The Final Crushing Blow / Crush Of A Virginia Winery?!? Marterella Winery Fights - Gasps For Last Breath / Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night!

I was crushed , angered sickened and saddened and infuriated and struck dumb between my eyes as all my senses reeled from such a shocking story of a local Warrenton Virginia winery ( the Marterella Winery ) and a local Homeowners association ( the Bellevue Farms ) butt heads repeatedly over the winery's right to have a tasting room and sell wines on their property? I read the whole article and reeled, blinded by the lack of human decency , to recognize the need to sit down and work out something between the two parties involved. What gives today when we clearly live in a world of gray and yet many of us are still adamant about insisting on only living with black or with white?!? We need to have some sense crushed into us : we need to be crushed together like our grapes perhaps? Together - YES , so that what bleeds out of both parties is a fair and equitable solution that involves some compromise perhaps but not sullied and tarnished reputations, bad blood and the certain death of one or both?

What am I talking about? Read the article titled " Bad Neighbors Or Sour Grapes ? " in today's Wednesday Washington Post newspaper of Monday, October 31st, 2011, the Metro Section, Page # 1 and written by Susan Svrluga. It was a really good article Susan. You clearly did your research and you write well and tell a compelling story, too. Bravo to you for that.

I had trouble finishing the story I was so enraged. I wanted to reach out to both owners Jerry and Kate Marterella and speak to them immediately. I wanted to invite them immediately to our monthly Big-Theme Wine-Tasting 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 and www.clevelandparkwine.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) to come and pour their wines. I was blinded in part by my rage at reading this injustice.

Yes, injustice. People should be able to get together and work their differences out without always dragging the legal system and the courts into their affairs. Just adults gathering to work out a compromise. The wine-tasting room should absolutely not have been closed down in my humble opinion. You don't simply cut off a person's livelihood to make a point. You don't cut off their air source to shove home a technical point : you act as grownups and you work for a common ground.

Was there ever any attempt at this? Was there ever any warning that things would be changed, that certain things would have to be discussed now before more time, money, energy, heart and soul and lives and livelihoods were put further on the line?

This article makes the Bellevue Farms homeowners association look really bad. I mean when they tell another neighbor that they cannot sell their golden retriever's puppies that's pretty ridiculous. Also when " Our roads have gone to hell, the pool, the rec center - the tennis courts have weeds grown all up. They've let the community go, to destroy " the Marterellas says neighbor Kelley Jenkins , writes Susan Svrluga. It's just inconceivable all of this, really it is all so shocking.

Anyway, I finally got through this article and I reached for our phone. I wanted to get in contact with either Kate or Jerry Marterella. I called information and finally got the number for the winery. I called that and it was not connected anymore. They had to close the Tasting Room down in August I believe? It was court-ordered.

I called 411 again for directory assistance and got nowhere and my call was passed on and finally I got the phone number for a E. Marterella. I figured I'd call and that I at least had a chance that they would know one another. They did and the voice on the other end of the line asked me why I wanted to know? I explained and so I was given a number to call.

Jerry picked up and I explained my position and that I wanted to invite them to be part of our Big-Theme Wine-Tasting coming up on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 from 5-8:30PM. Could they come? Jerry said that they would definitely come and that either Kate or their assistant Kelley would call me later today or by tomorrow. That was all okay with me. Jerry and I chatted some more.

In the few minutes that we chatted I learned that they grew on the property Cabernet Franc, Petit Manseng, either Vidal or Seyval Blanc ( I think Jerry said Vidal ) ? They also grow another grape, too and they also make a Merlot and a Meritage dry red blend as well as some Chardonnay. I learned that it was Kate's passion all of this and that it was Jerry's retirement. I also learned from E. Marterella that he thought that Jerry would enjoy talking to me having heard what I said to him. I liked all of this, I really did.

Funny, I have not even heard of this winery before or tried any of the wines. I told this to Jerry and he mentioned something about the wines doing quite well, about the Governor's Cup and about taking the wines and the wine-making very seriously there as that is what you have to show amongst many other Virginia wineries.

I mentioned that I supported Virginia wines in a really big way, had ever since the mid eighties with the Piedpont winery and Meredith vineyard, too. That Rein Dupont had sold me the wines from the Piedpont winery when I worked years ago at Burka's Fine wines back in the mid eighties. Jerry mentioned that Piedpont winery was closing and would no longer be open for business. I did not know this and Jerry was the first to tell me. Sorry to hear that : I liked the wines, Bud and Rein very much even though it was so many moons ago that our paths had crossed.

And I have not even tasted any of the wines and yet am inviting them to come pour their wines?!? Am I insane? A bit, but the good kind of insanity. I call it : doing the right thing. They need our help. They need to sell their wines now without a tasting room and that's really difficult. I want to help. I want to get their story out. Being the eternal optimist that I am perhaps it's still not too late to turn things around and get Jerry and Kate their tasting room and repairing the roads, the pool, the rec center, the tennis courts, allowing Kelly to sell her golden retriever puppies, too? One can always hope. I always do hope and do believe with all my heart that things can and will get better.

Anyway, I look forward to going forward with this, to meeting both Kate and Jerry, to tasting their wines, sharing them and their stories with our customers in our Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. neighborhood on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011. I also hope this blog has a greater reach and does some good, too. We will see? In the meantime we will try and to the best that we can to do our part.

Cheers and good luck Kate, Kelley and Jerry. Talk to you soon. I will check this and post it now.

Happy Halloween! Yes, it's that wonderful day once again of pumpkins and ghosts and goblins and kids dressed up in all manner, some wanting to make a point like my son with his. It's also the night that at the Birchmere here in northern Virginia that Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger ( two of the original members of the Doors ) will sing and perform. I want to go and am hoping it will all work out. Cheers, Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn