I should have posted this a really long time ago! What was I thinking / not thinking!
Here it is already Sunday, January 30th, 2011 at 5:25PM here at home in northern Virginia with a thick and caked-solid blanket of dried wet-gloppy white snow everywhere outside and cold, too and the sun thinking seriously about leaving us any minute and I have still not posted this! I am as tired as I can imagine and it's time to feed my Terrier mix breed dog outside now and I think I need some more rest first but it must be some sign that I have not posted this and that I have stumbled just now upon it.
Look at the great graphics above of the Condor that are taken from really old paintings or was it stonework on the old sacred buildings or temples there in Argentina? Alfredo, tell me the story once again. We talked about, correct, and that's a good sign? Leave me a story about this in the comment section at the end of this blog. I think our customers will be interested in it, I know that I was. It's a very special story.
Why do I say this? Because Estebe Salgado that works with Trade Winds Imports and that brought me Alfredo back here in Jun I believe for the very first time just did a Saturday wine-tasting at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits this weekend - yesterday afternoon from 3-6PM to be exact and he tasted out both the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Tannat dry reds from Argentina's Rioja region north of Mendoza from CHANARMUYO Estates. Wow, what a coincidence when you think of it and yet they seem to happen to me like this now all the time and I must admit that I love it.
I will talk more about Estebe's ( Salgado ) Spanish and Argentinian wine-tasting a bit later in a more current blog as it, too was a grand success. Estebe's comment was that anytime that he can sell as many wines as he did when he tastes in a store as he did this past Saturday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales#clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com also now on Facebook at : cleveland park wines & spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) then he is more than happy to do them. Thanks Estebe, I am glad that you thought the tasting was such a success. I did as well but for many more reasons than that one.
I like when people can come and check something out for the very first time at our store. It gives me great pleasure to introduce them to something new and I also like to have them meet someone new, too. That means , of course our wine-makers and owners as well as sales wine reps : and that also includes meeting other customers in the neighborhood for the first time.
Many customers have now commented to me over the years on this and told me that they have both met and been introduced to people in our neighborhood in our store and that that enlarges the group of people that they may now stop and talk to and get to know even better as a result of this first meeting at our wine shop. I pride myself on this : on being friendly and on making it a point to introduce people and ask them their names and then introduce them to those of us that are doing the wine-tastings. Sometimes it is me. This was a name has been offered up and a taste or more of wine has also been proffered and this all helps to establish a real tangible bound between us that can stick and will stick and will grow if nurtured. It's work but it's fun and it's exciting and it lays a grand groundwork to build many enriching things upon.
As I scroll down these many pictures I realize how many that I took of all our customers throughout our long, rectangular store here in our Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. neighborhood that many people think of ( at least our two blocks of shops ) as a mini version of parts of Europe. It's right down neighborly and we all like it this way and try and keep it as much this way as possible.
This is Christian J.R. Salvatori in the picture above with Tradewinds Imports I believe ?
Often we also have both a liquor and a beer tasting going on the same time as our wine-tastings. On this evening I am not sure that we did as I do not see any other vendors pouring alongside of Alfredo which meant more attention for Alfredo on him and on his excellent food wines of Rioja, Argentina ( Rioja being a region, especially Rioja Alta in Spain that is so famous for it's red wines made from the Tempranillo grape ).
On this evening Alfredo focused on the Malbec and the Syrah and perhaps also the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes of Argentina - all of which were brought from Europe a very long time ago by people from Spain, Italy and France.
Many of our customers today do not know that originally these grapes all came from the Eastern Hemisphere and so I feel that in teaching them about wine that they learn the past as well as the present and even have some discussion when possible of the possible directions that wine and commerce is going in the near future.
On this evening with Alfredo we also tasted some excellent dry white, complex and long-finishing Viognier that originally came from France's northern Rhone valley, in particular the town of Condrieu that made it so very famous and that is still considered the ultimate benchmark for any great Viognier wine.
