Tuesday September 17th, 2013

Cleveland Park Beer, Liquor & Wine Featuring a wide, international selection of fine wines, micro-brews and spirits

GREAT CHANCE TO COME TOGETHER here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits as the cool weather and rain of today are the perfect foil for us all to get together here ...   THAT'S FROM a store email I wrote and posted 2 years ago on September 20th, 2011. Seems like a lifetime ago. How things have changed. I posted this email on our Facebook page for you all to read and to see how things have evolved since then : always good to have some perspective on our lives.      I WANT TO GIVE A GREAT BIG " Shout-Out / Let's Make Some Noise " For Our LOCAL LEGEND in the spirits business here in Washington D.C. : to LINDA FERGUSON that worked at Forman Brothers distributors that became National, that later became National-Republic where she is now and retires at the end of this month. Everyone that has ever done any spirits business with these three distributors over the years knows that Linda Ferguson has been like the mother, the savior, THE ONE that made many things happen, many deals complete, many orders ship and arrive in one piece and as intended  - on so many instances that no one can count them. I know this first-hand because I worked at Forman Brothers back in 1995-1997 and she was the glue of the operation, the face of the company, the kind and gentle and professional person in the link that never lost her temper, never despaired, worked and worked until it happened if at all humanely possible.   I THANK YOU LINDA for all of us. We will miss you, you will be sorely missed. Come by sometime with your lovely daughter and say : hello ". You are always welcome. You helped us all a lot here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits over the years. Thanks! You are a rare gift to us all, you are a wonderful person.   I WAS DEVASTATED YESTERDAY with the news that my wife brought home to me about the senseless killing and loss of lives at the Naval Yard here right in our backyard. That was then compounded by watching the early evening news with the flooding in Colorado. Later I saw footage in Mexico, too. As my friend said to me : " I'm overwhelmed. " Me, too. I was touched to see a woman helping in Colorado in one of the neighborhood's of Denver where people could still drive to helping out.   SHE SAID THAT she had been surprised by all the help that was given her during Hurricane Sandy on the Jersey shore, and this was her way to try and pay back that generosity shown her. The comments that I heard in that footage from those there in Denver was that they could not believe others would help as they did. So positive, so assuring.   I HEARD ALL THIS LATE YESTERDAY as I had been out trimming and cutting away all the exuberant and lively growth from plants and shrubs, bushes, flowers and trees : from all the lush and tangled masses of butterfly bush, green shrubs with no name that I know, to holly bushes and trees, ornamental and invasive grasses, Crepe Myrtle bushes, and more. Oh, the Virginia creeper and the other not-so-desirable creepers were thick in the butterfly bushes and the overgrown azaleas!   THERE, IN THE THICK of these bushes and vines I felt like I was in Brazil's Amazon with a machete hacking away at everything to find the light and blaze a trail! I did enjoy this and have all my scratches and bruises to show as badges of this valiant effort that I have undertaken this year, It's all paying off slowly. Glad to be in the thick of things like this.   AS I TOLD MY WIFE over the dinner I grilled outside for us I knew that working hard like this in our yard grounded me and kept me younger : and certainly attached and involved with life : may I say : real life?!?   I ALSO FELT very much in the thick of things here in Cleveland Park as many of us met at the Cleveland Park Library on Thursday night to discuss the four proposals of what to do , or keep the same, about our strip out front of parking spaces on our access road. Tempers, emotions, voices and facial expressions were all intense and flared and it was an intense meeting with strong opinions from everyone for about two-and-a-half hour period. Everyone has an opinion, many expressed parts of them, it was quite emotional.   WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK about the space that is a block-long here in front of our stores : our access road : should it stay the same or be changed? I did see a number of our customers there. People did show up for this meeting, people do care. I was pleased to have been there for this.   I WANT TO WELCOME Anna and Adam from Australia to our neighborhood. They were here this weekend shopping with two of their Aussie friends. Anna is pregnant she and I spoke quite a bit about the current wine market here for Aussie wines. It was nice for me to meet them and to have a chance to hear what they say? They are concerned as sales have been sluggish from what they hear because of YELLOW TAIL they believe? I said I thought it was more because of big companies like FOSTERS that had made the change, especially considering the strong Aussie dollar and the weak American dollar?   ANYWAY, we are delighted to be keeping the wines of Australia alive-and-well here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. We just added some and that feels so good. Come by and buy some Aussie wines the next time you need a bottle. I spoke of WEST CAPE HOWE ( go to :www.westcapehowewines.com.au  for more infor mation ), VINACEOUS, HAY SHED HILL, LONGVIEW, HUGH HAMILTON, DOMAINE TERLATO & CHAPOUTIER, and more : ALL alive and selling here!   BUT WHAT'S SANTOS GOT BREWING FOR US in ALE, BEER & CIDER ?! :        1) " Weiss Principal " Ale from the PEAK Organic Brewing Company, an Imperial German-Style Hefe-Weisse Wheat Ale ( On Special for $6.99 a 1 Pt. 6 Fl. Oz bottle, 8.6% alcohol by volume, USDA Organic, go to : www.peakbrewing.com, Portland, ME ) :  " Double IPA meets HEFE-WEISS -  Weiss Principal is the international love child of a Hefe-Weisse and an American Double IPA. This unfiltered wheat beer employs a traditional German Weiss yeast, providing engaging banana and clove flavors. ... "        2) " Tart Of Darkness " Sour Stout Aged In Oak Barrels By Famille Rue THE BRUERY 2013 edition , unfiltered , bottle-conditioned ( $21.99, 750ml bottle, 7% alcohol by volume, Orange County, Placentia,  CA. Go to : www.TheBruery.com for more info ) : " Tart of Darkness is suitable for aging up to three years when cellared properly. Best stored and cellared around 55F. Ideal serving temperature is 50F. Please pour carefully, leaving the yeast sediment behind in the bottle. ...  With a toasty aroma and a tart finish, this sour black ale is a contortion of style and flavor, creating an unexpected delight. "        3) Orange Shandy Limited Release from LEINENKUGELS Brewing Company - Five generations of family brewing history ( On Special for $9.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, 12 Fl. Oz bottles, 4.2% alcohol by volume, The pride of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin since 1867, go to :www.leinie.com for more info ) : perfect for this beautiful weather here now. Enjoy!        4) Premium Pils , a Belgium original, from ESTAMINET ( On Special for $10.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, since 1797, produced, brewed and bottled by Palm Breweries NV/SA, Steenhuffel, Belgium. Go to : www.palmbreweries.com for more info ) : fun and exciting and great packaging, too! Black, gold, red and white : makes me want to rip the enclosed 6-pack shiny box open and have a beer right now! Can you resist this when you see it ? I do not think so. Cheers.        5) " Long Strange Triple " Belgium-style ale, bottle-conditioned, from the BOULEVARD BREWING CO. . " the Smokestack Series " ( On Special for $11.99 a 4-pack of 1ounce bottles, 9.2% alcohol by volume , Kansas City, Missouri ) : " Well, the first days are the hardest days, says master mechanic Trip Hogue, one of our first employees. We gratefully dedicate this rich, golden Triple ton all those that keep on playing in the band . " As Jerry Garcia sang : " What a long, strange trip it's been ... "           CIDER :        1) Sidre Brut Tendre from France and from Eric Bordelet ( $13.99, 5% alcohol by volume, Sidre demi-sec, go to :www.ericbordelet.com for more info ) : this blew Michel, Danielle, Santos and me away : it's wonderful, so rich, so dense, so filling, so apple-fleshy and lingering and INVITING! AMAZING apple flavors here : a MUST-TRY for all of you.     HEY RAVI! What You Have In Liqueur / Liquor For Us This Week?             LIQUEUR :        1) Premium Limoncello Lemon Liqueur " Giola Luisa " from Sorento, Italy ( $24.99 a 750ml bottle, 30% alcohol by volume, go to : www.golimoncello.com for more information ) :  THIS is PERFECT for today as it is so beautiful outside and we can all enjoy some limoncello from Sorento, Italy where it originated! What a treat for this beautiful weather of ours today.            LIQUOR :        1) Unblended AMERICAN Whiskey Small Batch from MICHTER'S . Est. 1753 ( $46.99 a 750ml bottle, 41% alcohol by volume, from Bardstown, Kentucky ) : " We are proud to offer you our unblended Small Batch American Whiskey. In the Michter's tradition hailing from one of America's first distilleries, this whisky is made from highest quality American grains and matured to the peak of perfection in bourbon-soaked white oak barrels. It is then further mellowed by our signature filtration . " TRY SOME - what quality, later tonight, as things cool down and it's quite brisk outside : this will warm and cheer and steer you nicely as you prepare to call it a day and catch some zzz's...        2) " Tierras " TEQUILA Autenticas de Jalisco, ANEJO Hecho en Mexico, 100% Agave ( $39.99 a 750ml bottle, 40% alcohol by volume , Mexico ) : " ANEJO is a small batch Tequila made from carefully selected Blue Agave , grown on the Authentic Lands of Jalisco from where it obtains it's richness. Aged in oak barrels for more than a year, it is processed in the traditional way and bottled at " La Autentica " Distillery located in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. " I LOVED IT, loved them all, so smooth, so fine, no burn, no bite, SUBLIME and also organic, too. WHAT A TREAT.        