Store Email By Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn He Wrote & Posted Late July 2011 - Talks Of The Outer Banks, Life, Food, Family, Art & Wine Of Course! Cheers & ENJOY!!!!

BACK FROM THE OUTER BANKS, North Carolina and feeling a bit disoriented as a result of cooler weather there as well as a lovely breeze and very few mosquitoes. It was pretty magnificent there and I am happy to say that it was quite relaxing : almost to the point that I was concerned that I was doing so very little at times. Working on a Walt Disney puzzle that was perhaps the hardest that I have ever seen with a scene from the animated film " Under The Sea ". We did finish it I am happy to report. I WAS ALSO ABLE TO DO SOME DRAWING and even more important record myself drawing with my Flip camera on three occasions I believe? The body surfing was also key here and the waves did manage to make me scrape my chest on the very first wave that I rode. I was much more careful after that.Wave-running with my son was also a big highlight for me : my main job being to hold on and not fall off as he steered and zoomed and I had to keep my cap from flying off every split second as well as not losing my balance and landing way behind in the wake of our waves. That was challenging, let me tell you. But I did manage somehow. HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR VACATION or time-off with family and loved ones. WHAT ARE YOUR " Big Plans "? May we be of any assistance here in helping you to relax and enjoy yourselves to the very max and to the fullest extensions of your fingers and toes and hairs wild and tame on head, arms and legs?! I AM ALSO HAPPY TO REPORT that ( on my trip to the Outer Banks ) there was also plenty of wine to go around. I was, of course the master of wine ceremonies as well as of cheeses and crackers. Our " Happy Hours " would start later in the afternoon and extend on into the wee hours and depending on our own remaining stashes of energies, enthusiasms, catching of dreams, chasing of fantasies and trails of conversations and many words on many books. Picture-taking was a key element as well as there were so many Kodak moments to preserve as we do not see one another very often and so we have to " max-out " on our time together. THE WINE FLOWED SO EASILY( at the Outer Banks ) BECAUSE many of our wine reps were nice enough to drop off some samples each for me to take to Salvo, North Carolina. Thanks to them my extended family as immediate one did quite well and we enjoyed many great wines as well as stories and " new " shared moments together with broad smiles, giggles, outright laughs and moments of discovery, too. SINCE THE WINES WERE SAMPLES I WILL mention in their places several similar wines that we currently have here in the store. I will naturally speak to our reps and inquire about buying some of these wines for the store : probably to arrive here in August. MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW for Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 ( 5:30-8:30PM ) when we have our " Big-Theme FRENCH Loire Valley Wine-Tasting with many dry reds and whites that also include some sparkling, some rose wines and some off-dry as well. We have invited some of the most informed and qualified people in the business to be here like Danny Haas of Vineyard Brands, as well as Roy Cloud of Vintage 59 Imports and Charles Noel Gendrot of Williams Corner Selections. Jeremy Sutton of Kysela Imports will also be here pouring his wines. There should be something for everyone. The Loire Valley makes lots of great wines to be enjoyed in the heat and the humidity and so we will discover different towns and areas, grapes and styles and levels of dryness as well as of minerality and citrus, too. Here are some of the wines being considered for pouring : From Charles Gendrot ( Williams Corner ) - 1) J. MOURAT Collection Rouge 2010 ( $16.99, sustainable agriculture ), from the Fiefs Vendeens region 2) DOMAINE DE LA BERGERIE Rose De Loire 2010 ( $15.99 ), Anjou 3) Bernard Baudry Chinon dry rose 2010, $19.99 4) Bernard Baudry Chinon Estate dry red Cabernet Franc " Les Granges " 2009 ( $24.99 ) and more being considered ... From Roy Cloud ( Vintage 59 ) - 1)09 BOVE Sparkling Chenin Blanc ,$15.99 2) 09 BRAGER Muscadet, $14.99 3) GARRELIERE Cendrillon Sauv. Bl., $24.99 4) 10 Sancerre MERLIN-CHERRIERE,$29.99 5) 09 ROCHER , Montlouis white, $27.99 6) GARRELIERE Touraine Blanc, $19.99 7) GARRELIERE Touraine Rouge, $19.99 