11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
World's largest gin collection in UK hotel
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OXFORDSHIRE, England -- The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock has officially been proclaimed the holder of the largest collection of gin in the world.
A Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator visited the hotel to count the 161 different varieties of gin stocked by the hotel bar as a crowd of guests and employees looked on for the entire 45 minute inspection.
Jeremy Duplessis, hotel general manager, said, "It's absolutely fantastic to be crowned a world record breaker. We have been building on the collection for three years and have picked up gins from all corners of the world -- from Holland, Spain, the U.S.A. and Germany as well as Britain, home of the famous London Gin, so it's great to have our efforts rewarded."
The hotel also stocks some of the world's most exclusive gins. For example, a bottle of Vincenzi 1950 comes in at US$348; a single glass of Burnett's White Satin 1960 will set drinkers back US$30; and, a seven-course dinner paired with gins is US$116.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
 |
| Duplessis (l) accepts the award. |
A Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator visited the hotel to count the 161 different varieties of gin stocked by the hotel bar as a crowd of guests and employees looked on for the entire 45 minute inspection.
Jeremy Duplessis, hotel general manager, said, "It's absolutely fantastic to be crowned a world record breaker. We have been building on the collection for three years and have picked up gins from all corners of the world -- from Holland, Spain, the U.S.A. and Germany as well as Britain, home of the famous London Gin, so it's great to have our efforts rewarded."
The hotel also stocks some of the world's most exclusive gins. For example, a bottle of Vincenzi 1950 comes in at US$348; a single glass of Burnett's White Satin 1960 will set drinkers back US$30; and, a seven-course dinner paired with gins is US$116.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
Minnesota's first distillery open for business
To contact us Click HERE
OSAKI, MN -- Panther Distillery, the first -- and only -- legal distillery in the state -- has opened for business.
The distillery, founded in 20120 by Adrian Pather, took two years of planning, work and obtaining state permits to officially open.
He and head distiller Brett Grinager will host the public at a grand opening event set for 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday this week.
The Panther Distillery team uses a 500-gallon copper still and fresh, local ingredients from area farmers. They now are barreling their signature whiskies, which will be aged for two years. Meanwhile, they're producing a clear, unaged spirit called White Water Whiskey. A gin, a rye and a rum are planned as well.
The distillery is located at 300 East Pike Street. Its website has other details.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.
 |
| Panther (top) and Grinager |
The distillery, founded in 20120 by Adrian Pather, took two years of planning, work and obtaining state permits to officially open.
He and head distiller Brett Grinager will host the public at a grand opening event set for 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday this week.
The Panther Distillery team uses a 500-gallon copper still and fresh, local ingredients from area farmers. They now are barreling their signature whiskies, which will be aged for two years. Meanwhile, they're producing a clear, unaged spirit called White Water Whiskey. A gin, a rye and a rum are planned as well.
The distillery is located at 300 East Pike Street. Its website has other details.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.
2011-2012 Tasting GALLO Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2009 ( $32.99 ) By Gina Gallo Winemaker @ Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits In Washington D.C.
To contact us Click HERE
All the wines were good that I tasted on this afternoon at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. They should have been : they had the money of Ernest and Giulio Gallo behind the : or Gina and Matt Gallo now, the children that is. That's a whole lot of money and clout and influence and experience and pretty much everything else. Especially when you stop and realize that much of what GALLO has done is already with successful and good vineyards all around the world that already have a history, track-record of excellence and perhaps just a bit of money issues like so many businesses in the world today whether wine-related or not. These are tough times and everyone knows it.
As I have said many times to people that visit the store I am most interested in supporting GALLO with their California efforts ( as in helping LOUIS MARTINI and MIRASSOU Vineyards that had already made very fine wines and been in business for many years before GALLO took them under their financial wings ). To me that makes perfect sense to support GALLO in these efforts as both of those wineries really did contribute to the pageant which is now a colorful California tapestry of wine flavors, styles and soils and regions that have been a big part of the recent American wine experience.
At Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits where I manage the wine department - now for more than 12 years ( 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 ) we have had both Michael Martini and David Mirassou come and do in-store wine-tastings of their wines and that has made them in my mind part of the broad but very real Cleveland Park Wines' family that I readily embrace anytime over abstract points and scores and artificial hype to sell more boxes of wine.
We had all better watch out by so readily promoting points and scores as we will soon put ourselves out of business as our worth and value the wine equation/ experience become antiquated and no longer worth subsidizing?!? That would be a tragedy : people need people to come and see and be able to look square in the face and ask advice and help from. That's real : that's a connection that you can hold onto and that can lead to meaningful exchanges.
