) since 26/11/03.
2. We have added to Port links:
   -    www.casadoslagares.pt  
   -         www.portowine.net , an online shop with rare Ports.
3. We have added to General (wine and tourism) links:
   -     www.vinhos.online.pt , an extensive site about all Portuguese wines.
   -     www.italianwinesdirect.com , a guide for Italian wine.

Cooperation Rozès and CroisiEurope.
03/07/04. Rozès of the French Vranken Monopole and the French cruise company CroiseEurope have started a cooperation. Rozès has acquired the concession for the use of a municipal building in the Barca d’Alva region close to the Spanish border for 10 years. The premises has a small anchorage in the Douro. A bar, a shop and a small restaurant will be created with an investment of 50,000 Euros.
(Source: Diário Económico of 28/05/04.)

Heavy weather around Murça and S. João da Pesqueira.
03/07/04. On June 7th thunderstorms have destroyed an area of some 800 hectares near Candedo in the municipality of Murça (north-east of Pinhão). The stricken vineyards in this area are all of the classes A and B. The harvest has to be considered as totally lost and the fight against diseases will demand big efforts.
The showers with hailstones as large as quail eggs have fallen in 3 periods of 15 minutes with each a precipitation of about 80 millimetres.
Some days later around 80 hectares nearby S. João da Pesqueira (south-east of Pinhão) have also been destroyed by heavy showers.

Transfer premises Museu do Douro in Régua.
03/07/04. On June 15th a premises of Real Companhia Velha has been transferred to the Museu do Douro. The building is situated at the Avenida João Franco, the western part of the boulevard  in Peso da Régua. The 1st phase of the rebuilding will be inaugurated between the end of 2006 and halfway 2007.
(Source: Jornal de Notícias of 15/06/04.)


Revista de Vinhos no. 175 June 2004.
03/07/04. The June issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:
New product:
The Niepoort Whitwhams Millennium gets 18 points from the editorial staff on a score chart of 0-20. It concerns a Port from 1880 which was discovered by Cristiano van Zeller in a lodge in Peso da Régua in 1999.
Burmester:
In his article João Afonso describes the influence of the Amorim family since the purchase of this Port house 5 years ago. This 5^th anniversary was celebreted with a tasting with 44 Ports of which 30 are judged by the editorial staff:
-         5 LBV’s (including 1964) 17 to 18 points.
-         9 Vintages (including 1963 and 1970) 17 to 18 points.
-         16 Colheitas (including 1890, 1900 and 1920) 17 to 19.5 points.
Tasting Tawnies 20 Years Old:
The editorial staff presents the results of a tasting with 39 Tawnies 20 Years Old. Casa Santa Eufémia, Poças Pousada, Quinta do Noval and Sandeman were the best, each with 18 points. At the bottom of the list we find Caves Santa Marta, Martinez en Quinta do Estanho, all three with 14.5 points.
Quinta do Mourão:
This new producer presents itself to the market in an article by João Paulo Martins. The company was founded in 1999 by the heirs of Mário Braga and encloses 120 hectares. Their Vintage 2000 gets 16 points, the Tawny 30 Years old 17.5 points and the Tawny 40 Years Old 17 points.
The website www.revistadevinhos.pt where these articles can normally be found is still under reconstruction.  

Godfrey Spence launches website.
05/06/04. The author of, amongst other books, The Port Companion, a Connoisseurs Guide to Port (see Files/Library) Godfrey Spence has launched the website www.portwinemagazine.com 
“Godfrey Spence joined the wine and spirit trade in 1983, initially in the retail in London and Kent. This led to staff training and lecturing and ultimately the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) where he is in charge of educational materials.”
He says his website is “still pretty embryonic and designed really to help WSET students more than anything else.” But when somebody like Spence starts a website on Port Wine it is news. The site seems promising and deserves to be followed.
The life history of Spence in Port Vintages runs as follows:
“Godfrey was born in a bad year for Port (1962), but learnt to walk in 63, moved to the house he grew up in 66, joined cubs in 1970, started his 1^st secondary school in 75 and his 2^nd in 77. He took his A levels in 80, joined the wine trade in 83, started going out with the person he was to marry in 85, got married in 91 (but got his freedom the same year). Nothing happened in 94, but his 2^nd daughter was born in 97. In 2000 he was given his knighthood by the Confraria do Vinho do Porto.”

Showroom of the Rota do Vinho do Porto.
05/06/04. The organization of the Rota do Vinho do Porto will set up a “showroom” in a former railway premises nearby the station in Peso da Régua. In this establishment information will be provided about quintas, tasting rooms and gastronomy and traditional local products like wines, olive oil, honey, dried fruit and applied art will be sold. A small auditorium will also be completed for concerts and a film on the Douro. The rebuilding and design will be ready at the end of 2005.
(Source: Jornal de Notícias of 19/04/04.) 

Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintages.
05/06/04. Dana Nigro announces at Wine Spectator Online that Taylor’s will release a limited edition of boxes with Quinta de Vargellas Vintages 1995, 1997 and 2000. These wines come from a parcel of its old vines. Only 100 of these sets will be available in the USA and they will be priced at U$ 712.00.
More on this special offer can be found at www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/News/0,1145,2480,00.html 

Looking for a Port from 1973.
05/06/04. One of our Dutch readers is diligently looking for a Port from 1973. He is sure that he has seen one during a visit to Lisbon. Of course we know from literature that 1973 was a bad year, but a Colheita from that year has to be possible. Who can help us? Please mail to ipw@infoportwine.com 

A new life for the Rabelos.
05/06/04. The Rabelos, the traditional boats for the transport of Port casks, have started a new life. In 2003 11 motorized Rabelos transported some 50,000 tourists. The capacity of the boats varies from 20 to 120 people. The average speed is 20 kilometres an hour. A trip from Oporto to Peso da Régua takes about 6 hours. Meanwhile work is also being done on more quiet engines for these boats. A Rabelo with 20 seats will soon start with trips between Pinhão and Távora.
(Source: Jornal de Notícias of 17/04/04.)

