I tasted my first glass of Port when I was a student in college in Washington, DC. I was an English Major studying 19th Century British Romantic Poets, many of whom seemed to love their Port. I figured if it was good enough for men like Coleridge and Wordsworth, then maybe I should give it a try.
In 2004, I was still a novice Port drinker, and my quest to finally learn more about Port led me to a local Seattle-area Port Journalist, Roy Hersh. Roy had a fledgling email newsletter called For The Love Of Port, and he offered to teach me more about Port if I would advise him on a building a website. We soon had formed a partnership, and I developed and launched his website, www.fortheloveofport.com, which has grown into one of the largest online Port Wine communities on the Internet. I take special pride in helping to grow the FTLOP online community, and my knowledge of Port continued to grow with every tasting and conversation on the site’s forum.
In 2006, I took my first trip to Portugal as part of Roy’s For The Love Of Port Harvest Tour. Visiting Porto and the beautiful Douro Valley vineyards was inspiring, as well as meeting so many wonderful people in the Port Wine trade – many who remain life-long friends. I continue to travel to Portugal most years to visit the vineyards, taste the wines, and see old friends.
In June 2016, For The Love Of Port was inducted into the Porto-based Confraria do Vinho do Porto (Port Wine Brotherhood), whose mission is to promote the reputation of Port Wine around the world. The site was the first “non-human” inducted into the Brotherhood, recognition of it’s dedication to wine education, community building, and promotion of Port Wine.
In October of 2016 I was also inducted into the Confraria as a Cavaleiro (Knight) for my work in building For The Love Of Port and its online community of Port Lovers. It was a tremendous honor, and accelerated my interest in, and passion for, Port Wine.
I created and started delivering Port Wine Education Classes, and remained active in developing and participating in online forums, Port tasting events, and Port tasting groups.
A series of conversations with the Chancellor of the Confraria on one of my trips to Portugal led to my involvement in leading a six month effort to revitalize the Confraria website and member communications.
In April 2021, I travelled to Porto to earn my Certified Port Educator credential through the IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto, the regulatory body for Douro and Port Wines). This four-day, selection-only certification combined education, blind tastings, blending, field visits, and an exam.
In June 2021, I was back in Porto for promotion in the Confraria do Vinho do Porto to the rank of Fidalgo Cavaliero (Noble Knight) for my continued promotion of Port and support for the Confraria. This was a brand new rank in the organization focused on individuals who remain active in promoting the reputation of Port wine, and I was honored to be the very first individual bestowed with this rank.
I am a founding member of the Washington-State-based Sammamish Port Club, and continue to deliver Port Wine Classes.
While my love for Port and the Douro Valley is apparent, I also have a deep love and appreciation for other types of wine and wine regions. I earned my Certified Specialist of Wine credentials through the Society of Wine Educators, broadening my knowledge of wines and wine regions from around the world.