To contact us Click HERE
It was well-written this article of Freedom Du Lac's entitled : " Where Wine Meets Wealth ". Appearing on New Year's Eve DEcember 31st, 2011 in Satuday's Washington Post newspaper on the front page. I did not read it until Sunday as it was a really unseasonably beautiful and warm Saturday in the sixties I believe and I was appearing on NBC4 and being interviewed at 9AM about some of my favorite bubbly/champagne and sparkling wine selections ( as well as a sparkling wine cocktail of my selecting ) to celebrate New Year's Eve a bit later. It was all so much fun and after the interview I rushed off to work to show and taste our customers on some of the bubbly that I had selected and already shared on NBC4 earlier. There was not time : people would be rushing soon to the store to buy their last-minute needs to finish off 2011 and to ring in 2012!
I liked Freedom Du Lac's story once I got over my initial shock that and article had been written about Pepi Almadorov and the store Calvert Woodley ( up the street from ours : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits on Connecticut Avenue N.W. ) and my first thought that the article had been largely procured by all the weekly advertising dollars that Calvert Woodley pays yearly? It did occur to me, really it did. However, once I actually got over this and actually read the article I liked how Freedom Du Lac approached it and wrote as much about Washington D.C. now and in the past and how things have changed and evolved. It became for me a human interest story, a history story, too. It spoke much more of simply Pepi and one store.
I also liked that the story had been written about an actual wine store : one that is in Washington D.C. where so much started first and which has paved the path for so many other wine stores and stores that simply include wines as one of the very many things they sell to get their start and their foot-hold in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. I liked this a lot. Like us at Cleveland Park and many of the other excellent wine stores in Washington D.C. ( MacArthur Beverages, Chevy Chase, Schneiders. Burka's Fine Wines, Bells, Wide World Of Wines, Cairo ) and more we started as beer, liquor and wine stores and we have continued as such. We are small family-run operations here in Washington D.C. like Calvert Woodley and we have been around for a very long time and we have survived so far all the larger retail operations that have simply added wines to their inventory to increase their profits, even like places like Wallgreen's pharmacy a block away from us that claims they want to simply answer their customers requests and be more for them ). I say and have said already to the lawyers of Wallgreen's : " Then why don't we start being more to our customers, too and start selling some drugs to make up for the revenue that you take from us by selling really inexpensive beer and wine? They did not know how to respond to this question of mine. So bravo to Freedom Du Lac for actually picking a true beer, liquor and wine store to write about. That pleased me enormously. It also pleased me to see that a fellow Washington D.C. retail wine expert like Pepi Almadovar was given some time and attention for a change. Too often if not always it is someone in a restaurant setting ( a chef or a sommelier, doesn't matter if the chef or the sommelier has paid their dues yet it seems )gets all the lime-light. Don't get me wrong : fair is fair : and they deserve some of this attention but certainly not all. Again in my humble opinion I believe firmly that it is the beer, liquor and wine stores where most people learn and get advice on how, when and what to serve depending on their events. So bravo to you Pepi : you deserve this article and I am thrilled for you. Happy New Year to you and to your family. Yes, it's true, I have known Pepi for years having sold to him for many of them when he worked at Schneider's Fine Wines on Capitol Hill.
I liked Freedom's keen observations like when he wrote : " With New Year's Eve approaching, most of the customers dodging one another in the family-owned store's aisles carted off champagne or tiny bubbled alternatives. One man picked up a bottle of $110 Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs. Someone else asked for a 2004 Cristal For nearly $200 : 12 percent alcohol by volume for the 1 percent ". The " 1 percent " that can or choose to buy/ afford it as you can buy a case of our MONTELLIANA Extra Dry Prosecco from Veneto, Italy ( that's 12 bottles ) for $144 that includes tax and still have $56 left over to buy a bottle of the POMMERY N.V. brut champagne for $47 a bottle : 13 bottles for the price of one really expensive one!
Freedom Du Lac continues : " Most of Calvert Woodley's 52 employees take home less per week than the roughly #1,500 it would cost to buy a single bottle of 2005 Lafite. " Sad.
Freedom adds : " But the rage-against-the-wealth ethos represented by the Occupy movement is missing from the store. There's more awe than resentment about how the haves throw their money around here." Another sad statement in my humble opinion.
I also love how Freedom quoted other of the CW staff like Dillon William, 51 a Jamaican immigrant and Fogle. About Phillip Fogle, 43 Freedom writes : " He lives in Ward 8 , where the unemployment is around 2o percent, and he's surrounded by poverty. ... For New Year's Eve, after working the 9-7 shift, Fogle said, he's going home to listen to jazz and open a half-bottle of Ben Rye, a sweet wine that sells for $32. " These are really keen inclusions by Freedom. They help to paint a much bigger picture and it's interesting to read and to learn from it. I certailnly did,
I am sorely sorry that he did not include Tom McKnew that has been at Calvert Woodley for as long as I can remember and that has helped make it what it is.
Freedom continued to write : " Multiple bottles of Andre Cold Duck wound up in shopping cart Thursday ( the bargain sparkler sells for $5.99 ), people were loading up on $9.99 bottles of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay and bagels were outselling caviar ( $69 an ounce ) by a wide margin . ... The store also is selling far more bottles of prosecco - the budget- friendly Italian sparkling wine - than Krug, Dom Perignon and the other high-end, $125-and-up champagnes in the lead-up to New Year's Eve ".
I love how Freedom ended the article : talking to Pepi and quoting him : " I think only of satisfying the customer". I feel the same, the customer is always first. Greet them politely, make them feel welcome and give them the respect they deserve, listen carefully to them and assist them as best as you possibly can. That's doing the job right.
To Freedom I say to you : good job and think now of visiting some of the " other " quality store I have mentioned above and giving us some equal opportunity, too. With Valentine's Day approaching on the 15th of February 2012 I believe? Anyway, this gives yo plenty of time now to contact some of us and come to our stores to see the excellent jobs that we, too do, We may not have 52 employees but we are equally determined to " satisfying the customer " / our valued customers as well as they new ones we have still to meet or are just meeting today for the very first time. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
31 Aralık 2012 Pazartesi
Memories From 1970's Of The Wines Of Minervois & Corbieres, The Champs Elysees & Paris, France ...Now Herve & DOM. SAINT EUGHENIE,Corbieres, Wash.D.C.
To contact us Click HERE
Memories From 1970's Of The Wines Of Minervois & Corbieres, The Champs Elysees & Paris, France ....
I'd go to see a movie on the Champs Elysees like " Being There " with Peter Sellers ( loved that movie ) and " A Special Day " - the English translation I believe for the Italian movie in Rome was it? It was a day during the war and it concerned Mussolini and the two actors were none other than Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastaioni. There were of course many movies that we would see, my family and me and my friends and me - depending - there and I will never forget the " pour boire " and the commercials that I would often see promoting the wines of the southwest of France, particularly those of Corbieres and of Minervois. The commercials were oaky, not of very high quality and did not really create a desire within me to rush out over to the Caves de la Madeleine owned then by Brit Stephen Spurrier that I knew at the time. They did not make me want either to go to the closest Nicolas or even to a more fancy Hediard where I would perhaps find a private-label Corbieres or Minervois of Hediard's and spend more money. But I did notice them and I guess that it did help my fledgeling desires and love of wine consider them more on some level anyway.
Funny, this one singular image returns to me periodically and it has enough that I thought it would be fun to share this short recollection with you all. I hope you do not mind me indulging myself here.
I did collect a number of wine labels while living in Paris, France with my family back in the 1970's. My father was a career officer, Harry Alan Quinn for the American Embassy back then ( Visas first, then Passports and then back to Visas ) and I was lucky enough to be the son of a diplomat with a diplomatic passport and " flics " - cops that is that wanted to arrest or detain me for sitting in the metro halls and drawing the many musicians as they performed for their enjoyment and money of course. The flics would have conversations between themselves after asking for my identification and seeing that I had a diplomatic passport and arguing what to do? I clearly remember overhearing one conversation once where one said he wanted to bring me in for questioning and the other one saying that he could not do that! Saved by my diplomatic passport!
Les flics could perhaps have gone to a local Tabac and ordered either a glass of Corbieres or of Minervois once off work and relaxed a bit and discussed further this dilemma of having a foreigner - an artist - being allowed or not to sketch musicians as they played for their meals and for their survival? Just a thought.
I just had a conversation yesterday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) about Herve Gantier the owner of DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE in Corbieres, France. Herve is visiting shortly to play a game of golf with Bobby Kacher ( ? ) before rushing off to Las Vegas? I may or may not see him on the Saturday night that he arrives. It will be great to see him, of course as he is a friend and I love his energy, his smile and his wines! We sell them now on a pretty continual basis : have ever since they were introduced by Ronnie Miller years ago when he brought by Herve and his wine-maker : it was in 2002 I believe?
Anyway, here's to those old days of mine in Paris, France back in the 1970's and to today and to Herve and his DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE. Cheers et sante, et a bientot Herve j'espere bien ... Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
I'd go to see a movie on the Champs Elysees like " Being There " with Peter Sellers ( loved that movie ) and " A Special Day " - the English translation I believe for the Italian movie in Rome was it? It was a day during the war and it concerned Mussolini and the two actors were none other than Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastaioni. There were of course many movies that we would see, my family and me and my friends and me - depending - there and I will never forget the " pour boire " and the commercials that I would often see promoting the wines of the southwest of France, particularly those of Corbieres and of Minervois. The commercials were oaky, not of very high quality and did not really create a desire within me to rush out over to the Caves de la Madeleine owned then by Brit Stephen Spurrier that I knew at the time. They did not make me want either to go to the closest Nicolas or even to a more fancy Hediard where I would perhaps find a private-label Corbieres or Minervois of Hediard's and spend more money. But I did notice them and I guess that it did help my fledgeling desires and love of wine consider them more on some level anyway.
Funny, this one singular image returns to me periodically and it has enough that I thought it would be fun to share this short recollection with you all. I hope you do not mind me indulging myself here.
I did collect a number of wine labels while living in Paris, France with my family back in the 1970's. My father was a career officer, Harry Alan Quinn for the American Embassy back then ( Visas first, then Passports and then back to Visas ) and I was lucky enough to be the son of a diplomat with a diplomatic passport and " flics " - cops that is that wanted to arrest or detain me for sitting in the metro halls and drawing the many musicians as they performed for their enjoyment and money of course. The flics would have conversations between themselves after asking for my identification and seeing that I had a diplomatic passport and arguing what to do? I clearly remember overhearing one conversation once where one said he wanted to bring me in for questioning and the other one saying that he could not do that! Saved by my diplomatic passport!
Les flics could perhaps have gone to a local Tabac and ordered either a glass of Corbieres or of Minervois once off work and relaxed a bit and discussed further this dilemma of having a foreigner - an artist - being allowed or not to sketch musicians as they played for their meals and for their survival? Just a thought.
I just had a conversation yesterday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) about Herve Gantier the owner of DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE in Corbieres, France. Herve is visiting shortly to play a game of golf with Bobby Kacher ( ? ) before rushing off to Las Vegas? I may or may not see him on the Saturday night that he arrives. It will be great to see him, of course as he is a friend and I love his energy, his smile and his wines! We sell them now on a pretty continual basis : have ever since they were introduced by Ronnie Miller years ago when he brought by Herve and his wine-maker : it was in 2002 I believe?
