Anthony Quinn's Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits Weekly Store Email Today, Tuesday September 17th, 2013 : Read It & Enjoy! Cheers!!

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GREAT CHANCE TO COME TOGETHER here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits as the cool weather and rain of today are the perfect foil for us all to get together here ...   THAT'S FROM a store email I wrote and posted 2 years ago on September 20th, 2011. Seems like a lifetime ago. How things have changed. I posted this email on our Facebook page for you all to read and to see how things have evolved since then : always good to have some perspective on our lives.      I WANT TO GIVE A GREAT BIG " Shout-Out / Let's Make Some Noise " For Our LOCAL LEGEND in the spirits business here in Washington D.C. : to LINDA FERGUSON that worked at Forman Brothers distributors that became National, that later became National-Republic where she is now and retires at the end of this month. Everyone that has ever done any spirits business with these three distributors over the years knows that Linda Ferguson has been like the mother, the savior, THE ONE that made many things happen, many deals complete, many orders ship and arrive in one piece and as intended  - on so many instances that no one can count them. I know this first-hand because I worked at Forman Brothers back in 1995-1997 and she was the glue of the operation, the face of the company, the kind and gentle and professional person in the link that never lost her temper, never despaired, worked and worked until it happened if at all humanely possible.   I THANK YOU LINDA for all of us. We will miss you, you will be sorely missed. Come by sometime with your lovely daughter and say : hello ". You are always welcome. You helped us all a lot here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits over the years. Thanks! You are a rare gift to us all, you are a wonderful person.   I WAS DEVASTATED YESTERDAY with the news that my wife brought home to me about the senseless killing and loss of lives at the Naval Yard here right in our backyard. That was then compounded by watching the early evening news with the flooding in Colorado. Later I saw footage in Mexico, too. As my friend said to me : " I'm overwhelmed. " Me, too. I was touched to see a woman helping in Colorado in one of the neighborhood's of Denver where people could still drive to helping out.   SHE SAID THAT she had been surprised by all the help that was given her during Hurricane Sandy on the Jersey shore, and this was her way to try and pay back that generosity shown her. The comments that I heard in that footage from those there in Denver was that they could not believe others would help as they did. So positive, so assuring.   I HEARD ALL THIS LATE YESTERDAY as I had been out trimming and cutting away all the exuberant and lively growth from plants and shrubs, bushes, flowers and trees : from all the lush and tangled masses of butterfly bush, green shrubs with no name that I know, to holly bushes and trees, ornamental and invasive grasses, Crepe Myrtle bushes, and more. Oh, the Virginia creeper and the other not-so-desirable creepers were thick in the butterfly bushes and the overgrown azaleas!   THERE, IN THE THICK of these bushes and vines I felt like I was in Brazil's Amazon with a machete hacking away at everything to find the light and blaze a trail! I did enjoy this and have all my scratches and bruises to show as badges of this valiant effort that I have undertaken this year, It's all paying off slowly. Glad to be in the thick of things like this.   AS I TOLD MY WIFE over the dinner I grilled outside for us I knew that working hard like this in our yard grounded me and kept me younger : and certainly attached and involved with life : may I say : real life?!?   I ALSO FELT very much in the thick of things here in Cleveland Park as many of us met at the Cleveland Park Library on Thursday night to discuss the four proposals of what to do , or keep the same, about our strip out front of parking spaces on our access road. Tempers, emotions, voices and facial expressions were all intense and flared and it was an intense meeting with strong opinions from everyone for about two-and-a-half hour period. Everyone has an opinion, many expressed parts of them, it was quite emotional.   WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK about the space that is a block-long here in front of our stores : our access road : should it stay the same or be changed? I did see a number of our customers there. People did show up for this meeting, people do care. I was pleased to have been there for this.   