3) AMERICAN Dry Gin from SMALL'S, Premium Extra Fancy ( $34.99, 43% alcohol by volume, 100% neutral grain spirits, Sheridan, Oregon, go to : www.localwinespirits.com for more info )  : " An Oregon spirit handmade in small-pot still batches using naturally farmed and wild-grown botanicals. Intensely aromatic from a complex infusion of juniper, orange, lemon, coriander, cardamon, angelica, caraway, start anise and raspberry. SMALL'S gin brings together a combination of recipes from the 19th century with obsessive distillation techniques and it's finest regional ingredients. .. "        4) Sloe Gin from PLYMOUTH ( On Special for $38.99 a 750ml bottle, go to : www.plymouthgin.com for more information ) : " A truly traditional English Sloe Gin , made to a recipe we first used in 1883, It's intensity and richness is the result of using high strength Plymouth gin which extracts the maximum flavour from the Sloe berries. " WINES From Michel & Tony :             WHITES:        2 Exciting Pinot Grigio Wines :        1) Pinot Grigio delle Venezie , 2012 from ZENATO , $11.99, 12.5% alcohol by volume, the current wines have that " bit extra pizzas " and acidity to energize-polarize them and make them very bright and very refreshing!        2) Pinot Grigio Unoaked 2012 from di LENARDO Vineyards , established 1878, Friuli, Italy ( $13.99, 12.5% alcohol by volume, Gonars, Italy ; go to : www.dilenardo.it for more information ) : there's a fullness, a passion , a pleasure, an instant-contact with your palate when this Pinot Grigio of owner Max touches it : unmistakable, so immediate, so overall pleasurable! Bravo Max!             OTHER WHITES :        1) Chardonnay - 234 , a 2012 Somontano from ENATE ( $15.99, 14% alcohol by volume, from Vinedos y Crianzas A.A.S.A., Salas Bajas, Spain, 100% Chardonnay ) : this flavor, balance, taste profile really impressed both Michel and myself. We are very pleased to have this current vintage of 2012 here once again. Cheers.      2) Viognier 2012 from CHARMUYO Estate in La Rioja, Argentina ( On Special for $9.99 a bottle - regularly $13.99 a bottle, ) : Fernando Valenti that poured this for you all this past Saturday ... it was a big success for those planning a meal that's flavorful and needs a dry white to stand up to bold flavors.   THERE'S A DISTINCT beginning taste here that's bold of sun-drenched nuts and a splash of vanilla, and then a touch of toast and a touch of tartness-even an accent of bitterness that will cut many flavors. It's bold, for an equally bold meal - something grilled, some eggplant, some Portobello mushrooms even before turning to the reds that they make, like the Reserva Tannat that we sell here for $19.99?   ONE OF OUR GOOD customers Andrea said of the Tannat Reserva from CHANARMUYO Estate that it would be great, as she's a vegetarian , with grilled tofu, grilled eggplant and grilled mushrooms like Portobello! Buy a bottle of each and start cooking and testing the two wines with these various flavors.        3) 2011 Riesling VQA Niagara Penninsula from CAVE SPRING CELLARS ( $16.99 a bottle, 11.5% alcohol by volume, Jordan, Ontario, Canada : go to : www.cavesspring.ca for more info ) : this past Friday when John Morrison poured it for everyone the comment was always something like : " Wow,  and ... I don't usually like Riesling, but I like this . "   WE SOLD MOST of it as it is showing so well : has some fruit but not too much for most. SOME DID NOT WANT any of the Riesling fruit, others wanted more of the Petrol-nose that the Riesling develops with more age : many found it perfect as it was! Thanks owner Tom, you make fine Rieslings, you and your Italian winemaker. Bravo.      4) Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from YORKVILLE CELLARS. made with organic grapes ( $18.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume, from Mendocino, CA. Go to : www.Yorkville Cellars.com for more info ) : Estate grown, from the Randle Hill Vineyard, this wine has a bit more weight and depth that you might expect. It's a really fine food wine as the dryness and the weight will make you start thinking about some food to accompany it.      JOHN MORRISON also poured this on Friday night and, again everyone loved it. We still have a few bottles here, some in the cold box. What a good wine this would be to start sipping outside before you move inside to your meal on this drop-dead gorgeous afternoon here now!             ROSE :        1) Petit Rose 2012 from Germany's WEINGUT FRIEDRICH BECKER in the Pfalz, dry, flavorful, $19.99, 11.5% alcohol by volume , from Schweigen , a qualitatswein ) : made from a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Portuguiser, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Dornfelder.   " IT SHOWS NICE FRUIT, lingering freshness, good balance and a mouthwatering acidity which makes this a great wine to enjoy on it's own or with a wide variety of dishes. "        2) Lagrein dry rose , made from the indigenous Lagrein grape variety, DOC, from KELLEREI CANTINA ANDRIAN, $18.99, 13% alcohol by volume ( from Italy's Alto Adige region in Terlano , go to :www.cantina-andriano.com for more info ) :    DARKER, DEEPER COLOR, this has a lot of weigh and flavor and again is best with a meal. Perfect in these evenings as it get cooler outside as the sun moves further away from us and eventually disappears from sight. The flavors here longer for a long time and stay with you until the sun returns, of course! Real flavor, real excitement here. Cheers.             REDS :        1) Monica , an indigenous dry red grape variety from Sardinia, from PALA, $18.99, 14% alcohol by volume, this 2011 really impressed Michel and myself. For more information on it go to :www.pala.it.        LOVED the toasty cherry, roasted berry flavors that are fruit-forward, medium-to-light-bodied, engaging and fun and make your palate follow along as not to miss anything! This is a really nice, special wine from Sardinia : a " new " taste sensation for you all, nice just to sip for awhile before the meal comes along. Great when you grill. Chill it slightly up to 30 minutes. PERFECT for today and this weather! FUN!        2) Cannanau Di Sardegna is another name for the Grenache grape. This 2012 from BRUNO ZANATTA, $16.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume, near Olbia, made from 100% Cannanau, it will remind you of a good southern French Rhone with it's own flavor twist and surprise. We loved it and ordered it immediately. It's a great food wine, and great now as things begin to cool down some. It will buttress and fortify you and your home, and you will be happy to be getting to know it and it's specific Sardinian character. Cheers!     WEEKLY WEDNESDAY : SALE :        - MARSALA,      - MADEIRA,      - PORT,      - SAKE,      - SHERRY and      - NON-SPARKLING Wine       : a   3-Part  SALE Of The Above :        1) BUY ANY Bottle at $20 or more of the above categories and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices.      2) BUY Six Or More bottles of these same categories listed above and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices.      3) BUY Twelve or More bottles of these same categories and SAVE 20% OFF on the marked sticker prices.        MIX THEM UP, have some fun, experiment, test yourselves and your palates and see what you like and can discover. Have fun! It's still an Indian summer and the weather is still beautiful so SAVE BIG HERE every Wednesday @ Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits.   IF YOU CANNOT COME respond to this email or call Michel Dumas or me ( Tony Quinn ) here at : 202-363-4265. Pay on Wednesday's and SAVE BIG !! Cheers.     WEEKEND TASTINGS :        Friday, September 20th, 2013 : we had a last-minute cancellation and so are now trying to get someone here. We have a couple of people we have contacted so we will let you know ASAP. For updates go to our Facebook page at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits , or call here and ask to speak to Michel or to me, Tony. Sorry. This just happened unexpectedly.        Saturday, September 21st, 2013 : we have Regis of Roanoke Imports here to pour some of his great selections from Italy ( Sicily with the Inzolia white and the Frappato dry red : BOTH from the VALLE DELL'ACATE vineyard pretty much assured ), the West Coast ) Gamay and Pinot reds, some white blends ), France ( the dry white blend " Selection Guibert " vin de pays de l'Herault, 2009 from the PONT DE GASSAC ( $16.99, 13% alcohol, I LOVE this dry white blend, so delicious, so pleasing to sip all by itself, go to :www.daumas-gassac.com for more info ) and more. We have to decide tomorrow. If you need to know call us at : 202-363-4265. Again, I will add the names of the wines, their web pages, and our notes later on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. Cheers.     FREE TASTINGS HERE, everyone always welcome. I AM SURE I HAVE FORGOTTEN MANY THINGS but it's time to send this email to you all early for a change! LIKE us on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits, and FOLLOW US on Twitter at : cpwinespirits and also wineenabler. Cheers, thanks for everything.   COME BY, Stop In, Say HELLO, chat for a spell. let's share stories and cry on each others' shoulders for the senseless shooting and lose of lives at the Naval Yard yesterday and all the water devastation in Colorado and in Mexico. Horrible.     TONY

