Happy Passover Today- Tonight! Taste #Kosher @GranSarao #CavaBrut #SpanishSparkling Also @CastraRubraWine #BulgarianWine #Portuguese @QuintaDoEncontro #Espumante @RepublicRestoratives @JosephAMagnus @OrbelusWine #BulgarianRed #Hrumki & More !

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

IT WAS A BUSY SATURDAY HERE, as well as a busy Friday.   IN FACT it was a bust week as we had nightly activities here all week long.   WE HOPE YOU are enjoying our weekly / nightly tastings as we try and share more of the wonderful spirits' flavors - savors that are out there and available now to all of us more than ever before.   IT IS AMAZING how much is now readily available at our fingertips : a whole mucho mas beaucoup grande lot of lotsa choices.   SO WE TRY and accomodate so many start-up enterprising individulas with products that deserve our recognition, and we provide a tasting platform for many of them : owners, winemakers, distillers, cider-makers, you name it!   CHECK IN THE STORE when you pass. We do not expect you to buy because you taste. We just want to give you the opportunity to taste and see what choices are out there that you might ennjoy at home? Buy it when and if you want, and when you need or can use it. No pressure. We are not here to pressure you.   WE WANT to be transparent in what we do here. We want to be an integral part of this community and do our part. Help us with your suggestions, help us stay true to our roots as a community but also ' hip and happenin' ', relevant, and active, productive, ... and an oasis away from home for many of you.   TELL US YOUR CONCERNS and we will do what we can to help. As I mentioned we are now supporting and taking donations for cervical cancer as well as Planned Parenthood. Any other causes near-and-dear-to-your-hearts that you would like us to focus on here this year? Please stop me, Tony, and tell me here anytime.   SO : We had our great 2nd BIG-THEME Beer-Tasting here last Thursday, and even considering that the heavens poured off-and-on all that day and some of the night we had a great crowd and turned many heads by tasting some exciting ' new beers ' from Canada and Michigan, as well as many old favoroites like HEAVY SEAS, ABITA, BROOKLYN and the cider BOLD ROCK. It is always great to make new discoveries and to taste the current flavors available from the houses you already know?   STAY-TUNED for our 3rd BIG THEME Beer Tasting , maybe even our 1st BIG THEME CIDER tasting?!? What do you think? Let me, Chris, Jagir and Santos know any of your thoughts?!> We need to hear from you.   LAST WEEK I EXPERIMENTED with the format of our weekly Tuesday store emails and will continue to do so as I am at a stage in my wonderful life that is blossoming so broadly and beautifully and I am overflowing with so much to share with you all, as it is all interconnected, and all valid, relevant, essential.   WITH THIS incredible warmth now we must also consider the full moon of the last two nights. Any craziness on your parts? Did you enjoy basking in the stage light of the full moon last night as I did? It was wonderful. There was a slight cooling breeze and I sipped both some fine ...            WINES :   1) French Cremant D'Alsace from Domaine PFISTER, $37.49, bright, rich, round, delightful, great bubbles, so much sunshine to offer - so much moonlight, too, a real treat!    ALSO :   2) the Cremant D'Alsace Brut of HELEFRICH , On Special now for $24.99, even softer, rounder, more light and lulling and easy in this heat, yes!   3) The ' Luminescence ' brut methode traditionelle Loire Valley sparkling vin mousseux from the DOMAINE Des HERBAUGES , $19.99 , a drier, more tart and tangy Melon de Bourgogne, Chardonnay and Grolleau Gris blend here , more robust, gutsy, raw and sooooo ahhhlive ( I amde that word up ).   AND ...   with more herbed goat's cheese and StoneWheat crackers my wife, daughter and I also enjoyed some fine wines from South Africa that Ian and Melissa poured here from their own company RED WOLF Importers,   1) Mourvedre ( a French Rhone valley red grape variety that makes southern Cotes Du Rhone and Southwest French reds , as well as fine Spanish reds that they call by the name of Monastrell ), this delightful soft, bright silky expression of rose from South Africa's BABYLONSTOREN, $19.99 was a pure delight, too on Sunday night.   