Loved This Morning's Wash. Post Wine Article : " In CA. Trying To Pack Less Of A Punch " 6/15/11 By Dave McIntyre

I've had an ever-growing louder grumble, rumble and tumble and with my fists and my attitude exploding over the increasing-alarming levels of wines being made today with such high levels of alcohol - principally in California and in Australia with the rest of the world following quickly behind. I speak about it constantly at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com, anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com, http://www.clevelandparkwine.com/ and also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) with both local sales reps/ national sales reps , wine- owners and wine-makers, too. I don't spare anyone and I must sound like a very old and tired record that people want to listen to except for the constant/irritating skip ( mine ) that won't ever go away!

Sorry, I won't apologize for my " beating a dead horse " because I think this is a crucial point to address over and over again until the trend turns back to making wines with alcohols with levels ideally no higher than 13.5%. I'd love to see them at 12-13% alcohol by volume, and even lower where possible. I'd love to be able to actually drink a full glass or even two and not have to struggle to swallow even what I already have in my mouth because : " I did not know!?! "

So, to see your article this morning in the Washington Post newspaper in the Food section on page E5 really brought a broad smile to my face pretty much immediately. Thank you for bringing this to print so that a large audience may see and read it. We have carried the wines of ALMA ROSA, COPAIN, QUPE and AU BON CLIMAT in the store. For the QUPE wines we have sold over the years a broad range and with AU BON CLIMAT most recently we have sold their excellent Pinot Blanc. We currently have the wines of both COPAIN and of ALMA ROSA. We have at least two wines from each I believe. I am home now as I type this so I will have to got to the store to see later exactly what we currently have in stock and add that here later.

We also carry the COPPOLA California wines, especially the dry red Claret.

I see people at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits all the time and I love being able to say : bravo, congratulations, and express that I actually do like the balance and the focus and the taste of some of the California wines that I get to taste with our local reps as well as national sales managers, wine-owners and wine-makers, too. I take pictures of everything as it happens in the store and get the owners and wine-makers and wine-owners when they visit and taste with us. I like nothing better than to be able to tell them that I like their wines and find them well-made and balanced and that I could actually take them home and drink and enjoy them with my wife and family and with a meal. That pleases me enormously but does not happen all the time.

I remember ( I blogged about this here already at : chatwine.blogspot.com ) when I met the wine-maker of ZACA MESA a year or so ago and I liked all six or seven wines of his that I tried. For me there was not one loser and I was able to tell him this and those gathered around me like Chris Barker and our local rep for Monument Fine Wines smiled and were flabbergasted I believe to hear me actually say this - almost as much as it surprised me, too! But I always say give credit where credit is deserved. Fair is fair and I love admitting when I like/love something. I love sharing it with the world even though it may not sound like me. We all can be proven wrong and there are always great exceptions to the rule.

So bravo to you Dave and to all these California wine-makers.owners that are really trying to keep alcohol levels down and preserve the sanctity of the noble grapes and their fruit ( as well as acid and balanced structures ) front-and-center at all times - just where they belong. No need to have so many wines tasting like laboratory experiments with the fruit and balance of wines off-stage looking back at the center stage where they should be and not recognizing what has displaced them?!? How did this ever happen?

I will write more on this but will post this now " as is " as I think it's important to get this message out ASAP. Cheers again, TONY