Alfred Et Annick Perolari Taste French Saint-Chinian/Languedoc Wines of DOMAIN DE CAMBIS 6/29/10 W/ Olivia & Oscar Bombart Of Voila Collection

     I thought that this picture above would be nice for both Alfred and Annick to see of the Kennedy Center to remind them of what city they were in when they visited us in Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. with Oscar on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 sometime in early afternoon I believe. It also shows that it was a great day outside when they did visit us and the capitol of the United States.

     This was really a wonderful tasting for me and to have the opportunity to meet both owners Alfred and Annick Perolari of DOMAINE DE CAMBIS was both a wonderful surprise and a great treat. Oscar the owner of VOILA COLLECTION ( Tel : 301-326-2056 osloenterprise@gmail.com 7300 16th Avenu e  Takoma Park, MD. 20912  Olivia Bombart ) was nice enough to bring them by to meet me. He knew that Olivia Bombart had already tasted us on the dry rose DOMAINE DE CAMBIS ( $16.99 ) and that we had already bought it and sold it here. Olivia tasted it out with our customers at least once if not twice. It was well-received with all it's subtle elegance and finesse and long, silky finish.

     So, we already knew the DOMAINE DE CAMBIS Saint-Chinian wines from France's south west region. We bought some of them all I believe and have been selling red, white and rose DOMAINE DE CAMBIS wines from the south west of France ever since this tasting.

     Alfred is an amateur photographer and it was fun to take pictures of him taking pictures along with me. He really got into the spirit of the moment just as I did. So did his wife Annick : Oscar, too.

     

     It was a joyous meeting meeting for us all as these photos attest. We all became a bit of a family tasting wine together. It would have been complete if food was involved. That will have to wait until our next visit or until I go see them at their winery in France.

    Gotta love Oscar's smile there on the left: it's so big and bright : no reservations there. I like the motion/action even though it is a bit out-of-focus. Yannick is smiling, too : what's Alfred thinking? A quoi tu penses Alfred?!?

     We have in stock now the flavorful and yet quite balanced and exciting " Le Chant Des Griots " dry white 2009 blend of the grapes Viognier ( 60% ) and Roussanne, 40% ( $17.49 ) from the Languedoc. It's an excellent food wine and will complement many foods, not take anything away and hold it's own against their flavors. Both the food and the wine will help to flesh the other out and make both shine and sparkle more : heighten and bring more focus and clarity to the moment.

 

     WE also currently have the DOMAINE DE CAMBIS " Caudomato " 2007 Saint-Chinian ( $17.49 )  which is a blend of the Syrah, Grenache and Carignan grapes. It's another food wine : in this case even bigger and bolder and heartier and it's spice and earth overtones of dusty-dry minerals and herbs really need the food to flesh the flavors out. You can age this wine more, too : it will only get better and rounder and more silky and forward with more time in the bottle. No need to rush into it: buy some and drink a bottle every 4-6 months and follow it's path of development. You will be rewarded with your patience and see a wine really blossom and evolve.

     I like this picture of the three of us together. Nice.

     I have much more to say but am late in getting this posted so I am going to post this now " as-is " and work on it as I am able to snatch moments in time and add both stories and comments of the wines and these pictures. 

     Cheers et a la prochaine fois Alfred et Annick. C'a m'a plu de faire votre connaisance l'autre jour ici au magasin de Cleveland Park Wines Et Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008  Tel:202-363-4265  sales@clevelandparkwine.com  www.clevelandparkwine.com ). Revezez nous voir n'import-quand!   TONY

     Oh what fun this wonderful wine business is : quite the exciting way of life with so many marvelous people really believing still in what they are doing and making and sharing with us all. I'm thrilled, really I am.

TY-KU Sakes, Liqueur Gensu Saturday June 26th, 2010 In-Store Early Afternoon Tasting @ Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits In Our Nation's Capitol/Inspired

On so many levels this was a grand tasting of both TY-KU sake, the liqueur and the Gensu : everything sold, everything was appreciated on some level with pretty much everyone having clear favorites.

These three products were shown to both Chris Barker and me perhaps almost a year ago. The one in the green bottle that lights-up from the bottom of the bottle was already on the shelf. Ravinder Sharma that usually buys the liqueurs for the store had already been shown it and had already purchased it. Had he already sampled it? I cannot remember.




I am embarrassed to say that it is already Monday night here at my home in northern Virginia at 11:26 PM on October 11th, 2010 and I have not already posted this? What is wrong with me?!?

So here I am going to post this and tell you that it was a grand eye-opener for both Chris and me as well as many of our customers on this weekend tasting.