2) " Babel ' dry red 2015 Simonsberg, Paarl, South African mostly Mourvedre with some Bordeaux grapes, too, $21.99, was so smooth and bright having been opened like the rose already for two - three days! It had not lost anything, was even more soothing and blissful than when both Ian and Melissa poured it here last Friday night.   GRILLING LAST NIGHT was a treat as the weather was incredible, really special, so nice to be outside, the greening of trees and shrubs and everything ( sorry for the pollen! ), and no mosquitos anywhere to be seen ( the only surprise was my wife screaming later inside as we were getting ready to watch the classic old movie : " Nine To Five " : " there's a snake! ").   I RESCUED THE SNAKE and released it back into the wilds from where it came , a small snake, nothing to worry about.   ANYWAY : I was offering some Bulgarian red for us to try, from Andrew Stover pf the CHAMLIJA Paraskarasa dry red ( drank beautifully last night, really enjoyed it, so did my daughter and wife ), and I will ask Andrew about availability?   ON SATURDAY Andrew was here with Marin Atanasov , wine consultant of Fine European Wines / Brand Marketing OrganizationWorld Wines 2-6pm, and we tasted some of the ...   1) ORBELUS dry red " Hrumski ' ( Notions ) 2013, $19.99, a dry blend pf Syrah, Melnik 55, Mourvedre and Marselanwith 14% alcohol by volume. It is from the Thracian lowlands , it reminds me of a fine Austrian red with high acidity and some good body, firm, svelte, a fine food wine once chilled 40 minutes or so ... organic,   2) Pinot Noir by CHATEAU BURGOZONE from Bulgaria's northern border Cotes du Danube, $16.49, much lighter, some spice and acid to edge it , medium-to-light-bodies, a treat, a fun wine to chill , and with salmon or some appetizers, some lamb even, just a nice salad, ... another treat that we all enjoyed here on Saturday when both Marin and Andrew waxed poetic over it.   COME GET SOME of all of these, sooner than later, be proactive, ready, prepared, rewarded, rested, real and receptive : alliteration is the way to go for me these days.       HAPPY PASSOVER Today all, thanks for all your support and community.   I ENJOYED this past Friday when I went to Adas Synagogue and did a 4-kosher-wines wine-tasting for 60 or so young professionals there. I knew a handful, the others I got to meet and talk with through a wall of loud chatting all around us. It was fun, it was exciting, I had a microphone, and I blared both my heart and my soul into it as I cried to be heard! A great group, a party of six I saw later as I passed by Coppi's Organic restaurant here to pick up a pizza to take home to share with my wife and daughter : our dinner Saturday night : loved it.   SO : in the spirit of Passover when it is okay to get some and enjoy we still have some incredible bottles of 2010 CR CASTRA RUBRA, $35.49, ( produced with the help of French Bordeaux producer Michel Rolland ), this Bulgarian kosher for Passover dry red blend from the Thracian valley, ( 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc ), 14.5% alcohol by volume ... is a lovely medium-bodied yet robust, hearty mouthfulof food red, the food and the wine rounding each other out nicely! I had a saussage pizza at Coppi's on Friday night that would be amazing with this CASTRA RUBRA, really a great combo as the saussage was fiery and this would mellow that flavor and taste.     BEER & CIDER From Santos :        1) " True Couple " Pear-Flavored Hard Apple Cider, craft-made, from the Standard Cider Company, from Washingtonville, NY, with 7% alcohol, $13.99 : a mouth-filling, fuller, more angular, tasty, accented - really nice with food!        2) Steadman " Abbey Ale " from FLYING DOG, On Special for $15.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, with 8.7% alcohol by volume, come check out these abs , these beer muscles?!?        3) " Mango Surprise " IPA , Ale brewed with Mango, from ARCADIA ALES ARCADIA Brewing Company, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, ... a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, with 6.5% alcohol by volume, we tasted this to great success this past Thursday at our 2nd BIG THEME Beer-Tasting!     LIQUEUR - LIQUOR From Jagir : Going Local : DC :        1) Vodka " Corridor " from DISTRICT DISTILLING, On Special for $26.99, come have a taste, we love it, see what your tastebuds say? Ask and we will give you a sample, 14th and U Streets NW, Washington DC, 2016, with 40% alcohol by volume.        