I WANT TO WELCOME Anna and Adam from Australia to our neighborhood. They were here this weekend shopping with two of their Aussie friends. Anna is pregnant she and I spoke quite a bit about the current wine market here for Aussie wines. It was nice for me to meet them and to have a chance to hear what they say? They are concerned as sales have been sluggish from what they hear because of YELLOW TAIL they believe? I said I thought it was more because of big companies like FOSTERS that had made the change, especially considering the strong Aussie dollar and the weak American dollar?   ANYWAY, we are delighted to be keeping the wines of Australia alive-and-well here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. We just added some and that feels so good. Come by and buy some Aussie wines the next time you need a bottle. I spoke of WEST CAPE HOWE ( go to :www.westcapehowewines.com.au  for more infor mation ), VINACEOUS, HAY SHED HILL, LONGVIEW, HUGH HAMILTON, DOMAINE TERLATO & CHAPOUTIER, and more : ALL alive and selling here!   BUT WHAT'S SANTOS GOT BREWING FOR US in ALE, BEER & CIDER ?! :        1) " Weiss Principal " Ale from the PEAK Organic Brewing Company, an Imperial German-Style Hefe-Weisse Wheat Ale ( On Special for $6.99 a 1 Pt. 6 Fl. Oz bottle, 8.6% alcohol by volume, USDA Organic, go to : www.peakbrewing.com, Portland, ME ) :  " Double IPA meets HEFE-WEISS -  Weiss Principal is the international love child of a Hefe-Weisse and an American Double IPA. This unfiltered wheat beer employs a traditional German Weiss yeast, providing engaging banana and clove flavors. ... "        2) " Tart Of Darkness " Sour Stout Aged In Oak Barrels By Famille Rue THE BRUERY 2013 edition , unfiltered , bottle-conditioned ( $21.99, 750ml bottle, 7% alcohol by volume, Orange County, Placentia,  CA. Go to : www.TheBruery.com for more info ) : " Tart of Darkness is suitable for aging up to three years when cellared properly. Best stored and cellared around 55F. Ideal serving temperature is 50F. Please pour carefully, leaving the yeast sediment behind in the bottle. ...  With a toasty aroma and a tart finish, this sour black ale is a contortion of style and flavor, creating an unexpected delight. "        3) Orange Shandy Limited Release from LEINENKUGELS Brewing Company - Five generations of family brewing history ( On Special for $9.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, 12 Fl. Oz bottles, 4.2% alcohol by volume, The pride of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin since 1867, go to :www.leinie.com for more info ) : perfect for this beautiful weather here now. Enjoy!        4) Premium Pils , a Belgium original, from ESTAMINET ( On Special for $10.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, since 1797, produced, brewed and bottled by Palm Breweries NV/SA, Steenhuffel, Belgium. Go to : www.palmbreweries.com for more info ) : fun and exciting and great packaging, too! Black, gold, red and white : makes me want to rip the enclosed 6-pack shiny box open and have a beer right now! Can you resist this when you see it ? I do not think so. Cheers.        5) " Long Strange Triple " Belgium-style ale, bottle-conditioned, from the BOULEVARD BREWING CO. . " the Smokestack Series " ( On Special for $11.99 a 4-pack of 1ounce bottles, 9.2% alcohol by volume , Kansas City, Missouri ) : " Well, the first days are the hardest days, says master mechanic Trip Hogue, one of our first employees. We gratefully dedicate this rich, golden Triple ton all those that keep on playing in the band . " As Jerry Garcia sang : " What a long, strange trip it's been ... "           CIDER :        1) Sidre Brut Tendre from France and from Eric Bordelet ( $13.99, 5% alcohol by volume, Sidre demi-sec, go to :www.ericbordelet.com for more info ) : this blew Michel, Danielle, Santos and me away : it's wonderful, so rich, so dense, so filling, so apple-fleshy and lingering and INVITING! AMAZING apple flavors here : a MUST-TRY for all of you.     HEY RAVI! What You Have In Liqueur / Liquor For Us This Week?             LIQUEUR :        1) Premium Limoncello Lemon Liqueur " Giola Luisa " from Sorento, Italy ( $24.99 a 750ml bottle, 30% alcohol by volume, go to : www.golimoncello.com for more information ) :  THIS is PERFECT for today as it is so beautiful outside and we can all enjoy some limoncello from Sorento, Italy where it originated! What a treat for this beautiful weather of ours today.            LIQUOR :        1) Unblended AMERICAN Whiskey Small Batch from MICHTER'S . Est. 1753 ( $46.99 a 750ml bottle, 41% alcohol by volume, from Bardstown, Kentucky ) : " We are proud to offer you our unblended Small Batch American Whiskey. In the Michter's tradition hailing from one of America's first distilleries, this whisky is made from highest quality American grains and matured to the peak of perfection in bourbon-soaked white oak barrels. It is then further mellowed by our signature filtration . " TRY SOME - what quality, later tonight, as things cool down and it's quite brisk outside : this will warm and cheer and steer you nicely as you prepare to call it a day and catch some zzz's...        2) " Tierras " TEQUILA Autenticas de Jalisco, ANEJO Hecho en Mexico, 100% Agave ( $39.99 a 750ml bottle, 40% alcohol by volume , Mexico ) : " ANEJO is a small batch Tequila made from carefully selected Blue Agave , grown on the Authentic Lands of Jalisco from where it obtains it's richness. Aged in oak barrels for more than a year, it is processed in the traditional way and bottled at " La Autentica " Distillery located in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. " I LOVED IT, loved them all, so smooth, so fine, no burn, no bite, SUBLIME and also organic, too. WHAT A TREAT.        