This was a really fun Friday evening for us all. We and our customers went back and forth between the two places that are perhaps three storefronts apart here in our Cleveland Park neighborhood, Washington D.C. just across from the Uptown movie house and two blocks down from the National Zoo.
These are pictures that I took when Karin Fischer, Dorothee Anheuser and Derek Vinnicombe came to visit me at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com ) around 4 P.M. and then later over at the Ripple restaurant when they tasted their wines as well as that of Alice Fitz' sparkling sekt brut Pfalz, too from 5-8 P.M.
I told our customers to go over there to continue this fine German experience of the wines of the Mosel valley, the Pfalz and of the Nahe. I think that the Rheinhessen was included, too with another producer who's name I cannot remember just now. What was it Derek? Include it here in the comments at the end of this blog post so things will be complete and no one is left out. Thanks Derek.
Here Derek and Dorothee above are looking at the Ripple restaurant menu as they are all starved after a long day of working and promoting their wines. It's time now for a break and they all three sat at the bar as I walked out with Beau one of our very favorite and loyal Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits customers. We walked out into a beautiful evening, too.
We all started to get to know each other all the way back into the very early 2000's when Mike Franklin and I decided to do an in-store / wine-tasting with all of Derek's owners and wine-makers after they did a trade show at the National Press Club. This was the start of a very beautiful relationship and it will continue again next March 2011 when they all return again to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. Thanks Mike for this : it has been grand. I know that you must be looking down on us from heaven up above and smiling and wishing that you had a glass or two or three or four of these excellent wines to cheer us. Am I right?
It's also the start of a beautiful relationship between us and Ripple restaurant as we may be doing many more of these from now on as this was a great way to get to share customers and for all of us to have fun, learn and get to know one another better : right neighborly as the old expression goes. And after all we here in Cleveland Park in Washington D.C. N.W. our nation's capitol are very much a neighborhood that sticks together as we should.
Two or three years ago we did a similar collaboration with Dino restaurant on a Sunday afternoon with Derek's group and that was also very much a grand success.
We have this 2007 DR FISCHER Mosel Riesling that Karin is pouring above in our store now On Special for $16.49 a bottle. Come by and check it out.
I have more to say but will include it shortly as I am at home now and want to post this now but finish adding comments through today , Sunday, September 19th, 2010 and Monday, Sept. 20th, 2010 my two days' off . So stay-tuned for more.
Dorothee pictured above was in the original group to taste at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits when Mike Franklin ( of Franklin Imports that is now Country Vintners Imports ) set it up originally. This is the second time we are seeing each other and I am pleased to say that after so many years when she walked into the store after Karin Fischer that I recognized her immediately and said simply the one word : " Anheuser ". I hope she was pleased with this after so many years. You made an impression on me Dorothee so many years ago. It sure was good to see you again.
I have so many more pictures and stories to tell but here is Derek up on the bar at Ripple taking a picture of us tasting the wines with interested customers of ours and of the Ripple restaurant.
Here we have two of our very good customers tasting with Karin Fischer at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits before starting her tasting at the Ripple restaurant.
Above here Derek shows us the picture that he took of Karin and me from his position up on the bar looking down at us. It's a good picture Derek, thanks.
Above in this picture we have two of our favorite customers that just got engaged. I invited them to come over to taste with us at Ripple. I had seen them at Cleveland Park Wines and Spirits and told them about this opportunity. They had pizza from Vace awaiting them at home and together we had a good visit with Beau and them talking and tasting all the while these excellent six or so wines that included the BINX Dornfelder red that was quite well received as well. I almost forgot to mention that one : oops!
Dorothee signs a bottle of her PAUL ANHEUSER Nahe white Riesling for one of our customers that really liked it and even came back a few moments later for a second bottle. Now that's good news for all of us.
I love these pictures of all of us except for Beau that took the picture here above towards the end of the tasting at Ripple restaurant. We were tasting in front of their glass-enclosed wine bottle room : nice!
I also love this picture above of us in Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits at our wine-tasting table. So much fun, so much good will, so much energy and excitement and great wines! We are like one big extended family here in Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. That's how I run the store : live and let live, and everyone is welcome. Cheers and thanks Derek, Dorothee, Barbara, Karin, Arielle ( our fabulous wine rep for Country Vintners that was here, too setting everything up for us both at the store and at Ripple ), and Alice Fitz that was here with her sekt sparkling even though she could not be with us this time in person. Merci a tous mes amis ... TONY
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