Good book on Port wine

"Joel R Anderson" wrote in news:45c413fe$0$8983$ snipped-for-privacy@roadrunner.com:

Not a book, but I believe Roy Hersh has been considered to be one of the great authorities on port:

d.

2004 will be a declared vintage, and likely a good one. Dunno about 2005, but I wouldn't bet against it. I'll also second De's recommendation of Roy Hersh as an authority.

Mark Lipton

I've got three recs. an they are listed in MY order of importance:

"Vintage Port," James Suckling, Wine Spectator Press, ISBN 0-918076-80-3

"Port," George Robertson, Father & Father, ISBN N-0-571-16542-7

T"he Port Companion," Godfery Spence, Macmillan, ISBN 0-02-861781-9

Also, almost anything by Michael Broadbent - sorry but I do not have any handy to give you the title and ISBN.

Hunt

Joel R Anderson wrote:

You could do worse than: The Port Companion Authors Spence G

Are you a wine lover who thinks that LBV is an all-girl pop trio--and that tawny and ruby are its lead vocalists? If so, you might just want to check out The Port Companion by Godfrey Spence, former London wine retailer and current lecturer for the trade's Wine & Spirit Education Trust. In this handsome, full-color guide packed with history, tasting notes, maps, and entries on over 300 venerable port houses (including addresses and phone numbers), Spence just as colorfully shows you a region whose grapes are still crushed by foot, and where the Olde School British shippers still pass the decanter to the left at the weekly Factory House luncheons. It's subtitled A Connoisseur's Guide, and by the time you've finished, you'll be able to talk porto as if you were to the quinta born. Every pertinent port fact is here: England's 1678 trade embargo against France, sending traders scrambling for a French wine substitute; the fraudulent wine adulteration using elderberry juice--prompting the sanctioned destruction of every elderberry tree in northern Portugal; the "report card" letter grade (A through F) assigned to every vineyard. You'll learn that port is a classic wine that permits over 48 grape types--both red and white--in its blend, approves of 20, desires 5, yet is tolerant of over 120. And they're all grown in an area where the topsoil is rarely more than four inches thick and dynamite frequently must be used to plant the vines. The Port Companion is a concise reference suitable for both novice and connoisseur. --Tony Mason From the creators of the tremendously successful Cigar Companion (with over 100,000 copies sold), this next guide in the series covers everything one needs to know about the worlds port. From the history of the beverage to the step-by-step process of making the wine, this beautifully illustrated companion to port also provides details on where to buy it and tips on storage, serving, and decanting. A directory of all the major port houses allows the reader to fully appreciate and understand the differences among them.Perfect for the port connoisseur, Port makes a delightful holiday gift!Godfrey Spence is the coauthor of Exploring Wines and Spirits. A lecturer at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Spence resides in the UK.

pk

(Godfey is a friend of mine)

^^ ^^

That probably should read "Faber & Faber".

Thus said, it's probably the best introduction to Port I know of.

M.

You are correct. Obviously too much Port, while typing. Thanks.

Hunt

[SNIP some great insight]

Gee, I thought that LBV was the moniker for an all-guy rock band and the name was taken from the UK "unemployment" form...

Thanks for the notes and the humo[u]r. I agree completely with the critique.

I also noticed that my " marks were about as poorly placed as my reference to the publisher, Farber & Farber. Note to self - sober up, before attempting to use the keyboard!

Hunt

That was UB40! More white reggae than rock!

"The band is named from the paper form issued by the UK government's Department of Health and Social Security at the time of the band's formation for claiming unemployment benefit (UB40 = Unemployment Benefit, Form 40)."

"Their first album was titled "Signing Off," as the band were signing off from or closing their claim on the unemployment benefit."

And in case anyone worries about straying off topic, their most famous track is:

"Red Red Wine" is a song originally written by Neil Diamond that was then covered by Tony Tribe and more famously by UB40 in later years. In the song, the singer finds drinking wine is the only way to forget a lost love.

Red, red wine, it's up to you All I can do, I've done, but mem'ries won't go

pk

Ah yes, UB40. Thanks for bringing the "wine" aspect back into the thread! Now it's off to find something that will fit "LBV," besides Late Bottled Vintage... Last Bottle [of] Value?

Hunt