JUST SPOKE TO OWNER ROGER OF RIPPLE RESTAURANT ...

ALL IS RIPPLING ALONG HERE IN CLEVELAND PARK, OUR GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD ...

IT'S ONTO THE DECEMBER HOLIDAYS , OUR BIG THEME CHAMPAGNE & BUBBLY WINE-TASTING ON 12/5/12 : EVERYONE INVITED! CALL TO TELL US YOU ARE COMING : 202-363-4265. CHEERS! & MORE!!!!

Now that Thanksgiving, Black ( we called it Red after the color of the wine ) Friday, and Cyber Monday are behind ( hope that you all got some of the " goodies " that you wanted - thanks for the great business here, too ) we can start to focus on December and all our various holidays and days to celebrate and continue to be thankful, as we should. This is all good, it's really great, in fact.

ROGER of Ripple had a petition for us to sign here as there is much more talk again on our List Serve for them changing our service road here that for many of us is our life-blood. They want to change it into a park-tree area and take a way the parking in the process.

Please respond to this store email and let us know how you feel about this and if you want anything to change in front here ? This concerns us all and so everyone should feel free to voice their opinions for or against changing anything while there is still a chance to do so.

We have another busy week here as we start to get ready for December and all the good cheer and activities here to finish this year and help us get ready to celebrate the new year of 2013. You helped us sell a whole lot of things in every category and so we are scrambling to reorder more of what we feel we most need to finish off in style and fun this 2012. Do you all have any favorites that you want us to bring back before 2013? This is your chance to let us know now while we finish our planning for this year.

WE HAVE OUR " BIG THEME " sparkling/ bubbly/ champagne / espumante/ cava/ prosecco/ cremant/ sec. demi-sec/ brut/ semi-seco/ metodo champenoise/ methode champenoise/ red, white and rose, moscato, chardonnay, pinot noir et pinot meunier , 750ml and 1.5ml and 375ml and 187 ml bottles and cans of " Sofia " to organize for your TASTING PLEASURES from all over the world including far-reaches like Bulgaria, Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland. Austria, Germany, Latvia, Greece, Hawaii and Michigan , and local sparkling apple ciders, pear cider, too from Maryland... not to mention, Moscato Mango, too from Italy. The world is the limit!

DID YOU NOTICE : our " New " storefront window display of the ARIZONA STRONGHOLD, Arizona wines , owned by lead singer Maynard of TOOL andA FULL CIRCLE? The wines are outstanding. We have many of the " rare- impossible-to-get " wines available by the bottle, one per customer, while they last. Call to ask Michel or Tony. BUY THEM NOW while we have some. GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS!!

THIS YEAR WE HAVE TO TOP all the other years that we have done these BIG-THEME BUBBLY Wine-Tastings. It is the biggest event/wine-tasting here of the year and more of you mention it more than any other wine-tasting that we do. You actually talk about it year-round. As a matter of fact you start talking about it almost immediately after it is done and start inquiring when the next one will be? We should do one each month as it brings so much happiness and joy to everyone and that is a great thing for us all. When is it not a good time to enjoy some sparkling wine?!? Let us know any of your thoughts.

THIS YEAR @ OUR " BIG THEME " BUBBLY Wine-Tasting ( Wednesday, December 5th, 2012 , 5:30-8:30PM call us at : 202-363-4265 to tell us you want to come, no charge for the tasting ) we will have a number of rose sparkling wines as well as champagnes. Rose has been a big deal this year in every category.

WE SELL LOTS OF ROSE wines here, both still and sparkling and so we created an area in the middle of the store for these rose wines, dry mostly. We sell them year-round, have for years, even before they became popular. They taste great year-round and as it has gotten colder Michel and I have added a number of heartier, dry rose wines from places like Greece and Spain and are still looking for more as the prices will drop on them and they will offer even greater values in this cold winter of ours that , so far, has been unseasonably warmer. Go figure!?!

BUT HEY, LET'S NOT FORGET OUR BEERS and CIDERS from Santos Rivera. Today the holidays and everyday drinking has grown to include a large selection of beers, ciders, liqueurs and liquors, too along with the already popular and growing category and selection of wines.

BEERS From Santos Rivera :

1) " Bolt Cutter " 2012 from FOUNDERS , a Barley Wine Ale ( $22.99 , 15% alcohol by volume, Grand Rapids, MI, 1 Pint, 9.4 Fluid ounces, 750ml bottle , www.foundersbrewery.com ) only 9 bottles available Santos just told me, don't delay, come and get yours ASAP! Cheers.