Annual Port tasting of Roy Hersh.
05/06/04. The American Port specialist Roy Hersh organized his 11^th annual Port tasting in April. He was running out of themes, but a close friend suggested trying wines from every major declared Vintage Port from the last 6 decades.
Hersh has again written an infectious report with good tasting notes of the following Vintages:
-         Cockburn’s 1983.
-         Dow’s 1970 and 1980.
-         Fonseca 1985 and 1994.
-         Graham’s 1963.
-         Niepoort 1997.
-         Quinta do Vesuvio 2000.
-         Sandeman 1955 and 1966.
-         Taylor’s 1977.
The article can be found at www.wineloverspage.com/port/6decades.phtml 

Link of the months May and June 2004.
02/05/04. In May and June 2 mega-events will be organized in Portugal.
From May 28^th to June 6^th the original Brazilian pop festival Rock in Rio will be held in Lisbon. 600,000 visitors are expected.
From June 12^th to July 4^th the European Football Championship (Euro 2004) will take place. Over 1 million visitors are expected.
Both events will draw many foreigners. We want to draw the attention of these visitors to the pleasures of the Port industry. That’s why we have chosen www.cavesvinhodoporto.com as our website of the months May and June.
This website has been created and is managed by the AEVP, the organization of large shippers. The site offers addresses of and information on all companies which can be visited in Vila Nova de Gaia (on the south bank of the Douro opposite Oporto) and in addition a clear map and reservation possibilities.
Besides we want to draw attention to the Solares do Vinho do Porto, the exclusive pubs of the IVDP in Lisbon, Oporto and Peso da Régua and to the possibility of a trip (for example by train) to the Port region east of Oporto. More information can be found in our article Files/Round trip.

Symington launches 6 Vintages 2002.
05/06/04. The Symington Family concern has launched 6 Vintages 2002, but none are of its main brands and not even one of Quinta do Vesuvio.
In October 2002 Charles Symington already wrote:
“Some very good Single Quinta Ports were made considering it was not an easy harvest due to the rain.
“Everthing indicated that we were building up to what might be a classic year: low yields, a little hydric stress, grapes in near perfect condition, and mild weather conditions for balanced ripening.
“The harvest started with the grapes looking exceptional. A little rain fell on the 7^th and 8^th of September but not sufficient to cause alarm. However on the 15^th the weather broke and we endured heavy showers through to the 21^st September, after which the weather improved for a week. Here again we had a good opportunity to pick in good conditions.
“The early made wines, which thankfully are from the best vineyards, escaped the damage done by the rain. However towards the end of the month it was clear that the weather was taking the edge off what could have been a really excellent vintage.
“The vintage was average to small in size, the low lying vineyards having normal yields, the higher lying areas had below average production, primarily due to the frost in early April.”
The 6 produced Vintages 2002 are:
-         Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim.
-         Dow’s Q. da Senhora da Ribeira.
-         Graham’s Malvedos.
-         Warre’s Q. da Cavadinha.
-         Q. de Roriz.
-         Smith Woodhouse Madalena.
More information can be found under 2002 at: www.thevintageportsite.com 

Various tourist news items. 05/06/04.

1. The Port industry will advertise on the outside of trains from the fifties. Apart from the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) the following companies participate in the project: Quinta and Vineyard Bottlers/Taylor’s, Poças Júnior, Sogrape/Ferreira/Offley/Sandeman, Barros, Cockburn’s and Caves Santa Marta. The train consists of 4 to 8 carriages with a capacity of 200 to 400 people. It will run mainly on the Douro line, but can also service other lines in Portugal and even Spain.
2. The Portuguese council of ministers has approved the puchase of a premises of  Real Companhia Velha in Peso da Régua on behalf of the Museu do Douro. The purchase price amounts to about 1.7 million Euros. The 1^st phase of the rebuilding will be inaugurated between the end of 2006 and halfway 2007.
3. Since the inauguration of the Museu do Vinho do Porto in Oporto on January 15^th, 2004, around 6,000 people have visited the museum. Most visitors came from Oporto.
4. Douro Azul has ordered the construction of an 11^th cruiseship for the Douro. The Douro Queen will put into service in May 2007 and will have 65 cabines for 130 passengers. She will have a crew of 30.

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2004.
05/06/04. During the 10th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles from April 15th – 17th the following medals were awarded to Port.
Gold medals:
-         Rozès LBV 1995 Unfiltered.
-         C. da Silva Dalva 30 Years Old Tawny.
Silver medals:
-         Companhia Comercial Vinhos Dona Dantas White.
-         Arlindo da Costa Pinto e Cruz Quinta da Canelha Ruby.
-         Andresen LBV 1998.
-         Gran Cruz LBV 1992.
-         Romariz LBV 1998.
-         Vallegre Vista Alegre LBV 1997.
-         Burmester/Gilberts G-Porto 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Caves Santa Marta 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Osborne 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Rozès Infanta Isabel 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Andresen Royal Choice 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         Ferreira Duque de Bragança 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         Gran Cruz 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         Ferreira Colheita(?) 1982.

Revista de Vinhos no. 174 May 2004.
05/06/04. The May issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine.
Casa dos Lagares: Fernando Melo describes in his article the tourist activities of Casa dos Lagares that are admitted in the separate company “1000 Paladares” by this quinta. The program encloses cooking courses, lunches, excursions, concerts and cultural activities.
More about this can be found at: www.casadoslagares.pt  and www.1000paladares.com.pt 
Quinta do Vallado: João Paulo Martins announces in an article about the first Port products this quinta markets under its own name. They are the Tawny 10 Years Old, which gets 17 points, and the Tawny 20 Years Old, which is rated with 18 points, both on a score chart of 0 to 20.
The company will also launch LBV’s and Vintages in the near future.
The website www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt  where these articles can normally be found is undergoing a complete restyling at the moment. The site will again be available at the end of June.   

