No, this is not about us, but about an extraordinary tasting on the final day of the IMW Symposium in Wiesbaden. Eight decades of wine history were discussed and tasted: over 70 year old Tawny Port from Taylor’s (especially bottled for the symposium); 1955 Gonzalez Byass Oloroso Sherry (also the year of the inauguration of the IMW); 1964 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Auslese (a year in which the yields were so high, they had to use the outdoor swimming pool for some of the grapes); 1977 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon en magnum (this was the estate in California which won the Judgement of Paris in 1976); 1983 Tinganello from Antinori (in extremely heavy 3 litre bottles which needed to be decanted to be able to be poured to the 500 delegates); 1998 Vat Nr 1 Semillon from the larger-than-life Bruce Tyrell (thankfully for the MW prep team, under screwcap); 2004 Zuccardi Q Malbec (at a time when the Zuccardis were still using some oak rather than the current ubiquitous concrete) and finally 2014 Gusbourne Prestige 51N sparkling (definitely the future for English viticulture). A unique and historic tasting which I was proud to organise.