2) Pecan Harvest Ale from ABITA ( On Special for $7.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles - regularly $9.99 a 6-pack, www.abita.com, " live it, love it " , 5.2%alcohol by volume, Louisiana, U.S.A. ) : " {ecan harvest ale is brewed with pale, Munich, biscuit and caramel malts and Willamette hops. Real Louisiana roasted pecans are added in the brewhouse and give the ale a subtle nutty flavor and aroma ". Sounds great to me, let's try one soon. Cheers.

3) Pils - the Noble Hop Shines - Refined Pleasure from PRIMA from the VICTORY Brewing Company ( On Special for $9.99 a 6-pack,www.victorybeer.com , Downingtown, PA ) : " PRIMA! An exclamation of joy. ... ". I like that and am ready to leave it at that ... except to add : " ... with whole flower European hops ... " , anyone care to comment on this? Cheers.

4) Dark Star Stout from STARR HILL ( On Special for $9.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce beers, Charlottesville, Virginia, Star Hill Brewery , LLC, Crozet, VA. ) made by master brewer Mark A. Thompson. Come try some, Virginia is on a roll with pretty much everything that they are touching - we here love that as it is in our back yards , so to speak!

CIDERS From Michel Et Tony :

1) " G " Apple Sparkling from GREAT SHOALS ( regularly $31.99 a 750ml bottle, 12.5% alcohol by volume, www.greatshoals.com , Princess Anne, Maryland ) : " Made by hand in small batches, GREAT SHOALS Apple Sparkling offers distinctive flavors to accompany any occasion. This off-dry wine is inspired by food lovers for food lovers - enjoy with seafood and light fare. Unfiltered. Serve chilled. " WE WILL INCLUDE this in our Sparkling Wine BIG THEME Dec. 5th, 2012.

2) Spencerville Red Hard Cider from HEYSER FARMS' ( $18.99, 8% alcohol , www.greatshoals.com, Princess Anne, Maryland ) : " Spencerville Red Hard Apple is uniquely dry and naturally sparkling, with a refreshing taste of ripe crisp fruit. Include with lunchtime sandwiches, light fare suppers, or simply by itself ".

3) " First Fruit " Hard Cider by FOGGY RIDGE ( $21.99, 750ml bottle, www.foggyridgecider.com, Dugspur, Virginia, 7% alcohol by volume ) : " Virginians have long enjoyed early fall apples such as Hewe's Crab, Grainiwinkle and Harrison. Our First Fruit cider blends early season heirloom apples in a crisp and refreshing cider to drink, like Thomas Jefferson, on its own or with a meal ". Lot 2010.

4) " Handmade " by FOGGY RIDGE Cider ( $16.99, a 500ml, 7% alcohol by volume, Dugspur, VA. ) : " Crafted from 100% Virginia Newtown Pippin apples, Foggy Ridge Handmade cider is crisp, refreshing, full of complex flavors and 100% handmade. Enjoy with a meal or your favorite HBO show, Feel virtuous - it's artisan hard cider from uncommon apples ". I love that , " uncommon apples "... so true, so rewarding, so tasty! Cheers.

LIQUOR and LIQUEUR From Ravinder Sharma :

1) Mezcal Reposado produced for Illegal Mezcal, Coleccion Privada, 100% Agave, ( $69.99, 40% alcohol by volume, Oaxaca, Mexico, 15361/1560 Lot-04 , www.ilegalmezcal.com ) is " new and exciting " here. Come get some while we still have it. Limited availability.

2) Spiced , finest St. Lucia Spiced rum from CHAIRMAN'S RESERVE ( $23.99, 750ml bottle, 40% alcohol by volume, Castries, St. Lucia, W.I. ) - good to have. We have requests for it and people are discovering the pleasures of a good St. Lucia island rum. Join the crowd. Also available not spiced. Cheers.
3) " Nelson's Blood " Aged 15 Years , The Original Navy Rum by PUSSER'S ( $59.99, 750ml , 40% alcohol by volume, from the British Virgin Islands ) is " uniquely distilled in wood for more than two centuries ". Made for more than 300 years ....

4) " Death's Door " , Washington Island, Wisconsin, August 2010 harvest Gin ( On Special $34.99, 47% alcohol by volume, www.deathsdoorspirits ) : " made with organic hard red winter wheat from Washington Island, WI, simple, local, exceptional. Crafted with wild juniper berries ". We had a request for the " Death's Door " vodka this morning. This prompted me to relate the story of the owner's in-store tasting here recently , and also to write this up for the store email. All good things, it's all related, really it is.