Let's Get Australia Back On Track Here Now Like It Was Here In September 20th, 2011, We Can Do It! NOW : Tuesday September 17th, 2013 : Cheers, Let's Work Together!

Cleveland Park Wine Cleveland Park Beer, Liquor & Wine
Featuring a wide, international selection of fine wines, micro-brews and
spirits
GREAT CHANCE TO COME TOGETHER here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits as the
cool weather and rain of today are the perfect foil for us all to get together
here and outside the store and work together to accomplish many shared goals
and opportunities. Things seem to be heating up and I had plenty of opportunity
sitting in traffic not far from home this morning to organize many of my
thoughts. Take a gander in outline form :
1) TONIGHT : Giovanni Pasquero-Elia of PAITIN winery in Piemonte, Italy
here Tuesday, Sept. 20th, 2011 from 5-8PM with Regis of Roanoke Imports to
taste his red wines made from the Barbera and Nebbiolo grapes : that means some
Barbera D'Asti and some Barbaresco, too. No charge, join us. What great values
Giovanni's wines offer : classic and traditional and meant to be enjoyed fully
in the context of a meal with family and friends, and what values, too.
2) Weekend Tastings with Regis tasting the RANSOM gin products and Sotiris
tasting more Italian wines with maybe a surprise or two. Both here from 2-6PM.
3) A GAUCHEZCO wine dinner at Chef Geoff's on Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
for you all. I'm waiting on a menu and a price for the dinner and have just
called Mark Congdon my local rep for more info to put here for you at least to
all mark your calendars. UPDATE : Mark just returned my call and the evening
will have two Malbecs served as well as a dry white Torontes and a dry rose as
well. I will have to ask him what grapes are used to make the dry rose?
4) Spoke to owner Richard Gguyen of Nam Viet here about his friend Javier
Perez of the Team Pura Vida that will be running the 36th Annual Marine Corp
Marathon and I need more info to include here? Go to : Javier@teampuravida for
more info and I will add more as soon as I here from Richard.
5) Cleveland Park Day is on Saturday, October 1st, 2011 from 1-5PM and so
I called my local rep Vince Grande that represents both Italian producers of :
MARCHESI Di BAROLO ( in the Piemonte region of Italy ) and CANTINA Di
MONTALCINO in Tuscany ( among other selections, Too I am sure). Anyway, I have
called Vince and asked him to come up with a really SPECIAL wine-tasting for us
from 1-6PM to really make that period wonderful here in the store. Both Santos
and Ravi are also working on things to treat you all to from 1-6PM here at the
same time. Last year we had wine-owner and wine-maker Hugh Hamilton come of his
own winery in the McLaren Vale, of South Australia called HUGH HAMILTON.
6) Make plans already for our next Big-Theme Wine-Tasting : AUSTRALIA : on
Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 from 5:30-8:30PM. This will be fun : we will
include many of our favorite Aussie wineries from LONGVIEW, WEST CAPE HOWE,
VINACEOUS, GIBSON and LOOSE END, HUGH HAMILTON, LOGAN, CULLEN, D'ARENBERG, SHOO
FLY, LEEUIN, PENLEY, INNOCENT BYSTANDER and more. Still working on this of
course. Just getting started and building gradually ...
7) Working with the Cleveland Park Business association of local stores
here to help promote our neighborhood and what we may/can offer you all? I am
signing up to work on the Marketing Committee as that is something that greatly
interests me and that I am good at.
8) I just heard last night that legendary wine-importer Joe Dressner
passed away. He was fighting brain cancer and we have sold selections of his
wines for years. He had been to the store I believe three times, the last time
with owner/wine-maker Eric Texier of TEXIER French Rhone wines before heading
down to their dinner at Lavandou here at the end of our block. Joe, you will be
missed! It's really a big loss for all of us. You have made a huge difference
to the wine world with your selections of wines made in Europe and that respect
both the place, the grapes and of course the land in which the vines and grapes
grow. Someone might not like the wine(s) that you have selected but no one can
dispute the quality : traditional, classic, always popular even today as they
will still be tomorrow and the next. Thanks for all that you have added. I will
order some of your wines for October and celebrate with them and sell them in
testament and in celebration of you and your wine selections. This will be a
fun event. Look forward to more info about all of this.
9) Introducing Ralph Gillotte to the Cleveland Park staff. Ralph's first
day was yesterday and that is a BIG DEAL and we are all thrilled here to have
Ralph on board especially to help me with the wines. Ralph used to be our sales
person from Vinifera Italian wines and he really knows them well. He knows
really great Italian wines, too as Vinifera imports only sells the very best:
period. SO, we will probably have even more emphasis in the future on our
Italian wine selection. I have as yet to learn what Ralph likes along with his
Italian wines? Ralph has had experience in both retail, restaurants and local
country clubs. He's just back from a 2-month trip to Hawaii where he worked two
jobs I believe, one being in a local wine shop there? We will get more
information in the next few days. SO : come by and welcome Ralph to our store.
We think you will like him : great smile.
10) We are very sad to say " bye " to Greg Siebert that worked really hard
here and really made his mark and contribution on our store. I know a number of
our customers really liked working with him. He got another job offer but would
not tell anyone what it was. We wish him well and Greg said in leaving that he
had really enjoyed his experience here and that he wanted to stay in touch and
receive this store email and return for some of our tastings. We will include
more info as we get it. If you are reading this Greg : thanks for everything -
you will be missed. Cheers and good luck.