So, all the wines showed well that were shown to me of GALLO, LAS ROCAS, FREI BROTHERS and the Spanish white Albarino, too from MARTIN CODAX. They were all winners in their own right and styles and genres. I liked some more than others : I have sold them all at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits over the years at one time or another. It just has depended on what was going on and if we had had a chance to taste them and what deals were being offered at the time. Selling GALLO itself is not a priority for me at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. I do a cross-section partly because of the values that they offer from the SHEFFIELD, LIVINGSTONE and TISDALE brands on up. Buying-power does have its advantages and in today's market people are often counting their pennies to make every one of those stretch as far as possible. That's smart business on the consumer's part as it is on ours of the retailer.
Pictured above is Matt and his boss that came to make a presentation of these wines to us a month or so ago. They brought wines with them to taste Ean and me on and that is what I ask and expect of them if they hope to get a product into our store and onto our shelves. Don't act simply as order-takers : earn your keep with us and help us to do a better job with our customers. They did their part and we tasted and evaluated these wines carefully and bought the GALLO Pinot Noir made by Gina Gallo herself immediately : especially when I heard the price that we could sell it for. I was very impressed with the elegance, finesse, polish and overall breed of this wine. I loved it's focus and it's balance and the price of $32.99 is very reasonable to me as it easily tastes more expensive than that. I also believe that it easily beats out many compeptitors that are a whole lot more expensive but not nearly as balanced and enjoyable to drink as this one is. Congratulations Gina, I have never met you before but I complement you on this bottle that we are selling now and happy to have on our shelves.
Bravo to Gina Gallo's GALLO Santa Lucia Highlands California Pinot Noir 2009 : I loved it immediately and went back to re-taste it at least two or three times more to be sure that my first impression was supported again and was not simply a fluke. It was not : it was the real thing, the real taste impression : where my taste buds and my sense of smell all rallied in praise and appreciation of the bouquet and the flavors offered up to me in my Reidel Austrian wine-tasting glass. I was a fan of this 2009 limited-production GALLO Special-bottling of Pinot Noir from California's Santa Lucia Highlands : a very solid offering indeed and one that can easily be enjoyed with or without food and which I do believe will still improve in the bottle with another 2-5 years of cellar age. No need to rush through this now. Buy some and put some away and perhaps drink a bottle every six months ot every year? That sounds about right to me. Buy a six-pack and enjoy over time.
Matt came in later to do the wine-tasting that he had signed up for while in the store tasting here with his boss. I think that it pretty much came up actually at the last minute as we had had a cancellation and Matt was free to step in and do a tasting with our customers. Thanks Matt : that helped to get the MARTIN CODAX dry Spanish white Albarino back on our shelves along with the 100% Garnacha dry red black-labeled LAS ROCAS dry Spanish red on our shelves as well. We already had the GALLO 2009 Pinot Noir that we had bought immediately. It turned out to be a good weekend in-store tasting and we sold some of each of the three wines that were sampled. We did not taste or buy for the store the FREI BROTHERS Chardonnay or their Sauvignon Blanc. WE may buy those at a later time when we taste them again or need them for the store as they fit the category and the price? We cannot afford to buy everything and I really want to bring back the LOUIS MARTINI and some of the MIRASSOU Vineyard wines that our prior rep Bill Cook used to sell us from Republic-National distributing.
We still need to get some of the regular everyday LAS ROCAS Garnacha Spanish red ( it's in the tall Bordeaux-bottle shape and not the squatter Burgundy bottle shape ) onto our shelves. We will order that and floor-stack it : perhaps five cases with four for the stack and one for the shelves? That sounds about right to me. I will talk to Matt about that the next time that I see him.
So all is well and we start fresh with Matt that clearly is doing all that he can to get some new business with his wines to our store now in 2012 and we thank him for that. On his end he is doing everything to make it as easy and smooth to work with his extensive portfolio and so Ean and I will taste and we will decide what we need and want for the store as we get into March 2012.
Hope you enjoy these pictures. Being an artist I am looking for ways to bring some new perspective to the wine-tasting experience. I want color and bottle and wine and action and composition all help you all to decide that you might want to taste and buy some of these wines pictured here.
It's all about temptation and making things look irresistible to you all. Have I succeeded? I hope so : that is my intention.
Visually things can play such an important roll in our wanting to buy a wine and taste and enjoy it with our meals. Everyone already knows the power of the wine label and how that can make the difference in whether or not to buy it or not?