Infoportwine sponsored by the IVDP.
02/05/04. We are very pleased to be able to announce that the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) has decided to sponsor our website www.infoportwine.com 
The IVDP is the Portuguese government institution that regulates almost all important matters for the Douro region. This encloses the viniculture, the wine production and the wine promotion. Until November 26^th , 2003 this applied only to Port, from then on the IVDP was responsible for the Douro table wines too.
Infoportwine.com started on July 28^th , 2001. The site brings news and information mainly on the end product Port Wine and the Port Wine tourism. The news section is updated every first weekend of the month. Apart from the News page the site contains a News archives, a Link page and a file with six articles (What’s Port?; To store or not to store?; To serve, to drink and to combine; Types; Library and Round trip).

Wine Spectator’s 2003 Top 100.
02/05/04. The editors of the American magazine Wine Spectator have compiled a Top 100 from the over 12,000 in 2003 newly released wines which they judged. They applied 3 criterions for it: a high score on the 100 points scale, large production and value pricing.
On the list you find 2 Ports, both of the Symington Family:
-         Ninth: Graham’s Vintage 2000, 98 points, U$ 80.00.
-         Sixteenth: Smith Woodhouse Vintage 2000, 95 points, U$ 52.00.

New IVDP logo.
02/05/04. A definitive choice has been made of the logo of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto. It differs essentially from the design that we published with our News item of 06/12/03.


Wine Masters Challenge – Estoril, Portugal.
02/05/04. During the 6^th “Concurso Mundial de Vinhos” from March 26^th  - 28^th  many medals were awarded to Port Wine.
Gold medals went to:
-         Osborne LBV 1999.
-         Cálem Vintage 1999.
-         Quintado Sairrão Ribiao Vintage 2000.
-         Vallegre Vista Allegre Vintage 2001.
The silver, bronze and “recommended wine” medals can be found at www.winemasters.pt/results.htm   

Roy Hersh: Newsletter and Fladgate tasting.
02/05/04. The newsletter For the Love of Port by Roy Hersh went off to a flying start.
He is overwelmed by the great response and the large number of requests to be put on his mailing list. Meanwhile the 2^nd issue was published on April 12^th. Its contents are promising.The free newsletter can be requested at PortLover@aol.com

Hersh has again published an extensive report of a special Port tasting. It concerns wines all of The Fladgate Partnership (Taylor’s, Fonseca, Croft, Delaforce):
-    Croft LBV 1997.
-         Taylor LBV 1999. 
-         Delaforce Colheita 1986.
-         Delaforce Curious and Ancient 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         Fonseca 20 Years Old Tawny.
-         12 Vintages from 1977 to 2001 of the main brands as well as Single Quinta wines.
The article can be found at www.wineloverspage.com/port/fladgate.phtml 

Link of the months May and June 2004.
02/05/04. In May and June 2 mega-events will be organized in Portugal.
From May 28^th to June 6^th the original Brazilian pop festival Rock in Rio will be held in Lisbon. 600,000 visitors are expected.
From June 12^th to July 4^th the European Football Championship (Euro 2004) will take place. Over 1 million visitors are expected.
Both events will draw many foreigners. We want to draw the attention of these visitors to the pleasures of the Port industry. That’s why we have chosen www.cavesvinhodoporto.com as our website of the months May and June.
This website has been created and is managed by the AEVP, the organization of large shippers. The site offers addresses of and information on all companies which can be visited in Vila Nova de Gaia (on the south bank of the Douro opposite Oporto) and in addition a clear map and reservation possibilities.
Besides we want to draw attention to the Solares do Vinho do Porto, the exclusive pubs of the IVDP in Lisbon, Oporto and Peso da Régua and to the possibility of a trip (for example by train) to the Port region east of Oporto. More information can be found in our article Files/Round trip.

Vinitaly 2004 – Verona, Italy.
02/05/04. In the wine competition of the 38^th Vinitaly from April 1^st - 5^th Port did not win any medal. However, there were granted 4 “Gran Menzione” awards:
-         Cálem Fine Ruby Old Friends.
-         Romariz LBV 1998.
-         Cálem 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Quinta do Estanho Vintage 2000.

Revista de Vinhos no. 173 April 2004.
02/05/04. The April issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:
New products:
Judgement by the editorial staff. Score chart of 0 to 20.
-         Lemos & van Zeller Quinta Vale Dona Maria LBV 1999  17 points.
-         Wiese & Krohn – Krohn 30 Years Old Tawny  18 points.
Castelinho Vinhos, S.A.:
João Paulo Martins reviews in an article the company of Manuel Saraiva. An important part of this firm is Quinta de S. Domingos in Peso da Régua, one of the largest tourist centres of the Port industry. Ten tasting notes with judgements between 15 and 18.5 points have been printed along the article.
Vintages at Sotheby’s:
Luís Lopes gives an extensive survey of assessments and selling prices at the London auction house Sotheby’s.
The oldest is a Warre’s from 1908 which went for 414 Euros.
The most expensive is a Quinta do Noval Nacional from 1963 which sold for over 1.500 Euros.
But there are also a Taylor’s from 1977 for 66 Euros and a Warre’s from 1977 for 37 Euros.
More on this information can be found at www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt  

Taylor’s Vintage 1977: How you should not do it.
03/04/04. Sue Courtney (New Zealand) has described excellently, with the important contribution of Roy Hersh (USA), how to handle the Taylor’s Vintage 1977 in the article “Appreciating a great bottle of Vintage Port”. The well written and instructive article can be found at: www.wineoftheweek.com/stories/0402port.html 

News from the Casa do Douro.
03/04/04. After considerable time there is finally positive news about the Casa do Douro, the governmental institute particularly occupied with the register of vineyards and the organization of information on the smaller producers and the cooperatives.

1. March 6^th was the start of sales of 1 million bottles Colheitas 1963 and 1964 out of the huge stocks of the CdoD. Only residents of the Região Demarcada do Douro or natives of this region are allowed to purchase these 2 extraordinary wines.The Colheita 1963 costs 40 Euros, and the 1964 costs 35 Euros. Meanwhile the first series of 35,000 numbered bottles has already been sold.
2. The impounding by the Portuguese tax authorities of the main office and the 2 warehouses of the CdoD has been cancelled.
3. The current president of the CdoD Manuel António dos Santos will continue his work. He won the elections for this position with 63 votes to 60 votes for his opponent Dr.Luciano Vilhena. Dos Santos will start on his 3^rd period.