SO YOU SEE MY DRIVE TO WORK can be fruitful and many ideas and memories come to
mind. I had to make my list here quickly once that I arrived. I probably missed
some things but that's okay. I will add them to my growing list.

BEER / ALE / LAGERS / CIDERS From SANTOS:

1) Cerveza Premium 100% Malt Lager Beer from CUSSQUENA ( On Special for
$7.99 a 6-pack of 12 ounce bottles, made in Peru ) is brewed by Union De
Cervecias Peruvianas Backus Y Johnston S.A.A. Lima, Peru.
2) " Life and Limb " 2  Ale Brewed With Maple Syrup and with Burch syrup
added ( $14.99 a 1 Pt. 9.4 Fl. Oz bottle, 10.2% Alcohol by volume ) is made by
SIERRA NEVADA. For the complete story visit : www.Life-Limb.com. Made by Sam
Calagione and Ken Grossman in Chico, California.
3) " A Sorachi Ace " by BROOKLYN ( On Special for $9.99, 1 Pt., 9.4Fl. Oz
bottle, 7.6% Alcohol by Volume , Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY ) is 100%
bottle-refermented ale. " ... a classic, saison, a cracklingly dry, hoppy
unfiltered golden farmhouse ale ... ".

LIQUOR From Ravi :

1) Armagnac V.S.O.P. 10 years-old ( 10 ans d'age ) from CASTAREDE (
$56.99, 40% alcohol by volume , 47230 Lavardac, France ) is the oldest Armagnac
house founded in 1832. We should do a tasting of this soon.
2) Single Barrel Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey by KNOB CREEK (
$42.99 60% Alcohol by volume, 120 proof ) is " new and exciting ". It's aged
nine years.
3) Pisco estate-distilled producto de Peru from BARSOL ( On Special for
$25.99, 40% alcohol by volume ) is a Primero / Quebranta ( the name of the
indigenous Peruvian grape - it's 100% of the Quebranta grape ) " adheres to the
classic Pisco pot distillation method used for centuries in Peru ".

WINE From Tony & Ralph :

SPARKLING -
1) Non-Vintage Brut/Dry Aussie sparkling wine ( $13.99 ) that reminds me a
whole lot of really nice Italian prosecco. Enjoy!
2) Prosecco of CANALLINO ( $14.99 ) is pretty impressive. Dry, elegant and
so luminously bright!
3) Prosecco of VIGNADORO ( $18.99 ) has got a silky finesse and breed and
refinement that it's pretty amazing and so very agreeable. Lovely!

REDS -

1) Syrah Estate grown and bottles 2007 ( great vintage ) from California's
Santa Ynez Valley and made by ZACA MESA was great over the weekend. I enjoyed a
bottle over Sunday and Monday and I must say that it was quite spectacular,
especially on Sunday night when it was freshest. I loved it, even with the
higher 14.5% alcohol level. It was a really great foil for the cool weather
outside as I grilled on both evenings and prepared dinner for my family. It
sells for $26.99 a bottle and is worth every penny. We still have some so come
and take advantage of this before it is all gone. It's so well-balanced and
smooth : melts and molds and caresses and seduces and cajoles - an overall
grande " please ".
2) Private Reserve 2008 Merlot from Chile's Aconcagua Valley from ALMA De
Chile ( $14.99 ) is a lovely dry red that's medium-bodied and so silky and
bright and the sun shines through the color and catches in it and radiates
warmth and comfort and ultimate joy that's there for the taking and involving
no effort at all. It's perfect for this weather when you get home and want a
dry, smooth, no-edge red to sip. Cheers.

BY THE WAY : Our Chilean Big-Theme Wine-Tasting here this past Wednesday,
Sept. 14th, 2011 from 5:30-8:30PM was a huge success and we had more new faces
and customers and so much excitement and joy that it was palpable. You could
almost touch it. Many came from the Chilean Embassy to be a part of this
three-hour event where the wines showed beautifully and we sold many bottles
and cases of wine on this evening. We also raised money that we sent the next
morning to the Chilean Earthquake relief and you all helped us to do that.
Thanks. Feels good to help others where we can.
MANY OF THOSE WINES ( ALMA De CHILE, IN SITU, FALERNIA, AROMO, DOS PASOS
and VIU MANENT ) are all here from the tasting and can be purchased now if you
were not able to attend. We can tell you all about them. I tasted wines from
Chile from Wednesday through Saturday and we sold much more after the tasting.
It was a week of Chilean wines, of quality and of tremendous value, too. Thanks
Manuel Rojas for helping me to get the ball rolling and for inviting everyone
from the Chilean Embassy to be a part of this special moment.

WHITE -

1) Bordeaux blanc blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon Blanc, this 2010
CHATEAU LA MOULINIERE ( $13.99 ) has become a real favorite of you all. All you
have to do is have a couple of sips and you will understand immediately: what's
not to really like here?!?