WINES From MICHEL Et TONY :

SPARKLING Wines :

1) Moscato Mango Natural Flavor sparkling from PICCOLO TESORO ( On Special for $13.99 a bottle, 6% alcohol by volume, a " little treasure ", www.ISWUSA.com, product of Italy, Canelli , go to on Facebook.com/PTSparklingMoscato. Sweet and very tasty and already sold-out here twice now.

2) M. LAWRENCE xeS Brut Rose, Batch #95 , #1473 of 2518 bottles, ( $18.99 , 11% alcohol, by volume, www.mlawrence.us , Suttons Bay, MI ) : this has consistently sold-out for us in the past. Very popular at the parties, smooth and pleasing as can be : simply loads of fun and so pleasing. Nice to sip and laugh and tell stories and relax with. Try some for the very first time.

REDS :

1) Yakka 2009 Shiraz from the LONGVIEW Winery in the Adelaide Hills of Australia ( $22.99, 14.5% alcohol by volume, Macclesfield, SA 5153 , www.longviewvineyard.com.au ) : made by the old wine owner Duncan, this is his " single vineyard - Yakka, named after the indigenous bush there that we saw on our visit : this should be drinking LIKE A DREAM now. Get some while you still can. It's a beauty! Get it tomorrow when we take 20% OFF the sticker price, every Wednesday for still wines over $20 we take 20% OFF the marked sticker prices. That's only $18.39 a bottle for a really fine bottle of wine! YES!!!!

2) " Book Ends " Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Western Australia from the WEST CAPE HOWE Great Western vineyard in Denmark ( $21.99, 14% alcohol by volume,www.westcapehowewines.com.au ) made by winemaker Gavin Berry a good friend of ours that has been here twice over the years tasting with you all. Smooth, polished, refines, silky and elegant - and at this point should be even more than all the above as all the flavors have had a chance to express themselves fully. Again, buy this tomorrow and SAVE 20% OFF the $21.99 and pay only $17.59 a bottle! What a deal for another treasure from Australia, this time on the other side. Cheers.

3) Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Coleccion Privada from NAVARRO CORREAS in Mendoza ( On Special for $9.99, regularly $15.99 a bottle, 13.8% alcohol by volume, www.ncorreas.com ) is an amazing wine for this money. Buy a case of 12 bottles tomorrow and SAVE 20% OFF and pay only $7.99 a bottle. It was the measure back in the mid eighties here in the United States for all wines from Argentina. It' still a very fine wine and at only $7.99 with our Wednesday discount of 12 or more bottles it's A STEAL! Cheers. That one's for you Ernie! I don't forget.

OUR WEDNESDAY WEEKLY STILL / Non-Sparkling 3-Part Wine Sale :

1) BUY ANY BOTTLE over $20 of still/non-sparkling wine and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker price.

2) BUY ANY 6 Or More Bottles of Still Wine and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices.

3) BUY ANY 12 or More Bottles of Still Wine and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices.

WEEK'S TASTINGS :

Friday, November 30th, 2012 ( 5-8PM ) : We have owner Oscar of Voila Imports here to sample some French sparkling and non-sparkling wines as we start thinking about our BIG THEME Sparkling Wine Tasting. We will finalize the tasting tomorrow with Oscar so if you have any questions call and ask for Michel or Tony. Cheers. Join us, never any charge.

Saturday, December 1st, 2012 ( 2-6PM ) : We have Franceen Khang of Vias Imports here to taste us on a series of Italian wines from Sicily ( the PURATO organic red and white ), an excellent Tuscan Vermentino dry white from the coast ( PLINIO Maremma Toscana from BRUNI, $19.99, 12.5% alcohol by volume,www.aziendabruni.it that blew us both away ), and a " new " for us BISOL Prosecco producer dry rose blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Merlot that will also turn a lot of heads - along with the Tuscan dry red Vino Nobile, too. Something for everyone, that's always a good course, in all price ranges.

AS USUAL, THANKS A MILLION for everything and please let us know how we may better help you, any concerns, anything you would like us to add to our stock to better serve your needs. We are here for you / because of you and we have never lost sight of that. Cheers, happy holidays. Follow us on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits , on Twitter at : cpwinespirits.

YOU CAN ALSO GO TO : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits now and have wines shipped where it is legal. If you have any questions about that please call Michel Dumas at : 202-363-4265. We are happy to assist you any way that we can. Cheers, TONY