Anyway, here's to those old days of mine in Paris, France back in the 1970's and to today and to Herve and his DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE. Cheers et sante, et a bientot Herve j'espere bien ... Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Roberta Ohoi Tastes The Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc " Charlotte's Home " Northern Sonoma 2010 ( $19.99 ) In 2012/ Thanks To Bill Holland 7/15/95
To contact us Click HERE
I have to say that I was really impressed with this bottle of the RODNEY STRONG " Charlotte's Home " Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 ) that our Washington Wholesale rep Roberta brought Ean and me to taste the other day at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter now at : cpwinespirits ).
This RODNEY STRONG Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and lively and bright and not heavy anc cloying and a real delight to sip and enjoy. I have now tasted it twice as Roberta returned to our store to taste it with customers perhaps three weeks later on a weekend in late February, 2012. People liked it then and bought it and it's a pleasure to have it for sale in our store as it is an excellent example of Sauvignon Blanc done right in California and at a really affordable price. The winemakers never lose sight of the fresh fruit which they started and it remains front and center throughout. Bravo to them for not overworking or producing it : simply letting it's charm and more lovely and subtle flavors weave their own magic without much outside help. I like that, I like that a lot. Restraint and knowing when to add or tweak and not rushing ahead. Bravo.
Years ago when I worked for Forman Brothers my father and I were invited to a private lunch at RODNEY STRONG and it was just the two of us with the staff of RODNEY STRONG. It was a delightful lunch and they did everything to make my Dad and I feel comfortable and welcome. I will always remember that visit and tour fondly. I have pictures from the tour and will include them in a future chatwine blog. That was before digital photos and so I have to copy them here when I get some time.
Funny, we did not meet Rodney Strong until we were leaving after this great tour. He was walking into the offices and we were walking out and we had a chance to stop and chat briefly for a few minutes. That was nice. I'm glad that happened. Just our good fortune.
I just looked around for my old cards from this trip and voila I found the one I needed that dates back to the period of July 15-20th, 1995 when my father Harry Alan Quinn and I visited the RODNEY STRONG Vineyard ( 1145 Old Redwood Highway, P.o. Box 368, Windsor, California, 95492 707-431-1533 Fax : 707-433-8635 ( there was no email or web page address on the card ) and Bill Holland ( manager, visitor center ) took care of us so well. Thanks Bill, this was a great visit and I appreciate it.
I will finish the rest of this blog of Roberta Ohoi's visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits a bit later but will post this " as is " as I am glad to get this out as my father's birthday was just this past week and I am thinking of both him and my mother as well as I just celebrated hers, too this past weekend.
It's now Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 at 11:01 PM and it's now in the seventies or even eighties and all is well, warm, sunshine everywhere with clear baby-blue skies above and it's time for me head off to work. Cheers and stay-tuned for more. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
P.S. Being an artist I like to take lots of artsy photos. Hope you enjoy them.
I have to say that I was really impressed with this bottle of the RODNEY STRONG " Charlotte's Home " Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 ) that our Washington Wholesale rep Roberta brought Ean and me to taste the other day at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter now at : cpwinespirits ).
This RODNEY STRONG Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and lively and bright and not heavy anc cloying and a real delight to sip and enjoy. I have now tasted it twice as Roberta returned to our store to taste it with customers perhaps three weeks later on a weekend in late February, 2012. People liked it then and bought it and it's a pleasure to have it for sale in our store as it is an excellent example of Sauvignon Blanc done right in California and at a really affordable price. The winemakers never lose sight of the fresh fruit which they started and it remains front and center throughout. Bravo to them for not overworking or producing it : simply letting it's charm and more lovely and subtle flavors weave their own magic without much outside help. I like that, I like that a lot. Restraint and knowing when to add or tweak and not rushing ahead. Bravo.
Years ago when I worked for Forman Brothers my father and I were invited to a private lunch at RODNEY STRONG and it was just the two of us with the staff of RODNEY STRONG. It was a delightful lunch and they did everything to make my Dad and I feel comfortable and welcome. I will always remember that visit and tour fondly. I have pictures from the tour and will include them in a future chatwine blog. That was before digital photos and so I have to copy them here when I get some time.
Funny, we did not meet Rodney Strong until we were leaving after this great tour. He was walking into the offices and we were walking out and we had a chance to stop and chat briefly for a few minutes. That was nice. I'm glad that happened. Just our good fortune.
I just looked around for my old cards from this trip and voila I found the one I needed that dates back to the period of July 15-20th, 1995 when my father Harry Alan Quinn and I visited the RODNEY STRONG Vineyard ( 1145 Old Redwood Highway, P.o. Box 368, Windsor, California, 95492 707-431-1533 Fax : 707-433-8635 ( there was no email or web page address on the card ) and Bill Holland ( manager, visitor center ) took care of us so well. Thanks Bill, this was a great visit and I appreciate it.
I will finish the rest of this blog of Roberta Ohoi's visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits a bit later but will post this " as is " as I am glad to get this out as my father's birthday was just this past week and I am thinking of both him and my mother as well as I just celebrated hers, too this past weekend.
It's now Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 at 11:01 PM and it's now in the seventies or even eighties and all is well, warm, sunshine everywhere with clear baby-blue skies above and it's time for me head off to work. Cheers and stay-tuned for more. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
P.S. Being an artist I like to take lots of artsy photos. Hope you enjoy them.
2012 : Looking Back! MIOLO Vineyards IS BACK " Sparkling Espumante From Brasil's Vale Dos Vinhedos, Bento Goncalves : Bright Sunshine ...
To contact us Click HERE
Bright sunshine perhaps at 11 A.M. or later in the afternoon around 6 P.M.? Yes, si. mais bom. I like it : I have been a fan now for quite awhile and I have tasted various releases over the last four or so years, ever since Flavius A. Cucu brought me some to taste. With my Brazilian background going back to 1955 I have been pretty much a fan of all things Brazilian! That still has not changed and here in July of 2012 as we get ready to celebrate France's Bastille Day ( le 14 Juillet! I also love pretty much all things French! ) I am thrilled to have it to offer everyone here in our Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington D.C. 20008 , 202-363-4265 at the very reasonable price of $16.99 a bottle. You should all buy a bottle and taste it.
Yes, si ... like the taste of bright sunshine that has settled nicely into the fabric of this liquid , gold-glinted sparkling espumante. It tastes quite rich and fresh and with great elasticity, fine fullness on the palate that saturates and coats and touches and yet does not tire or fatigue the tongue. It's flavorful enough, it's complex enough, it's engaging enough, it's well-balanced, well-focused : fleshy without being overly anything. It teases and pleases.
This MIOLO Vineyards' shows it's fine Italian heritage now going into the glorious fifth generation. You can see the care and the time, the thought that the folks at MIOLO Vineyards' like oenologue Gustavo Duarte put into the making of this splendid sparkling elixir that positively gleams a golden sunshine's radiance as the bubbles rise in the glass and one lifts the glass periodically to their lips to embibe this dry brut ( 11.5% alcohol by volume ) methode traditionelle. It's pretty addictive, too so be prepared to have an extra bottle on hand when you drink it as you will become positively expansive about life and being alive and able to enjoy and appreciate fully your immediate situation : and this will become obvious to others as they approach you and are drawn to you ... and you offer some to them ... and the magic of sharing and being together is a wonder to behold. Cheers and enjoy. TONY
Bright sunshine perhaps at 11 A.M. or later in the afternoon around 6 P.M.? Yes, si. mais bom. I like it : I have been a fan now for quite awhile and I have tasted various releases over the last four or so years, ever since Flavius A. Cucu brought me some to taste. With my Brazilian background going back to 1955 I have been pretty much a fan of all things Brazilian! That still has not changed and here in July of 2012 as we get ready to celebrate France's Bastille Day ( le 14 Juillet! I also love pretty much all things French! ) I am thrilled to have it to offer everyone here in our Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington D.C. 20008 , 202-363-4265 at the very reasonable price of $16.99 a bottle. You should all buy a bottle and taste it.
Yes, si ... like the taste of bright sunshine that has settled nicely into the fabric of this liquid , gold-glinted sparkling espumante. It tastes quite rich and fresh and with great elasticity, fine fullness on the palate that saturates and coats and touches and yet does not tire or fatigue the tongue. It's flavorful enough, it's complex enough, it's engaging enough, it's well-balanced, well-focused : fleshy without being overly anything. It teases and pleases.
This MIOLO Vineyards' shows it's fine Italian heritage now going into the glorious fifth generation. You can see the care and the time, the thought that the folks at MIOLO Vineyards' like oenologue Gustavo Duarte put into the making of this splendid sparkling elixir that positively gleams a golden sunshine's radiance as the bubbles rise in the glass and one lifts the glass periodically to their lips to embibe this dry brut ( 11.5% alcohol by volume ) methode traditionelle. It's pretty addictive, too so be prepared to have an extra bottle on hand when you drink it as you will become positively expansive about life and being alive and able to enjoy and appreciate fully your immediate situation : and this will become obvious to others as they approach you and are drawn to you ... and you offer some to them ... and the magic of sharing and being together is a wonder to behold. Cheers and enjoy. TONY
Kysela! Beauty BUTY Mondovino 2/27/2012 Monday Afternoon Mondovino
To contact us Click HERE
We have and sell the BUTY Washington State wines at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 tel;202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ). Here at the annual Kysela Pere Et Fils et Fille " new " warehouse in Winchester, Virginia we have tasted with the owner of BUTY ) pronounced : beauty ) his wines including his excellent dry white Semillon blend.
We sell a selection of these BUTY wines as they were all excellent, balanced, focused, with their own personalities and character : as wines should be - and excellent to accompany with meals of all types and styles, all year round, anywhere where and when you want to treat yourselves.
Made in smaller amounts these wines are a bit expensive, but still very good values for what you get and what you pay for. They are simply not everyday wines at these prices and that is okay.
I walked around at this tasting with my new friend the wife of owner-brother at the DOMAINE De La MORDOREE in the southern Rhone. We were on a quest for the best white wine there at the Kysela event for a white to go along with the three types of local oysters available at the tasting : actually the same type of oyster grown in three local areas and thus with three different personalities. It was all true, too.
I said that we had to offer and drink a wine from the United States and this BUTY Semillon Blanc wine was the very best fit. It worked beautifully : BUTYfully or, fully-BUTY! enough! It was a great fit and we both liked it with our oysters and we told the owner later when we saw him again for more!
I have more to say but will post this now " as-is " so that you may all enjoy these photos. I will finish this post as soon as I have time. Cheers, Happy New Year! I am off to work to sell more BUTY wines and others now in our nation's capitol at Cleveland park Wines & Spirits. Cheers, it's Friday, December 28th, 2012 at 10:08AM as I post this for you all. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Kysela Mondovino Wine-Tasting Monday February 27th, 2012 In Winchester VA. @ New Warehouse
We sell a selection of these BUTY wines as they were all excellent, balanced, focused, with their own personalities and character : as wines should be - and excellent to accompany with meals of all types and styles, all year round, anywhere where and when you want to treat yourselves.