(See also our News items of  06/09/03, 01/11/03 and 07/02/04).

Vinalies Internationales 2004 Paris.
03/04/04. During the Vinalies Internationales which was organized by the Oenologues de France from February 12^th - 16^th the following awards were granted to Port:

Gold medal:
-         Poças Reserva.
-         Gran Cruz Special Reserve.
-         Rozès LBV 1997 Unfiltered.
-         Poças Colheita 1988.
-         Rozès Vintage 2000.

Silver medal:
-         Gran Cruz Tawny.
-         Poças Quinta de Santa Barbara LBV 1999.
-         Rozès LBV 1995 Unfiltered.
-         São Pedro das Águias LBV 1997.
-         Gran Cruz Tawny 10 Years Old.
-         Vista Alegre Vintage 2001.

Port versus its Australian counterpart.
03/04/04. Jancis Robinson has reported a tasting of 6 Ports and their Australian counterparts in The Financial Times.
She says: “In fact the Portuguese need not have worried. It was immediately obvious which wine was which in each of the pairs – although the older the wines, the less marked the difference. And it was usually, but not always, the case that the ‘proper’ Port was the superior of the pair.”
The article can be found at www.jancisrobinson.com/winenews/2004/winenews0320.html 

Link of the month April 2004.
03/04/04. For this month we have chosen www.baraodevilar.com 
Barão de Vilar is a small producer. Their website has been attractively designed. The contents of the site are brief. However, that which is most important is represented extensively: their products.And that is really the point. For many large companies this could serve as a good example. The site is available in English and Portuguese.

Sales figures 2003.
03/04/04. The volume of export in 2003, compared to 2002, has decreased by 0.3% as figures of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto show. The revenue has even decreased by 3.8% to 412 million Euros. The average price per litre decreased by 3.5% to 4.40 Euros.

The division in different types was as follows:
-         Tawny 42.4%.
-         Ruby 26.8%.
-         White 12.6%.
-         Incorporated in food 0.9%.
-         Special Categories 17.3% of which:
. Reserve Ruby 35.2%.
. Reserve Tawny 5%.
. Crusted 0.2%.
. LBV 26.6%.
. Tawny 10 Years Old 20.6%.
.     ,,      20    ,,        ,,   3%.
.     ,,      30    ,,        ,,   0.3%.
.     ,,      40    ,,        ,,   0.2%.
. Colheita 2.3%.
. Vintage 6.6%.

The part of the Special Categories has increased for the 2^nd year in succession, in 2003 from 16.9% to 17.3%.

The countries with the largest market share in volume were:

1. France 28.8%; - 3.4%.
2. The Netherlands 16.7%; - 1%.
3. Portugal 13.9%; - 8.3%.
4. UK 11.5%; + 14%.
5. Belgium 10.7%; + 12.4%.
6. Germany 3.6%; - 2.1%.
7. USA 3.5%; - 9.4%.
8. Canada 3%; + 10.1%.

The top 8 in Euros were:

1. France 13.1%; - 4.9%.
2. Portugal 15.6%; - 9.5%.
3. UK 13.9%; + 7.4%.
4. The Netherlands 12.8%; - 4.9%.
5. Belgium 9.2%; + 11.1%.
6. USA 6.8%; - 27.4%.
7. Canada 5.7%; + 13%.
8. Germany 3.1%; - 4.3%.

Essência do Vinho/Taylor’s parallel tasting.
03/04/04. During the 1^st Essência do Vinho 2004 in Oporto 3 awards have been granted to the Port industry:
-         Best producer became: Real Companhia Velha.
-         Best Port became: Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas Vintage 2001.
-         The award for merit and excellence went to Engineer Bento Amaral, head of the tasting jury of the IVDP. 

About the parallel tasting of Quinta Vintages Taylor’s wrote us:
“The tasting was a big succes and was fully booked with 70 extremely interested attendees.
The duets tasting enclosed the Vintages 1986, 1987, 1995, 1996 and 2001 of Q. de Vargellas and Q. de Terra Feita. David Guimaraens put in evidence the remarkable evolution of the wines from Terra Feita, since the 80’s until today, as a result of the significant achievements made on the viticultural side. Such that today Terra Feita and Vargellas meet in quality yet are different in style. Vargellas is an austere vintage, showing the Douro Superior tannins and Terra Feita is a fruitier and rounder Vintage that puts in evidence the Pinhão valley tannins.” 

Bacchus Awards in Madrid.
03/04/04. During the 6^th Bacchus International Wine Competition from February 28^th to March 2^nd in Madrid the following awards were granted to Port:

Golden Bacchus:
-         C. da Silva Dalva LBV 2000.
-         A.A. Ferreira Tawny 10 Years Old.
-         C. da Silva Dalva Tawny 30 Years Old.
-         Martinez Quinta da Eira Velha Vintage 2000.
-         Poças Pousada Vintage 2001.

Silver Bacchus:
-         Adega Cooperativa de Alijo Tawny (lot of 5 years old).
-         Poças Pousada LBV 1998.
-         Adega Cooperativa de Alijo Tawny Encostas Douradas 10 Years Old.
-         Poças Pousada Tawny 10 Years Old.
-         Rozès Infanta Isabel Tawny 10 years Old.
-         Quinta do Estanho Vintage 1996.

Bronze Bacchus:
- Ramos Pinto Q. de Ervamoira Tawny 10 Years Old.