It's always nice to show a customer with the bottle that they intend to purchase along with the person that tasted them on it as well. Fun, smiles and pleasure all around.
Being an artist I like to show things from an artist's perspective and to show as much of the whole event and moment as possible. It's more to absorb and more to be draw closer to and to take a bit more time to consider things and people and the wines being poured for our enjoyment now and later. I hope you do not mind indulging me this way.
I am drawn to tattoo's and in this case I had to take this picture of the man above as he looked at some of our Scottish single malt scotches I believe? What bottle is he already holding?
What follows immediately below is what I wrote months ago and so I will continue to add after it but the paragraph below is the original one and everything that will follow it will be from tonight, January 30th, 2011 here at home in northern Virginia at 8:23PM as I drink some of the 2005 PIATIN Barbaresco single-vineyard Piemonte dry red that has been slow to open but marvelous now a couple hours after I first started to share it with our Swedish neighbor next door that offered to walk our dog for us and that spoke of the Swedish female pop star Robyn that will be performing shortly here in Baltimore and which she will take her daughter to see. I mentioned this to my son that has a cd that was given to him of Robyn by our Chinese neighbor. Go figure?!? Life is so connected in so many ways and one never knows most of this because the connections are never made and the dots are never connected in most cases : but when they are how wonderful and how rewarding they can be! I love it, really I do.
Of course that is what we try and do each and every day here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. Cheers and enjoy the rest of these pictures and stay-tuned for more of this story on these two related tastings of the CHANARMOYO Estate wines of Argentina's Rioja region of wine-making that is less famous than the Mendoza area but still makes many excellent food wines as these of the CHANARMAYO Estate. TONY
We had Alfredo Cohen the Commercial Manager ( Camino al Dique s/n y Ruta Provincial N 39 km 15 Chanarmuyo / La Rioja / Argentina Tel : 54 9 11 45 96 66 acohen@chanarmuyo.com.ar www.chanarmuyo.com.ar ) here tasting the wines of CHANARMUYO ESTATE. His importers, from Tradewinds Specialty Imports Stuart Martens ( President & CEO, Tel: 571-723-9462 www.TradewindsSpecialty.com smartens@tradewindsspecialty.com ) and Christian J.R. Salvatori ( Chief Operating Officer ) and Estebe Salgado were all here to help set up and pour the 4 wines ( one dry Vignier Estate, one Malbec Estate 2009 and one Syrah Estate ( all $10.99 ), and 1 Reserve Malbec ( $16.49). When Alfredo sold his first bottle in the beginning he said to me : I've sold one bottle " as if to say everything was okay. I said that he would sell many more as I smiled and knew that they would sell well through the next three hours and they did. It was very successful indeed and lots of people showed up and tasted and bought. It was very social and people lingered and relaxed and enjoyed being here around our tasting table as is often the case.
I love taking these close-ups of our wine reps. I wanted to capture some of Alfredo's expressions and so there are many here.
We got a good crowd on this evening : both Alfredo and his story of the Rioja Alta wines of northern Argentina reeled them in with the two hearty-robust dry Malbecs, the Syrah and the dry white Viognier that was as serious and robust as the three reds. Too bad there was not any food to accompany them : we should have had some cheeses and pates and bread all from Brookville Market or the Firehook Bakery and then we would have also written some novels and short stories, written some musicals and pieces of theater and songs, too of course : oh, created liaisons and and bonds and energy that would blossom and grow. Food and wine do that, the ability to smile and relax and laugh do it, too.
Ahhh, a moment without children trailing behind us ; what a brief moment of freedom - it's deceptive of course , just like Cinderella and knowing that it's only fleeting once that you have them. But what joy to be on one's own for those brief moments.
I know all of this of course because I am a father myself and I also know many of our customers as we chat and have , over time, gotten to know a wee bit about one another.
Aaahhh, more of my close-ups of Alfredo. They are all different , all variations of a central theme ; a contentment perhaps at being here tasting with our Cleveland Park customers I hope. It's a contentment that I have for sure.
