I'd go to see a movie on the Champs Elysees like " Being There " with Peter Sellers ( loved that movie ) and " A Special Day " - the English translation I believe for the Italian movie in Rome was it? It was a day during the war and it concerned Mussolini and the two actors were none other than Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastaioni. There were of course many movies that we would see, my family and me and my friends and me - depending - there and I will never forget the " pour boire " and the commercials that I would often see promoting the wines of the southwest of France, particularly those of Corbieres and of Minervois. The commercials were oaky, not of very high quality and did not really create a desire within me to rush out over to the Caves de la Madeleine owned then by Brit Stephen Spurrier that I knew at the time. They did not make me want either to go to the closest Nicolas or even to a more fancy Hediard where I would perhaps find a private-label Corbieres or Minervois of Hediard's and spend more money. But I did notice them and I guess that it did help my fledgeling desires and love of wine consider them more on some level anyway.
Funny, this one singular image returns to me periodically and it has enough that I thought it would be fun to share this short recollection with you all. I hope you do not mind me indulging myself here.
I did collect a number of wine labels while living in Paris, France with my family back in the 1970's. My father was a career officer, Harry Alan Quinn for the American Embassy back then ( Visas first, then Passports and then back to Visas ) and I was lucky enough to be the son of a diplomat with a diplomatic passport and " flics " - cops that is that wanted to arrest or detain me for sitting in the metro halls and drawing the many musicians as they performed for their enjoyment and money of course. The flics would have conversations between themselves after asking for my identification and seeing that I had a diplomatic passport and arguing what to do? I clearly remember overhearing one conversation once where one said he wanted to bring me in for questioning and the other one saying that he could not do that! Saved by my diplomatic passport!
Les flics could perhaps have gone to a local Tabac and ordered either a glass of Corbieres or of Minervois once off work and relaxed a bit and discussed further this dilemma of having a foreigner - an artist - being allowed or not to sketch musicians as they played for their meals and for their survival? Just a thought.
I just had a conversation yesterday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwines.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) about Herve Gantier the owner of DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE in Corbieres, France. Herve is visiting shortly to play a game of golf with Bobby Kacher ( ? ) before rushing off to Las Vegas? I may or may not see him on the Saturday night that he arrives. It will be great to see him, of course as he is a friend and I love his energy, his smile and his wines! We sell them now on a pretty continual basis : have ever since they were introduced by Ronnie Miller years ago when he brought by Herve and his wine-maker : it was in 2002 I believe?
Anyway, here's to those old days of mine in Paris, France back in the 1970's and to today and to Herve and his DOMAINE SAINT EUGHENIE. Cheers et sante, et a bientot Herve j'espere bien ... Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn
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