Looking at the color of the wine, it's clarity and it's brilliance, too can make a big difference in whether or not we want to buy and taste it. I like to show some of that and I want to offer up images that " add to the equation " as I like to put it. Hopefully you see and witness and are made aware of something visually in a creative, appealing and stimulating manner? I certainly hope so. That is what I can bring to the table as an artist. So much has already been done with words and packaging. Now it is how do you present them to the buying/ tasting public? There are many ways and I hope that I have touched upon a few of them here. Let me know : I would love to hear your comments? Gina, what do you think? Please comment and let me know below. Thanks.
Anyway, come to the store and get some of these wines. We still have some of the GALLO and of the LAS ROCAS, as well as of the MARTIN CODAX. WE can buy more of the two Spanish wines. I believe that all of your wine Gina the 2009 Pinot Noir is now sold-out? I will check with Matt. We still have four or five bottles perhaps at $32.99?
Golden-tinted white on black, nice combination in the picture above. I like it, I like it a lot. I also like how I got reflected in the bottom of the Reidel wine glass that the bowl sits and rests on the lovely golden hues as well ... lovely extension - continuation ...
Look at the swirl, look at the motion of these white and dry FREI BROTHER'S California wines : brilliant, especially with the ceiling lights above bright and strong shining through them.
Thanks again Matt for everything and we will go over these and other GALLO wine selections when we meet again soon. Cheers and enjoy Valentine's Day tomorrow all of you. These would make some excellent Valentine's Day wines for tomorrow , especially the GALLO 2009 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. You can call Ean at the store today ( as it is my day-off ) and ask him what we still have left of Gina's 2009 Pinot Noir? Call : 202-363-4265. Cheers to you all, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
All the wines were good that I tasted on this afternoon at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. They should have been : they had the money of Ernest and Giulio Gallo behind the : or Gina and Matt Gallo now, the children that is. That's a whole lot of money and clout and influence and experience and pretty much everything else. Especially when you stop and realize that much of what GALLO has done is already with successful and good vineyards all around the world that already have a history, track-record of excellence and perhaps just a bit of money issues like so many businesses in the world today whether wine-related or not. These are tough times and everyone knows it.
As I have said many times to people that visit the store I am most interested in supporting GALLO with their California efforts ( as in helping LOUIS MARTINI and MIRASSOU Vineyards that had already made very fine wines and been in business for many years before GALLO took them under their financial wings ). To me that makes perfect sense to support GALLO in these efforts as both of those wineries really did contribute to the pageant which is now a colorful California tapestry of wine flavors, styles and soils and regions that have been a big part of the recent American wine experience.
At Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits where I manage the wine department - now for more than 12 years ( 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 ) we have had both Michael Martini and David Mirassou come and do in-store wine-tastings of their wines and that has made them in my mind part of the broad but very real Cleveland Park Wines' family that I readily embrace anytime over abstract points and scores and artificial hype to sell more boxes of wine.
We had all better watch out by so readily promoting points and scores as we will soon put ourselves out of business as our worth and value the wine equation/ experience become antiquated and no longer worth subsidizing?!? That would be a tragedy : people need people to come and see and be able to look square in the face and ask advice and help from. That's real : that's a connection that you can hold onto and that can lead to meaningful exchanges.
So, all the wines showed well that were shown to me of GALLO, LAS ROCAS, FREI BROTHERS and the Spanish white Albarino, too from MARTIN CODAX. They were all winners in their own right and styles and genres. I liked some more than others : I have sold them all at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits over the years at one time or another. It just has depended on what was going on and if we had had a chance to taste them and what deals were being offered at the time. Selling GALLO itself is not a priority for me at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. I do a cross-section partly because of the values that they offer from the SHEFFIELD, LIVINGSTONE and TISDALE brands on up. Buying-power does have its advantages and in today's market people are often counting their pennies to make every one of those stretch as far as possible. That's smart business on the consumer's part as it is on ours of the retailer.
Pictured above is Matt and his boss that came to make a presentation of these wines to us a month or so ago. They brought wines with them to taste Ean and me on and that is what I ask and expect of them if they hope to get a product into our store and onto our shelves. Don't act simply as order-takers : earn your keep with us and help us to do a better job with our customers. They did their part and we tasted and evaluated these wines carefully and bought the GALLO Pinot Noir made by Gina Gallo herself immediately : especially when I heard the price that we could sell it for. I was very impressed with the elegance, finesse, polish and overall breed of this wine. I loved it's focus and it's balance and the price of $32.99 is very reasonable to me as it easily tastes more expensive than that. I also believe that it easily beats out many compeptitors that are a whole lot more expensive but not nearly as balanced and enjoyable to drink as this one is. Congratulations Gina, I have never met you before but I complement you on this bottle that we are selling now and happy to have on our shelves.
