Ravinder Sharma our spirits specialist at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits, 202-363-4265, www.clevelandparkwine.com ) organized with our local wholesale rep a tasting of this really polished, smooth, elegant, finely-nuanced pure sugar cane rum from Trinidad and Tobago that does not use molasses in the production. This 10 CANE , first-press sugar cane rum ( www.10cane.com ) is all handpicked and double=distilled to give this silky feel and texture on the palate. Last night our pour er was making mojitos with this rum and I decided I wanted to taste it in it's pure form and so brought out my Riedel bowl-burgundy wine glass and had her pour me a bit to taste from and use for my signature pictures taken " through the glass with the rum in this case, not wine in the glass. I think it adds something a bit different taking them this way.
As you can see from the pictures the tasting was a success and I think most people that tasted could tell the difference that this 10CANE offers. I learned from our rep about six months ago that it's called 10 CANE because it takes ten sugar canes to make each 750ml bottle. I wrote in her summary that I was pleased to see that people I did not think would buy it actually did when they tasted it and could taste it's excellent quality. It's now ON SALE here for $36.99 and is in my humble opinion worth every penny of it. However, this is a lot more than many rums on the market today so tasting is key to getting it selling more and on the tips of peoples' tongues when they think of premium, small-batch rums to really enjoy and not rush through. Make it a special moment when you drink it. I like to use a brandy snifter when I drink my rum. I will now consider buying some of this for myself when I run out of the WESTERHALL PLANTATION West Indian St. David's Grenada pot-distilled rum, $26.99 Batch # 8008 that again reminds me of a fine, bit sweeter-tasting cognac ).
I spent time as a child ( my summers and holidays ) in Trinidad and Tobago when my father Harry Quinn worked there in Port of Spain at the American Embassy. It was there that I had to register for the draft for the Vietnam War, with my father, I still have a picture of it, long hair that touched my shoulders! Anyway, back then I were friends with the children of the family that makes FERDIE'S rum and I still remember many great times together, especially snorkeling off their property. They were really nice to me, welcomed me and made me feel at home.
Here are the pictures I took last night to try and capture the moment. I was at the same time conducting my own tasting of four wines : two reds and two whites : the " Cuvee French Kiss " Sauvignon Blanc ( no semillon, rare in this case ) 2007 white Entre-Deux-Mers Bordeaux from CHATEAU LA MOTHE DU BARRY $11.49, Joel Duffau, Moulon ) that was bright and pretty and went down so seamlessly; the RAMBLIN WHITE dry California blend with just a splash or Riesling I think to give it more richness and a bit of tropical smooth fruit - great to sip all by itself, bought it for this past 4th of July here, 2008 and it went over really well just as it did tonight, $8.99 2005 www.ramblinwines.com : and for the two reds - a Spanish tinto TERRAI, $8.49 2007 100% Garnacha ( Grenache, forward, ripe Rhone-style ) from the Carinena area of Spain that was bright and really easy sipping for this warmer weather ; and the 2005 red Bordeaux old-vines CHATEAU DES LEOTINS Bordeaux, mis en bouteille au chateau-estate-bottled, Sauvetierre de Guyenne - www.lvdh.com for more technical info - $8.99, from a great year, a bit young still and will complement many of the things we enjoy this Labor-Day weekend here in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. HAPPY LABOR DAY to one and to all!. All the wines showed well, they all sold well and had their champions. They were all great values, too. I do not have pictures of my tasting except the picture of the two black young ladies enjoying some of the RAMBLIN WHITE. All the wines are here and available. We do wine-tastings here each Friday and Saturday. Call Mike or me, Tony ( 202) 363-4265 to order or for more information.
Hope you enjoy these photos. Both Ravinder and I are in the photos. I was trying to get a smile from our talented, professional taster and I finally think I succeeded with the one I took at the end of the tasting with me.Come and check us out here at the store at 3423 Connecticut Avenue, Washington D.C. North West. We're just across the street from the Uptown movie house and two blocks away from our fabulous National Zoo. We have fun at the tastings as well as sell the products. You can see this in the photos. We're a place where you can come relax, learn, taste meet other people interested in wine, liquor and beer in a comfortable, non-stuffy environment. We sell the products themselves and the people behind them, not the scores and the points. Come see for yourselves. Often we'll have a wine, a beer and a liquor tasting all at the same time either on Friday or on Saturday.
Cheers, happy Labor Day once again, TONY
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