2) Colonial Style White Rum " Buzzard Point " , 2016, On Special for $27.99, it is a heartier, more angular, edgy, yet flavorful style. Come taste it here, ask for a sample, see what you think? From DC, the corner of 14th and U Streets, NW, ... made by Matt Strickland, master-distiller that has been here tasting it twice.        3) Navy Strength Gin ' Vigilant ' from JOS. A. MAGNUS, in Ivy City, DC, made by master distiller Nicole, she knows her stuff just like Matt does, recommend them both as fine distillers that are both local! Cheers!   FOUR Sparkling Wines From Chris & Tony :        1) Gran SARAO KOsher Spanish Cava, outstanding, $13.99 : what a deal, refreshing, alive, exuberant!        2) Prosecco D.O.C. Treviso Veneto, Italy from RONFINI , $15.49, : bright , alive, delightful, a lovely sipping gentle generous great grand grinning sparkler to sparkle-UP any mood-moment-memory-magic, too!             TWO ' New ' Portuguese - wow, love :          1) QdoE ENCONTRO Bruto Classico Vinho Espumante dry rose made with the Touriga Nacional, $11.99, a dry rose that is so preened perfecto perfeccione, profundo, perfect in almost every way - and utterly dry and refreshing, and valued, too!        2) QdoW ENCONTRO white semi-sweet branco blanc MEIO Seco Classico, $11.99, a delight for those that want no bite at all! BOTH perfect for this warm weather, and so affordable, too. LOVE!!!!!           SAVE 3 Ways On Wine Each Wednesday : Up To 20% OFF, so call if you cannot come. Pay tomorrow, 202-363-4265, pay tomorrow , pick-up when you can :   SAVE BIG! On WINE each and every Wednesday here.   WEEK'S TASTINGS :   WEDNESDAY, April 12th, 2017 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Narayan Campbell coming from GLOBAL MD to taste some of his fine Romanian Sarba dry white, some Portuguese soft-dry red, and some off dry Moulleux semi-sweet Bordeaux, white, too! We will also try the Aussie 3 SISTERS & A BROTHER Barossa Shiraz red from , lovely, too.   THURSDAY, April 13th, 2017 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Jeff Palmer from New York coming to pour an excellent assortment of his fine Spanish wines, : DON JACOBO red Rioja, ALTOS red Rioja, SARDA Spanish sparkling Cava, and a ' new ' Garnacha dry red, from DOMAINE DE UNX.   FRIDAY, April 14th, 2017 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Valerie of Elite Imports here to pour an assortment of her French wines, maybe some Kiwi New Zealand wines, too : will know more tomorrow. Call for an update. Cheers.   SATURDAY, April 15th, 2017 ( 2-6PM ) : we have Andrea coming from Tradewinds Specialty Imports here to do a tasting of fine Argentina and Spanish wines, including some top-flight sherries from ALEXANDRO, and the Spanish Cava called MAS BERTRAN " Balma ".   THANKS for everything, you all are the very best, the creme de la creme, the primo le meilleur possible ici!       IF YOU CANNOT Come By call us at : 202-363-4265. Thanks again, cheers!  TONY 4/11/2017     WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW is an old store email I wrote and posted way back to April 2011 when my dear friend Sidney Moore Margolis passed away floating off to the sounds of Red House a Jimi Hendrik's song played here by a local black musician that played it so passionately and made me feel for certain that his guitar and words were carrying well Sidney my friend!   IT WAS a busy Saturday herethis past week as I arrived and started to set up for my weekly wine class of six wines from 11:30AM-1PM at $10 a person. More and more of you are getting the word and coming by and signing up here to spend an hour and a half with me. it's fun. I always tie into what we are doing with what we have been doing here recently as I want it all to be " organic " and taking advantage of all that I / we can offer you now as you are in the store with us and may want to buy something for the weekend, too. So this past Saturday I started my day with some Greek reds ( MITRAVELAS Estate Nemea 2009, $12.49, and the ESMIOS Nemea 2005, $18.99 ) , some kosher Lazio unoaked Chardonnay GABRIELLE ( $9.99 ) and the both the kiwi ( New Zealand wine ) of FROMM Marlborough 2005 off-dry Riesling ( On Special for $14.99, reg: $25.99 ) and the LA STRADA 2004 Pinot Noir Marlborough ( On Special for $19.99, reg: $44.99 ).It was quite the tasting. All the wine showed well. Sotiris Bafitis had been in on Wednesday tasting an assortment of the Greek wines and there was a little bit left in the bottles some I showed the group that, in fact, the wines were still enjoyable on Saturday with food. I explained how the wines had changed and what the differences were and that's how we got the show rolling.   