Dry ROSE -

1) Shiraz dry rose from South Africa's Stellenbosch region and made by DE
MEYE ( $13.99 ) is very pleasing and rich and full on the palate. Again, hard
to not be drawn to it within the first three sips. Nice with or without a meal.
Beautiful apricot-salmon-strawberry colors that entice. This 2011 is as fresh
as it gets with 13.5% alcohol by volume.

TASTINGS :

FRIDAY, September 23rd, 2011 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Arielle here from Country
Vintners coming to do an Italian wine-tasting of some of Italy's all-time
favorite wines like Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese and maybe even more. Call for
more info as it will all come together by tomorrow at the latest! Cheers!

SATURDAY, September 24th, 2011 ( 2-6PM ) : We have Sotirs Bafitis back
again to do another sweep of Italy and France and perhaps even Greece. I will
have that resolved for you all by tomorrow. So call me at : 202-363-4265 for
any clarification. It will be a European wine-tasting. Regis Sheithauser will
also be here on Saturday at the same time pouring his RANSOM gins from.
IF YOU COME TONIGHT ( 5-8PM ) to meet wine owner/wine-maker Giovanni
Pasquero-Elia of the PAITIN Piemontese Italian house you can ask Regis about
what he will taste here on Saturday.

COME TONIGHT TO MEET GIOVANNI PASQUERO-ELIA of the PAITIN Wines with
Barberas and Nebbiolos, also with Barbarescos, too : all fabulous dry Italian
reds to taste that pair and marry so well with food. Get some bottles signed as
gifts.

I AM SURE THAT I HAVE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING but it's time to send this email
now so that you all have plenty of time to read it at your leisure. Is there
such a thing anymore as leisure?!? Thanks again for all your support. Cheers.
Join us on our web page at : clevelandparkwine.com, also on Facebook at :
Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits, on Twitter at : cpwinespirits and at :
chatwine.blogspot.com. Take care,  TONY

RALPH, glad to have you now on board, welcome.

Please visit our website below for more information, events and specials, and
our calender of wine tastings!

[1]www.clevelandparkwine.com

If you have any orders, suggestions or questions, you may e-mail us at
[2]sales@clevelandparkwine.com or call (202) 363-4265.

References

1. http://www.clevelandparkwine.com/
2. mailto:sales@clevelandparkwine.com

Remember The TATACHILLA Aussie Wines Of The Eighties & Nineties That Were So BIG In Sales Here In Washington D.C.?!? Whatever Happened To Them Anyway?!? Cheers, 8/8/13

Remember the Aussie wine TATACHILLA? It was BIG years ago. I used to have Jay Youmans come of then Rock Creek Wine Merchants come and present the wines to us, with Chris Collins coming sometimes, too. The TATACHILLA wines were a mid-tier line of really tasty " value Aussie " wines in many flavors, tastes and styles. People knew and asked for them frequently. They were advertised frequently, too. SO : why am I thinking of TATACHILLA now so many years later. Jay is now a Master-Of-Wine and gives many classes, some of which I know you have taken. Jay has bought for his classes over the years many wines from Cleveland Park, the hard-to-get-ones. We still talk on the phone. Chris Collins has moved to California and has done well out there in the wholesaler rep business I believe?  A MENTION TATACHILLA because years ago Jay Youmans presented me with a lovely navy-blue-and-white shirt that I am wearing today : and miraculously, it looks MARVELOUS!! Yes, there's my daughter's cat hair on it, that's okay, but the color and the fit and the feel and the comfort all are still there. SO : whatever else survives of the TATACHILLA Aussie wines this shirt given to me as a gift/ as a " thank you " for selling and promoting TATACHILLA wines still survives to remind me of it's story from my involvement, with those that were involved in it's sale. I never did meet anyone from TATACHILLA I do not believe? You never brought anyone buy from the winery did you Jay? Tell us here if you did? That would be nice to hear. I guess my point is that for me the wines were good and worth selling, but it's more than just the wine, it's also the people and the stories behind them that count as well to me. DO ANY OF YOU have any TATACHILLA stories? Share them here if you do. Cheers, Happy Thursday August 8th, 2013.  Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn   here in Cleveland Park neighborhood, a " happenin' place " in Northwest, Washington D.C. 20008  202-363-4265    STOP ON BY anytime!

Anthony Quinn In His Weekly Tuesday Atoe Email For Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits In Northwest, Washington D.C. August 6th, 2013 Talks Of 3 TORBRECK Baross Valley Wines 2003-2004 : Creme De La Creme

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Cleveland Park Ales.Beers,Ciders,Liqueurs,Liquors,Waters& Wines!