Bravo to Gina Gallo's GALLO Santa Lucia Highlands California Pinot Noir 2009 : I loved it immediately and went back to re-taste it at least two or three times more to be sure that my first impression was supported again and was not simply a fluke. It was not : it was the real thing, the real taste impression : where my taste buds and my sense of smell all rallied in praise and appreciation of the bouquet and the flavors offered up to me in my Reidel Austrian wine-tasting glass. I was a fan of this 2009 limited-production GALLO Special-bottling of Pinot Noir from California's Santa Lucia Highlands : a very solid offering indeed and one that can easily be enjoyed with or without food and which I do believe will still improve in the bottle with another 2-5 years of cellar age. No need to rush through this now. Buy some and put some away and perhaps drink a bottle every six months ot every year? That sounds about right to me. Buy a six-pack and enjoy over time.
Matt came in later to do the wine-tasting that he had signed up for while in the store tasting here with his boss. I think that it pretty much came up actually at the last minute as we had had a cancellation and Matt was free to step in and do a tasting with our customers. Thanks Matt : that helped to get the MARTIN CODAX dry Spanish white Albarino back on our shelves along with the 100% Garnacha dry red black-labeled LAS ROCAS dry Spanish red on our shelves as well. We already had the GALLO 2009 Pinot Noir that we had bought immediately. It turned out to be a good weekend in-store tasting and we sold some of each of the three wines that were sampled. We did not taste or buy for the store the FREI BROTHERS Chardonnay or their Sauvignon Blanc. WE may buy those at a later time when we taste them again or need them for the store as they fit the category and the price? We cannot afford to buy everything and I really want to bring back the LOUIS MARTINI and some of the MIRASSOU Vineyard wines that our prior rep Bill Cook used to sell us from Republic-National distributing.
We still need to get some of the regular everyday LAS ROCAS Garnacha Spanish red ( it's in the tall Bordeaux-bottle shape and not the squatter Burgundy bottle shape ) onto our shelves. We will order that and floor-stack it : perhaps five cases with four for the stack and one for the shelves? That sounds about right to me. I will talk to Matt about that the next time that I see him.
So all is well and we start fresh with Matt that clearly is doing all that he can to get some new business with his wines to our store now in 2012 and we thank him for that. On his end he is doing everything to make it as easy and smooth to work with his extensive portfolio and so Ean and I will taste and we will decide what we need and want for the store as we get into March 2012.
Hope you enjoy these pictures. Being an artist I am looking for ways to bring some new perspective to the wine-tasting experience. I want color and bottle and wine and action and composition all help you all to decide that you might want to taste and buy some of these wines pictured here.
It's all about temptation and making things look irresistible to you all. Have I succeeded? I hope so : that is my intention.
Visually things can play such an important roll in our wanting to buy a wine and taste and enjoy it with our meals. Everyone already knows the power of the wine label and how that can make the difference in whether or not to buy it or not?
Looking at the color of the wine, it's clarity and it's brilliance, too can make a big difference in whether or not we want to buy and taste it. I like to show some of that and I want to offer up images that " add to the equation " as I like to put it. Hopefully you see and witness and are made aware of something visually in a creative, appealing and stimulating manner? I certainly hope so. That is what I can bring to the table as an artist. So much has already been done with words and packaging. Now it is how do you present them to the buying/ tasting public? There are many ways and I hope that I have touched upon a few of them here. Let me know : I would love to hear your comments? Gina, what do you think? Please comment and let me know below. Thanks.
Anyway, come to the store and get some of these wines. We still have some of the GALLO and of the LAS ROCAS, as well as of the MARTIN CODAX. WE can buy more of the two Spanish wines. I believe that all of your wine Gina the 2009 Pinot Noir is now sold-out? I will check with Matt. We still have four or five bottles perhaps at $32.99?
Golden-tinted white on black, nice combination in the picture above. I like it, I like it a lot. I also like how I got reflected in the bottom of the Reidel wine glass that the bowl sits and rests on the lovely golden hues as well ... lovely extension - continuation ...
Look at the swirl, look at the motion of these white and dry FREI BROTHER'S California wines : brilliant, especially with the ceiling lights above bright and strong shining through them.