I LET A NUMBER OF OUR REGULAR CUSTOMERS try the wines that I was tasting with the class. I would spot them as they came into the store and pour them a glass and then take it over quickly to them to try as they shopped. I would say that if they had any questions to simply let me know and that either I or Greg would help them. It's called juggling more than one thing at a time and it's always fun and a challenge to do so.   THIS CLASS WAS SLOW TO GET OFF THE GROUND as people were a bit late showing up and all of a sudden the store filled with customers and it was necessary to help all of them as they were assorting questions and had lots of questions for us. I had not seen Wendy for quite some time as her t.v. schedule is quite busy and she had gone to buy some things at Pet Smart. Afterward she had walked into Weygandt's a couple of store fronts in that same block and was studying the Austrian wine section when her friend came by and told her that she needed to come over to Cleveland Park Wines And Spirits. She asked if Tony Quinn was still there? And the rest is history and we were off to a roaring start with the wines of Austria. Wendy said that the selection was pretty impressive over at Wygandt's and I showed her our selection of four shelves. What fun, what a lot of excitement with Sarah and Jacob looking for their wines, too and both Greg and me breaking away to help all this mad rush of customers this past Saturday.   ALL IN AGOOD DAY'S WORK. It was fun to sell some of all the SALE wines between the Dolcetto D'Alba 2005 PODERI COLLA ( On Special for $12.99, reg: $22.99 ), the Barolo 2002 CONERNO FANTINO ( On Special for $34.99, reg: $55.99 ), the ESMIOS Moscofilero dry Greek white ( On Special for $13.99, reg: $15.49 ), the Martinsborough Pinot Gris 2007 ESCARPMENT ( On Special for $22.99, reg: $34.99 ) and many, many more. Come check them out. Greg and I have had them all open here recently and they are all showing quite well. Most are fully mature or close and they have all been lowered in price and properly stored to save you both money and time to cellar them yourselves. You can take them home and pretty much feel quite confident to enjoy them now and not feel like you are robbing the cradle by enjoying them before their best times.   I JUST GOT A CALL from our customer Geoff that told me about this past week's experience with our wines M De MONLUC Gros Manseng ( indigenous grape variety from southern France ) that was the " hit " of his dinner when served with two French cheeses : 1) Latour a blend of equal parts of Goat.Sheep and Cow milk ( a soft cheese ), and with 2) Etochi a French semi-hard , like a Petit Basque Geoff told me. He said that the MONLUC had " great clean fruit, not as sweet as a German wine ). Thanks Geoff for sharing. The M De MONLUC sells for $15.99 a bottle and we are thrilled to have more for you to pick up here tomorrow. Glad that your guests liked it so much, too.   WE HAVE MANY KOSHER For PASSOVER Wines Here : many of the $10-$15 a bottle from Israel, Italy, France, Spain and more. Hopefully we have something for everyone. This past weekend Franceen Khang of Palm Bay Imports was here tasting the dry wines of the RECANATI winery and we still have many of those at $11 a bottle. More kosher wines is coming our way tomorrow.   WE ALSO HAVE SOME VINHO VERDE Portuguese dry white wines ( a slight sparkle and lower alcohols, 9-10% ) coming our way tomorrow along with some fancier " top-flight " Vinho Verdees made with only the Alvarinho grape ( three types, all at around $24 a bottle for the creme de la creme. These wines do have a higher level of alcohol at around 12%. TODAY we just received the ENCOSTAS DO LIMA Vinho Verde ( $9.99 ) with a 10% alcohol by volume level. It's so amazingly rich and flavorful and complex and yet so appealing with the warmer weather like yesterday's ( in the mid to high eighties ) and yet costing so very little.   