FORGET? FORGOTTEN? The Pace Continues at such an intensity that our blinders are all and in place to protect us from being bombarded with too much information that we cannot possibly absorb. SO : Let me share with you a story to start this email.   IT'S ABOUT ELSA, it's a bout one of our customers that we have known for years like so many of you. It's time to put names to so many of your faces. This is the face of Elsa. She's such a wonderful character and I met her years ago here and we always spoke of the VALENTIN BIANCHI " Elsa's Vineyard " dry red Malbec, and sometimes even of the " Elsa's Vineyard dry Chenin Blanc. How many of you know and remember these wines? It goes back awhile, it really does.   WITH MY OWN " Bottle Age " I like to share some perspective, some history, some of the " then " to get to the " now " of today. I hope you do not mind, I hope you enjoy and can use this information as you navigate through the myriad that is today's wine and food scene here in Washington D.C.? ALWAYS please feel free to ask me for any clarification on anything that I write about.   I WOULD LOVE to hear more from you all so that we may all do our jobs better in these difficult times where every sale is important to us from the smallest to the largest. So please do comment , no inquiry or comment from you will not be welcome. As a matter of fact, any comment or inquiry from you today is a reason for celebration as today, so many push the LIKE button , or not, and my constant question when I see that something is LIKED is : " What is ' liked ' about it?!? " . SO : let's celebrate more and share more and please tell us what you LIKE or LIKE-NOT( ! ) about what we are doing or failing to do for you?   BUT BACK TO ELSA, I did not know that this fine, beaming, sparkling-eyed lady's name was Elsa. It would not have mattered, except it is always nice to know a customer's name. It helps break the ice when we can address you all by name and not use the ancient old terms of " Governor " - Herbie used to say that , or " Buddy ", or " Sport ".   I SIMPLY KNEW ELSA and who she was and then I began to know her daughter, too that shops here as well when she is home. Now I am getting to know Elsa's daughter's boyfriend-fiancee as well. It's all one big-glorious family here.   THE " Elsa's Vineyard " Malbec was THE FIRST Argentina Malbec to come here to Washington D.C. Wow, that's something, that's a bit or real history for us all.   BACK THEN " Malbec " WAS NOTHING here in Washington D.C. back in mid-to-late eighties. No one knew of Malbec back then except for the " Black Wines "  of France's Lot region south of Bordeaux where the Malbec was wither used 100% to make these dark and inky wines that required a whole lot of patience and cellaring-time before drinking.   I USED TO HAVE many conversations with my father when we lived in Paris, France back in the early seventies about the " black wines " of Cahors which is both a picturesque town and region as well. We started buying our Cahors at the local Nicolas wine stores and then started to patronize Steven Spurrier's Cave De La Madeleine before the earth-moving-wine-changing-landscape wine-tasting of Steven's back in 1976 when California and French wines were tasted blind.   SO ELSA would always ask me for the " Elsa's Vineyard " Mendoza, Argentina dry value-oriented Malbec that we sold forever for $4.99, them $5.99, then $ 6.99 a bottle : get the picture. It was a great quaffing dry red from Argentina and it sold really well.   ALFREDO BARTHOLOMAUS and NORA FAVELUKES of Billington Imports beat the pavements here and around Washington D.C. and placed and sold well this " value " dry red Malbec, and " value " dry white Chenin Blanc.   " Elsa's Vineyard " was named for the daughter of owner Valentin Bianchi in San Rafael, Mendoza, in the southern part of Mendoza. I was there. I was wined and dined by the Bianchi family and met brothers Roberto and Valentin, their parents, their " other " brother, but I do not remember ever meeting Elsa and that saddens me as I did walk down and photograph her vines named after her.   I TOOK PICTURES with a camera with film in it, not digital. I had rolls of film and I took them to a store to have developed and I was like a giddy child waiting breathlessly for them to be developed so that I could see the pictures I had once taken in both Mendoza and in Buenos Aires, Argentina.   BACK THEN in 1995 Malbec was still relatively unknown. It was the Cabernet Sauvignon that was " king " back then with the NAVARO COREAS " Collecion Privada " that everything was once measured against : always the Cabernet Sauvignon. The whites were relatively unknown back then.   IT TOOK PAUL HOBBS that used to make the wines of SIMI WINERY in California to go to Argentina and to make at CATENA the oaky and buttery marriage in a Chardonnay that made people look to Argentina for more than Cabernet Sauvignon. ALL OF A SUDDEN, besides the BUZZ over the red dry Cabernet Sauvignon there was also tremendous BUZZ over the dry Chardonnay of Nicolas Catena. There was no buzz yet over the Malbec grape. It was still being developed and pretty much in the shadows.   THE BUZZ would also soon come on winemaker/owner Susana Balbo's dry and aromatic and floral Torrontes that we still sell really well today. She was the lonely female Argentina winemaker working alongside many men winemakers : together this group brought Argentina wines to where it is today. According to Susana that spent some time here with us at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits, everyone discouraged her from making her version of a dry , floral white Torrontes, and yet once out it sold fabulously and everyone had to make a similar version and follow in her footsteps!   NOW the BUZZ for the Malbec grape has come along, and it's still very much with us today. So VALENTIN BIANCHI and their " Elsa's Vineyard " Malbec were way ahead of the crowd and deserve to be remembered for blazing the trail, being THE FIRST to introduce their Malbec to us here in the United States back in the mid eighties. Gracias Valentin, gracias Elsa e Elsa, e Alfredo e Nora e todos involved in getting the ball rolling here so many years ago when the wine scene was so very different.   GRACIAS ELSA our good customer for being here last week and tasting with Jim Reeves and taking a picture and posting it on our Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits Facebook page. I have been meaning now for a week to share some of this story and am now finally doing it here in today's Tuesday weekly store email. Thanks for giving me this platform to share some of the history of wine here in Washington D.C. Northwest as I have seen it unfold and grow, brands coming and going, trends appearing and disappearing, brands and grapes becoming discovered and then forgotten over the last thirty-plus years. What a glorious trip it has been.     BUT HEY, IT'S TIME to give Santos and CERVEZA, ALE, BEER and CIDER a chance here now :          1) " Noble Rot " Ale Brewed with Grape Must and with grape must added from DOGFISH HEAD ( On Special for $10.99 a 1 Pt. 9.4Fl. Oz Bottle, 9% alcohol by volume, Milton, Deleware, www.dogfish.com) : " Off-centered ales for off-centered people. We brew this unique, sorta-saison with a little help from our friends at Alexandria Nicole Cellars using botrytis-infected Viognier grape must. This ' noble rot ' magnifies its complexity and long finish. " Cheers.        2) RUBAEUS Pure Raspberry Ale from FOUNDERS Brewing since 1997, Brewed For Us ( $13.99 a 4-pack of 15 IBU'S, 5.7% alcohol by volume, www.FoundersBrewing.com , Grand Rapids, MI. ) : " Malt beverage fermented with raspberries. " Packaging made from 100% post-consumer recycled content brewed and bottled by founders brewing CO. ... Crack it, pour it, love it ...        3) Double Dark Abbey Ale 1128 Phoenix Ardet Nec Consumitur from GRIMBERGEN ( On Special for $14.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, 6.5% alcohol by volume, Belgium ) : " GRIMBERGEN Double is a rich, dark Burgundy ale with a white head. Double has undergone two fermentations which give this ale a chocolaty, toffee taste with a brandy-like finish. "     RAVI: What LIQUOR & LIQUEUR Have You?!?        1) Passion Fruit Triple-Distilled Vodka from SMIRNOFF , No. 21 Recipe ( On Special for $13.99 a 750ml bottle, 70 Proof, distilled from premium grain, USA ) : last week we had lots of requests for Passion Fruit products and we " came to the rescue " with this SMIRNOFF. Come check it out : something must be going on, Passion Fruit must be hot now! What have you all heard? Cheers. It's here for you now. Come check it out.        2) Rum Cream from CRUZAN :  a Rich Cream Liqueur with natural flavors ( $14.99 a 750ml bottle, since 1760 - who remembers that far back? What were you all doing in 1760 in a previous life? Drinking CRUSAN Rum we are sure! This is 15% alcohol by volume, go to :www.cruzanrum.com for more info, Deerfield, Illinois, USA ) : " We combine the finest quality ingredients and rich traditions of master blending to produce our creamy, smooth, and distinctive flavor. Enjoy! "        3)  Single Malt Scotch Whisky of Glendullan, since 1897, THE SINGLETON 12 Year-Old ( $42.99, a 750ml bottle, 40% alcohol by volume, Keith, Banffshire, Scotland ) : " Matured for twelve years, aged in sherry & bourbon casks, ... perfectly balanced, naturally rich and smooth ... from the heart of Speyside, we make it slowly ... in a unique balance of European Sherry Oak and American Bourbon Oak casks ... " Go to : SingletonGlenullan@consumer-care.net for more valuable information.        