Thanks again Matt for everything and we will go over these and other GALLO wine selections when we meet again soon. Cheers and enjoy Valentine's Day tomorrow all of you. These would make some excellent Valentine's Day wines for tomorrow , especially the GALLO 2009 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. You can call Ean at the store today ( as it is my day-off ) and ask him what we still have left of Gina's 2009 Pinot Noir? Call : 202-363-4265. Cheers to you all, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
Hugh Hamilton Of His Own HUGH HAMILTON Winery In McLaren Vale Tastes The Viognier, The Chardonnay, The " Mongrel " Sangiovese Red & Jim-Jim Shiraz
To contact us Click HERE
It's always great to get Hugh Hamilton of his own Aussie winery in McLaren Vale HUGH HAMILTON wines back into our store Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) when he visits Washington D.C. each year. This , for us was an especially great visit with Hugh as he had business to conduct in Washington and was able to be in our store two nights in a row! What a great opportunity this was to share both Hugh and his wines with our customers. Many people already knew both Hugh and his wines as he does visit usually once a year and we do invite him to taste with our customers. All good fun and on this last visit late in 2011 Hugh came to dinner at our home after the second night's wine-tasting ( I cooked - grilled outside ) and we had a lovely visit with my wife and son and talked wine and about the PERRIN Reserve Cotes Du Rhone 1996 that we drank ( signed by Jacques Perrin the owner to me year years ago ) and the Saperavi grape from Georgia, the Kindle that he saw my wife has and wants to give to his, and college with our son. Fun all around.
This is but a small glimpse with Hugh as we follow the tasting with two of our female customers, one a regular customer and one that we were meeting for the very first time. That's always nice as we need to continually make new customers to stay healthy. They both liked Hugh's wines and I believe both purchased a bottle, too. We virtually sold out of Hugh's wines within two days with Hugh's help. Thanks Hugh!
The store was quiet here for a moment and so Hugh was able to spend a bit more time talking to these two lovely young ladies. That's really nice as often it's quite busy and it's difficult to taste and talk about the wines and where they are from. In this case from the McLaren Vale which is just outside the town of Adelaide and a beautiful part of Australia as well. I was able to get to the Barossa Valley and to the Adelaide Hills but simply did not have enough time to see Hugh. I will regret that for a very long time Hugh and the only way that I can make that better is to make a special trip at some point to see you at your winery. I may be able to do that when I finally get to visit New Zealand for the first time. I still have to work that out as well!
All the wines were showing well. That pleased me enormously as we pretty much had to pull this tasting " out of the Hat " so to speak. There I was on a Tuesday morning writing the store's weekly email and who should pop his head around the corner with a big smile and a " G'Day " but Hugh! Fortunately enough I was already receiving some wine from Arielle Monaco of the Country Vintners that included some of Hugh's wines. That made it easy for us to at least taste two or three that Tuesday evening from 5-8PM. What good luck as Hugh's wines always sell quite well as so many of our customers already know them.
I think that we may also have tasted some of the Merlot as well? My memory gets a bit hazy at times. I think that I wanted something besides the Sangiovese dry red blend and the Jim Jim Shiraz? I have always really loved the Merlot for it's forward and full and rich flavors. I like the Chardonnay for it's elegance and finesse and the Viognier for it's touch of more tropical fruit tones and the well-placed dollops of honeysuckle. There's a lovely sense of place and good-timing and balance with Hugh's wines that make the word " breed " come to my mind often enough.
Hugh is smart enough to get the names and the emails of all the customers that taste his wines so that he may put them on his email list and send them information. We do the same at our register. And both Hugh and I can often be seen passing out our business cards to our customers, new and old as you never know when their hearing from us might mean some more positive business where everyone benefits?
Hugh, you never stop! You always do these marathon trips of yours through the United States and we are always thrilled to have you come and be a part of our store. It has been many moons now since we first met you and your daughter Mary and you are a big part of what I like to call the " Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits " family. Happy New Year 2012 and it was nice to exchange emails with you last night and I hope to hear more soon from you. In the meantime best to everyone at home. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
It's always great to get Hugh Hamilton of his own Aussie winery in McLaren Vale HUGH HAMILTON wines back into our store Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) when he visits Washington D.C. each year. This , for us was an especially great visit with Hugh as he had business to conduct in Washington and was able to be in our store two nights in a row! What a great opportunity this was to share both Hugh and his wines with our customers. Many people already knew both Hugh and his wines as he does visit usually once a year and we do invite him to taste with our customers. All good fun and on this last visit late in 2011 Hugh came to dinner at our home after the second night's wine-tasting ( I cooked - grilled outside ) and we had a lovely visit with my wife and son and talked wine and about the PERRIN Reserve Cotes Du Rhone 1996 that we drank ( signed by Jacques Perrin the owner to me year years ago ) and the Saperavi grape from Georgia, the Kindle that he saw my wife has and wants to give to his, and college with our son. Fun all around.
