It was great to get owner Peter Rumball of RUMBALL Sparkling Aussie wines to the store to taste his selection of red sparkling wines made from both the Shiraz ( SB 17 ) and the Merlot ( M3 ) grapes. It was back in 2006 I believe and I will include that information shortly. I have it but am in a rush to get this out during the holiday season of 2008 ( it's Sunday morning, 10:13 AM on December 21st, 2008 ) and I want to share these pictures with you all now.
It was a great treat to finally meet Peter. We had already been selling his sparkling Shiraz at our store Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 2008 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com Tel : 202-363-4265 ) and I was finally, slowly beginning to really get a firmer grip on the whole Aussie red sparkling wine phenomenon/charm and overall fun taste!
I believe that we tasted three of Peter's sparkling reds ( or at least offered three for sale : the Shiraz, the Merlot and the half-bottles of the Shiraz ). We hads never had the half bottles before but they proved to be a good idea and with time quite popular with anumber of our customers here in our nations's capitol where we have people shopping at our store that come from all the nooks and crannies and more of our marvelous world.
Unfortunately it has now been awhile since we have sold the RUMBALL sparkling red wines. I just googled RUMBALL and see that the Country Vintners is still listed as Peter's wholesaler here in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and yet I do not believe that they represent them any more. I will have to look more into this shortly as people still ask for the RUMBALL.
It's especially popular now according to what you told me three years' back Peter. You told me that Aussies enjoy their sparkling reds with Christmas turkey. What am I to do?!?! You also told me that sparkling RUMBALL red is also quite good with Eggs Benedict I believe. It may have been that other famous French breakfast egg dish with the whipped cream sauce that I cannot recall the name for! Argh!! Age, memory failures ; realities of life.
I have always liked the sparkling red wines with barbecued food such as the pulled pork and other meats that you can get at Tockland's or Bubbas. I also like sparkling reds with many chocolates. On top of that it is simply feastive and fun and tastes good, too with or without a meal.
Over the last eight years we at Cleveland Par Wines & Spirits have sold a whole variety fo them coming from Italay ( sparkling Veneto Cabernet ), Portugal ( )N SALE for $17.99 - funky, earthy dry, rustic Baga ), Latvia ( semi-sweet, $8.99 ), Otrepo Pavese ( sparkling Bonarda, Italy ), California ( my friend Jed Steele's CA. " Black Bubbles ", $20 Syrah ), other Aussie ( " LOOSE END, another good friend Rob Gibson's blend of Shiraz, Merlot and Mataro, $21.99 ) and more. We have all these at Cleveland Park Wines now and ready for the 2008 holiday season and New Year's eve.
Peter, I will call today my friend and Country Vintner rep Chris Pigott to see what the store is and if by any chance he has any more in stock to send me tomorrow!
We have been selling sparkling reds now for quite some time, way before they became popular recently within the last two years I would say.
Peter, your sparkling Aussie reds have always been excellent but also on the more expensive levels of around $30 for the 750ml bottles and around $2o for the 375ml bottles. That's okay ; the quality is in each and every bottle. Very consistent and delicious.
It was a great pleasure to have you at our store Peter. I certainly hope that we meet again and that we will sell your excellent sparkling Aussie reds once more. If you read this please do get in touch with me and let's put our two heads together and get back on track with RUMBALL at Cleveland Park.
When you came we had quite a nice little crowd that came to discover RUMBALL from ex-ambassadors to struggling documentary people to professors, etcetera. I love seeing you Krishna in one of the photos! You , too Clark!
In one of the pictures if you blow it up on the screem you will see a picture behind the group of Chris Pigott facing the camera in back of a stack of wines, head-down looking/working on his lap-top computer, doing wine-sales-business quietly, constantly, intently while the tasting went on. This is his habit and it works quite successfully, too.
It was because of Chris that we got to have you Peter tasting in our store. He contacted me, told me about the times you would be free to be here with us and we set it up. We have organized countless tasting this way, Chris and I and they have been resounding successes for everyone involved from producer, importer, retailer and customer. We have all come away winners. What more can you ask for ? And personal, close and intimate, too. That's good business, that's my kind of business.
You surprised me, too Peter as the only wine owner/maker that has ever not wanted to sign the bottles here in our store as gifts. I can't remember what you said exactly, was it presumptuous or vain - something like that. You were kind enough to sign the bottles anyway and for that I thank you.
We still have sitting on top of our bubbly display a signed in gold-ink bottle of RUMBALL ( it's empty, you poured it and I had it in the store-front window facing out onto Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. for a few months ) and each and every time I see it now I think of you and of RUMBALL and Australia. I refuse to throw it out : it's signed after all!
I had a wonderful trip to Australia this February 2008 with Chris Pigott of Country Vintners. We did not stop in to see you. That's too bad. It will have to wait till the next visit whenever that may be. Being in Australia ( driving past the wake/funeral of actor Heath Ledger in Cottlesloe Perth western Australia as we arrived and knowing I had two glorious weeks still to go - WOW! ) has left an indelible/positive/fantastic memory for me to revisit now for years to come - with countless stories , tales and fantasies to spread.
I'm looking at the bottle signed by Peter on the 24th, 2006. The SB17. Dusty, a great memory!
Cheers and Happy New Year 2009 - may it be a great one for each and every one of us. Come again soon. TONY
Cheers and Happy New Year 2009 - may it be a great one for each and every one of us. Come again soon. TONY
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