AND SPEAKING OF WINES RECENTLY TASTED : Regis our rep just brought us tastes of the LEROY red( 1999 ) and white ( 2000 )  burgundies : BOTH WERE AMAZING! Really great. He also brought us tastes of the Italian wines we already have on our shelves :  1) " Myrto " dry white blend 2009 from FORADORI ( $27.99, a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, and the other 40% a blend of Incrocio Manzoni which is a cross between a Renano Riesling-related grape and Pinot Bianco. It just shouted and crooned and spelled and drew and told stories and sweet melodies of so much fruit-forward, well-balanced/ well-proportioned youth and promise, vigor and almost undisputed universal charm and spell and appeal! Wow is all I have to say.  2) " Il Frappato " made from the red Sicilian grape variety called Frappato and made by VALLE DELL'ACATE ( $19.99). This 2009 is medium-to-light-bodied, got great tomato-cherry-toasty berry and herb and a bit of curative apothecary flavors sure to keep on in balance and ready for just about anything good. It's charming and so much like a rocker rocking one, soothing one ... AND LAST :  3) the 2008 " Notturno Sangiovese from DREI DONNA ( $21.99 )from Romagna, Italy is charming and classic and medium-bodied and with just enough of everything to keep one pleased and guessing for what is still to come?!? It's a beauty to enjoy now - showing really well at this moment in time.   BUT HEY, WE ARE NOT JUST ABOUT WINE HERE! Here's the BEER From Santos Rivera : 1) Venom Pale Ale from DU CLAW Brewery in Abingdon, MD. ( On Special for $9.49 a 6-pack of 12 ounce bottles, ) : " dark and golden, medium-bodied, American pale ale is aggressively hopped for a refreshing citrus flavor ...  ". Go to: duclawbeer.com for more information. 2) " Sawtooth " Belgian White DUCLAW wheat ale ( On Special for $9.49 a 6-pack of 12 ounce bottles ) : " This untamed Belgian -style white ale leads the pack with a nose of coriander, a bite of real curacao bitter orange and a crisp clean finish ... ".   AND " HELLO! " WE ALSO HAVE LIQUOR HERE from Ravinder Sharma : 1) MACCHU PISCO " The All Natural Spirit of the Andes " in Peru ( $22.99 ) is back in stock by popular demand. Melanie and her aunt Rosa need to come back again to make their wonderful Pisco Sours for you all. You will become a great fan. 2) CAP ROCK Organic Gin from Colorado 970-835-4916 www.peakspirits.com at $32.99 a bottle has been selling out here now for the last 4-6 months and we are very pleased to have it in our collection. 3) N0. 209 5XD All Natural Botanicals Gin ( $46.99 ) from Napa Valley, California may be enjoyed with complete relish and abandon after some nice Napa Valley dry reds and whites, don't you think?!? It is distilled 5 times. 4) Iced Tea Cocktail Original Long Island( On Special for $8.99 ) is " new and exciting " here and it's a pretty good time for it, too.   BUT WE STILL HAVE SO MANY WINES, Too Like : 1) Sauvignon Blanc from WARWICK, 2009 " Professor Black " from Stellenbosch, South Africa is really nice. Really crisp and refreshing ( $19.99 ). 2) " The First Lady " 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from WARWICK also really impressed me when I tasted ut recently here. Both are in stock.   AND LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT THE JAPANESE : 1) 5-Pack Assorted Styles of the Very Best Sakes @ $69.99. 2) Tozai Plum Blossom Of Peace ( $19.99 ), made from the Aodani plum. Come check it out. Cheers!   WEEK'S WINE-TASTINGS : Friday, April 22nd, 2011(5-8PM ) : We have Ronnie Miller here of the Robert Kacher portfolio of French wines coming to pour some LALAND dry Chardonnay, some TARIQUET Sauvignon Blanc, some 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah red MAS BRESSADES and perhaps some MAS CARLOT dry rose as well. Join us, never any charge : some great everyday wines. Saturday, April 16th, 2011 ( 3-7PM ) : We have Jill Paradiso here representing the great Spanish wines of Rioja, reds and whites. Join us, this will be really special and fun. Wines from $10-$25 a bottle. Cheers. There will also be lots of free give-aways at this wine-tasting.   I AM SURE I HAVE FORGOTTEN MANY THINGS but the email has to go out now. Cheers and thanks for all your kind words and support. You really all are the best. Let us know and concerns and anything that we may do better to best serve your wants and needs and desires.  TONY