It was great to get Carol McGarry the owner of SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN winery in Maryland here the other night to pour and promote her excellent Maryland wines ( two reds , one a Cabernet Franc 2006 ( $27.99 ( and one a blend of Cabernet Franc and other Bordeaux grapes " Comus " 2006 ( $21.99 ), as well as an excellent 2007 Pinot Grigio.Carol came with Lisa her regional winery rep. It was Lisa that first came to our store Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 2008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) months ago to first introduce herself and the SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN winery.
I must admit that the first time I tasted the wines I was not that impressed. I only wanted to taste their Maryland wines made with Maryland grapes. I was not in the least interested in promoting anything they labelled " American " wines as those grapes used could legally come from anywhere in the United States. Where I realize that helps a winery at times to purchase grapes outside their own state to keep costs down and availability steady I am not willing tom push or put my neck on the line for those. Sorry, that's just how I feel.
Anyway, I told Lisa this and we agreed that on her second visit where I tried the wines again quickly ( this time I found them all sound and balanced ) that we would pour only those made entirely with Maryland grapes at our annual American Wine-Tasting at the store on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008. Lisa had to see if owner Carol McGarry would be willing to drive here to do the in-store tasting. Turns out she was available and so Lisa and I worked out the details over the phone.
When Lisa and Carol arrived I was surprised to see that Lisa was quite pregnant! How had I missed that before?!? I had. Oh well, we got her comfortably set up with a folding chair and together Carol and Lisa provided an interesting contrast to the " other " local winemakers/owners : Brad McCarthy ( BRADFORD WINES , Charlottesville, VA ), DJ ( assistant winemaker at PEARMUND Vineyards, VA), Chris Breiner ( winemaker/owner of STONE MOUNTAIN Vineyards, VA ) and Paul Robert ( owner/winemaker of DEEP CREEK CELLARS , MD ).
Lisa and Carol brought a nice table cloth and cheese, crackers, nuts and other food goodies to go along with their two dry reds and one dry Pinot Grigio. All three wines have a polish and an elegance to them. They are understated if anything and like European wines they take a while to come out of their grape-glass-skins so to speak. They are also in my opinion better enjoyed within the context of a meal - as I like it.
They showed well this evening and we sold a number of bottles of each. Most people went around the store tasting from the twelve tables and then assorting the ones together to buy that they liked best or felt that they could afford. It's always a compromise of sorts, this.
All the wines were discounted on this evening from bottle one. Many of our customers took advantage, too of getting bottles personally signed for family and friends/associates as gifts for the holidays by these five owners/winemakers.
We also had on hand a number of other really talented reps to pour at the other tables. For more on this go to my prior blog about this event and the whole day at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits.
Thanks Carol and Lisa. We are glad to have your wines at our store. Good luck Lisa with your new baby and happy holidays to One and to All of Us.
Cheers, TONY
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