From Danny Haas - 1) DOM. DE BERNIER Chard 10, 2) Muscadet De RAGOTIERE 09 3) PATIENT COTTAT'S Sauv Blanc 2009 4) DELAPORTE Sancerre 2009 5) BERTIERS Pouilly Fume 2009 6) BERTHIERS Pouilly Fume Cuvee Eve 2008 7) Vouvray Cotteaux de la Biche 2009 8) PICHOT Vouvray 2010 From Jeremy Sutton ( Kysela ) - Jeremy has a variety from his three sparkling Loire Valley wines, a dry light-bodoed and inexpensive Chardonnay, a Vouvray, and a biodynamic L'ECU Muscadet, too ... and more. THINGS ARE STILL BEING WORKED OUT and so more will follow next week. Feel assured that you will learn lots about the Loire Valley at this tasting. ALL WINES WILL BE ON SALE by the bottle at this tasting. Bring family and friends. Cheers. BACK TO TODAY and the HERE and the NOW and the heat and the strong sunshine and the need and desire to chill. Here are some great suggestions, the first of which I took to the beach and enjoyed thoroughly this past week: Reds: 1) 2008 Chianti Colli Senesi ( $16.99 ) from VALDIPIATTA. It drinks so smoothly, so wonderfully , so brightly. It's a charmer and a pleaser and a thorough delight no matter which way you taste or evaluate it. I'm thrilled to have it here as it tasted great even with all the heat and direct, over-head sunshine of the Outer Banks. Lovely, really lovely and such a bouquet and rich color, too. I highly recommend this for now. THREE REDS From West Virginia - ALL OFF-DRY and fun 1) WEST WHITEHILL Sweet Mountain Spice Wine ( $10.99) 2) WEST WHITEHILL Raspberry Royale ( $10.99) 3) WEST WHITEHILL Highland Mist Blush Wine ( $10.99, with natural flavors of orange and lemon)... CHILL ALL THREE and just enjoy with or without any food. Fruit baskets would be nice, of course as well as some dark chocolates, too : and so much more. MORE REDS - 1) 2009 Cotes-Du-Rhone from Charles Thomas ( $9.99 ) was tasted here just this past Saturday with some of you lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time! It sold really well but we still have some for you now. Don't wait too long , it will sell quickly. 2) MARCHIGUE Carmenere 2010 Gran Reserva, from Chile's Colchagua Valley, this dry red Carmenere On Special for $14.99 is a real,beauty with a great bottle and label and once tasted by you it will win you over immediately : even with this really hot and bright weather. What a winning taste. SOME SURPRISES IN WHITES - 1) TERRANOBLE 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from Chile's Central Valley ( $7.99 ) is so dry and bright and refreshing and light enough for this heat and blaze/craze ... and the price is wonderful, too! 2) ROSENBLUM Cellars Vintner's Cuvee California 2009 Chardonnay ( $9.99 ) has just the right amount of flavorful butter and oak tastes and at this price I predict that it will become a big favorite for a number of our customers.It showed beautifully the other day. Not my style at all but really well-made and also a value. 3) KENWOOD 2009 Pinot Gris Sonoma County at $10.99 is a real steal! KENWOOD is on a roll and makes some really classy, well-balanced wines and has stood the test of time. What a lovely dry, aromatic white at a ridiculous price, too! 4) HUSCH " La Ribera Vineyards " estate-bottled 2010 Mendocino Chenin Blanc ( $13.99 ) is hugely popular here with a number of our customers. We tasted it out here this past Saturday with Nolan and it sold quite well once again. It's very forward and very bright and the rich fruit Chenin Blanc flavors just jump right out of the glass before you even have a chance to weigh-in or have an opinion on it or not. Not shy at all : quite the contrary - quite extroverted in fact. Charming and full of character and pizzaz! Cheers. 5) LA VAL Dry White Albarino Spanish white from the Rias Baixas region ( $19.99 ) was just tasted here this past Saturday by Estebe to quite a favorable response. We still have a few bottles left of the brustling and totally refreshing dry white made with Spain's famous Albarino grape that is still it's most famous after many years of competition from other grapes like the Verdejo and the Verdelho and Godello grapes, just to mention a few. SOME DELIRIOUSLY Delectable Roses - 1) VITIANO Dry Umbrian Rosato blend of Merlot and Sangiovese is really quite amazing. So much more flavorful with more personality than most and at the ridiculous price of only $6.99 a bottle. It's the 2008 vintage and for many bottles of rose that would be the end of them but for the VITIANO dry roses their life spans are long and glorious. How refreshing to hear. Cheers. 