It was a surprise for Chris and me because we did not know about all four of these products made by TY-KU. WE sampled them all and pretty much liked them all : certainly liked the concept and the packaging and saw the potential in them for sale. We were convinced to try selling three of the four when we were able to organize not only one but two tastings to get the ball really rolling with our customers at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com Facebook at : clevelandparkwines&spirits ).




We must have done the first tasting in March or April, 2010. I will look at my calendar. That one we did with Jack that got the whole ball rolling for us and our initial tasting with him. Thanks. It's always great to be able to hop onto the band wagon of something that is good and fun and exciting and that will be popular and satisfy a number of our regular customers as well as those that come specially because we are promoting something that they are very interested in already.




This tasting we did with one of Jack's assistants on Saturday June 26th, 2010. I think Jack came by for a few moments to be sure that everything was in place and to say " hello " to Chris, Ravi and me. It was all in place and proceeding quite well. We worked well as a team and I would recommend to many of our customers that they should stop and taste and learn and discover.

You never know when the next huge personal epiphany will be coming round the corner now do you?!?




As I recall we started this tasting quite early at Cleveland Park : perhaps around noon sometime? But people did stop and taste and they did buy, too. It was a winning tasting from start to finish and I am thrilled that we offered it a second time because many people were still discovering TY-KU for the very first time.




I loved the " faux " tattoo here on her right arm and so in many of these my artsy photos I was determined to capture/add and include it in the compositions of these photos. I think it's pretty eye-catching and pretty realistic. I love it's colors and it does help to set-off the black, white and green bottles of TY-KU. Thanks for being such a good sport and letting me take so many pictures of you holding the various TY-KU bottles.




I love the almost abstraction above in my picture here. I love the glass, the product it holds, the reflection of ceiling lights and the faux-false tattoo, too!




Funny, here I have only pictures of women sampling the three TY-KU products. I know that there were some men, too. I will look through my photos and add some of those to give a more complete picture of this event here in our store in northwest Washington D.C.




The one complaint that I had was that though the products were excellent that they seemed to in fact be produced in the United States and not in Japan or overseas. I think that this should be addressed so as not to create any confusion on the part of either the sales force or the consumer.




I have more to add and will do so I hope soon. In the meantime please enjoy all these pictures.




I hope that they inspire you to come to Cleveland Park or to your local wine-spirits store in search of them. We have them on our shelves and so are ready for you anytime.




We will have to talk to Jack once again to set another tasting as it is once again time to do this tasting all over again.




Cheers and stay-tuned for more real soon. TONY




Gotta love the simple message on the black t-shirt that she is wearing above : " Show me your skin".




I love the deep and rich and satiny color of the young brunette's dress above. Perhaps that could be the next color of the bottle for yet another Ty-KU product?




You have such beautiful eyes my dear in this picture of you above : captivating.




When I find Jack's card I will copy all the information on it here for you all wanting to get more technical information.

I am here for the visual inspiration and images that talk to each and every one of you that are visually inspired and impressed and motivated.

Danielle Davidowitz Tastes GATAO Vinho Verde Portuguese White & ALTA VISTA Dry Rose Malbec, Sat June 24th , 2010 @ Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits

This was another fun summer weekend Saturday , June 24th, 2010 in-store/ wine-tasting with our rep Danielle Davidowitz from Dionysos Imports at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 , Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com, facebook : clevelandparkwine ) of the GATAO Portuguese dry and slightly spritzy Vinho Verde ( $9.99, with only 9% alcohol by volume ) , the dry Argentina ALTA VISTA Malbec flavorful rose, and a Greek red blend of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Saint George grapes that is easy-drinking and perfect for the heat and the humidity of the time. It was another very successful tasting and all three dry wines sold really well. Thanks Danielle for your time and enthusiasm. We appreciate your efforts for us here in Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. It's a great opportunity for our customers to come and taste and learn about these wines that represent real value and are well-suited for this warm weather.




I really had fun taking these digital pictures of you Danielle pouring these excellent three dry wines from around the world. I especially liked taking pictures of the GATAO label with the cab which is so popular here in our neighborhood of Cleveland Park. People know this wine by the label of course and many find it to be their favorite vinho verde. I like it because it is not heavy at all, quite smooth and bright and a bit creamy on the tongue : and with the low alcohol and a bit of spritz I find it to be perhaps one of the single greatest wines to enjoy outside in the oppressive heat and humidity when you want to drink something and still feel alright afterward. That's a tall order as the heat and the humidity can be crippling, really they both can when teamed together as they often are.




I liked getting these more artsy pictures of my Reidel Austrian wine-tasting glass and the GATAO cat label. I also really liked trying to capture the bit of spritz and sparkle of this Portuguese dry, low-alcohol 9% wine.