Bill and Vince, two regulars , colorful shirts - seasoned tasters that know the drill inside-out here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. Many of our customers know the drill here and they talk and introduce themselves, ask people to join in, make comments on the wines, etcetera and become an integral fabric of what we do both daily and weekly here in our wonderful Cleveland Park neighborhood of Northwest Washington D.C.
Love them movement / the bit of " out-of-focus " in the picture of Alfredo above.
Vince making some point and in essence shaking on it / making the link, the bond ... Go Vince!
Vince, I like this shot of you above ... what is on your mind just now? What are you launching head-first above here?
Ah, stopping for a taste of wine. You love wine and I invited you to stop. It's good to take a moment isn't it?
Our friend from Germany above has become a real bonus and addition to Cleveland Park and I have enjoyed many of my discussions with her over the years now.
This is a really nice picture of Alfredo above : it may be my best. What do you think Alfredo? Too bad that I did not have an opportunity or create one to do some quick portrait sketches like I like to do and then put the pictures held by my subjects on my blog called : chatart.blogspot.com. I will do it the next time that you come to the store Alfredo. Be prepared ...
People stopping to taste and to chat and people looking at them as they pass ( I should have invited him to taste, too ), and others looking at what we have to buy that is already cold from bubbly and white and rose wines?
Vince, that sure is one intense and powerful image of you above : catches my attention and makes me stop whatever I am doing.
I was so busy taking this montage of pictures of our customer above here that I think I forgot to ask her which of these Argentinian wines from Rioja Alta that she liked the best : one of the two Malbecs/ the dry white Viognier or the dry red Syrah?
A great smile Alfredo : I like it.
I love this picture above : the two expressions on the faces above are so thoughtful and provokative : I like it, I like it a whole lot. They speak to my artistic bent and reach deep inside me and make me want to image and divine more from them - my imagination goes into overdrive and I have to chase quickly after it.
Nice smile Bill : I was really getting into close-ups on this evening.
Another great close-up above : I really must ask her her name so that I may later include it here. I've sold to her now so long and am embarrassed to ask her name but I will anyway.
Alfredo signs a bottle for a customer above. A customer serves himself and that is a " no-no " in our business. Oops. Won't happen again, it's not permitted even though we are friendly and helpful, smiling and humble, too I hope as well as respectful. The D.C. government frowns on customers pouring themselves a sample of wine. Most customers do not know this though. We do.
Oops, I think I have just made a big mistake : the person at Alfredo's right side pouring the wine is a partner at Tradewinds Imports and I believe his name is Christian? He stayed and the other partner Stuart was there earlier with Alfredo and Christian and then he left. I don't believe that I have any pictures here unfortunately of Stuart as I think I started taking pictures once that he left. Oh well, I will catch him the next chance that I get.
I like this close-up, too of you Alfredo : the next time on chatart.blogspot.com I will run them all side-by-side to show more of the intensity and the expression on your face that runs the gambit like it does for many of us.
Another happy customer : this time one that loves the CHANARMUYO Estate dry Viognier that we still have on our shelves now. Come and buy a bottle and see how it's evolved now?
Nice to finish with your picture here above Alfredo. Thanks for coming and tasting with our customers here in our Cleveland Park neighborhood of Northwest Washington D.C. Come again anytime. Cheers, TONY
I love taking these close-ups of our wine reps. I wanted to capture some of Alfredo's expressions and so there are many here.
We got a good crowd on this evening : both Alfredo and his story of the Rioja Alta wines of northern Argentina reeled them in with the two hearty-robust dry Malbecs, the Syrah and the dry white Viognier that was as serious and robust as the three reds. Too bad there was not any food to accompany them : we should have had some cheeses and pates and bread all from Brookville Market or the Firehook Bakery and then we would have also written some novels and short stories, written some musicals and pieces of theater and songs, too of course : oh, created liaisons and and bonds and energy that would blossom and grow. Food and wine do that, the ability to smile and relax and laugh do it, too.