Revista de Vinhos nr. 172 March 2004.
03/04/04. The March issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:
New products:
Judgement by the editorial staff. Score chart of 0 to 20. 
-         Quinta de Ventozelo LBV 1999 16.5 points.
-         Barros Colheita 1995 17 points.
-         Quinta de Ventozelo Tawny 10 Years Old 17 points.
-         Quinta de Ventozelo Tawny 20 Years Old 17 points.
-         Barros Tawny 20 Years Old 17.5 points.
Interview Jorge Monteiro:
João Paulo Martins and Luís Lopez have interviewed Jorge Monteiro, the re-elected president of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP).
Tasting of Vintages 1991 and 1992:
The tasting panel has judged 19 Vintages 1991 and 12 Vintages 1992.
The Vintages of Delaforce, Osborne and Taylor’s were the best, each with 19 points.
At the bottom of the list we find the Vintage 1992 of Gran Cruz with 15.5 points.
More on this information can be found at www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt  

Quinta do Grifo purchased by SPR Vinhos.
13/03/04. SPR Vinhos, of the brands Rozès and São Pedro das Águias, has purchased Quinta do Grifo from the Ribeiro da Silva family (former owners of the Quintas do Cardo and da Vinipal).
SPR Vinhos is part of the French multinational Vranken-Monopole (Luis Vuitton Moet Hennessy-LVMH Champagnes).
The purchase price of Q. do Grifo has not been announced by SPR Vinhos. The quinta is situated in the Douro Superior (see Files/What’s Port?) and is 42 hectares in size of which 8 hectares under vine in class A. For starters SPR Vinhos will plant an extra 5.5 hectares of vines. Another extra planting of 12.5 hectares has been planned at the Quintas da Camaneira and da Veiga Redonda.
(Source: Diário Económico of 03/02/04).

Exceptional Quinta do Noval Vintage tasting.
13/03/04. The USA Port guru Roy Hersh has published an extensive report of an exceptional Quinta do Noval Vintage tasting on the WineLoversPage of Robin Garr. Hoyt Hill and Tom Black organized the tasting, participated by a selected, serious group of Portlovers, in Nashville, Tennessee. 
The tasting enclosed 22 Vintages including the Q. do Noval Nacional 1963, the Q. do Noval 1931 and the extremely rare Q. do Noval Nacional 1931.
Roy Hersh has again written an excellent report with a great deal of information and good tasting notes.
The article can be found at: www.wineloverspage.com/port/nacional.phtml  

Revista de Vinhos: the “Best of the Year 2003”.
13/03/04. The editors of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos has published their choice of the “Best of the Year 2003” in no. 171 of February 2004. The following awards were given to the Port industry:
-         Producer of the Year: Quinta do Crasto.
-         Company of the Year (fortified wines): Q. do Noval.
-         Mister wine of the Year: Manuel Poças Pintão.
-         Award of Excellence: Barros Very Old Dry White (on average 50 years old, the oldest from 1924) and Cálem 40 Years Old Tawny.
-         Best from the Port region awards were given to 16 Ports.
-         Best Buys awards went to 24 Ports.
The total information can be found at: www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt   

Roy Hersh starts Port newsletter.
13/03/04. On March 4^th the American Portlover and promotor Roy Hersh has started a free newsletter entitled “For The Love Of Port”. The letter has a pleasant design. As an exception attention  will also be paid to Madeira. The letter will be published irregularly.
Hersh writes: ”I have studied the history of Port and take pride in having tasted many great Vintage Ports going back to 1830. My Port library consists of over 60 Port books and I have read almost every single one of them.”
Hersh’s newsletter can be requested at PortoLover@aol.com  

Link of the month March 2004.
13/03/04. For this month we have chosen www.caves-stamarta.pt 
Caves Santa Marta is the name of the brand and the sales organization of Adega Cooperativa de Santa Marta de Penaguião, one of the largest cooperatives in Portugal and maybe the most prominent. The company produces 12 to 13 million litres wine annually, equally divided between Port and table wine.
Caves Santa Marta was the first cooperative that ever marketed a Vintage, the Vintage 1998.
The website of Caves Santa Marta is still only available in Portuguese. The site is a bit slow because of an intermediate page on which the choice menu is not yet available in the same way as on the Homepage.
The colours and the typefaces of the site are pleasant, the general information is good, but the product information is limited to a list of types.
The site just started with an excellent three-montly News bulletin.

Good article about Tawnies in the Washington Post.
13/03/04. In the Washington Post of February 11^th , Michael Franz has published a good, enthusiastic and extensive article about Tawnies. He starts with: ”They say that nothing in this world is perfect, but aged Tawny Port can really make you wonder.”
The article can be found at: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28258-2004Feb10.html  

Links page: changes in March 2004. 13/03/04.
1. The address of Bordeaux Central, the huge wine portal, has been changed.
2. We have added the following sites to Port Links:
-         www.quintadojavali.com 
-         www.theportloverslibrary.com   The site of bibliophilic publisher Isaac Oelgart (under construction)
-         www.osborne.es 
-         www.vintage-charts.co.uk  Vintages from 1847 to 2000 with quality rankings and storage advices.

Port Museum in Oporto.
13/03/04. On January 15^th the municipality of Oporto has, in a former customs building, opened the Museu do Vinho do Porto. Aim of the museum is the portrayal of the importance of the Port Wine for the city and the Port region. The economic developments, the archaeological discoveries in the city, the Port region and the Rabelo ships have been revealed on several panels. The museum is a part of the Museu da Cidade (city museum).
The adress of the Museu do Vinho do Porto is Rua de Monchique 45-52 (the continuation of the Rua Nova de Alfândega). The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11.00 to 19.00. The entrance is 0.75 Euro.

Revista de Vinhos no. 171, February 2004.
13/03/04. Apart from the “Best of the Year 2003” (see above) the February issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:
New products :
Judgement by the editorial staff.  Score chart of 0 to 20.
-         Barros LBV 1998/2004  16.5 points.
-         Kopke Colheita 1975  18 points.
Website Q. do Estanho:
António Falcão reviews in an illustrated article the new website of Quinta do Estanho.
Interview with David Guimaraens:
João Afonso interviews top man David Guimaraens of Taylor’s, Fonseca, Croft and Delaforce in an extensive article. A great deal of attention is given to the biological viniculture. Guimaraens answers to the last question: “We would like to increase our Special Categories (Vintage, LBV, Aged Tawnies) to over 25% in the near future.”
More about this information can be found at  www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt  

Graham’s Trophy Contest in Amsterdam.
07/02/04. On January 7^th the 4^th Graham’s Trophy Contest was organized during the wine specialist fair Wine Professional in Amsterdam. The fair was organized by the Wine & Food Association / Proefkrant / Proefschrift. The contest was organized by Verbunt Wijnkopers in Tilburg, the distributor of Graham’s in The Netherlands, together with Euan Mackay, manager Europe of The Symington Family Group (Dow’s, Warre’s, Graham’s, Q. do Vesuvio, etc.).
Participation at the first 3 versions of the Graham’s Trophy Contest was open for everybody. In this much more difficult 4^th version only professionals active in the wine trade or the catering industry could partake. Euan Mackay had the following to say about it: “As a producer we focus our  promotion completely on sommeliers, wine trade and education. We hope that they will focus on the consumers.” 
Mackay also wants to organize this contest in other European countries. He says: ”We need to develop a great deal of knowledge in the market for Port in general.” He hopes the winners can and want to act as Port ambassadors in their country for a year.

The qualifying round of this contest consisted of a list of questions that the candidates could fill in at home. Twenty-two forms were asked for of which 15 were returned. Winner of the qualifying round was Ruud Göebel with 17 points out of a maximum of 18. He received, just like all part winners, a Graham’s Magnum Vintage 1977 in an oak box.
The best 10 of the qualifying round were entered into the semifinal in the morning. One of the candidates opted out at the last moment.

The 1^st task in the semifinal was a blind tasting with the following 8 wines:
-         Dow’s 10 Years Old Tawny.
-         Graham’s Malvedos Vintage 1995.
-         Dow’s Reserve.
-         Kopke Colheita 1990.
-         Graham’s Ruby.
-         Graham’s LBV 1997.
-         Graham’s 20 Year Old Tawny.
-         Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage 2001.
The time available was 30 minutes.
When we entered the small room again after some time it smelled like a winery during an excellent Port harvest.
Dennis Boudestein scored best here with 19 points out of a maximum of 32.

The 2^nd task in the semifinal was to make a character description of Graham’s Crusted Port bottled in 1999. This description had to be subdivided in: colour, smell, taste, details and final description. The time available was 20 minutes. Here Maartje Koning (1977!) won with 32.5 points out of a maximum of 50. The jury consisted of field journalists and sommeliers.

The organizers had taken as a basis that a minimum 3 and a maximum of 6 participants could enter the final. After analyses of the halfway score they settled on 5 finalists.

The 1^st task in the final that afternoon was to determine the blend of a 20 Year Old Tawny of Graham’s. Given was that the wine had been made with 9, 13, 20, and 29 years old Port. The time available was 20 minutes. The task was done best by Maartje Koning and Dirk Vanhorenbeeck with the maximum score of 25 both. The Vintage 1977 went to Dirk Vanhorenbeeck. The real blend of this 20 Years Old was 10% of the 9 years old and 30% of the 13, 20 and 29 years old Port each.

The final task of the whole contest was to chose the best wine/food combinations. The time available was 30 minutes. A jury of again field journalists and sommeliers before made their own selection of the best combinations with the following Graham’s Ports:
-         20 Years Old Tawny: 1. dates 10 points, 2. raisins 5 points; but also an ultimate combination with goose livre and caviar.
-         10 Years Old Tawny: 1. walnuts 10 points, 2. nuts in general 5 points.
-         Reserve: 1. raisins 10 points, 2. currants and dark chocolate (70%) 5 points each.
-         LBV: 1. Bio Bleu Belge, white biological blue cheese 10 points, 2. Shrobshire blue, yellow English blue cheese 5 points.
-         Six grapes: 1. dark chocolate (70%), 2. raisins 5 points.
-         Crusted: 1. Shrobshire blue, yellow English blue cheese 10 points, Bio Bleu Belge, white biological blue cheese 5 points.
Ronald Wortel won this round with 40 points out of a maximum of 90.

The final results were as follows:

1. Maartje Koning 111.5 points.
2. Ronald Wortel 109.5 points.
3. Ruud Göebel 97.5 points.
4. Martin Wolvers 87 points.
5. Dirk Vanhorenbeeck 86 points.

The winner and only woman amongst the candidates works in liquor store Van Dongen in Utrecht. She was rewarded with the Graham’s Trophy 2004 and a 4-day trip to the Douro region.

Unique parallel tasting Taylor’s Quinta Vintages.
07/02/04. On February 20^th , 21^st and 22^nd Taylor’s will organize an unique tasting named Essência do Vinho – Porto 2004 in the Palácio de Bolsa in Oporto. The company calls itself the first to declare a Single Quinta Vintage (see also Files/Types 1f).
The tasting, with comments by winemaker David Guimareans, contains 6 duets. The first 5 concern the Vintages 2001, 1996, 1995, 1987 and 1986 of Quinta de Terra Feita (Vale de Pinhão, Cima Corgo) and of Q. de Vargellas (Douro Superior) (see Files/What’s Port). Guimaraens wants to express by this the own “terroir” of each quinta.
The 6^th duet concerns 2 giants: the Taylor’s Vintage 2000 and the Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage 2000, result of the very light yield  of the oldest vines at this quinta.

Link of the month February 2004.
07/02/04. For this month we have chosen www.burmesterporto.com 
Burmester, together with Gilbert’s, is part of the Amorim/Natureza group. This site makes a slightly gloomy impression because of the dark colours and the black-and-white photographs. The chosen typeface is rather small, but the offered information is excellent.
The portal page with also the 3 other websites of the group is still annoying (see also our News item of 04/10/03). This page often appears unasked on the screen, also for example when you want to change languages. This should be handled in a better way.

Column about Reserves/Vintage Characters in The Detroit News.
07/02/04. Frank Sutherland has dedicated his column in The Detroit News of 20/01/04 to Reserves/Vintage Characters. He gives general information and, together with his tasting group, tasting notes of the Ferreira Reserve, the Ramos Pinto Collector, the Cockburn’s Special Reserve, the Taylor Fladgate First Special Reserve and the Sandeman Founders Reserve.
The article can be found at:
http://info.detnews.com/wine/columns/sutherland/details.cfm?=182 

Wine tourist centre in Santa Marta de Penaguião.
07/02/04. Caves Santa Marta of Adega Cooperativa de Santa Marta de Penaguião will create a wine tourist centre in this village. To that purpose it has purchased Armazém 23 of the Casa do Douro. The old distilling installations and storage tanks from the early 20^th century are totally renovated and on exhibit. Next to it the management of the cooperative has asked its members to put items related to viniculture and wine production at her disposal.
A tasting pub will also be arranged in the centre. In addition temporary theme exhibitions will be organized, depending greatly on the cooperation of the Museu do Douro.
Caves Santa Marta wants to take the centre into use before the next spring.

TAP gives discount in Solares do Vinho do Porto.
07/02/04. The Portuguese airline company TAP and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto have agreed on a 15% discount arrangement for the 3 Solares do Vinho do Porto (see Round trip 2). The discount offer stands from January to June 2004 and contains drinks and food and the new Port glass designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira (see our News item of 20/04/02). The discount is supplied on presentation of the boarding pass or the ticket receipt.

Fake Ports in 4 countries.
07/02/04. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) has traced several fake Ports:

1. In Poland a product from Moldavia is marketed with the name “Vinorum Prometeu Type Port Wein”.
2. In Turkey the product “Porto Kirmizi Sek Sarao” has been found.
3. In Peru the products “Oporto del Abuelo” and “Oporto El Fraile” are sold.

All 4 countries are bound by treaties that forbid these products. The IVDP and the Ministry of Foreign Trade have commenced action.

Links page: changes in February 2004. 07/02/04. 
1. The addresses of Vranken and Croise Europe have been changed.
2. We have added www.mardevinho.com.br to Port links. It is the site of the Brazilian professor and wine writer Marcelo Copello. With Port class "Todo Vinho Seria Porto Se Pudesse".
3. We have added the following sites to General (wine) links:
- www.decanter.com The famous English wine magazine.
- www.thegoodwebguide.co.uk/chan_wine/wwwreviews.php3? The printed and online guide to the best sites on internet (wine and many other subjects, 20 or so books).

Stock sales Casa do Douro at an impasse.
07/02/04. The plans of the CdoD to sell 1 million bottles of the 1963 and 1964 harvests itself are in a deadlock (see our News item of 06/09/03). President Manuel António Santos of the CdoD accuses the government of creating bureaucratic difficulties.
(Source: Jornal de Notícias of 04/01/04).

Definitive growth numbers river tourism.
07/02/04. In 2003 the number of passengers on the cruise ships on the Douro totalled 167,983. This is an increase of  23.5% compared to 135,983 passengers in the year 2002. Because of the September 11^th effect in 2001 only 81,300 people were transported, whilst in 2000 the number of passengers stood at 123,512.
The numbers of 1998 (about 70,000) and 1994 (about 7,400) show how fast the growth has developed over the long term.
All these numbers are excluding the approximately 250,000 tourist who make short, non-stop boat trips.
Peso da Régua was visited most with 70,155 passengers, followed by Vila Nova de Gaia with 58,872, Pinhão with 35,556 and Bitetos with 12,538 visitors of cruise ships.
(Sources: PúblicOnline of 16/01/04 and Jornal de Notícias of 25/01/04.)

Revista de Vinhos no. 170 January 2004.
07/02/04. The only Port news in the January issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos concerns 3 new products. The editorial staff has judged them by means of a score chart of 0-20.
-         Quinta do Javali 10 Years Old Tawny 16 points.
-         Kopke LBV 1997 16.5 points.
-         Magalhães Vintage 2000 17.5 points.
We hope that you will be able to find the total information at www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt as the December issue is not published there.

Sogrape: Port strategy.
03/01/04. Salvador Guedes, vice president of Sogrape, has unfold the following strategy for the company in his interview:
"Sogrape will focus on 2 strong names: Mateus and Sandeman. Sandeman will become the most important Port brand. That’s why Offley will be used as a tactical brand by which we will protect Sandeman against the competition. Ferreira will remain a national brand."
Guedes makes this statement in an very extensive article by Inês C. Direito in Revista Exame of 18/12/03 on the group of 7 largest Portuguese wine producers. The other 6 are: Aveleda, José Maria de Fonseca, Finagra, Caves AlianVa, Caves Messias and J.P. Vinhos. With 150 million Euros the trade of Sogrape is at any rate larger than the 105 million Euros of the other 6 together.
In the same article the plan is launched to create a table wine with the denomination “Portugal”.

Richard Mayson: Port In A Storm.
03/01/04. Today we have published a review of Port In A Storm by Richard Mayson. This magnificent bibliophilic publication is well written and has an  excellent content. Mayson describes the viniculture, the Port production and the Port trade in the surrounding (political) world between 1945 and 2000. For more sie: Files/Library.

President IVDP: continuity.
03/01/04. After some bickering between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Casa do Douro and the AEVP (organization of large shippers) Jorge Monteiro has nevertheless been nominated for the position of president of the new Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto. Up to November 26^th, 2003  Jorge Monteiro was president of the predecessor of the IVDP, the Instituto do Vinho do Porto (IVP).

Link of the month January 2004.
03/01/04. For this month we have chosen www.quintadotedo.com 
This quinta of 14 class A hectares is owned by Vincent Bouchard and his wife Katie Pratt in California. As far as we know it is the only quinta owned by Americans. Vincent Bouchard is a descendant of an old Burgundian winegrowers family.
This website is of magnificent design, especially for a small company, with pleasant colours and typefaces. The divulged information is excellent. The item on the plans for and the progress of the renovation of the quinta deserves special attention (see News & Reviews).