I also like photographing you Danielle. You play along with it and together we tell a fun and amusing and playful story together which I think is quite intoxicating in it's own way. Thanks for being such a good sport and not taking any of it too seriously. Wine should be enjoyed as it is here as an accompaniment to many other things, all equally important to the success of the moment or meal/gathering.




I love the aquamarine/transparent hue of the GATAO wine bottle : it, too is intoxicating again in a very visual sense - appealing to the eyes.




Look at those bubbles in my Reidel wine glass above that I am holding with one hand while I snap the picture with my Canon Power Shot digital camera with the other. I like the whole effect : draws me into the scene and into the glass. Danielle , your smile , too is lovely.




Your white blouse is a perfect background for my glass with GATAO vinho verde inside it and the bottle of GATAO that you are holding. All the elements work really well to draw you into this space. You're almost laughing here your smile is so broad and bright. You were born to be photographed. Do you know this?




Being an artist I am taken by many things on a very visual level. I like working with my camera and pointing it and snapping picture after picture as I move it around. I often am not able to look through the lens as I snap away. I want to get as many " candids " as I can and so I turn off the flash and I snap away and believe and hope for the best knowing that I will get some pictures that will delight and charm and please and tease and make me wonder and ponder and say " wow " all in one. It's good not to know the outcome before I snap the picture. It's good to have the picture to better take note of things that you did not notice at the time as there are always so many things to be appreciative of and take notice of. Many things are deserving of this notice and it rarely ever comes as things happen so quickly and most people never take pictures to capture any of it. Too bad, what a shame as a picture does tell so many stories and help to preserve partials of so many wonderful moments in time.

I like in this picture above among other things being the artist that I am how your white blouse drapes your body like that of a youthful, beautiful Mediterranean goddess Danielle. I'm not scared to say it, I can really see the correlation between the " here-and-the-now-and-the-past " in you Danielle.




Our customer above evaluates carefully the merits of the dry red Cabernet Sauvignon/ Saint George Greek red above ( $13.49 ) probably trying to figure out if it is right for her this June weekend?




Ahhh, once again those beautiful bubbles that look like the rings around the planets or smoke rings and so many more images, too. They make what looks to be almost like a pair of lips here.




Gotta love the image of the cat. Do you like it's red collar here? I do. Siamese or ? ...




Nothing like the anticipation of witnessing the wine being poured that will soon touch one's lips? I like this moment before the moment that will really tell the story as far as one is concerned: will they like the wine? Will it be right for them at this moment in time? Will both marry well together and will the conversation that flows between the people gathered there and their chemistry all mesh well together? Will sparks fly or will conversation, mood and feeling/ desire-fire-excitement-contentment rise and take on life or expire and fizzle and die a kathud flat and ignoble, agonizing and hard-heavy death?!? So many questions here : why am I getting so philosophical? Why am I asking so many questions? Why don't I simply relax and just enjoy and observe and let things be and happen all by themselves? I should try it/this - really I should.





Look at the color and the deepness of the ALTA VISTA dry Argentinian rose above. I love it. The wine sure was appealing , it really was. It was both nice on it's own and flavorful enough to complement many foods. I started selling the wines years ago back around 2002 when Jay Youmans first showed it to me way back when. Seems like another lifetime ago even though it was less than ten years when we sold the whole range of these excellent ALTA VISTA dry reds, whites and dry rose wines. Thanks Jay, you began a beautiful relationship and Danielle you have picked up where Jay left off...




Finally, a choice has been made : of the three the dry ALTA VISTA Malbec rose ( $13.49 ) was the way to go on this Saturday in late June, 2010 for our good customer and friend above. She's got one of our cloth tote-bags for bottle above : two bottles I believe with the store logo and all on it?






Can't think of a more appealing and strong image with which to leave you all. Come back again, come see us for the first time. Don't stay away too long, you don't want to miss anything : you don't know what you might be missing if you do. Anyway, you are always welcome at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. We are here for you. Cheers, and thanks Danielle, this was fun and we sold together lots of wine. TONY

P.S. I am sorry to be posting this now on Friday morning at 12:26 AM here from home on September 24th, 2010. It's been way too long since I downloaded these pictures and just in the nick-of-time to tell the story of these three excellent wines as tomorrow it is supposed to be in the mid nineties and one of the hottest days of the year... we still have some of the Greek red and the Greek white I believe and can order the other two as well. Oh, I think Danielle you will also be in the store tasting more Portuguese wines tomorrow so in some ways this is the full circle and perfect-timing. See you later today Danielle ... let's sell lots of wine together again later on ... small, wonderful world. We'll also take some more pictures.