This is but a small glimpse with Hugh as we follow the tasting with two of our female customers, one a regular customer and one that we were meeting for the very first time. That's always nice as we need to continually make new customers to stay healthy. They both liked Hugh's wines and I believe both purchased a bottle, too. We virtually sold out of Hugh's wines within two days with Hugh's help. Thanks Hugh!
The store was quiet here for a moment and so Hugh was able to spend a bit more time talking to these two lovely young ladies. That's really nice as often it's quite busy and it's difficult to taste and talk about the wines and where they are from. In this case from the McLaren Vale which is just outside the town of Adelaide and a beautiful part of Australia as well. I was able to get to the Barossa Valley and to the Adelaide Hills but simply did not have enough time to see Hugh. I will regret that for a very long time Hugh and the only way that I can make that better is to make a special trip at some point to see you at your winery. I may be able to do that when I finally get to visit New Zealand for the first time. I still have to work that out as well!
All the wines were showing well. That pleased me enormously as we pretty much had to pull this tasting " out of the Hat " so to speak. There I was on a Tuesday morning writing the store's weekly email and who should pop his head around the corner with a big smile and a " G'Day " but Hugh! Fortunately enough I was already receiving some wine from Arielle Monaco of the Country Vintners that included some of Hugh's wines. That made it easy for us to at least taste two or three that Tuesday evening from 5-8PM. What good luck as Hugh's wines always sell quite well as so many of our customers already know them.
I think that we may also have tasted some of the Merlot as well? My memory gets a bit hazy at times. I think that I wanted something besides the Sangiovese dry red blend and the Jim Jim Shiraz? I have always really loved the Merlot for it's forward and full and rich flavors. I like the Chardonnay for it's elegance and finesse and the Viognier for it's touch of more tropical fruit tones and the well-placed dollops of honeysuckle. There's a lovely sense of place and good-timing and balance with Hugh's wines that make the word " breed " come to my mind often enough.
Hugh is smart enough to get the names and the emails of all the customers that taste his wines so that he may put them on his email list and send them information. We do the same at our register. And both Hugh and I can often be seen passing out our business cards to our customers, new and old as you never know when their hearing from us might mean some more positive business where everyone benefits?
Hugh, you never stop! You always do these marathon trips of yours through the United States and we are always thrilled to have you come and be a part of our store. It has been many moons now since we first met you and your daughter Mary and you are a big part of what I like to call the " Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits " family. Happy New Year 2012 and it was nice to exchange emails with you last night and I hope to hear more soon from you. In the meantime best to everyone at home. Cheers, 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.
8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
Maker's Mark gets court seal of approval
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The first time I visited Maker’s Mark bourbon in Loretto, KY, I was invited to dip a just-filled bottle in the distillery’s iconic melted red wax.
In my enthusiasm, I plunged the neck of the bottle into the molten vat a bit too vigorously, and wound up with dripping wax coating the neck, half the bottle and my hand up to the wrist. My face was as red as the wax.
That embarrassing moment has always stayed with me, so when I saw a legal decree involving the wax seal, it naturally caught my attention.
From now on, if you see a whiskey with a dripping wax seal on its and it doesn't say Maker's Mark on the label, you may be seeing something illegal.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that the red, wax seal that covers the stopper on bottles of Maker’s Mark bourbon is a protected trademark that must be used exclusively by that brand.The ruling follows a lawsuit in which Maker’s Mark Distillery Inc. sought to prevent a similar seal from being used on bottles of Jose Cuervo tequila.
It's not the use of a wax seal, per se, that is the problem. Lots of distillers use wax seals -- Knob Creek, for one, and even Cuervo for years. Rather, it is the design of the seal that Maker's Mark worries about.
Until 2001, Cuervo bottles had been crowned with a straight-edge seal, then the design was changed to an uneven style that made the wax look as if it were dripping down the bottle neck, a la Maker's which was trademarked in 1985.
Judge John Heyburn II of the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky ruled in favor of Maker’s Mark on the dual points of infringement and trademark validity. This was upheld on appeal at the Sixth Circuit.
In their ruling, the three appeal judges noted: "The company has bottled bourbon for commercial sale under the Maker’s Mark name, and has used a red dripping-wax seal on its Maker’s Mark bourbon bottles, since 1958. Maker’s Mark -- and craft bourbon generally – garnered national attention when The Wall Street Journal published a front-page article about the bourbon, the red dripping-wax seal, and the family behind it ['Maker’s mark goes against the grain to make its mark,' by David P. Garino, 1980]."Furthermore, the appeal judges noted, a 2002 Business Week report declared the dripping-wax seal "one of the most recognizable branding symbols in the world." Six years later, the "CBS Sunday Morning" show referred to the factory process for applying the feature as the "famous dip in red sealing wax."