Made in smaller amounts these wines are a bit expensive, but still very good values for what you get and what you pay for. They are simply not everyday wines at these prices and that is okay.
I walked around at this tasting with my new friend the wife of owner-brother at the DOMAINE De La MORDOREE in the southern Rhone. We were on a quest for the best white wine there at the Kysela event for a white to go along with the three types of local oysters available at the tasting : actually the same type of oyster grown in three local areas and thus with three different personalities. It was all true, too.
I said that we had to offer and drink a wine from the United States and this BUTY Semillon Blanc wine was the very best fit. It worked beautifully : BUTYfully or, fully-BUTY! enough! It was a great fit and we both liked it with our oysters and we told the owner later when we saw him again for more!
I have more to say but will post this now " as-is " so that you may all enjoy these photos. I will finish this post as soon as I have time. Cheers, Happy New Year! I am off to work to sell more BUTY wines and others now in our nation's capitol at Cleveland park Wines & Spirits. Cheers, it's Friday, December 28th, 2012 at 10:08AM as I post this for you all. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Kysela Mondovino Wine-Tasting Monday February 27th, 2012 In Winchester VA. @ New Warehouse
27 Aralık 2012 Perşembe
George Dickel's new rye a bargain price
To contact us Click HERE
George Dickel turns out a very nice Tennessee whiskey. But, like a growing number of distillers, it's putting the spotlight on a new rye.
George Dickel Rye is a straight rye whisky matured in new charred oak barrels for at least five years. The mash bill is 95% Indiana rye and 5% malted barley. It is bottled at 90 proof (45% abv).
Besides the Dickel reputation, another drawing card is the suggested retail price: $25 for the 750ml bottle.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
George Dickel turns out a very nice Tennessee whiskey. But, like a growing number of distillers, it's putting the spotlight on a new rye.George Dickel Rye is a straight rye whisky matured in new charred oak barrels for at least five years. The mash bill is 95% Indiana rye and 5% malted barley. It is bottled at 90 proof (45% abv).
Besides the Dickel reputation, another drawing card is the suggested retail price: $25 for the 750ml bottle.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select begins slow rollout
To contact us Click HERE
Frank Sinatra's long love affair with blues, broads and booze, as he often phrased it, was well chronicled during the iconic singer-actor's lifetime. Now, 14 years after his death, his favorite brand of whiskey is honoring him.
Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select was unveiled this week, the first step in a drawn-out marketing plan.
Sinatra Select, bottled at 90 proof (45% abv), is matured longer than the standard Jack Daniel’s, in "Sinatra barrels" that have carved interior grooves to expose the whiskey to more wood. That results in a faster maturing spirit.
The new expression will be launched -- with an initial suggested retail price of $150 -- at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas Airport in December. It then will be rolled out to about 200 other airport locations around the world in January.
The marketing plan calls for selling Sinatra Select at the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, TN, beginning in 2013, and eventually being made available in other domestic markets.
Why the delays?
“We hope people will both collect it and consume it,” said Jim Perry, managing director of Brown-Forman Travel Retail. "The year 2015 will be Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday. Over the next couple of years, we’ll be building up to that moment."
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
 |
| Sinatra, and Jack, in concert. |
Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select was unveiled this week, the first step in a drawn-out marketing plan.
Sinatra Select, bottled at 90 proof (45% abv), is matured longer than the standard Jack Daniel’s, in "Sinatra barrels" that have carved interior grooves to expose the whiskey to more wood. That results in a faster maturing spirit.
The new expression will be launched -- with an initial suggested retail price of $150 -- at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas Airport in December. It then will be rolled out to about 200 other airport locations around the world in January.
The marketing plan calls for selling Sinatra Select at the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, TN, beginning in 2013, and eventually being made available in other domestic markets.
Why the delays?
“We hope people will both collect it and consume it,” said Jim Perry, managing director of Brown-Forman Travel Retail. "The year 2015 will be Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday. Over the next couple of years, we’ll be building up to that moment."
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
Woodford releases seventh in Master's Collection
To contact us Click HERE
Woodford Reserve this week unveiled the seventh release in its limited edition Master's Collection, which will be released in early November.
This release, called Four Wood, is a unique batching of mature Woodford Reserve bourbon which has been aged in American Oak, as required by law for all bourbons, and finished in barrels made from maple wood, and from those used to mature both sherry and port.
Woodford Reserve began to experiment with wood finishing in 1999. Notes master distiller Chris Morris, "The batching ratios of the three finishing barrels were painstakingly chosen so that no one character dominated the final product. Instead, Four Wood is so balanced that the palate effects of each of the four woods plays a discernible role in the final flavor presentation."
With each release, one of the five sources of flavor is changed for the Master's Collection expressions. The sources -- grain, water, fermentation, distillation, and maturation -- are unique to bourbon whiskey, and altering just one of them creates a totally new flavor profile.
Previous Master's Collection releases were Four Grain, Sonoma-Cutrer Finish, Sweet Mash, Seasoned Oak, Maple Wood Finish and Rare Rye Selection. They are released periodically at the master distiller's discretion, and are bottled only once.
Each bottle is individually numbered and presented at 94.4 proof (47.2% abv). Limited cases are available with a suggested retail price of $99.99 for a 750ml bottle.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
Woodford Reserve this week unveiled the seventh release in its limited edition Master's Collection, which will be released in early November.This release, called Four Wood, is a unique batching of mature Woodford Reserve bourbon which has been aged in American Oak, as required by law for all bourbons, and finished in barrels made from maple wood, and from those used to mature both sherry and port.
Woodford Reserve began to experiment with wood finishing in 1999. Notes master distiller Chris Morris, "The batching ratios of the three finishing barrels were painstakingly chosen so that no one character dominated the final product. Instead, Four Wood is so balanced that the palate effects of each of the four woods plays a discernible role in the final flavor presentation."
With each release, one of the five sources of flavor is changed for the Master's Collection expressions. The sources -- grain, water, fermentation, distillation, and maturation -- are unique to bourbon whiskey, and altering just one of them creates a totally new flavor profile.
Previous Master's Collection releases were Four Grain, Sonoma-Cutrer Finish, Sweet Mash, Seasoned Oak, Maple Wood Finish and Rare Rye Selection. They are released periodically at the master distiller's discretion, and are bottled only once.
Each bottle is individually numbered and presented at 94.4 proof (47.2% abv). Limited cases are available with a suggested retail price of $99.99 for a 750ml bottle.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
'Whiskey fungus' probe cloaked in silence
To contact us Click HERE
• From the Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal:
LOUISVILLE, KY -- Diageo Americas Supply Inc., a subsidiary of a British company that makes Bulleit Bourbon, had a November 4 deadline to respond to a Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District enforcement action against a so-called "whiskey fungus" that authorities blame for covering cars and homes with dark spots.
But district officials aren’t saying whether the company met the deadline, and they are withholding all correspondence from the company to the district related to the enforcement action.
The secrecy -- for now, anyway -- is allowed under the Kentucky Open Records law because the district’s enforcement action is still ongoing, officials said in a response to a request of mine to review the records.
Back in September, the violation notices sent to the company cited air-quality infractions at whiskey warehouses at 2349 Millers Lane, and were the first since the district began looking into the vapor problem in the mid-2000s.
The case could be called high profile because it involves a signature Louisville industry -- bourbon. Mayor Greg Fischer, in a response to a reporter’s question, at first questioned the science behind the enforcement action of his own agency, but later withdrew from the matter, citing a potential for the appearance of a conflict of interest. A business partner is among those suing the company over the fungus.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
 |
| The Millers Lane facility. |
LOUISVILLE, KY -- Diageo Americas Supply Inc., a subsidiary of a British company that makes Bulleit Bourbon, had a November 4 deadline to respond to a Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District enforcement action against a so-called "whiskey fungus" that authorities blame for covering cars and homes with dark spots.
But district officials aren’t saying whether the company met the deadline, and they are withholding all correspondence from the company to the district related to the enforcement action.
The secrecy -- for now, anyway -- is allowed under the Kentucky Open Records law because the district’s enforcement action is still ongoing, officials said in a response to a request of mine to review the records.
Back in September, the violation notices sent to the company cited air-quality infractions at whiskey warehouses at 2349 Millers Lane, and were the first since the district began looking into the vapor problem in the mid-2000s.
The case could be called high profile because it involves a signature Louisville industry -- bourbon. Mayor Greg Fischer, in a response to a reporter’s question, at first questioned the science behind the enforcement action of his own agency, but later withdrew from the matter, citing a potential for the appearance of a conflict of interest. A business partner is among those suing the company over the fungus.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
'Your Whiskey, Your Way' at new craft distillery
To contact us Click HERE
Having your own wine made isn't unusual. There are any number of wineries in many states that will tailor a batch to your specifics. But a new craft distillery that just opened over the weekend in Washington state may be the first to allow customers to help create their own spirits.
Heritage Distilling Company, which just opened to the public in Gig Harbor on scenic Puget Sound, is Washington's -- and perhaps the nation's -- first distillery to have a do-it-yourself component.
Owners Justin and Jennifer Stiefel are offering a program like called "Your Whiskey, Your Way." Customers can order a cask of spirits made to their specificatiopns, or can even take part in the process under the distillery's supervision.
The process is a bit tricky. State regulations do not allow unlicensed individuals to produce spirits without the proper federal and state licensing and permits. Heritage Distilling gets around that problem by doing all but the final stage of the distilling. Customers are allowed to selec a recipe and, later on, run one of the distillery's six micro-stills to complete the process.
"We are the ones licensed. We own all the equipment and have all the responsibility. It only becomes the customers’ product when they pay for it at the end," Justin Stiefel told The Business Journal.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
Having your own wine made isn't unusual. There are any number of wineries in many states that will tailor a batch to your specifics. But a new craft distillery that just opened over the weekend in Washington state may be the first to allow customers to help create their own spirits.Heritage Distilling Company, which just opened to the public in Gig Harbor on scenic Puget Sound, is Washington's -- and perhaps the nation's -- first distillery to have a do-it-yourself component.
Owners Justin and Jennifer Stiefel are offering a program like called "Your Whiskey, Your Way." Customers can order a cask of spirits made to their specificatiopns, or can even take part in the process under the distillery's supervision.
The process is a bit tricky. State regulations do not allow unlicensed individuals to produce spirits without the proper federal and state licensing and permits. Heritage Distilling gets around that problem by doing all but the final stage of the distilling. Customers are allowed to selec a recipe and, later on, run one of the distillery's six micro-stills to complete the process.
"We are the ones licensed. We own all the equipment and have all the responsibility. It only becomes the customers’ product when they pay for it at the end," Justin Stiefel told The Business Journal.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
20 Aralık 2012 Perşembe
Tastings In Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits In Washington D.C. N.W./ 2011/ IL CAMPO'S GIORNATA 09, Sangiovese ( $34.99 ) Paso Robles Luna Matta Vnyd &
To contact us Click HERE
& More ... this headline should read : I tasted three wines of IL CAMPO here ...
What a nice treat these were and a total discovery for me. I had never heard about them before John and Theresa Morrison brought them to my attention in the middle of 2011 was it ? I cannot remember exactly but here I was able to try all three and we now sell the two reds. We still have not bought the white yet and I will think about that perhaps for the this spring 2012.
Here they are all above as we tasted them recently. In the picture below is pictured Theresa Morrison and Mark of J.W, Sieg Imports.
Tasted also " Il Campo " 2008 Central Coast ( $27.99 ) " A modern field blend inspired by Italy " and also made by GIORNATA Wines in Paso Robles, California. We started with this " Il Campo " - the one with the red label. Theresa came and included it in one of her in-store wine tastings on either a Friday or Saturday with our customers of Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ).
This GIORNATA above has 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.giornatawines.com was tasted this past Saturday December 17th, 2011 from 2-6PM with John Morrison. People loved it and we sold several bottles at $34.99 I believe? Look at the beautiful deep, rich red color above. It's impressive and splendid just to look at. Being an artist I am drawn to things like this and am thrilled to be able to record and to share them here with you all and simply not just say to you all to buy it because it received a high numerical store from some wine writer. I strongly believe that we will all be out of a job if that is all we do : depend on scores to sell our wines. Look at the color I say. smell the bouquet : waken up and realize that you are the one that matters here. It's only your palate and knowing your tastes that should matter!
Pick up the glass and swirl it around and watch the light reflect through and off of the red GIORNATA as it moves in beautiful, soothing, exciting circles around the glass like a fine race car! Enjoy the ride , it's yours to do with what you will.
Cheers, TONY
Beautiful, even on it's side : like magic - how does it stay in the glass?!? You better rescue it before it spills out and pour some into your awaiting tongue and mouth and senses that are already partly under it's spell. Happy New Year everyone. It's now 12:04PM here at home in northern Virginia on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 as we all get ready to go off and have our brunch at " First Watch ". Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
What a nice treat these were and a total discovery for me. I had never heard about them before John and Theresa Morrison brought them to my attention in the middle of 2011 was it ? I cannot remember exactly but here I was able to try all three and we now sell the two reds. We still have not bought the white yet and I will think about that perhaps for the this spring 2012.
Here they are all above as we tasted them recently. In the picture below is pictured Theresa Morrison and Mark of J.W, Sieg Imports.
Tasted also " Il Campo " 2008 Central Coast ( $27.99 ) " A modern field blend inspired by Italy " and also made by GIORNATA Wines in Paso Robles, California. We started with this " Il Campo " - the one with the red label. Theresa came and included it in one of her in-store wine tastings on either a Friday or Saturday with our customers of Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ).
This GIORNATA above has 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.giornatawines.com was tasted this past Saturday December 17th, 2011 from 2-6PM with John Morrison. People loved it and we sold several bottles at $34.99 I believe? Look at the beautiful deep, rich red color above. It's impressive and splendid just to look at. Being an artist I am drawn to things like this and am thrilled to be able to record and to share them here with you all and simply not just say to you all to buy it because it received a high numerical store from some wine writer. I strongly believe that we will all be out of a job if that is all we do : depend on scores to sell our wines. Look at the color I say. smell the bouquet : waken up and realize that you are the one that matters here. It's only your palate and knowing your tastes that should matter!
Pick up the glass and swirl it around and watch the light reflect through and off of the red GIORNATA as it moves in beautiful, soothing, exciting circles around the glass like a fine race car! Enjoy the ride , it's yours to do with what you will.
Cheers, TONY
Beautiful, even on it's side : like magic - how does it stay in the glass?!? You better rescue it before it spills out and pour some into your awaiting tongue and mouth and senses that are already partly under it's spell. Happy New Year everyone. It's now 12:04PM here at home in northern Virginia on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 as we all get ready to go off and have our brunch at " First Watch ". Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Anthony Quinn's Impressions Of J. Freedom Du Lac's " Article : " Where Wine Meets Wealth "/ Saturday, 12/31/2011 In Wash Post
To contact us Click HERE
It was well-written this article of Freedom Du Lac's entitled : " Where Wine Meets Wealth ". Appearing on New Year's Eve DEcember 31st, 2011 in Satuday's Washington Post newspaper on the front page. I did not read it until Sunday as it was a really unseasonably beautiful and warm Saturday in the sixties I believe and I was appearing on NBC4 and being interviewed at 9AM about some of my favorite bubbly/champagne and sparkling wine selections ( as well as a sparkling wine cocktail of my selecting ) to celebrate New Year's Eve a bit later. It was all so much fun and after the interview I rushed off to work to show and taste our customers on some of the bubbly that I had selected and already shared on NBC4 earlier. There was not time : people would be rushing soon to the store to buy their last-minute needs to finish off 2011 and to ring in 2012!
I liked Freedom Du Lac's story once I got over my initial shock that and article had been written about Pepi Almadorov and the store Calvert Woodley ( up the street from ours : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits on Connecticut Avenue N.W. ) and my first thought that the article had been largely procured by all the weekly advertising dollars that Calvert Woodley pays yearly? It did occur to me, really it did. However, once I actually got over this and actually read the article I liked how Freedom Du Lac approached it and wrote as much about Washington D.C. now and in the past and how things have changed and evolved. It became for me a human interest story, a history story, too. It spoke much more of simply Pepi and one store.
I also liked that the story had been written about an actual wine store : one that is in Washington D.C. where so much started first and which has paved the path for so many other wine stores and stores that simply include wines as one of the very many things they sell to get their start and their foot-hold in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. I liked this a lot. Like us at Cleveland Park and many of the other excellent wine stores in Washington D.C. ( MacArthur Beverages, Chevy Chase, Schneiders. Burka's Fine Wines, Bells, Wide World Of Wines, Cairo ) and more we started as beer, liquor and wine stores and we have continued as such. We are small family-run operations here in Washington D.C. like Calvert Woodley and we have been around for a very long time and we have survived so far all the larger retail operations that have simply added wines to their inventory to increase their profits, even like places like Wallgreen's pharmacy a block away from us that claims they want to simply answer their customers requests and be more for them ). I say and have said already to the lawyers of Wallgreen's : " Then why don't we start being more to our customers, too and start selling some drugs to make up for the revenue that you take from us by selling really inexpensive beer and wine? They did not know how to respond to this question of mine. So bravo to Freedom Du Lac for actually picking a true beer, liquor and wine store to write about. That pleased me enormously. It also pleased me to see that a fellow Washington D.C. retail wine expert like Pepi Almadovar was given some time and attention for a change. Too often if not always it is someone in a restaurant setting ( a chef or a sommelier, doesn't matter if the chef or the sommelier has paid their dues yet it seems )gets all the lime-light. Don't get me wrong : fair is fair : and they deserve some of this attention but certainly not all. Again in my humble opinion I believe firmly that it is the beer, liquor and wine stores where most people learn and get advice on how, when and what to serve depending on their events. So bravo to you Pepi : you deserve this article and I am thrilled for you. Happy New Year to you and to your family. Yes, it's true, I have known Pepi for years having sold to him for many of them when he worked at Schneider's Fine Wines on Capitol Hill.
I liked Freedom's keen observations like when he wrote : " With New Year's Eve approaching, most of the customers dodging one another in the family-owned store's aisles carted off champagne or tiny bubbled alternatives. One man picked up a bottle of $110 Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs. Someone else asked for a 2004 Cristal For nearly $200 : 12 percent alcohol by volume for the 1 percent ". The " 1 percent " that can or choose to buy/ afford it as you can buy a case of our MONTELLIANA Extra Dry Prosecco from Veneto, Italy ( that's 12 bottles ) for $144 that includes tax and still have $56 left over to buy a bottle of the POMMERY N.V. brut champagne for $47 a bottle : 13 bottles for the price of one really expensive one!
Freedom Du Lac continues : " Most of Calvert Woodley's 52 employees take home less per week than the roughly #1,500 it would cost to buy a single bottle of 2005 Lafite. " Sad.
Freedom adds : " But the rage-against-the-wealth ethos represented by the Occupy movement is missing from the store. There's more awe than resentment about how the haves throw their money around here." Another sad statement in my humble opinion.
I also love how Freedom quoted other of the CW staff like Dillon William, 51 a Jamaican immigrant and Fogle. About Phillip Fogle, 43 Freedom writes : " He lives in Ward 8 , where the unemployment is around 2o percent, and he's surrounded by poverty. ... For New Year's Eve, after working the 9-7 shift, Fogle said, he's going home to listen to jazz and open a half-bottle of Ben Rye, a sweet wine that sells for $32. " These are really keen inclusions by Freedom. They help to paint a much bigger picture and it's interesting to read and to learn from it. I certailnly did,
I am sorely sorry that he did not include Tom McKnew that has been at Calvert Woodley for as long as I can remember and that has helped make it what it is.
Freedom continued to write : " Multiple bottles of Andre Cold Duck wound up in shopping cart Thursday ( the bargain sparkler sells for $5.99 ), people were loading up on $9.99 bottles of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay and bagels were outselling caviar ( $69 an ounce ) by a wide margin . ... The store also is selling far more bottles of prosecco - the budget- friendly Italian sparkling wine - than Krug, Dom Perignon and the other high-end, $125-and-up champagnes in the lead-up to New Year's Eve ".
I love how Freedom ended the article : talking to Pepi and quoting him : " I think only of satisfying the customer". I feel the same, the customer is always first. Greet them politely, make them feel welcome and give them the respect they deserve, listen carefully to them and assist them as best as you possibly can. That's doing the job right.
To Freedom I say to you : good job and think now of visiting some of the " other " quality store I have mentioned above and giving us some equal opportunity, too. With Valentine's Day approaching on the 15th of February 2012 I believe? Anyway, this gives yo plenty of time now to contact some of us and come to our stores to see the excellent jobs that we, too do, We may not have 52 employees but we are equally determined to " satisfying the customer " / our valued customers as well as they new ones we have still to meet or are just meeting today for the very first time. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
I liked Freedom Du Lac's story once I got over my initial shock that and article had been written about Pepi Almadorov and the store Calvert Woodley ( up the street from ours : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits on Connecticut Avenue N.W. ) and my first thought that the article had been largely procured by all the weekly advertising dollars that Calvert Woodley pays yearly? It did occur to me, really it did. However, once I actually got over this and actually read the article I liked how Freedom Du Lac approached it and wrote as much about Washington D.C. now and in the past and how things have changed and evolved. It became for me a human interest story, a history story, too. It spoke much more of simply Pepi and one store.