4) KINKY Liqueur Get Kinky!  ( On Special for $19.99 a 750ml bottle, 17% alcohol by volume, go to : www.kinkyliqueur.com for more info , Princeton, MN ) : Enjoy over ice, with lemon-lime soda or in your favorite kinky cocktail. ... a naughty fusion of super premium vodka distilled 5 times with succulent mango, blood orange liqueur and passion fruit. " Cheers!      WINE From Michel & Tony : So Many!             WHITE :        1)  100% Insolia 1012 indigenous dry white from VALLE DELL'ACATE in Sicily ( $11.99, 12.5% alcohol ) is an absolute delight to drink now in this weather. It's so bright, lively and refreshing and is guaranteed to make you feel pretty good about things, brighter about life and yourself and your present surely, too! WOW!        2) IGP  Dry White Blend , this F Cotes Catalanes 2012 from the DOMAINE FERRIER RIBIERE , $13.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume is showing so well that tomorrow we will have it open for you all to sample and enjoy here after work. Come taste and let's talk about what foods it will complement most. Cheers.        3) Roussanne 2011 indigenous dry French grape variety best-known in France's southern Rhone valley where it is often blended with some Marsanne and even some Grenache Blanc and Clairette and others, too. Here it's from California's southern region San Luis Obispo, from TOLOSA Winery   ( $18.99, 13.2% alcohol by volume, ) and it's bright, crisp, so amazingly lively and bright at fresh and engaging : PERFECT hot-weather white, a treat! Tasted here by us this past Saturday and it sure does show well : what a wonderful liquid conversationalist!        4) 80% Pinot Blanc/ 20% Pinot Gris " Caprice " off-dry white wine from MATELLO and Oregon's Yamhill-Carlton district ( $23.99, 11.8% alcohol by volume , McMinnville, Oregon ) : so smooth and creamy and full and pleasing on the palate. No bite or edge, just a lush magic carpet ride of flavors as you step onto John Kay's Magical Carpet and take flight into the stratosphere of taste and comfort and pleasurable flavor sensations ! Oh, say can you taste all of this?!? Give it a try. As MATELLO writes : " Cricket or Frog / which makes the perfect sound / for a summer night " ... Go to : matellowine.com for more palatable suggestions.        5) HUGL Weine dry Gruner Veltliner from Austria, this 2012 is NOW AVAILABLE in the 750ml size bottle, $9.99 a bottle, 13.5% alcohol by volume : ALWAYS delivers for the money. Cheers.        6) I Basalti  2012 dry white Italian Soave from the CANTINA Di GAMBELLARA using the Gambellara indigenous Veneto grape variety ( $7.99 a 750ml bottle, 11.5% alcohol by volume, go to :www.cantinagambellara.it ) : " Soave Basalti is named for the Basaltic outcropping on which the golden garganega grapes that make this wine are grown. ... using Pergola trellising ... goes best as an aperitif or with fish, salad or chicken dishes." LOVE it, love it's low price, too : bone-chillingly refreshing and DRY!          7) COCOCCIOLA Indigenous dry Italian white from the Abruzzo region, this Terre Di Chieti I.G.T. TERRA VALSE from the CANTINA FRENTANA, 2011, 13% alcohol by volume, was tasted here this last Friday by Scott Calvert of Monument Imports , at $17.99 is an utter delight to enjoy, to feel really good, to be pleased, to be entertained, to be storied ( as in this white tells you it's story as you sip it ), and the flavors AMPLIFY as you continue to let it weave itself in and out of your senses. Cheers. A fine hot weather food wine to be enjoyed thoroughly outside.              ROSE :        1) Chiaretto Classico 2012  Mostly Corvina Grape Dry Rose Blend W/ Molinarra, Negrara and other grapes, too that make fine Bardolino red wines from MARCHESINI  ( $13.99 a bottle, 12% alcohol by volume, from Italy's Veneto region in Bardolino by Lake Garda ) : NOTHING is any nicer for the humidity because it refreshes, cuts through the air and creates a lovely breeze all by itself that serves to move things along around us, and catch us up in it's motion-commotion! LOVELY.      2) Rose MARTINEZ LACUESTA 2012 dry Spanish Rioja ( $10.99, estate bottled, 13% alcohol by volume, a wonderfully rich and pleasing dry Tempranillo blend - a treat, also a very fine value for everyday enjoyment!        3) TROIS AMIS dry rose 2011 from France's Vin De Pays Du Grad ( $8.99, 13% alcohol by volume from Route Des Vins Imports, ) is both an amazing deal as well as an amazing wine. It was still good after two-weeks' being open. And on the first day it was pure sunlight filtered through the grapes just picked -that's how fresh this dry inexpensive rose is! GREAT VALUE.          RED :        1) Sangiovese from Italy's Romagna region, this " Le Vigne Nuove " from DREI DONA , this Forli Rosso ( $13.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume, www.dreidona.it ) is showing really well and when combined with a meal the liquid-music sounds it makes plumb the depths of our soul and settle really nicely in the pits of our guts. The real true experience, one not to be missed. Thanks, grazie Enrico that is the owner, and Regis our local rep for Roanoke Imports.          2) Tempranillo from Spain's Ribera del Duero region from MARQUES DEL CAMPO ( $17.99, 14% alcohol by volume, sustainable viticulture and grape-growing , from Burgos, Spain ) : there is good body and weight here, the wine is still young, best with a meal, don't rush it : needs to be cajoled to reveal more of itself.        3) AR GUENTOTA Old Vine 2009 Malbec from Arentina's Lujan de Cuyo in the Mendoza region, this BELASCO DE BAQUEDANO dry red is made from 103 year-old-vines. Still very young, may be enjoyed now but it will continue grow magically and spiritually into it's next five-to-ten-to-fifteen years of life. No need to rush this. Made at 3.346 feet above sea level and aged for 12 months in French oak barrels :  " Ar GUENTOTA means " Cuyo's soul " in the language of the Huarpe Indians , the first inhabitants of Mendoza river valley's Cuyo region. It was the spirit of those people, who with great respect, effort and persistence, achieved an alliance with the dessert to create the oasis that thrives today." Wow, this is impressive, this is wonderful, this is special indeed. BUY, store away, wait patiently, respect this wine, let it grow and develop slowly.        4) Petite Sirah 2010 Barrel Select from Napa Valley, $37.99 a bottle, 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.elysewinery.com ) : big and full-flavored, dusty-earthy dry, needs to age more, best with food, a real treat for us to discover here as so many of you are in love with the Petite Sirah grape, and this is a nice one to buy and to lay away if you can and drink in another 3-7 years! Get some now!               THREE From TORBRECK , Barossa Valley, Australia:        1) 2004 " Descendant " , $105.99 a bottle, 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.torbeck.com , by David Powell ), 92% Shiraz, 8% Viognier ), gown & made by TORBRECK Vintners, Roennfeldt Road, Marananga, S.A. Cheers.      2) 2003 " The Factor " Shiraz , $106.99, 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.torbreck.com.      3) " RunRig " 2003, $203.99, 14.5% alcohol by volume,  95% Shiraz, 5% Viognier.     WEDNESDAY 3-Part Sake, Port, Madeira, Marsala, Sherry, Still-Wine/Non-Sparkling Wine SALE :        1) Buy any wine above for $20 or More a bottle and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker price, whether on sale already or not.      2) BUY any 6 or more of these , solid or mixed of existing store inventory and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices.         3) BUY any 12 or more bottles of these categories listed above and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices.        Call Michel or Tony if you need assistance at : 202-363-4265. Cheers.          THANKS FOR EVERYTHING. We appreciate it all! Please LIKE us on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and also follow us on Twitter at : cpwinespirits and also at : wineenabler . Take care, and thanks again,   TONY