The Port Lover’s Library of Isaac Oelgart.
03/01/04. Oelgart’s interest in Port Wine goes back about 30 years. He has been collecting Port related items for about 15 years and started some 7 years ago with the Port Lover’s Library in order to publish items on Port (see our News item of 06/12/03, supplemented on 03/01/04).
Isaac Oelgart was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1948. He has been married to his wife Lynn for 30 years. They have 2 sons, Ben and Jake.
His Port related collection includes labels, glasses and decanters with shipper logos, cork screws with logos, all  manner of advertising, wine bookplates, old bottles and many, many books. He keeps his stuff in “The Port Room”, which is in reality a small museum, rather than a shrine.
In the past the PLL has taken up about 5% of his time and energy. It has been as much as a small labour of love as it has been a business. The PLL has helped him build a very fine collection as most of the proceeds have gone into buying Port items. Lately he has been developing a business plan and testing various aspects of that plan to see if he could make his avocation an occupation. He is pleased to say that the result of these various tests have been very encouraging. He is now looking for financial support to produce trade books and a journal.
In 1963, Oelgart began working in a book center on Long Island after school, where his passion for rare and unusual books started. In 1966, after finishing high school, he went on the road as a book scout. In 1970, Oelgart settled in New England, where he continued to scout books. In 1973, he joined Frank Reynolds and together they operated Reynolds & Oelgart in Newburyport, MA, a shop for used and rare books. In 1975, Oelgart established his own business: Isaac Oelgart – Rare and Scholarly Books. His interest in book making flourished and expanded to papermaking, marbling, bookbinding and printing. He studied the science and art of bibliography and in 1976 he published his first book: Falconry and Hawking Treatise in The English Language 1575-1975. It was a small work and it served to fuel his interest in  bibliography. 
In 1983 Oelgart published the first book under his own imprint. He conceived and produced A Book of Small Flies as a miniature book, page size 2 7/8 x 2 1/4 inches. The book contains 5 essays of the top American writers on fly-fishing. It was published in an edition strictly limited to 60 copies at U$ 750.00 each and was the most expensive miniature book in 500 years. It was an immediate success, selling out within 2 months with no paid advertising. The book attracted the attention of The Lenin State Library in Russia, with a large collection of miniature books to trade. Oelgart passed up the opportunity as he was unable to read Russian and not really being a miniature book collector as such. In retrospect he regrets this. As far as he knows 5 copies of his book have changed hands since 1983. In December 2002 a copy was sold in San Francisco for U$ 5,000.00 all in . 

Sabrosa: another tourist project.
03/01/04. After the tourist projects in Vila Nova de Foz Côa and Mesão Frio (see our news item of 06/12/03) a 3^rd project in Sabrosa have now been announced. The project covers an area of 100 hectares. The budget is 20 million Euros. Planned are: a 18 holes golf course, a hotel and a resort with houses for tourists. (Source: Jornal de Notícias of 14/12/03).

Links page : additions in January 2004.
03/01/04. We have added to Port links: 
-   www.quinta-casa-amarela.com  Quinta da Casa Amarela.
-         www.quinta-do-cotto.pt   Quinta do Côtto of the Champalimaud family.
-         www.martinez.pt  of Allied Domecq.
-         http://portsparadise.blogspot.com  with daily unofficial news in Portuguese.
-         http://roseiraricou.e-mercatura.net  of Roseira & Ricou.
-         www.adegavilaflor.com  of Adega Cooperativa de Vila Flor, CRL.
The website of Hotel Régua Douro is again accessible but now with the extension pt instead of com.

Growth train tourism in the Douro region.
03/01/04. Between May and October of this year the CP (the Portuguese railway company) has transported 108,500 passengers with historical and tourist trains on the Douro line and the Corgo line. This is an increase of 40% compared to 2002.
Of this total amount 9,600 passengers were transported by steam trains with carriages and locomotives from the period between 1908 and 1934, an increase of 86% compared to 2002. These historical trains started running in 1999. In that year 877 passengers were transported.
The CP attributes all this growth to the registration of the Douro region to World Heritage by the Unesco in 2001. The railway company expects a growth in number of passengers to 850,000 in 2010/ 2012. (Source: PublicOnline of 30/11/03).

Revista de Vinhos no. 169 December 2003.
03/01/04. The December issue of the Portuguese magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:
New products:
Judgement by the editorial staff. Score chart of  0-20.
-         Romariz 10 Years Old Tawny 16 points.
-         Roseira & Ricou Rol Roi Reserva 17 points.
-         Cálem 40 Years Old Tawny 19 points.
-         Wiese & Krohn Krohn LBV 1999 17 points.
-         PoVas Director’s Choice Reserve Tawny 16 points.
-         Gran Cruz LBV 1999 16.5 points.
C.da Silva:
João Afonso says in his article on this producer: ”small, modest but efficient, frequently surprising our tasting panels with permanent quality in almost all Port categories with as highlight a Vintage 2000 that reached to an excellent level”.
Fourteen tasting notes with judgements between 16 and 19 points have been printed along with the article. Eye-catching are the Porto Reserve 1934 with 18 points and the Golden White 1952 with 18.5 points.
Lígia Marques - Sogrape:
João Paulo Martins and João Afonso have interviewed Lígia Marques who takes care of public relations at Sogrape. They call her Lady Sogrape (the company of the brands Ferreira, Forrester/Offley and Sandeman) (see also Sogrape: Port strategy).
PoVas gift box:
In an article by Luís Lopez a gift box is launched with 2 table wines and 4 Ports. They are judged as follows:
-         Douro Reserva Branco 2002  16 points.
-         Douro Reserva Tinto 2001  17 points.
-         Colheita 1990  17 points.
-         LBV 1998  17 points.
-         Vintage 2001  17.5 points.
-         Quinta de Santa Bárbara Vintage 2001  17.5 points.
Rozés special bottle 40 Years Old:
Rozés has marketed, in a small lot, a special 1 litre bottle of a 40 Years Old Tawny of the brand Dom Rozés. Each bottle is sealed by hand and completed with the brand logo.
More information on this can be found at: www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt

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