I also liked that the story had been written about an actual wine store : one that is in Washington D.C. where so much started first and which has paved the path for so many other wine stores and stores that simply include wines as one of the very many things they sell to get their start and their foot-hold in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. I liked this a lot. Like us at Cleveland Park and many of the other excellent wine stores in Washington D.C. ( MacArthur Beverages, Chevy Chase, Schneiders. Burka's Fine Wines, Bells, Wide World Of Wines, Cairo ) and more we started as beer, liquor and wine stores and we have continued as such. We are small family-run operations here in Washington D.C. like Calvert Woodley and we have been around for a very long time and we have survived so far all the larger retail operations that have simply added wines to their inventory to increase their profits, even like places like Wallgreen's pharmacy a block away from us that claims they want to simply answer their customers requests and be more for them ). I say and have said already to the lawyers of Wallgreen's : " Then why don't we start being more to our customers, too and start selling some drugs to make up for the revenue that you take from us by selling really inexpensive beer and wine? They did not know how to respond to this question of mine. So bravo to Freedom Du Lac for actually picking a true beer, liquor and wine store to write about. That pleased me enormously. It also pleased me to see that a fellow Washington D.C. retail wine expert like Pepi Almadovar was given some time and attention for a change. Too often if not always it is someone in a restaurant setting ( a chef or a sommelier, doesn't matter if the chef or the sommelier has paid their dues yet it seems )gets all the lime-light. Don't get me wrong : fair is fair : and they deserve some of this attention but certainly not all. Again in my humble opinion I believe firmly that it is the beer, liquor and wine stores where most people learn and get advice on how, when and what to serve depending on their events. So bravo to you Pepi : you deserve this article and I am thrilled for you. Happy New Year to you and to your family. Yes, it's true, I have known Pepi for years having sold to him for many of them when he worked at Schneider's Fine Wines on Capitol Hill.
I liked Freedom's keen observations like when he wrote : " With New Year's Eve approaching, most of the customers dodging one another in the family-owned store's aisles carted off champagne or tiny bubbled alternatives. One man picked up a bottle of $110 Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs. Someone else asked for a 2004 Cristal For nearly $200 : 12 percent alcohol by volume for the 1 percent ". The " 1 percent " that can or choose to buy/ afford it as you can buy a case of our MONTELLIANA Extra Dry Prosecco from Veneto, Italy ( that's 12 bottles ) for $144 that includes tax and still have $56 left over to buy a bottle of the POMMERY N.V. brut champagne for $47 a bottle : 13 bottles for the price of one really expensive one!
Freedom Du Lac continues : " Most of Calvert Woodley's 52 employees take home less per week than the roughly #1,500 it would cost to buy a single bottle of 2005 Lafite. " Sad.
Freedom adds : " But the rage-against-the-wealth ethos represented by the Occupy movement is missing from the store. There's more awe than resentment about how the haves throw their money around here." Another sad statement in my humble opinion.
I also love how Freedom quoted other of the CW staff like Dillon William, 51 a Jamaican immigrant and Fogle. About Phillip Fogle, 43 Freedom writes : " He lives in Ward 8 , where the unemployment is around 2o percent, and he's surrounded by poverty. ... For New Year's Eve, after working the 9-7 shift, Fogle said, he's going home to listen to jazz and open a half-bottle of Ben Rye, a sweet wine that sells for $32. " These are really keen inclusions by Freedom. They help to paint a much bigger picture and it's interesting to read and to learn from it. I certailnly did,
I am sorely sorry that he did not include Tom McKnew that has been at Calvert Woodley for as long as I can remember and that has helped make it what it is.
Freedom continued to write : " Multiple bottles of Andre Cold Duck wound up in shopping cart Thursday ( the bargain sparkler sells for $5.99 ), people were loading up on $9.99 bottles of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay and bagels were outselling caviar ( $69 an ounce ) by a wide margin . ... The store also is selling far more bottles of prosecco - the budget- friendly Italian sparkling wine - than Krug, Dom Perignon and the other high-end, $125-and-up champagnes in the lead-up to New Year's Eve ".
I love how Freedom ended the article : talking to Pepi and quoting him : " I think only of satisfying the customer". I feel the same, the customer is always first. Greet them politely, make them feel welcome and give them the respect they deserve, listen carefully to them and assist them as best as you possibly can. That's doing the job right.
To Freedom I say to you : good job and think now of visiting some of the " other " quality store I have mentioned above and giving us some equal opportunity, too. With Valentine's Day approaching on the 15th of February 2012 I believe? Anyway, this gives yo plenty of time now to contact some of us and come to our stores to see the excellent jobs that we, too do, We may not have 52 employees but we are equally determined to " satisfying the customer " / our valued customers as well as they new ones we have still to meet or are just meeting today for the very first time. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Memories From 1970's Of The Wines Of Minervois & Corbieres, The Champs Elysees & Paris, France ...Now Herve & DOM. SAINT EUGHENIE,Corbieres, Wash.D.C.
To contact us Click HERE
Memories From 1970's Of The Wines Of Minervois & Corbieres, The Champs Elysees & Paris, France ....
I'd go to see a movie on the Champs Elysees like " Being There " with Peter Sellers ( loved that movie ) and " A Special Day " - the English translation I believe for the Italian movie in Rome was it? It was a day during the war and it concerned Mussolini and the two actors were none other than Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastaioni. There were of course many movies that we would see, my family and me and my friends and me - depending - there and I will never forget the " pour boire " and the commercials that I would often see promoting the wines of the southwest of France, particularly those of Corbieres and of Minervois. The commercials were oaky, not of very high quality and did not really create a desire within me to rush out over to the Caves de la Madeleine owned then by Brit Stephen Spurrier that I knew at the time. They did not make me want either to go to the closest Nicolas or even to a more fancy Hediard where I would perhaps find a private-label Corbieres or Minervois of Hediard's and spend more money. But I did notice them and I guess that it did help my fledgeling desires and love of wine consider them more on some level anyway.
Funny, this one singular image returns to me periodically and it has enough that I thought it would be fun to share this short recollection with you all. I hope you do not mind me indulging myself here.
I did collect a number of wine labels while living in Paris, France with my family back in the 1970's. My father was a career officer, Harry Alan Quinn for the American Embassy back then ( Visas first, then Passports and then back to Visas ) and I was lucky enough to be the son of a diplomat with a diplomatic passport and " flics " - cops that is that wanted to arrest or detain me for sitting in the metro halls and drawing the many musicians as they performed for their enjoyment and money of course. The flics would have conversations between themselves after asking for my identification and seeing that I had a diplomatic passport and arguing what to do? I clearly remember overhearing one conversation once where one said he wanted to bring me in for questioning and the other one saying that he could not do that! Saved by my diplomatic passport!
Les flics could perhaps have gone to a local Tabac and ordered either a glass of Corbieres or of Minervois once off work and relaxed a bit and discussed further this dilemma of having a foreigner - an artist - being allowed or not to sketch musicians as they played for their meals and for their survival? Just a thought.
I just had a conversation yesterday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) about Herve Gantier the owner of DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE in Corbieres, France. Herve is visiting shortly to play a game of golf with Bobby Kacher ( ? ) before rushing off to Las Vegas? I may or may not see him on the Saturday night that he arrives. It will be great to see him, of course as he is a friend and I love his energy, his smile and his wines! We sell them now on a pretty continual basis : have ever since they were introduced by Ronnie Miller years ago when he brought by Herve and his wine-maker : it was in 2002 I believe?
Anyway, here's to those old days of mine in Paris, France back in the 1970's and to today and to Herve and his DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE. Cheers et sante, et a bientot Herve j'espere bien ... Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
I'd go to see a movie on the Champs Elysees like " Being There " with Peter Sellers ( loved that movie ) and " A Special Day " - the English translation I believe for the Italian movie in Rome was it? It was a day during the war and it concerned Mussolini and the two actors were none other than Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastaioni. There were of course many movies that we would see, my family and me and my friends and me - depending - there and I will never forget the " pour boire " and the commercials that I would often see promoting the wines of the southwest of France, particularly those of Corbieres and of Minervois. The commercials were oaky, not of very high quality and did not really create a desire within me to rush out over to the Caves de la Madeleine owned then by Brit Stephen Spurrier that I knew at the time. They did not make me want either to go to the closest Nicolas or even to a more fancy Hediard where I would perhaps find a private-label Corbieres or Minervois of Hediard's and spend more money. But I did notice them and I guess that it did help my fledgeling desires and love of wine consider them more on some level anyway.
Funny, this one singular image returns to me periodically and it has enough that I thought it would be fun to share this short recollection with you all. I hope you do not mind me indulging myself here.
I did collect a number of wine labels while living in Paris, France with my family back in the 1970's. My father was a career officer, Harry Alan Quinn for the American Embassy back then ( Visas first, then Passports and then back to Visas ) and I was lucky enough to be the son of a diplomat with a diplomatic passport and " flics " - cops that is that wanted to arrest or detain me for sitting in the metro halls and drawing the many musicians as they performed for their enjoyment and money of course. The flics would have conversations between themselves after asking for my identification and seeing that I had a diplomatic passport and arguing what to do? I clearly remember overhearing one conversation once where one said he wanted to bring me in for questioning and the other one saying that he could not do that! Saved by my diplomatic passport!
Les flics could perhaps have gone to a local Tabac and ordered either a glass of Corbieres or of Minervois once off work and relaxed a bit and discussed further this dilemma of having a foreigner - an artist - being allowed or not to sketch musicians as they played for their meals and for their survival? Just a thought.
I just had a conversation yesterday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) about Herve Gantier the owner of DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE in Corbieres, France. Herve is visiting shortly to play a game of golf with Bobby Kacher ( ? ) before rushing off to Las Vegas? I may or may not see him on the Saturday night that he arrives. It will be great to see him, of course as he is a friend and I love his energy, his smile and his wines! We sell them now on a pretty continual basis : have ever since they were introduced by Ronnie Miller years ago when he brought by Herve and his wine-maker : it was in 2002 I believe?
Anyway, here's to those old days of mine in Paris, France back in the 1970's and to today and to Herve and his DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE. Cheers et sante, et a bientot Herve j'espere bien ... Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Roberta Ohoi Tastes The Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc " Charlotte's Home " Northern Sonoma 2010 ( $19.99 ) In 2012/ Thanks To Bill Holland 7/15/95
To contact us Click HERE
I have to say that I was really impressed with this bottle of the RODNEY STRONG " Charlotte's Home " Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 ) that our Washington Wholesale rep Roberta brought Ean and me to taste the other day at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter now at : cpwinespirits ).
This RODNEY STRONG Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and lively and bright and not heavy anc cloying and a real delight to sip and enjoy. I have now tasted it twice as Roberta returned to our store to taste it with customers perhaps three weeks later on a weekend in late February, 2012. People liked it then and bought it and it's a pleasure to have it for sale in our store as it is an excellent example of Sauvignon Blanc done right in California and at a really affordable price. The winemakers never lose sight of the fresh fruit which they started and it remains front and center throughout. Bravo to them for not overworking or producing it : simply letting it's charm and more lovely and subtle flavors weave their own magic without much outside help. I like that, I like that a lot. Restraint and knowing when to add or tweak and not rushing ahead. Bravo.
Years ago when I worked for Forman Brothers my father and I were invited to a private lunch at RODNEY STRONG and it was just the two of us with the staff of RODNEY STRONG. It was a delightful lunch and they did everything to make my Dad and I feel comfortable and welcome. I will always remember that visit and tour fondly. I have pictures from the tour and will include them in a future chatwine blog. That was before digital photos and so I have to copy them here when I get some time.
Funny, we did not meet Rodney Strong until we were leaving after this great tour. He was walking into the offices and we were walking out and we had a chance to stop and chat briefly for a few minutes. That was nice. I'm glad that happened. Just our good fortune.