These findings, said the judges, "support the district court’s ultimate conclusion regarding the breadth of market recognition of Maker’s Mark’s trademarked, red dripping-wax seal."
Also, the judges wrote, "There is more than one way to seal a bottle with wax to make it look appealing.
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The first time I visited Maker’s Mark bourbon in Loretto, KY, I was invited to dip a just-filled bottle in the distillery’s iconic melted red wax.In my enthusiasm, I plunged the neck of the bottle into the molten vat a bit too vigorously, and wound up with dripping wax coating the neck, half the bottle and my hand up to the wrist. My face was as red as the wax.
That embarrassing moment has always stayed with me, so when I saw a legal decree involving the wax seal, it naturally caught my attention.
From now on, if you see a whiskey with a dripping wax seal on its and it doesn't say Maker's Mark on the label, you may be seeing something illegal.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that the red, wax seal that covers the stopper on bottles of Maker’s Mark bourbon is a protected trademark that must be used exclusively by that brand.The ruling follows a lawsuit in which Maker’s Mark Distillery Inc. sought to prevent a similar seal from being used on bottles of Jose Cuervo tequila.
It's not the use of a wax seal, per se, that is the problem. Lots of distillers use wax seals -- Knob Creek, for one, and even Cuervo for years. Rather, it is the design of the seal that Maker's Mark worries about.
Until 2001, Cuervo bottles had been crowned with a straight-edge seal, then the design was changed to an uneven style that made the wax look as if it were dripping down the bottle neck, a la Maker's which was trademarked in 1985.
Judge John Heyburn II of the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky ruled in favor of Maker’s Mark on the dual points of infringement and trademark validity. This was upheld on appeal at the Sixth Circuit.
In their ruling, the three appeal judges noted: "The company has bottled bourbon for commercial sale under the Maker’s Mark name, and has used a red dripping-wax seal on its Maker’s Mark bourbon bottles, since 1958. Maker’s Mark -- and craft bourbon generally – garnered national attention when The Wall Street Journal published a front-page article about the bourbon, the red dripping-wax seal, and the family behind it ['Maker’s mark goes against the grain to make its mark,' by David P. Garino, 1980]."Furthermore, the appeal judges noted, a 2002 Business Week report declared the dripping-wax seal "one of the most recognizable branding symbols in the world." Six years later, the "CBS Sunday Morning" show referred to the factory process for applying the feature as the "famous dip in red sealing wax."
These findings, said the judges, "support the district court’s ultimate conclusion regarding the breadth of market recognition of Maker’s Mark’s trademarked, red dripping-wax seal."
Also, the judges wrote, "There is more than one way to seal a bottle with wax to make it look appealing.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
World's largest gin collection in UK hotel
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OXFORDSHIRE, England -- The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock has officially been proclaimed the holder of the largest collection of gin in the world.
A Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator visited the hotel to count the 161 different varieties of gin stocked by the hotel bar as a crowd of guests and employees looked on for the entire 45 minute inspection.
Jeremy Duplessis, hotel general manager, said, "It's absolutely fantastic to be crowned a world record breaker. We have been building on the collection for three years and have picked up gins from all corners of the world -- from Holland, Spain, the U.S.A. and Germany as well as Britain, home of the famous London Gin, so it's great to have our efforts rewarded."
The hotel also stocks some of the world's most exclusive gins. For example, a bottle of Vincenzi 1950 comes in at US$348; a single glass of Burnett's White Satin 1960 will set drinkers back US$30; and, a seven-course dinner paired with gins is US$116.
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|
| Duplessis (l) accepts the award. |
A Guinness Book of World Records adjudicator visited the hotel to count the 161 different varieties of gin stocked by the hotel bar as a crowd of guests and employees looked on for the entire 45 minute inspection.
Jeremy Duplessis, hotel general manager, said, "It's absolutely fantastic to be crowned a world record breaker. We have been building on the collection for three years and have picked up gins from all corners of the world -- from Holland, Spain, the U.S.A. and Germany as well as Britain, home of the famous London Gin, so it's great to have our efforts rewarded."
The hotel also stocks some of the world's most exclusive gins. For example, a bottle of Vincenzi 1950 comes in at US$348; a single glass of Burnett's White Satin 1960 will set drinkers back US$30; and, a seven-course dinner paired with gins is US$116.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd's Guides home page.
