Rediscovering / Reconnecting With Chris Smith Through WineFest Issues 1 - Sekts & Violins, Summer 1985 & 2 - Too Tonic A Issues pril 1986 : WOW, Impressive Publications That Set The Mood, Tone, Excellent Level For Wine Discussion-Appreciation ... Should Not Be Forgotten!

I have been thinking lately LOCAl and also GOING GREEN, organic, biodynamic, the past, how we have arrived here : and whom are some of the important individuals to remember and mention and give our full thanks and appreciation to. Two names in particular came to mind, one right after the other. First, Jim Stutsman that I am in contact with weekly that I have recently called the " godfather of local American wines " ; and recently Chris Smith that I have just called the " godfather of East Coast American Wines ". I did this in my recent podcast with Malcolm Riddle that you can link to here on the Home Page of my chatwine.blogspot.com. We talked really well together, our conversation about art, film, food, retailers and sommeliers, the Uptown Movie Theater and the Cleveland Park Northwest D.C. 20008 neighborhood, and WINE OF COURSE flowed really smoothly. I was a bit tired from a week's work and my voice shows it some unfortunately. However, Malcolm's voice was really bright, energized and together we tossed ideas and feeling back and forth for more than an hour! Thanks Malcolm for giving me this platform for my voice to be heard loud, clear, passionately and hopefully honestly and humbly, too : even though I did give myself and retailers some much-overdue notice and thanks. Oh well, only human. ... ... I have been thinking about Chris Smith a whole lot and want to draw attention to all that he has added as a solid platform for others to work off of starting way back in the early to mid eighties. Chris was and still is a pioneer and I want people to know and also to remember this. We cannot forget that it took a past to get to where we are. Even though we seem to be stuck in the present we do need to remember that we did, in fact all have a past : and that in this case it was quite brilliant, lively, energized, passionate, articulate, organized, developed and important. ... ... This was all happening while I was still working at the Mayflower Wines & Spirits and my attention was somewhat caught up in the time with the birth of our first child, a lovely daughter. So both my attention and my involvement were minimal. I was Guest Panelist in the issue of April 1986, the 2nd issue. That pleases me. It really pleases me quite a bit actually. ... ... I knew that I had these issue that I got way back when, I am thrilled to have them and have looked at them over this past week. I like very much the cover page of the first issue of the summer of 1985 : Sekts & Violins and will quote from that here now : ... ... " Where should I begin? Maybe be paraphrasing legal biz whiz Joel HYatt, " Somewhere in the midst of all these dusty old bottles, a great concept was drowned : that wine was for people to enjoy - yes, even to savour ." ... ... Wine and people. I guess I see certain similarities between the two - each wine, like each person, has a story to tell : some good, some bad, some dull, some exciting, some honest, some deceitful, some simple, some complex ; each has its own lifespan, style, evolution, capabilities, potential which may not be realized, Each is affected by it heritage and environment. Each is different. Those differences may be negligible, or may not be of interest or importance at the time. They do, however, exist . ... ... How we perceive them has as much to say about us as it does about those that we come in contact with, wine or people What is the breadth and depth of our experience? What is our mood? What is our physical condition? What are our prejudices? What are our needs? Our desires? What's dominating our thoughts at the moment? We are not simple beings. We are changing constantly, hour to hour, day to day. So is each wine ( save those wonderful concoctions that seem to contain more chemical preservatives than fruit juice ). Therefore, one must, is such a subjective endeavor as this, correlate facts, opinions and emotions, then present them in such a manner as to allow the readers to come to their own conclusions, not those of the writer. ... " And Chris goes, on. I might add quickly that we should also allow the reader/ taster to have as much of their own experience, taste as possible so that they may also experience it more fully and with eyes, taste buds and all senses that are fully receptive to whatever experience they have as they are less-informed from the start. Let them have their experience. Let them own it, be the true author of it. ... ... I think what Chris wrote here so many years ago is brilliant and so perceptive. I absolutely love and identify with it, every idea, ever word , every observation. It's a great comparison. I find myself uttering much of what Chris has written so distinctly here, so well and clear here his ideas and feelings that I continue to express to this day, and with as much passion, conviction, intensity as ever before. I'm a bit mad about all of this and insistent on getting these ideas across to those that I come into contact with ; professional wine drinkers. salespeople, reps, winemakers/ owners, brokers, wine writers, sommeliers, whoever will listen. These ideas of Chris are perhaps even more important now than they were when he wrote them in the first summer 1985 issue of WineFest that he worked on with Robert M. Shannon, Sam Carr, Gary Gondelman, Tom McKnew, Ham Mowbray, Donna Shor, Terry Theis and Robert R. Thomson. Rob HIte did the sketches, Pinnacle Printing in Rockville, MD did the printing and Andrea Arden, Suzanne Spencer, Cecilia Januszkiewicz and Maureen Nelson are also listed under : Special Thanks. ... ... I will write more but for the time-being enjoy and digest these great sentences and thoughts from Chris Smith. I think they are priceless, timeless and I am so thrilled to have rediscovered and been reunited with them! Cheers Chris! I miss you old buddy. We sure did have some great times together and I wish you well and look forward to seeing you again I hope in the not-too-distant-future. Take care of yourself and thanks for this. Very special indeed. ... ... I will continue on this as time permits. there is certainly more to share. Enjoy this for now. Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn ... ... I did touch many of these issues in my podcast this past Saturday with Malcolm Riddle of American Riddle on Facebook at the Vienna Vintner, Virginia ... and that also pleases me greatly. Cheers and enjoy this beautiful Sunday, April 21st, 2013 here in northern Virginia. TONY