Wow, I can't believe that it is almost one year now that I have been blogging here at CHATWINE.BLOGSPOT.COM. As you may or may not know I have also a number of other blogs. You can reach them all by going to down on the right of this page till you see the words : View Complete Profile : you click that on and scroll down until you hit the various blogs and then click those on. I have them from all the countries that I have been to ( that I have had the time to make pages for, that is - I still have to do one for South Africa ), one on art ( I'm an artist ), one on poetry ( I write pretty much five days of every week giving myself my two-day weekend to relax ), one on general interest called Qynothna ... and there will be more.
My first blog title actually occurred on April 22, 2008 entitled : " Blogging Is Crazy / For The Patient ! " and it was on : Qynothna. I was encouraged by our good customer and my friend Steven that kept saying I should blog. I got instructions from him and one day ( April 22, 2008 ) finally got the nerve and courage and muddled myself through setting one up : wow! That was quite a turning point for me. Thank you Steven for your help : you know who you are.
It started slowly and I had to get my feet wet at first. It was mostly writing and then the pictures started to come, too. Now I have on CHATWINE around 1,700 visits each month with about 400 of those being return visits. I value all the visits but am thrilled to have around 400 or more returns. This will continue to grow I hope.
This is my way of finally sharing with everyone all the pictures, memories and stories - mostly all positive , that I have been saving and collecting over the years. Fortunately I have many pictures. bottles signed and sheets of virgin white paper filled with many of these amazing people that have come into my life either in a store or outside at an event or a restaurant. I have many menus signed, too. It's a wealth of specific trivia that I love marking the moment exactly that have occurred and where I have been lucky enough to have been included.
I hope to add video clips soon that I have started taking : a number in South Africa and I hope at least one or more when Katharina Prum of Joh. Jos. PRUM , Mosel Germany visits on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 from 5-8 PM at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine www.clevelandparkwine.com ).
So thank you all for reading along with me and looking at all these pictures that I have mostly taken myself : there are a few with me in them that I did not take.
I will leave this now with a few comments written on the bottles tasted and left afterward by the winemakers/owners/principals at the various wonderful wineries around the world :
Arya Campbell of LAUREL GLEN Vineyard in Graton , California wrote on her bottle of 2004 Old Vine Zinfandel ( Lodi, CA ) : " What's not to like about Cleveland Park ? " signed with a drawn heart and Arya.
Nick Stacey of WEST CAPE HOWE, Denmark, Western Australia wrote on a bottle of 2004 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc : " Hey Tony, Sem Sau Blanc and oysters. Perfect match! Cheers " signed Nick Stacey, 2006
Mike Radcliff of WARWICK Eatate Wine wrote on a bottle of 2004 Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc ( Simonsberg, Stellenbosch ) : " Lekker Wijn " signed Mike ( 10 / 13 / 04 ).
Anton Beukes of MORESON Winery, South Africa ( Franshhoek ) wrote on a bottle of 2004 PINE CREST Sauvignon Blanc ( Coastal Region S.A. ) : " Tony's nose, pallet it's not failed yet ". Anton drew a picture in profile of a dog with an extended nose. I like it. Thanks Anton!
Both Nicolas and daughter Laura Catena of the CATENA winery in Mendoza, Argentina wrote on a bottle of the CATENA " Zapata " 1999 ( introduced at the Argentinian Embassy this evening to the Washington D.C. public/audience for the very first time : this vintage that is ) : " Con Todo Afecto Para Anthony " and signed Nicolas Catena. Laura wrote : " Para Anthony " and signed it Laura Catena.
Andrew Peace of the PEACE Family VineyardIn Southeastern Australia wrote on a bottle of the 2003 red blend of Shiraz ( 36% )/Cabernet ( 35% )/ Grenache ( 19% ) and Mataro ( 10% ) : " Peace Off " and signed it Andrew T. Peace. He then wrote on a bottle of 2003 Shiraz : " Peace On You " and signed it again Andrew T. Peace. I like both.
Dominique Haverlan wrote on a bottle of his Benjamin de Vieux Chateau GAUBERT 2002 red Graves ( $19.99 ) : " Thank you for my first trip in USA " signed Dominique Haverlan.
Trish Rodgers wrote on a bottle of her Pregon Pinot Noir 2004 " Big Fire " : " Go Tony ". and surrounded it with lots of silver points . She signed it XO Trish.
Matias Rivera the winemaker at COUSINO-MACUL, Santaigo, Chile signed a sample bottle of the 2001 " Finis Terrae " : " To Anthony, The last bottled of Arturo's tasting in March, 2003 " and signed it Matias Rivera, Sept. 2003.
Bruwer Raats the owner of RAATS Vineyard in Stellenbosch, South Africa signed his bottle of RAATS Cabernet Franc 2002 ( $31.99 ) : " Enjoy my passion " and signed it Bruwer Raats ( 12/10/04 ).
Carol Wilson of MOON MOUNTAIN Vineyard, Sonoma County, CA. signed a bottle of her 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County ( $17.49 ) : " To : Tony the Tiger , Cheers ! " and signed it Carol Wilson
Wolfgers, the winemaker at H.LUN, Neumarkt, Egna, Alto Adige , Italy signed a bottle of Pinot Grigio Sudtirol, Alto Adige 2005 : " Por il grandiessimo Tony " and signed it Wolfgers , 2006.
Alberto the winemaker at LA GERLA Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy signed a bottle of Brunello Di Montalcino vendemmia 2002, $54.99 : " Tony, Thank you for your great job! " and signed it Alberto
These are some of the many bottles I have asked to be signed and left as a souvenir of these many visits with owners and winemakers over the nine yaers that I have spent as the wine manager of Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits in our nation's capitol.
I will take pictures of the bottles and include them later.
In the meantime thanks again for following along with me on this incredible journey of wine and food and beer/liquor, too as I have added those here as well. Cheers, TONY
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