Rob Gibson, Nick Stacey, Gavin Berry, Michael Kerrigan, Julian James. Dan Pannell, Duncan McGilevrey, Hugh Hamilton! , Daryl Groom: What Great Men!

It's time to start writing now! I could download all these wonderful pictures of my trip to Australia with Chris Pigott but I have to start writing! I will finish with more pictures later : these will give some sense of this wonderful trip that has added to my life then and today in so many ways.

This blog is about my recent Big-Theme Aussie Wine-Tasting at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-36304265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 ( 5:30-8:30PM ) where I asked Arielle Monaco to come and pour an assortment of all of your wines guys!

The Big-Theme Aussie Wine-Tasting was to give my personal thanks to you all as well as to draw attention to the finer Aussie wines that are now struggling here in the United States for so many reasons ( never for the high quality though!!!! ) and that need our attention and added support now. It was a great tasting and Arielle Monaco of Country Vintners came and poured your wines.

I included the wines of Hugh Hamilton because he was originally part of your group and he has supported our store and we have supported him : as it should be and has been with the fine lot of you now for many years! I don't forget : once part of the Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits family ALWAYS part of the Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits family!

We poured 28 Aussie wines on this evening and they were all really well-received. We also sold lots of these 28 Aussie wines on the past Wednesday, October 12th, 2011. What fun, what discoveries, what new adventures and what a complete delight! It poured down rain all day and still many people came to take refuge, comfort, pleasure and delight in your wines guys : from the dry reds and whites to some of the stickies from TALIJANCICH to some SILVER WING sparkling wine that your group provides us. Oh what fun it was and I have pictures from the event and will download them here with more info on the wines as well as a list of them.

I continued to serve the open bottles that were still left through Friday evening and I want to say that many were still really tasting well like the " Bookends " Cabernet Sauvignon from WEST CAPE HOWE, the " GSM " from LOOSE END, the " Snake Charmer " from VINACEOUS, the HAY SHED HILL Chardonnay, and many more. I've got to get ready for work now so more on this really soon.

Friend me on Facebook at : Anthony Quinn, Annandale, VA. ) or just go to : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits on Facebook and follow updates that I am always posting on you guys. Cheers and until a bit later, your friend always, TONY

P.S. I also added the wines of Daryl Groom into the tasting ( Shiraz and dry Sauvignon Blanc ) because he, too has become part of the CPW family. Cheers ...

GIBSON Barossa Wines :I Mistakenly Put A Blog Of Dinner @ CHEF GEOFF'S D.C. W/ LONGVIEW/LAWSONS/WEST CAPE HOWE @ Chataustria !

Go To Chataustria.blogspot.com for the missing blog on our grand dinner at Chef Geoff's D.C. downtown restaurant.



In the meantime enjoy these pictures of Rob Gibson's Merlot crush and start to the fermentation of some of his Merlot grapes that he loves to work with ...

Here I have taken above a picture of Rob's fermenting Merlot grape juice in one of his GIBSON wine glasses with the word Barossa on it and him behind seen through the glass in his winery.




It was a beautiful February early afternoon as I recall in the Barossa Valley in 2008. Chris Pigott and I were feeling no pain.




The pictures here are f Rob, Annie and his assistant winemaker working with the just-fermenting Merlot grapes. Rob is a big fan of the Merlot grape and uses it along with the Shiraz grape.




It was a great treat to taste and to see the process here first-hand with Rob. He is totally committed to this pursuit of excellent wine in both the Loose End and the GIBSON wines of his.




I think these pictures capture and do a bit of justice showing this labor of love and commitment on Rob's part. It just never stops : he worked at it all throughout the day even though we were there and he entertained us, too with Annie's help.




As I say later I inadvertently added an earlier blog about Rob on my chatargentina blog site. You should check it out. I think Rob told us that he has traveled to Argentina and done some consulting for the wineries down there? Is this correct Rob?




On a more current topic Rob I do want to tell you that I spoke of you recently in the store with viticulturist Lucie Morton that said she worked with you many years ago. She said to say " hello " to you. Lucie came to speak about the vines that she recommended that be planted in Virginia at the BOXWOOD winery that makes two Bordeaux-style reds : one like a Right Bank and one like a Left Bank Bordeaux. They are both excellent.




Enjoy these photos and scroll down for the rest of this story. Then go to : chatargentina for more on Rob Gibson and his excellent Aussie Barossa South Australia wines.







You have to go to : chatargentina.blogspot.com to see my blog on Rob Gibson. Here are a couple of pictures to get you motivated to do so.


As you may know if you have followed this chataustralia blog at all that Chris Pigott then of the Country Vintners and I went to Australia together in early February of 2008 ( between the 10th and the 21st I believe ) and had one of the great experiences of our lives. Spending time with Rob and his wife Annie certainly was both an eye-opener and wonderful as Rob and Annie both made the Barossa Valley come alive and into Kodak moments for me as I snapped away with my Kodak Easy Share CX 4200 using many double A batteries.

Like the wines of Rob and the others I was also very impressed with the quality of these photos I took. I can only take some of the credit for that : I can take all the credit for thoroughly enjoying all of Annie and Rob's " Loose End : and GIBSON wines.

We currently at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthonyquinn@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) have two or three GIBSON reds ( both older vintages of the Shiraz wines I believe ) as well as two Loose End reds ( GSM & Shiraz ) and the sparkling blend of Merlot and Shiraz Loose End, too.

Call for more info and we will tell you what is available in Washington D.C. of Annie and Rob's wines. This is ever the time if ever a time there was to buy both the Loose End and the GIBSON wines!

Cheers, TONY

WEST CAPE HOWE Wines :5 Points Of View / 5 Levels Of Reality In Picture Taken @ WEST CAPE HOWE, western Australia Feb. 12-13th 2008?

Enjoy this picture that I took of me holding my wine glass out and taking a picture of the white wine inside it as well as the Sauvignon Blanc vineyard just beyond and the beautiful blue skies and the hills beyond that as Chris Pigott and I sat on the porch on the west side of the winery with Nick Stacey and Rose and later Gavin Berry. Such beauty, such tranquility : such excellent wine and company, too.

Can you see the five points of view that I count or the five possible levels of reality that jump out quickly at me? There may be more : there certainly are.

I love the composition of this picture that is partly luck once that I quickly frame it and snap away on my old Kodak Easy Share CX 4200 that worked well then with my double A batteries and still works today, Monday morning here at home in northern Virginia, 2009 on November 30th, 2009 and I pine for those wonderful moments that I spent in Denmark, western Australia seeing the vineyards like WEST CAPE HOWE who's wines I had been selling for quite some time : as well as having both Nick and Gavin tasting their wines at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthonyquinn@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ).

We currently have the WEST CAPE HOWE Zeppaard Sauvignon Blanc in the store and that along with the red Zeppaard Shiraz are both doing quite well. It's about time for a visit from either you Gavin or you Nick to get me to buy more of your excellent wines. Even an email would be nice to hear how things are with you these days.

Cheers, TONY