I just looked around for my old cards from this trip and voila I found the one I needed that dates back to the period of July 15-20th, 1995 when my father Harry Alan Quinn and I visited the RODNEY STRONG Vineyard ( 1145 Old Redwood Highway, P.o. Box 368, Windsor, California, 95492 707-431-1533 Fax : 707-433-8635 ( there was no email or web page address on the card ) and Bill Holland ( manager, visitor center ) took care of us so well. Thanks Bill, this was a great visit and I appreciate it.
I will finish the rest of this blog of Roberta Ohoi's visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits a bit later but will post this " as is " as I am glad to get this out as my father's birthday was just this past week and I am thinking of both him and my mother as well as I just celebrated hers, too this past weekend.
It's now Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 at 11:01 PM and it's now in the seventies or even eighties and all is well, warm, sunshine everywhere with clear baby-blue skies above and it's time for me head off to work. Cheers and stay-tuned for more. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
P.S. Being an artist I like to take lots of artsy photos. Hope you enjoy them.
I have to say that I was really impressed with this bottle of the RODNEY STRONG " Charlotte's Home " Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 ) that our Washington Wholesale rep Roberta brought Ean and me to taste the other day at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter now at : cpwinespirits ).
This RODNEY STRONG Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and lively and bright and not heavy anc cloying and a real delight to sip and enjoy. I have now tasted it twice as Roberta returned to our store to taste it with customers perhaps three weeks later on a weekend in late February, 2012. People liked it then and bought it and it's a pleasure to have it for sale in our store as it is an excellent example of Sauvignon Blanc done right in California and at a really affordable price. The winemakers never lose sight of the fresh fruit which they started and it remains front and center throughout. Bravo to them for not overworking or producing it : simply letting it's charm and more lovely and subtle flavors weave their own magic without much outside help. I like that, I like that a lot. Restraint and knowing when to add or tweak and not rushing ahead. Bravo.
Years ago when I worked for Forman Brothers my father and I were invited to a private lunch at RODNEY STRONG and it was just the two of us with the staff of RODNEY STRONG. It was a delightful lunch and they did everything to make my Dad and I feel comfortable and welcome. I will always remember that visit and tour fondly. I have pictures from the tour and will include them in a future chatwine blog. That was before digital photos and so I have to copy them here when I get some time.
Funny, we did not meet Rodney Strong until we were leaving after this great tour. He was walking into the offices and we were walking out and we had a chance to stop and chat briefly for a few minutes. That was nice. I'm glad that happened. Just our good fortune.
I just looked around for my old cards from this trip and voila I found the one I needed that dates back to the period of July 15-20th, 1995 when my father Harry Alan Quinn and I visited the RODNEY STRONG Vineyard ( 1145 Old Redwood Highway, P.o. Box 368, Windsor, California, 95492 707-431-1533 Fax : 707-433-8635 ( there was no email or web page address on the card ) and Bill Holland ( manager, visitor center ) took care of us so well. Thanks Bill, this was a great visit and I appreciate it.
I will finish the rest of this blog of Roberta Ohoi's visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits a bit later but will post this " as is " as I am glad to get this out as my father's birthday was just this past week and I am thinking of both him and my mother as well as I just celebrated hers, too this past weekend.
It's now Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 at 11:01 PM and it's now in the seventies or even eighties and all is well, warm, sunshine everywhere with clear baby-blue skies above and it's time for me head off to work. Cheers and stay-tuned for more. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
P.S. Being an artist I like to take lots of artsy photos. Hope you enjoy them.
2012 : Looking Back! MIOLO Vineyards IS BACK " Sparkling Espumante From Brasil's Vale Dos Vinhedos, Bento Goncalves : Bright Sunshine ...
To contact us Click HERE
Bright sunshine perhaps at 11 A.M. or later in the afternoon around 6 P.M.? Yes, si. mais bom. I like it : I have been a fan now for quite awhile and I have tasted various releases over the last four or so years, ever since Flavius A. Cucu brought me some to taste. With my Brazilian background going back to 1955 I have been pretty much a fan of all things Brazilian! That still has not changed and here in July of 2012 as we get ready to celebrate France's Bastille Day ( le 14 Juillet! I also love pretty much all things French! ) I am thrilled to have it to offer everyone here in our Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington D.C. 20008 , 202-363-4265 at the very reasonable price of $16.99 a bottle. You should all buy a bottle and taste it.
Yes, si ... like the taste of bright sunshine that has settled nicely into the fabric of this liquid , gold-glinted sparkling espumante. It tastes quite rich and fresh and with great elasticity, fine fullness on the palate that saturates and coats and touches and yet does not tire or fatigue the tongue. It's flavorful enough, it's complex enough, it's engaging enough, it's well-balanced, well-focused : fleshy without being overly anything. It teases and pleases.
This MIOLO Vineyards' shows it's fine Italian heritage now going into the glorious fifth generation. You can see the care and the time, the thought that the folks at MIOLO Vineyards' like oenologue Gustavo Duarte put into the making of this splendid sparkling elixir that positively gleams a golden sunshine's radiance as the bubbles rise in the glass and one lifts the glass periodically to their lips to embibe this dry brut ( 11.5% alcohol by volume ) methode traditionelle. It's pretty addictive, too so be prepared to have an extra bottle on hand when you drink it as you will become positively expansive about life and being alive and able to enjoy and appreciate fully your immediate situation : and this will become obvious to others as they approach you and are drawn to you ... and you offer some to them ... and the magic of sharing and being together is a wonder to behold. Cheers and enjoy. TONY
Bright sunshine perhaps at 11 A.M. or later in the afternoon around 6 P.M.? Yes, si. mais bom. I like it : I have been a fan now for quite awhile and I have tasted various releases over the last four or so years, ever since Flavius A. Cucu brought me some to taste. With my Brazilian background going back to 1955 I have been pretty much a fan of all things Brazilian! That still has not changed and here in July of 2012 as we get ready to celebrate France's Bastille Day ( le 14 Juillet! I also love pretty much all things French! ) I am thrilled to have it to offer everyone here in our Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington D.C. 20008 , 202-363-4265 at the very reasonable price of $16.99 a bottle. You should all buy a bottle and taste it.
Yes, si ... like the taste of bright sunshine that has settled nicely into the fabric of this liquid , gold-glinted sparkling espumante. It tastes quite rich and fresh and with great elasticity, fine fullness on the palate that saturates and coats and touches and yet does not tire or fatigue the tongue. It's flavorful enough, it's complex enough, it's engaging enough, it's well-balanced, well-focused : fleshy without being overly anything. It teases and pleases.
This MIOLO Vineyards' shows it's fine Italian heritage now going into the glorious fifth generation. You can see the care and the time, the thought that the folks at MIOLO Vineyards' like oenologue Gustavo Duarte put into the making of this splendid sparkling elixir that positively gleams a golden sunshine's radiance as the bubbles rise in the glass and one lifts the glass periodically to their lips to embibe this dry brut ( 11.5% alcohol by volume ) methode traditionelle. It's pretty addictive, too so be prepared to have an extra bottle on hand when you drink it as you will become positively expansive about life and being alive and able to enjoy and appreciate fully your immediate situation : and this will become obvious to others as they approach you and are drawn to you ... and you offer some to them ... and the magic of sharing and being together is a wonder to behold. Cheers and enjoy. TONY
16 Aralık 2012 Pazar
Tastings In Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits In Washington D.C. N.W./ 2011/ IL CAMPO'S GIORNATA 09, Sangiovese ( $34.99 ) Paso Robles Luna Matta Vnyd &
To contact us Click HERE
& More ... this headline should read : I tasted three wines of IL CAMPO here ...
What a nice treat these were and a total discovery for me. I had never heard about them before John and Theresa Morrison brought them to my attention in the middle of 2011 was it ? I cannot remember exactly but here I was able to try all three and we now sell the two reds. We still have not bought the white yet and I will think about that perhaps for the this spring 2012.
Here they are all above as we tasted them recently. In the picture below is pictured Theresa Morrison and Mark of J.W, Sieg Imports.
Tasted also " Il Campo " 2008 Central Coast ( $27.99 ) " A modern field blend inspired by Italy " and also made by GIORNATA Wines in Paso Robles, California. We started with this " Il Campo " - the one with the red label. Theresa came and included it in one of her in-store wine tastings on either a Friday or Saturday with our customers of Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ).
This GIORNATA above has 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.giornatawines.com was tasted this past Saturday December 17th, 2011 from 2-6PM with John Morrison. People loved it and we sold several bottles at $34.99 I believe? Look at the beautiful deep, rich red color above. It's impressive and splendid just to look at. Being an artist I am drawn to things like this and am thrilled to be able to record and to share them here with you all and simply not just say to you all to buy it because it received a high numerical store from some wine writer. I strongly believe that we will all be out of a job if that is all we do : depend on scores to sell our wines. Look at the color I say. smell the bouquet : waken up and realize that you are the one that matters here. It's only your palate and knowing your tastes that should matter!
Pick up the glass and swirl it around and watch the light reflect through and off of the red GIORNATA as it moves in beautiful, soothing, exciting circles around the glass like a fine race car! Enjoy the ride , it's yours to do with what you will.
Cheers, TONY
Beautiful, even on it's side : like magic - how does it stay in the glass?!? You better rescue it before it spills out and pour some into your awaiting tongue and mouth and senses that are already partly under it's spell. Happy New Year everyone. It's now 12:04PM here at home in northern Virginia on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 as we all get ready to go off and have our brunch at " First Watch ". Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
What a nice treat these were and a total discovery for me. I had never heard about them before John and Theresa Morrison brought them to my attention in the middle of 2011 was it ? I cannot remember exactly but here I was able to try all three and we now sell the two reds. We still have not bought the white yet and I will think about that perhaps for the this spring 2012.
Here they are all above as we tasted them recently. In the picture below is pictured Theresa Morrison and Mark of J.W, Sieg Imports.
Tasted also " Il Campo " 2008 Central Coast ( $27.99 ) " A modern field blend inspired by Italy " and also made by GIORNATA Wines in Paso Robles, California. We started with this " Il Campo " - the one with the red label. Theresa came and included it in one of her in-store wine tastings on either a Friday or Saturday with our customers of Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ).
This GIORNATA above has 14.5% alcohol by volume, www.giornatawines.com was tasted this past Saturday December 17th, 2011 from 2-6PM with John Morrison. People loved it and we sold several bottles at $34.99 I believe? Look at the beautiful deep, rich red color above. It's impressive and splendid just to look at. Being an artist I am drawn to things like this and am thrilled to be able to record and to share them here with you all and simply not just say to you all to buy it because it received a high numerical store from some wine writer. I strongly believe that we will all be out of a job if that is all we do : depend on scores to sell our wines. Look at the color I say. smell the bouquet : waken up and realize that you are the one that matters here. It's only your palate and knowing your tastes that should matter!
Pick up the glass and swirl it around and watch the light reflect through and off of the red GIORNATA as it moves in beautiful, soothing, exciting circles around the glass like a fine race car! Enjoy the ride , it's yours to do with what you will.