3) AMERICAN Dry Gin from SMALL'S, Premium Extra Fancy ( $34.99, 43% alcohol by volume, 100% neutral grain spirits, Sheridan, Oregon, go to : www.localwinespirits.com for more info )  : " An Oregon spirit handmade in small-pot still batches using naturally farmed and wild-grown botanicals. Intensely aromatic from a complex infusion of juniper, orange, lemon, coriander, cardamon, angelica, caraway, start anise and raspberry. SMALL'S gin brings together a combination of recipes from the 19th century with obsessive distillation techniques and it's finest regional ingredients. .. "        4) Sloe Gin from PLYMOUTH ( On Special for $38.99 a 750ml bottle, go to : www.plymouthgin.com for more information ) : " A truly traditional English Sloe Gin , made to a recipe we first used in 1883, It's intensity and richness is the result of using high strength Plymouth gin which extracts the maximum flavour from the Sloe berries. " WINES From Michel & Tony :             WHITES:        2 Exciting Pinot Grigio Wines :        1) Pinot Grigio delle Venezie , 2012 from ZENATO , $11.99, 12.5% alcohol by volume, the current wines have that " bit extra pizzas " and acidity to energize-polarize them and make them very bright and very refreshing!        2) Pinot Grigio Unoaked 2012 from di LENARDO Vineyards , established 1878, Friuli, Italy ( $13.99, 12.5% alcohol by volume, Gonars, Italy ; go to : www.dilenardo.it for more information ) : there's a fullness, a passion , a pleasure, an instant-contact with your palate when this Pinot Grigio of owner Max touches it : unmistakable, so immediate, so overall pleasurable! Bravo Max!             OTHER WHITES :        1) Chardonnay - 234 , a 2012 Somontano from ENATE ( $15.99, 14% alcohol by volume, from Vinedos y Crianzas A.A.S.A., Salas Bajas, Spain, 100% Chardonnay ) : this flavor, balance, taste profile really impressed both Michel and myself. We are very pleased to have this current vintage of 2012 here once again. Cheers.      2) Viognier 2012 from CHARMUYO Estate in La Rioja, Argentina ( On Special for $9.99 a bottle - regularly $13.99 a bottle, ) : Fernando Valenti that poured this for you all this past Saturday ... it was a big success for those planning a meal that's flavorful and needs a dry white to stand up to bold flavors.   THERE'S A DISTINCT beginning taste here that's bold of sun-drenched nuts and a splash of vanilla, and then a touch of toast and a touch of tartness-even an accent of bitterness that will cut many flavors. It's bold, for an equally bold meal - something grilled, some eggplant, some Portobello mushrooms even before turning to the reds that they make, like the Reserva Tannat that we sell here for $19.99?   ONE OF OUR GOOD customers Andrea said of the Tannat Reserva from CHANARMUYO Estate that it would be great, as she's a vegetarian , with grilled tofu, grilled eggplant and grilled mushrooms like Portobello! Buy a bottle of each and start cooking and testing the two wines with these various flavors.        3) 2011 Riesling VQA Niagara Penninsula from CAVE SPRING CELLARS ( $16.99 a bottle, 11.5% alcohol by volume, Jordan, Ontario, Canada : go to : www.cavesspring.ca for more info ) : this past Friday when John Morrison poured it for everyone the comment was always something like : " Wow,  and ... I don't usually like Riesling, but I like this . "   WE SOLD MOST of it as it is showing so well : has some fruit but not too much for most. SOME DID NOT WANT any of the Riesling fruit, others wanted more of the Petrol-nose that the Riesling develops with more age : many found it perfect as it was! Thanks owner Tom, you make fine Rieslings, you and your Italian winemaker. Bravo.      4) Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from YORKVILLE CELLARS. made with organic grapes ( $18.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume, from Mendocino, CA. Go to : www.Yorkville Cellars.com for more info ) : Estate grown, from the Randle Hill Vineyard, this wine has a bit more weight and depth that you might expect. It's a really fine food wine as the dryness and the weight will make you start thinking about some food to accompany it.      JOHN MORRISON also poured this on Friday night and, again everyone loved it. We still have a few bottles here, some in the cold box. What a good wine this would be to start sipping outside before you move inside to your meal on this drop-dead gorgeous afternoon here now!             ROSE :        1) Petit Rose 2012 from Germany's WEINGUT FRIEDRICH BECKER in the Pfalz, dry, flavorful, $19.99, 11.5% alcohol by volume , from Schweigen , a qualitatswein ) : made from a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Portuguiser, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Dornfelder.   " IT SHOWS NICE FRUIT, lingering freshness, good balance and a mouthwatering acidity which makes this a great wine to enjoy on it's own or with a wide variety of dishes. "        2) Lagrein dry rose , made from the indigenous Lagrein grape variety, DOC, from KELLEREI CANTINA ANDRIAN, $18.99, 13% alcohol by volume ( from Italy's Alto Adige region in Terlano , go to :www.cantina-andriano.com for more info ) :    DARKER, DEEPER COLOR, this has a lot of weigh and flavor and again is best with a meal. Perfect in these evenings as it get cooler outside as the sun moves further away from us and eventually disappears from sight. The flavors here longer for a long time and stay with you until the sun returns, of course! Real flavor, real excitement here. Cheers.             REDS :        1) Monica , an indigenous dry red grape variety from Sardinia, from PALA, $18.99, 14% alcohol by volume, this 2011 really impressed Michel and myself. For more information on it go to :www.pala.it.        LOVED the toasty cherry, roasted berry flavors that are fruit-forward, medium-to-light-bodied, engaging and fun and make your palate follow along as not to miss anything! This is a really nice, special wine from Sardinia : a " new " taste sensation for you all, nice just to sip for awhile before the meal comes along. Great when you grill. Chill it slightly up to 30 minutes. PERFECT for today and this weather! FUN!        2) Cannanau Di Sardegna is another name for the Grenache grape. This 2012 from BRUNO ZANATTA, $16.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume, near Olbia, made from 100% Cannanau, it will remind you of a good southern French Rhone with it's own flavor twist and surprise. We loved it and ordered it immediately. It's a great food wine, and great now as things begin to cool down some. It will buttress and fortify you and your home, and you will be happy to be getting to know it and it's specific Sardinian character. Cheers!     WEEKLY WEDNESDAY : SALE :        - MARSALA,      - MADEIRA,      - PORT,      - SAKE,      - SHERRY and      - NON-SPARKLING Wine       : a   3-Part  SALE Of The Above :        1) BUY ANY Bottle at $20 or more of the above categories and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices.      2) BUY Six Or More bottles of these same categories listed above and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices.      3) BUY Twelve or More bottles of these same categories and SAVE 20% OFF on the marked sticker prices.        MIX THEM UP, have some fun, experiment, test yourselves and your palates and see what you like and can discover. Have fun! It's still an Indian summer and the weather is still beautiful so SAVE BIG HERE every Wednesday @ Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits.   IF YOU CANNOT COME respond to this email or call Michel Dumas or me ( Tony Quinn ) here at : 202-363-4265. Pay on Wednesday's and SAVE BIG !! Cheers.     WEEKEND TASTINGS :        Friday, September 20th, 2013 : we had a last-minute cancellation and so are now trying to get someone here. We have a couple of people we have contacted so we will let you know ASAP. For updates go to our Facebook page at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits , or call here and ask to speak to Michel or to me, Tony. Sorry. This just happened unexpectedly.        Saturday, September 21st, 2013 : we have Regis of Roanoke Imports here to pour some of his great selections from Italy ( Sicily with the Inzolia white and the Frappato dry red : BOTH from the VALLE DELL'ACATE vineyard pretty much assured ), the West Coast ) Gamay and Pinot reds, some white blends ), France ( the dry white blend " Selection Guibert " vin de pays de l'Herault, 2009 from the PONT DE GASSAC ( $16.99, 13% alcohol, I LOVE this dry white blend, so delicious, so pleasing to sip all by itself, go to :www.daumas-gassac.com for more info ) and more. We have to decide tomorrow. If you need to know call us at : 202-363-4265. Again, I will add the names of the wines, their web pages, and our notes later on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. Cheers.     FREE TASTINGS HERE, everyone always welcome. I AM SURE I HAVE FORGOTTEN MANY THINGS but it's time to send this email to you all early for a change! LIKE us on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits, and FOLLOW US on Twitter at : cpwinespirits and also wineenabler. Cheers, thanks for everything.   COME BY, Stop In, Say HELLO, chat for a spell. let's share stories and cry on each others' shoulders for the senseless shooting and lose of lives at the Naval Yard yesterday and all the water devastation in Colorado and in Mexico. Horrible.     TONY