2) 2010 Touraine Dry Rose from the DOMAINE DE BELLEVUE ( $10.99 ) has consistently been one of the most popular dry roses and we are thrilled to have it here. It's so bright and refreshing and so perfect for this intense heat and scolding sunshine now... HEY SANTOS, What BEER Do You Have: 1) BROTHERS Reserve " THe Beer " ( $9.49 22 Fl Oz bottle, 9.5% alc. by volume , limited release #4 Spring 2011 ) Galaxy Hopped, Barleywine Ale, " ale brewed with huskless malt and Belgian candy sugar ". 2) WEYERBACHER " Slam Dunlel " Double Dunkelweizen Ale ( On Special $6.99 , 12 Fl. Oz, 7% alc. by volume, 4-pack ) is brand, spanking new! 3) PAULANER Salvator Double Bock Munchen ( $9.49 a 6-pack of 11.2 Fl. Oz Bottles, 7.9% alc. by volume , www.paulanerusa.com, from Munich, Germany ) is a special order for a good customer and we liked it so much we ordered some for the store as well. Oh yeah ... Oh Ravi, What You Have In Liquor?!? - 1) JEREMIAH WEED Blended Bourbon Whiskey 90 Proof On Special for $14.99 a 750ml bottle. From Norwalk, CT distilling company ... www.jeremiahweed.com for more info. 2) Pear Williams Alto Adige-Sudtirol ( $37.99 a 750ml bottle, 40% alc. by volume, Osterreichischer Williamsbrand ) pear brandy is also " new and exciting ". 3) HIGH WEST Distillery " The 36th Vote " Barreled Manhattan ( $54.99 ) is Manhattan made with rye whiskey and vermouth, 37% alcohol by volume is also " new and exciting". So much that's new to consider. This is a good thing. " The 36th Vote commemorates Utah's role as the deciding vote to end Prohibition". 4) ATLANTICO Ron Private Cask Rum from the Dominican Republic ( $29.99 ) will be here tomorrow or this week anyway. It's owned in part by singer Enrique Iglesias and I believe that we will be tasting it here shortly. Sounds pretty exciting. Will Enrique be here for the tasting? We sure do hope so. Perhaps we could get him to sing a couple of songs during the tasting? What do you say Enrique?!? Venga aqui por favor ... WEEK'STASTINGS : Friday, July 15th, 2011 ( 5-8PM ) : We have wine rep Ann Skillman back again to taste her wines from India called THE GOOD EARTH which includes a dry, spicy, flavorful 2998 Reserve Shiraz " Brio "( $22.99 ), an earthy and old-world style Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ( On Special for $19.99 the " Basso " ; and a dry white Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ( $16.99 ) : all three from Nashik, India. Join us, the wines are exceptionally nice and great with flavorful meals as they all have tons of character and personality. Nothing light-hearted or innocuous here. Oops, that was last Friday! Were you all here? Thanks Ann for the tasting. Sorry I missed it but I was at the Outer Banks chilling. Friday, July 22nd, 2011 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Jeremy Sutton of Kysela Pere Et Fils here to taste a selection of his wines from France, Austria, Spain, and Italy. Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 ( 2-6PM ) : We have Matt of Washburn Imports here tasting some of his excellent selections which will include Chile and California and France I believe. What fun! Matt brings a lot of experience to the table here with him. He's been a really fine Washington D.C. waiter for years and can answer questions about that, too if you are interested. I WANT TO THANK all our reps for helping both Greg and myself last Saturday here as we were both off. I hear that things went really well. I AM SURE THAT I HAVE MISSED MANY THINGS but it's time to get this email to press and release it into the infinite cyberspace that is both exciting and mysterious, too. Come check on us and learn more at : www.clevelandparkwine.com, on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits, on Twitter at : cpwinespirits, and at : chatwine.blogspot.com, chatpoetry.blogspot.com , too. Tell us what we may improve here. Let's always work together as a team. Some of the best work done ever is because of team work. Cheers and thanks as always for all of your support now and over the years. Let us know what we may do better for you all to repay in part your support and kindness. Take care, TONY Please visit our website below for more information, events and specials, and our calender of wine tastings! [1]www.clevelandparkwine.com If you have any orders, suggestions or questions, you may e-mail us at [2]sales@clevelandparkwine.com or call (202) 363-4265. References 1. http://www.clevelandparkwine.com/