Cheers, TONY
Beautiful, even on it's side : like magic - how does it stay in the glass?!? You better rescue it before it spills out and pour some into your awaiting tongue and mouth and senses that are already partly under it's spell. Happy New Year everyone. It's now 12:04PM here at home in northern Virginia on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 as we all get ready to go off and have our brunch at " First Watch ". Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Anthony Quinn's Impressions Of J. Freedom Du Lac's " Article : " Where Wine Meets Wealth "/ Saturday, 12/31/2011 In Wash Post
To contact us Click HERE
It was well-written this article of Freedom Du Lac's entitled : " Where Wine Meets Wealth ". Appearing on New Year's Eve DEcember 31st, 2011 in Satuday's Washington Post newspaper on the front page. I did not read it until Sunday as it was a really unseasonably beautiful and warm Saturday in the sixties I believe and I was appearing on NBC4 and being interviewed at 9AM about some of my favorite bubbly/champagne and sparkling wine selections ( as well as a sparkling wine cocktail of my selecting ) to celebrate New Year's Eve a bit later. It was all so much fun and after the interview I rushed off to work to show and taste our customers on some of the bubbly that I had selected and already shared on NBC4 earlier. There was not time : people would be rushing soon to the store to buy their last-minute needs to finish off 2011 and to ring in 2012!
I liked Freedom Du Lac's story once I got over my initial shock that and article had been written about Pepi Almadorov and the store Calvert Woodley ( up the street from ours : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits on Connecticut Avenue N.W. ) and my first thought that the article had been largely procured by all the weekly advertising dollars that Calvert Woodley pays yearly? It did occur to me, really it did. However, once I actually got over this and actually read the article I liked how Freedom Du Lac approached it and wrote as much about Washington D.C. now and in the past and how things have changed and evolved. It became for me a human interest story, a history story, too. It spoke much more of simply Pepi and one store.
I also liked that the story had been written about an actual wine store : one that is in Washington D.C. where so much started first and which has paved the path for so many other wine stores and stores that simply include wines as one of the very many things they sell to get their start and their foot-hold in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. I liked this a lot. Like us at Cleveland Park and many of the other excellent wine stores in Washington D.C. ( MacArthur Beverages, Chevy Chase, Schneiders. Burka's Fine Wines, Bells, Wide World Of Wines, Cairo ) and more we started as beer, liquor and wine stores and we have continued as such. We are small family-run operations here in Washington D.C. like Calvert Woodley and we have been around for a very long time and we have survived so far all the larger retail operations that have simply added wines to their inventory to increase their profits, even like places like Wallgreen's pharmacy a block away from us that claims they want to simply answer their customers requests and be more for them ). I say and have said already to the lawyers of Wallgreen's : " Then why don't we start being more to our customers, too and start selling some drugs to make up for the revenue that you take from us by selling really inexpensive beer and wine? They did not know how to respond to this question of mine. So bravo to Freedom Du Lac for actually picking a true beer, liquor and wine store to write about. That pleased me enormously. It also pleased me to see that a fellow Washington D.C. retail wine expert like Pepi Almadovar was given some time and attention for a change. Too often if not always it is someone in a restaurant setting ( a chef or a sommelier, doesn't matter if the chef or the sommelier has paid their dues yet it seems )gets all the lime-light. Don't get me wrong : fair is fair : and they deserve some of this attention but certainly not all. Again in my humble opinion I believe firmly that it is the beer, liquor and wine stores where most people learn and get advice on how, when and what to serve depending on their events. So bravo to you Pepi : you deserve this article and I am thrilled for you. Happy New Year to you and to your family. Yes, it's true, I have known Pepi for years having sold to him for many of them when he worked at Schneider's Fine Wines on Capitol Hill.
I liked Freedom's keen observations like when he wrote : " With New Year's Eve approaching, most of the customers dodging one another in the family-owned store's aisles carted off champagne or tiny bubbled alternatives. One man picked up a bottle of $110 Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs. Someone else asked for a 2004 Cristal For nearly $200 : 12 percent alcohol by volume for the 1 percent ". The " 1 percent " that can or choose to buy/ afford it as you can buy a case of our MONTELLIANA Extra Dry Prosecco from Veneto, Italy ( that's 12 bottles ) for $144 that includes tax and still have $56 left over to buy a bottle of the POMMERY N.V. brut champagne for $47 a bottle : 13 bottles for the price of one really expensive one!
Freedom Du Lac continues : " Most of Calvert Woodley's 52 employees take home less per week than the roughly #1,500 it would cost to buy a single bottle of 2005 Lafite. " Sad.
Freedom adds : " But the rage-against-the-wealth ethos represented by the Occupy movement is missing from the store. There's more awe than resentment about how the haves throw their money around here." Another sad statement in my humble opinion.
I also love how Freedom quoted other of the CW staff like Dillon William, 51 a Jamaican immigrant and Fogle. About Phillip Fogle, 43 Freedom writes : " He lives in Ward 8 , where the unemployment is around 2o percent, and he's surrounded by poverty. ... For New Year's Eve, after working the 9-7 shift, Fogle said, he's going home to listen to jazz and open a half-bottle of Ben Rye, a sweet wine that sells for $32. " These are really keen inclusions by Freedom. They help to paint a much bigger picture and it's interesting to read and to learn from it. I certailnly did,
I am sorely sorry that he did not include Tom McKnew that has been at Calvert Woodley for as long as I can remember and that has helped make it what it is.
Freedom continued to write : " Multiple bottles of Andre Cold Duck wound up in shopping cart Thursday ( the bargain sparkler sells for $5.99 ), people were loading up on $9.99 bottles of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay and bagels were outselling caviar ( $69 an ounce ) by a wide margin . ... The store also is selling far more bottles of prosecco - the budget- friendly Italian sparkling wine - than Krug, Dom Perignon and the other high-end, $125-and-up champagnes in the lead-up to New Year's Eve ".
I love how Freedom ended the article : talking to Pepi and quoting him : " I think only of satisfying the customer". I feel the same, the customer is always first. Greet them politely, make them feel welcome and give them the respect they deserve, listen carefully to them and assist them as best as you possibly can. That's doing the job right.
To Freedom I say to you : good job and think now of visiting some of the " other " quality store I have mentioned above and giving us some equal opportunity, too. With Valentine's Day approaching on the 15th of February 2012 I believe? Anyway, this gives yo plenty of time now to contact some of us and come to our stores to see the excellent jobs that we, too do, We may not have 52 employees but we are equally determined to " satisfying the customer " / our valued customers as well as they new ones we have still to meet or are just meeting today for the very first time. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
I liked Freedom Du Lac's story once I got over my initial shock that and article had been written about Pepi Almadorov and the store Calvert Woodley ( up the street from ours : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits on Connecticut Avenue N.W. ) and my first thought that the article had been largely procured by all the weekly advertising dollars that Calvert Woodley pays yearly? It did occur to me, really it did. However, once I actually got over this and actually read the article I liked how Freedom Du Lac approached it and wrote as much about Washington D.C. now and in the past and how things have changed and evolved. It became for me a human interest story, a history story, too. It spoke much more of simply Pepi and one store.
I also liked that the story had been written about an actual wine store : one that is in Washington D.C. where so much started first and which has paved the path for so many other wine stores and stores that simply include wines as one of the very many things they sell to get their start and their foot-hold in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. I liked this a lot. Like us at Cleveland Park and many of the other excellent wine stores in Washington D.C. ( MacArthur Beverages, Chevy Chase, Schneiders. Burka's Fine Wines, Bells, Wide World Of Wines, Cairo ) and more we started as beer, liquor and wine stores and we have continued as such. We are small family-run operations here in Washington D.C. like Calvert Woodley and we have been around for a very long time and we have survived so far all the larger retail operations that have simply added wines to their inventory to increase their profits, even like places like Wallgreen's pharmacy a block away from us that claims they want to simply answer their customers requests and be more for them ). I say and have said already to the lawyers of Wallgreen's : " Then why don't we start being more to our customers, too and start selling some drugs to make up for the revenue that you take from us by selling really inexpensive beer and wine? They did not know how to respond to this question of mine. So bravo to Freedom Du Lac for actually picking a true beer, liquor and wine store to write about. That pleased me enormously. It also pleased me to see that a fellow Washington D.C. retail wine expert like Pepi Almadovar was given some time and attention for a change. Too often if not always it is someone in a restaurant setting ( a chef or a sommelier, doesn't matter if the chef or the sommelier has paid their dues yet it seems )gets all the lime-light. Don't get me wrong : fair is fair : and they deserve some of this attention but certainly not all. Again in my humble opinion I believe firmly that it is the beer, liquor and wine stores where most people learn and get advice on how, when and what to serve depending on their events. So bravo to you Pepi : you deserve this article and I am thrilled for you. Happy New Year to you and to your family. Yes, it's true, I have known Pepi for years having sold to him for many of them when he worked at Schneider's Fine Wines on Capitol Hill.
I liked Freedom's keen observations like when he wrote : " With New Year's Eve approaching, most of the customers dodging one another in the family-owned store's aisles carted off champagne or tiny bubbled alternatives. One man picked up a bottle of $110 Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs. Someone else asked for a 2004 Cristal For nearly $200 : 12 percent alcohol by volume for the 1 percent ". The " 1 percent " that can or choose to buy/ afford it as you can buy a case of our MONTELLIANA Extra Dry Prosecco from Veneto, Italy ( that's 12 bottles ) for $144 that includes tax and still have $56 left over to buy a bottle of the POMMERY N.V. brut champagne for $47 a bottle : 13 bottles for the price of one really expensive one!
Freedom Du Lac continues : " Most of Calvert Woodley's 52 employees take home less per week than the roughly #1,500 it would cost to buy a single bottle of 2005 Lafite. " Sad.
Freedom adds : " But the rage-against-the-wealth ethos represented by the Occupy movement is missing from the store. There's more awe than resentment about how the haves throw their money around here." Another sad statement in my humble opinion.
I also love how Freedom quoted other of the CW staff like Dillon William, 51 a Jamaican immigrant and Fogle. About Phillip Fogle, 43 Freedom writes : " He lives in Ward 8 , where the unemployment is around 2o percent, and he's surrounded by poverty. ... For New Year's Eve, after working the 9-7 shift, Fogle said, he's going home to listen to jazz and open a half-bottle of Ben Rye, a sweet wine that sells for $32. " These are really keen inclusions by Freedom. They help to paint a much bigger picture and it's interesting to read and to learn from it. I certailnly did,
I am sorely sorry that he did not include Tom McKnew that has been at Calvert Woodley for as long as I can remember and that has helped make it what it is.
Freedom continued to write : " Multiple bottles of Andre Cold Duck wound up in shopping cart Thursday ( the bargain sparkler sells for $5.99 ), people were loading up on $9.99 bottles of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay and bagels were outselling caviar ( $69 an ounce ) by a wide margin . ... The store also is selling far more bottles of prosecco - the budget- friendly Italian sparkling wine - than Krug, Dom Perignon and the other high-end, $125-and-up champagnes in the lead-up to New Year's Eve ".
I love how Freedom ended the article : talking to Pepi and quoting him : " I think only of satisfying the customer". I feel the same, the customer is always first. Greet them politely, make them feel welcome and give them the respect they deserve, listen carefully to them and assist them as best as you possibly can. That's doing the job right.
