Girish Mhatre, Owner Of GOOD EARTH WINERY , Pune, India Visits : Tastes Aardhi Sauv Blanc, Brio Shiraz, Basso Cab/ Meets Rick Wasmund, 10/7/ 2010

This was a great impromptu wine-tasting/VA. single malt tasting with owners Girish Mhatre of the GOOD EARTH WINERY ( C-1 Chaitraban Residence, Off I.T.I Road, Aundh, Pune, 411007 +9 960 414 5050 girish@goodearthwinery.com www.ggodearthwinery.com ) and Rick Wasmund of Wasmund's Singrl Malt and Rye Whiskey , VA. ) : Girish was here with his managing director , North America Ann Skillman ( annskillman@gmail.com , +001 917 558 3860 ) tasting his three wines : 1) the " Aardhi " Sauvignon Blanc 13% alc. from Nashik, 2008, ( Baga Collection ), the 2) 2008 Shiraz Reserve " Brio " 14% alc. from Nashij ( the Concerto Collection ) and the 3) " Basso " 2008 14% alc. Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Nashik.

Rick Wasmund was delivering four or five cases of his excellent Virginia ( Sperryville ) products of both natural grain and rye spirits ( to be made in his small wooden barrels into rye and single malt ) as well as the finished products of single malt and rye whiskeys. He's already been here tasting twice ( has a baby now on the way! ) and so I introduced him to Chris Barker, Girish Mhatre, Anne Skillman, Quentin ( bartender working over at the new and excellent Ripple restaurant and to Mark Congdon of J. W. Swieg Wines ( www.jwsiegwines.com, mark@jwsiegwines.com Tel: 434 244-53oo cell: 703-725-6680, 1180 Seminole Trail, Suite 290 , Charlottesville, VA. 22901 ) who was here tasting Chris and me on some excellent 2004 Brunello.

This was perfect as Ann and Girish are looking for someone local to represent their wines in Washington D.C. Mark asked them if they had the wines to taste and so Ann went to get them and we all tasted them together. When I told Rick we no longer had an open bottle to taste of his single malt he went to get a fresh, unopened bottle and he tasted Girish on that. He also had a conversation with Quentin of Ripple restaurant when I introduced them earlier here. It was a win-win situation for everyone, and I made all the introductions and connections I hope as this is a place to meet and to learn, have fun and have a memorable experience I hope.

We will sell the wines I hope in November, 2010 - soon that is, Ann will get us some. I liked all three but really liked the Cabernet Sauvignon followed by the Sauvignon Blanc and then the Shiraz which was my least favorite because I found it the most saleable and yet the least interesting of the three. Chris liked the Sauvignon Blanc when I asked his opinion.

Pictured above is Rick Wasmund holding a bottle of his single malt Virginia whiskey that we have been representing since 2007 I believe. He and his partner and mother started the business back in 2006 with his mom and he just recently got married to a school teacher and together the four make up the team that grows the grains and rye and makes these excellent products.




Rick told me that the rye he makes has taken off like crazy and that they are having trouble meeting the demand for it so he parcels it out to everyone. He also tells me that he does not have enough barrels to make the product meaning that those small barrels that people can buy and take home and fill with his high percentage grain and rye alcohol are in scarcity now and will be better soon in a week's time when he gets more of these small barrels that he buys and resells to stores everywhere now. We actually have some in the store now so that you may all make your own anytime that you liked. Get going now so that you all have some for the holidays coming soon around the corner.




Rick you very very complementary about our store ( we were the second store in Washington D.C. to buy your single malt whiskey after Plain Olde Pearsons wine store Rick said ) and you said that were are great at selling and promoting it. Thanks.




As I said I liked the wines of the GOOD EARTH WINERY. I had smellier Danny of Ripple try them tonight as he came by just as I was leaving around 8 P.M. I think he really was surprised and enjoyed trying them. I also had Jody Jackman of Winebow Imports try them as she left after her in-store/wine-tasting and she liked the Sauvignon Blanc.

Earlier I had the manager of Indique restaurant a block away from our store try them He was talking with Ravinder Sharma when I showed them to him and tasted him on them one at a time. He, too was pleased to discover them and mentioned that they were already selling the SULA Vineyard wines from India now that they buy from the Capital Beverage Importers. We, too have sold both the SULA wines ( the owner himself also stopped by the store years ago to introduce himself and taste me and Mike Martin on them at the time ) as well as the other Indian winery that at the time was available to buy. Anne, you should stop by Indique at some point and show them these three wines of yours.






Here Girish is showing the wines to Mark. I asked Mark today ( Friday, October 8th, 2010 ) whether he had liked the wines that he tasted with Girish and he said that he had liked the Sauvignon Blanc, that the reds reminded him of the wines that used to be made in South Africa. I can see that : Jody Jackman said that they tasted like they were made from under-ripe grapes I believe : is that true Jody?




The wines were a day-old today and they were still holding up nicely. I chilled them to keep them as fresh as possible this morning when I got to work. It's fun to share these wines with other people in the business as well as with interested customers like Jane Anderson. I should have shared them with our customers tonight like Vince and Christian. Oh well, it's hard to remember to do everything that one should at the right moment. Sorry Vince and Christian! We know Vince of the Studio Theater really well and were meeting Christian tonight for the very first time.




Above Rick Wasmund is pouring a glass/taste of his just-opened bottle of Wasmund's VA. Sperryville single malt whiskey for Girish Mhatre above. Girish I think really enjoyed the taste.




Here I have just taken a picture of both Rick and Girish through Girish's wine bottle : I like the effect very much. Do you?




Here's a moment of levity above with Rick , Ann and Chris Barker. I have no idea what was being said : but it looks like fun.




Above Rick hands Girish a taste of his Wasmund's single malt whiskey from Sperryville, Virginia not too far from the Inn At Little Washington restaurant in Little Washington where they serve it to their customers.




I like the reflections in the red wine above with Girish holding his wine bottle in front of his face.




I enjoyed taking these pictures like the one above where Girish had no idea that I was taking them. I wanted the pictures to be natural and not posed. I like them. Do you Girish?




Girish especially liked these pictures where the wine was covering his face and the ones taken through the green glass of his wine bottles. He spoke of using them on his web page and asked me if I minded? I said not as long as he gives me credit for having taken them.




It was a great serendipitous moment here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits yesterday, Thursday, October 7th, 2010 in the afternoon with everyone.




I like all the musical references on each of the three wines, especially the cello shape on one of the reds. I love music but where is the sitar Girish? Or Ravi Shankar or his daughter that also plays the sitar?





I love the color of the red above Girish : is it from the Shiraz or the Cabernet Sauvignon grape? I also believe that this was one of the favorite pictures that I took of you?

I look forward to getting some of your GOOD EARTH WINERY Indian wines Girish. Come again soon and let's do an in-store/wine-tasting with you at Cleveland Park Wines and Spirits in our great Cleveland Park neighborhood : when can we count on that? Cheers and come again anytime. Cheers, TONY P.S. It's 12:16 AM now on Friday morning, October 9th, 2010 and I'm off to bed because tomorrow I will be in Georgetown, Washington D.C. tasting the TOAD HOLLOW California and French sparkling Blanquette de Limoux wines with Sam Gessner of LVDH Imports from 11-4 PM. Then I may have a Beginner's Wine-Tasting class, too from 6-7:30 PM - my third one in a row. It will be a full day for me and for the store. More later, TONY