Chat Wine: Ken Forrester Visits Cleveland Park In June 2009: Tastes Great South African Wines

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Ken Forrester Visits Cleveland Park In June 2009: Tastes Great South African Wines

I have more pictures to add still of Ken Forrester's second visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ).

I like this first picture because my camera was moving and the picture is blurred and moving : of both of Ken and Shana's hands as they get ready to pour one of Ken's wines from South Africa for me to try : one of the whites.

This was a great serendipitous visit with Ken Forrester and Shana Ketron. Ken was originally going to do an in-store tasting for us but the timing got screwed up for us and so Shana brought him by to say hello and to taste the current releases that Country Vintner has of his wines from South Africa.

This was in fact Ken's second visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. He cam about three-four years ago ( maybe it was in 2004 or 2005? I can't remember exactly. I will have to look up the date in my guest books that I have filled with pictures and a page signed by each of our visiting winemakers / owners.

I do know that Ken's first visit I was still using a regular camera with film : not digital. Chris Pigott brought him by and he stayed a short period of time : enough for me to get a real sense of Ken and his passion and commitment to what he was doing : especially with the Chenin Blanc grape.

I got some great pictures of Ken behind the wine glass filled with both the Sauvignon Blanc first and then the Chenin Blanc. He came alive and there is a whole lot of expression in these close-ups that I did of Ken : much to his surprise and I think later appreciation.

I would show Ken and Shana the pictures after I took them to keep them up to speed with my progression : some working better than others as is always the case.

Ken was looking at Theresa Morrison's book on South African wineries as if you were going to visit as a family ( what can all the members of a family expect at each winery besides just the wine? ). I was telling Ken that I had just been to South Africa and had a wonderful experience.

I told him that I was sorry not to have had the time to visit him while there, but that I was the guest of John and Theresa Morrison and visiting the wineries that they represent in the U.S. from South Africa.

I like the spread of emotion over Ken's face as I took these various close-ups of him through the wine glass. I also like to play with distorting and amplifying the wine labels through both the wine glass and the wine it holds. In this case I was taking pictures of the Ken Forrester wine label through the color of the Sauvignon Blanc.

What did I say to Ken at this moment to get such an expression of surprise or disbelief from him? We did pretty much have a continuous stream of conversation going on between the two of us. I believe that on this second visit that the two of us really connected - I could feel it. I liked it. I think that Ken did, too.

Here Ken points to where his winery is located in Theresa Morrison's " Wine Lands " book.

Here's another close-up, artsy photo that I love taking of the wine labels reflected/dissected / reconfigured through the wine glass and the wine in the glass as well.

I introduced this lady to Ken who needed a gift of a bottle of wine for a friend. I told here that she might consider giving her friend a bottle of Ken's Sauvignon Blanc that I had there and which he could have signed by him to that friend? She tried the wine. liked it and the rest was history.

Here Ken is signing a bottle or getting ready to and Shana is looking at me, smiling as I take yet another picture to capture this moment to later tell the story here at chatwine and include the story.

Our customer and Ken seemed to really hit it off well and I think that they were both pleased to have met and to have exchanged quick stories as Ken signed a bottle for her to give as a gift.

I really like our customer's big smile that I captured through the wine glass as Ken signed the bottle.

Our customer was a good sport when I asked her to hold her hand out so that I could take this picture of the bottle showing what Ken had written with the silver Sharpie. Thanks ...

Driving to work I wrote Four Morning Poems for Ken inspired by him and his wine that I gave both a copy I made to him and one to Shana. Here he is holding one side of the sheet I wrote these four poems on earlier.

Here's a picture that I took of the bottles of Ken Forrester's wines that I would be sampling ( as well of Ken's new brochure ). I rely on these as my memory fades sometimes quickly and I cannot always recollect the tiny / many details of the wines-vintages and names. You enlarge these photos and you have much of the information.

I'm back to my old tricks of playing around with pictures of the wine labels. What do you think?

I have much more to add but it will have to wait until tomorrow ( Friday, June 19th, 2009 ) as I am tired and am off to bed shortly. I have your wines to sell tomorrow at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits to our many customers Ken!