To Freedom I say to you : good job and think now of visiting some of the " other " quality store I have mentioned above and giving us some equal opportunity, too. With Valentine's Day approaching on the 15th of February 2012 I believe? Anyway, this gives yo plenty of time now to contact some of us and come to our stores to see the excellent jobs that we, too do, We may not have 52 employees but we are equally determined to " satisfying the customer " / our valued customers as well as they new ones we have still to meet or are just meeting today for the very first time. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Memories From 1970's Of The Wines Of Minervois & Corbieres, The Champs Elysees & Paris, France ...Now Herve & DOM. SAINT EUGHENIE,Corbieres, Wash.D.C.
To contact us Click HERE
Memories From 1970's Of The Wines Of Minervois & Corbieres, The Champs Elysees & Paris, France ....
I'd go to see a movie on the Champs Elysees like " Being There " with Peter Sellers ( loved that movie ) and " A Special Day " - the English translation I believe for the Italian movie in Rome was it? It was a day during the war and it concerned Mussolini and the two actors were none other than Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastaioni. There were of course many movies that we would see, my family and me and my friends and me - depending - there and I will never forget the " pour boire " and the commercials that I would often see promoting the wines of the southwest of France, particularly those of Corbieres and of Minervois. The commercials were oaky, not of very high quality and did not really create a desire within me to rush out over to the Caves de la Madeleine owned then by Brit Stephen Spurrier that I knew at the time. They did not make me want either to go to the closest Nicolas or even to a more fancy Hediard where I would perhaps find a private-label Corbieres or Minervois of Hediard's and spend more money. But I did notice them and I guess that it did help my fledgeling desires and love of wine consider them more on some level anyway.
Funny, this one singular image returns to me periodically and it has enough that I thought it would be fun to share this short recollection with you all. I hope you do not mind me indulging myself here.
I did collect a number of wine labels while living in Paris, France with my family back in the 1970's. My father was a career officer, Harry Alan Quinn for the American Embassy back then ( Visas first, then Passports and then back to Visas ) and I was lucky enough to be the son of a diplomat with a diplomatic passport and " flics " - cops that is that wanted to arrest or detain me for sitting in the metro halls and drawing the many musicians as they performed for their enjoyment and money of course. The flics would have conversations between themselves after asking for my identification and seeing that I had a diplomatic passport and arguing what to do? I clearly remember overhearing one conversation once where one said he wanted to bring me in for questioning and the other one saying that he could not do that! Saved by my diplomatic passport!
Les flics could perhaps have gone to a local Tabac and ordered either a glass of Corbieres or of Minervois once off work and relaxed a bit and discussed further this dilemma of having a foreigner - an artist - being allowed or not to sketch musicians as they played for their meals and for their survival? Just a thought.
I just had a conversation yesterday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) about Herve Gantier the owner of DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE in Corbieres, France. Herve is visiting shortly to play a game of golf with Bobby Kacher ( ? ) before rushing off to Las Vegas? I may or may not see him on the Saturday night that he arrives. It will be great to see him, of course as he is a friend and I love his energy, his smile and his wines! We sell them now on a pretty continual basis : have ever since they were introduced by Ronnie Miller years ago when he brought by Herve and his wine-maker : it was in 2002 I believe?
Anyway, here's to those old days of mine in Paris, France back in the 1970's and to today and to Herve and his DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE. Cheers et sante, et a bientot Herve j'espere bien ... Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
I'd go to see a movie on the Champs Elysees like " Being There " with Peter Sellers ( loved that movie ) and " A Special Day " - the English translation I believe for the Italian movie in Rome was it? It was a day during the war and it concerned Mussolini and the two actors were none other than Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastaioni. There were of course many movies that we would see, my family and me and my friends and me - depending - there and I will never forget the " pour boire " and the commercials that I would often see promoting the wines of the southwest of France, particularly those of Corbieres and of Minervois. The commercials were oaky, not of very high quality and did not really create a desire within me to rush out over to the Caves de la Madeleine owned then by Brit Stephen Spurrier that I knew at the time. They did not make me want either to go to the closest Nicolas or even to a more fancy Hediard where I would perhaps find a private-label Corbieres or Minervois of Hediard's and spend more money. But I did notice them and I guess that it did help my fledgeling desires and love of wine consider them more on some level anyway.
Funny, this one singular image returns to me periodically and it has enough that I thought it would be fun to share this short recollection with you all. I hope you do not mind me indulging myself here.
I did collect a number of wine labels while living in Paris, France with my family back in the 1970's. My father was a career officer, Harry Alan Quinn for the American Embassy back then ( Visas first, then Passports and then back to Visas ) and I was lucky enough to be the son of a diplomat with a diplomatic passport and " flics " - cops that is that wanted to arrest or detain me for sitting in the metro halls and drawing the many musicians as they performed for their enjoyment and money of course. The flics would have conversations between themselves after asking for my identification and seeing that I had a diplomatic passport and arguing what to do? I clearly remember overhearing one conversation once where one said he wanted to bring me in for questioning and the other one saying that he could not do that! Saved by my diplomatic passport!
Les flics could perhaps have gone to a local Tabac and ordered either a glass of Corbieres or of Minervois once off work and relaxed a bit and discussed further this dilemma of having a foreigner - an artist - being allowed or not to sketch musicians as they played for their meals and for their survival? Just a thought.
I just had a conversation yesterday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) about Herve Gantier the owner of DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE in Corbieres, France. Herve is visiting shortly to play a game of golf with Bobby Kacher ( ? ) before rushing off to Las Vegas? I may or may not see him on the Saturday night that he arrives. It will be great to see him, of course as he is a friend and I love his energy, his smile and his wines! We sell them now on a pretty continual basis : have ever since they were introduced by Ronnie Miller years ago when he brought by Herve and his wine-maker : it was in 2002 I believe?
Anyway, here's to those old days of mine in Paris, France back in the 1970's and to today and to Herve and his DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE. Cheers et sante, et a bientot Herve j'espere bien ... Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Roberta Ohoi Tastes The Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc " Charlotte's Home " Northern Sonoma 2010 ( $19.99 ) In 2012/ Thanks To Bill Holland 7/15/95
To contact us Click HERE
I have to say that I was really impressed with this bottle of the RODNEY STRONG " Charlotte's Home " Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 ) that our Washington Wholesale rep Roberta brought Ean and me to taste the other day at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter now at : cpwinespirits ).
This RODNEY STRONG Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and lively and bright and not heavy anc cloying and a real delight to sip and enjoy. I have now tasted it twice as Roberta returned to our store to taste it with customers perhaps three weeks later on a weekend in late February, 2012. People liked it then and bought it and it's a pleasure to have it for sale in our store as it is an excellent example of Sauvignon Blanc done right in California and at a really affordable price. The winemakers never lose sight of the fresh fruit which they started and it remains front and center throughout. Bravo to them for not overworking or producing it : simply letting it's charm and more lovely and subtle flavors weave their own magic without much outside help. I like that, I like that a lot. Restraint and knowing when to add or tweak and not rushing ahead. Bravo.
Years ago when I worked for Forman Brothers my father and I were invited to a private lunch at RODNEY STRONG and it was just the two of us with the staff of RODNEY STRONG. It was a delightful lunch and they did everything to make my Dad and I feel comfortable and welcome. I will always remember that visit and tour fondly. I have pictures from the tour and will include them in a future chatwine blog. That was before digital photos and so I have to copy them here when I get some time.
Funny, we did not meet Rodney Strong until we were leaving after this great tour. He was walking into the offices and we were walking out and we had a chance to stop and chat briefly for a few minutes. That was nice. I'm glad that happened. Just our good fortune.
I just looked around for my old cards from this trip and voila I found the one I needed that dates back to the period of July 15-20th, 1995 when my father Harry Alan Quinn and I visited the RODNEY STRONG Vineyard ( 1145 Old Redwood Highway, P.o. Box 368, Windsor, California, 95492 707-431-1533 Fax : 707-433-8635 ( there was no email or web page address on the card ) and Bill Holland ( manager, visitor center ) took care of us so well. Thanks Bill, this was a great visit and I appreciate it.
I will finish the rest of this blog of Roberta Ohoi's visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits a bit later but will post this " as is " as I am glad to get this out as my father's birthday was just this past week and I am thinking of both him and my mother as well as I just celebrated hers, too this past weekend.
It's now Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 at 11:01 PM and it's now in the seventies or even eighties and all is well, warm, sunshine everywhere with clear baby-blue skies above and it's time for me head off to work. Cheers and stay-tuned for more. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
P.S. Being an artist I like to take lots of artsy photos. Hope you enjoy them.
I have to say that I was really impressed with this bottle of the RODNEY STRONG " Charlotte's Home " Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 ) that our Washington Wholesale rep Roberta brought Ean and me to taste the other day at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter now at : cpwinespirits ).
This RODNEY STRONG Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and lively and bright and not heavy anc cloying and a real delight to sip and enjoy. I have now tasted it twice as Roberta returned to our store to taste it with customers perhaps three weeks later on a weekend in late February, 2012. People liked it then and bought it and it's a pleasure to have it for sale in our store as it is an excellent example of Sauvignon Blanc done right in California and at a really affordable price. The winemakers never lose sight of the fresh fruit which they started and it remains front and center throughout. Bravo to them for not overworking or producing it : simply letting it's charm and more lovely and subtle flavors weave their own magic without much outside help. I like that, I like that a lot. Restraint and knowing when to add or tweak and not rushing ahead. Bravo.
Years ago when I worked for Forman Brothers my father and I were invited to a private lunch at RODNEY STRONG and it was just the two of us with the staff of RODNEY STRONG. It was a delightful lunch and they did everything to make my Dad and I feel comfortable and welcome. I will always remember that visit and tour fondly. I have pictures from the tour and will include them in a future chatwine blog. That was before digital photos and so I have to copy them here when I get some time.
Funny, we did not meet Rodney Strong until we were leaving after this great tour. He was walking into the offices and we were walking out and we had a chance to stop and chat briefly for a few minutes. That was nice. I'm glad that happened. Just our good fortune.
I just looked around for my old cards from this trip and voila I found the one I needed that dates back to the period of July 15-20th, 1995 when my father Harry Alan Quinn and I visited the RODNEY STRONG Vineyard ( 1145 Old Redwood Highway, P.o. Box 368, Windsor, California, 95492 707-431-1533 Fax : 707-433-8635 ( there was no email or web page address on the card ) and Bill Holland ( manager, visitor center ) took care of us so well. Thanks Bill, this was a great visit and I appreciate it.
I will finish the rest of this blog of Roberta Ohoi's visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits a bit later but will post this " as is " as I am glad to get this out as my father's birthday was just this past week and I am thinking of both him and my mother as well as I just celebrated hers, too this past weekend.
It's now Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 at 11:01 PM and it's now in the seventies or even eighties and all is well, warm, sunshine everywhere with clear baby-blue skies above and it's time for me head off to work. Cheers and stay-tuned for more. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
P.S. Being an artist I like to take lots of artsy photos. Hope you enjoy them.
Kaydol:
Yorumlar (Atom)