Ahhh, a moment without children trailing behind us ; what a brief moment of freedom - it's deceptive of course , just like Cinderella and knowing that it's only fleeting once that you have them. But what joy to be on one's own for those brief moments.
I know all of this of course because I am a father myself and I also know many of our customers as we chat and have , over time, gotten to know a wee bit about one another.
Aaahhh, more of my close-ups of Alfredo. They are all different , all variations of a central theme ; a contentment perhaps at being here tasting with our Cleveland Park customers I hope. It's a contentment that I have for sure.
Bill and Vince, two regulars , colorful shirts - seasoned tasters that know the drill inside-out here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. Many of our customers know the drill here and they talk and introduce themselves, ask people to join in, make comments on the wines, etcetera and become an integral fabric of what we do both daily and weekly here in our wonderful Cleveland Park neighborhood of Northwest Washington D.C.
Love them movement / the bit of " out-of-focus " in the picture of Alfredo above.
Vince making some point and in essence shaking on it / making the link, the bond ... Go Vince!
Vince, I like this shot of you above ... what is on your mind just now? What are you launching head-first above here?
Ah, stopping for a taste of wine. You love wine and I invited you to stop. It's good to take a moment isn't it?
Our friend from Germany above has become a real bonus and addition to Cleveland Park and I have enjoyed many of my discussions with her over the years now.
This is a really nice picture of Alfredo above : it may be my best. What do you think Alfredo? Too bad that I did not have an opportunity or create one to do some quick portrait sketches like I like to do and then put the pictures held by my subjects on my blog called : chatart.blogspot.com. I will do it the next time that you come to the store Alfredo. Be prepared ...
People stopping to taste and to chat and people looking at them as they pass ( I should have invited him to taste, too ), and others looking at what we have to buy that is already cold from bubbly and white and rose wines?
Vince, that sure is one intense and powerful image of you above : catches my attention and makes me stop whatever I am doing.
I was so busy taking this montage of pictures of our customer above here that I think I forgot to ask her which of these Argentinian wines from Rioja Alta that she liked the best : one of the two Malbecs/ the dry white Viognier or the dry red Syrah?
A great smile Alfredo : I like it.
I love this picture above : the two expressions on the faces above are so thoughtful and provokative : I like it, I like it a whole lot. They speak to my artistic bent and reach deep inside me and make me want to image and divine more from them - my imagination goes into overdrive and I have to chase quickly after it.
Nice smile Bill : I was really getting into close-ups on this evening.
Another great close-up above : I really must ask her her name so that I may later include it here. I've sold to her now so long and am embarrassed to ask her name but I will anyway.
Alfredo signs a bottle for a customer above. A customer serves himself and that is a " no-no " in our business. Oops. Won't happen again, it's not permitted even though we are friendly and helpful, smiling and humble, too I hope as well as respectful. The D.C. government frowns on customers pouring themselves a sample of wine. Most customers do not know this though. We do.
Oops, I think I have just made a big mistake : the person at Alfredo's right side pouring the wine is a partner at Tradewinds Imports and I believe his name is Christian? He stayed and the other partner Stuart was there earlier with Alfredo and Christian and then he left. I don't believe that I have any pictures here unfortunately of Stuart as I think I started taking pictures once that he left. Oh well, I will catch him the next chance that I get.
I like this close-up, too of you Alfredo : the next time on chatart.blogspot.com I will run them all side-by-side to show more of the intensity and the expression on your face that runs the gambit like it does for many of us.
Another happy customer : this time one that loves the CHANARMUYO Estate dry Viognier that we still have on our shelves now. Come and buy a bottle and see how it's evolved now?
Nice to finish with your picture here above Alfredo. Thanks for coming and tasting with our customers here in our Cleveland Park neighborhood of Northwest Washington D.C. Come again anytime. Cheers, TONY
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