Minnesota's first distillery open for business
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OSAKI, MN -- Panther Distillery, the first -- and only -- legal distillery in the state -- has opened for business.
The distillery, founded in 20120 by Adrian Pather, took two years of planning, work and obtaining state permits to officially open.
He and head distiller Brett Grinager will host the public at a grand opening event set for 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday this week.
The Panther Distillery team uses a 500-gallon copper still and fresh, local ingredients from area farmers. They now are barreling their signature whiskies, which will be aged for two years. Meanwhile, they're producing a clear, unaged spirit called White Water Whiskey. A gin, a rye and a rum are planned as well.
The distillery is located at 300 East Pike Street. Its website has other details.
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|
| Panther (top) and Grinager |
The distillery, founded in 20120 by Adrian Pather, took two years of planning, work and obtaining state permits to officially open.
He and head distiller Brett Grinager will host the public at a grand opening event set for 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday this week.
The Panther Distillery team uses a 500-gallon copper still and fresh, local ingredients from area farmers. They now are barreling their signature whiskies, which will be aged for two years. Meanwhile, they're producing a clear, unaged spirit called White Water Whiskey. A gin, a rye and a rum are planned as well.
The distillery is located at 300 East Pike Street. Its website has other details.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.
Push resumes for KY election-day alcohol sales
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• From NKY.com
FRANKFORT, KY -- A proposed law would allow Kentuckians to buy alcohol on election day for the first time since at least the 1930s.
State Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, next week will discuss before lawmakers in Frankfort a bill he’s tried to get passed in some form or another for four years to make alcohol sales legal on election day.
Kentucky is one of only two states that still bans alcohol on election days, with South Carolina being the other, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).The laws trace back to the early 20th Century when saloons also served as polling places. ...
The state doesn’t need to worry as much about people buying votes with liquor but does need to worry about the loss of both tax revenue for the state and business revenue for restaurants and liquor stores, said Simpson. "Most jurisdictions have done away with this prohibition. We need every dollar in taxes we can generate and permit businesses to work.”
The Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control does spot checks on the primary and general election days to ensure businesses are compliant, said spokesman Nathan Jones.The state law bans alcohol sales on the days of the primary and general elections when the polls are open.It also requires businesses to keep alcohol under lock and key. ...
Simpson will speak before the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations on Friday, July 13 ... .The bill has died in committee each of the previous four sessions.
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• From NKY.comFRANKFORT, KY -- A proposed law would allow Kentuckians to buy alcohol on election day for the first time since at least the 1930s.
State Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, next week will discuss before lawmakers in Frankfort a bill he’s tried to get passed in some form or another for four years to make alcohol sales legal on election day.
Kentucky is one of only two states that still bans alcohol on election days, with South Carolina being the other, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).The laws trace back to the early 20th Century when saloons also served as polling places. ...
The state doesn’t need to worry as much about people buying votes with liquor but does need to worry about the loss of both tax revenue for the state and business revenue for restaurants and liquor stores, said Simpson. "Most jurisdictions have done away with this prohibition. We need every dollar in taxes we can generate and permit businesses to work.”
The Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control does spot checks on the primary and general election days to ensure businesses are compliant, said spokesman Nathan Jones.The state law bans alcohol sales on the days of the primary and general elections when the polls are open.It also requires businesses to keep alcohol under lock and key. ...
Simpson will speak before the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations on Friday, July 13 ... .The bill has died in committee each of the previous four sessions.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.
Pantone Gets Fleshed Out. Literally. Human Skin Matched To Pantone Colors.
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Flying around the blogosphere, faster than news of The God Particle, is this eye-catching and colorful project. In an attempt to create a catalog of human skin tones, Brazilian artist and photographer Angelica Dass started an ongoing project called Humanae in which she matches a subject's flesh color to that of the Pantone Matching System.
Angelica's Self-portrait:
Photographing her subjects (each subject is photographed against a backdrop that is the same color as an 11x11 pixel space on their face.):
Some of the results:
Humanae
images courtesy of Angelica Dass, brought to my attention via DesignBoom
Flying around the blogosphere, faster than news of The God Particle, is this eye-catching and colorful project. In an attempt to create a catalog of human skin tones, Brazilian artist and photographer Angelica Dass started an ongoing project called Humanae in which she matches a subject's flesh color to that of the Pantone Matching System.
Angelica's Self-portrait:
Photographing her subjects (each subject is photographed against a backdrop that is the same color as an 11x11 pixel space on their face.):
Some of the results:
Humanae
images courtesy of Angelica Dass, brought to my attention via DesignBoom
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