More Comments On Washington Post's Weekend Magazine Article : " World-Class Vineyards In Virginia. Really " & Dave McIntyre's " Along Virginia's Coast , The Grapevines Intertwine With Oysters. " Part Two, Read Part One, Too @ Chatwine

     These are quick comments that I wish to share from my reading of both stories/ articles published this weekend in the Washington Post weekend editions. They are here to create some conversation and to bring up points that never seem to be mentioned in print.

     I liked the idea of the story by Dana Milbank ( with an assist from Autumn Brewington ) and it raises many questions for me? What were her sources? Did she visit and of these wineries in Virginia herself? Does she know any of them? Has she ever drunk any of their wines?

     As much as I appreciate articles supporting our local wineries that I am most proud of I still have to voice what I read and any of my concerns, at least to add a more complete picture for the reader and those that will we all hope go and visit the wineries and enjoy and learn about them, buy them and take them home to enjoy like times this week over Thanksgiving or Hanakkah or any other family gatherings and meals.

     I would like to add some history to Dana Milbank's story and say that I think that some more current history would have been nice. True she mentioned Thomas Jefferson and as many important names in the business as she could, especially from wine-writers and Jay Youmans a Master Of Wine. I also saw a caption with a picture of a dog at  RdV Vineyards during a sommelier meeting,. This raises the question for me : " where were the retailers? " Were they invited, included?

     Just like in Dave McIntyre's article this morning I read : " Tom and Ann Gallivan of the Shooting Oyster Co., based one creek up in Franktown, VA., were shuttling a small group of shivering food journalists and bloggers who had come to learn about Eastern Shore oysters and what to drink with them." I read this and ask myself were any wine retailers invited to come? Wine retailers in their stores deal with customers all day long and make many suggestions of wine-food pairings all day long. I think that some of them would have been happy to have been included, at least to have known about this?

     My point is that I read so many stories and articles, look at so many publications and I see hardly any mention of any wine store retailers that, in fact help more people with their beer, cider, liquor, liqueur and wine selections and food-pairings than any other group. They should be included , as well as consulted much more often than they seem to be.

     Did Dana Milbank contact any wine retailers in writing this story? It would have been nice if she had, and to have mentioned that and them in her lovely article on the 20 wineries in Virginia making fine wines out of the more than 200 wineries now in Virginia. I see that she included a column : Tasting Notes on Top Virginia Wines " by Jennifer Knowles, wine director at the Inn at Little Washington, VA. Why was there not a similar list provided by a fine retailer like Mark Wessels, Wine Manager of MacArthur Beverages, or Doug Rosen of Arrow Wines & Spirits, brothers Rick and John Genderson Of Scheider's of Capital Hill, Cecile of the old Cecile's, Buddy Weitzman of Chevy Chase Wines & Spirits, me at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits, and many others?

     In talking about the history leading up to this point where there are a number of darling wineries that seem to get all the attention ( I like this as well as credit is also given to the many other wineries in Virginia ), I think that a special mention should have been made of Chris Smith that back in the early eighties not only championed the wines of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania , he also went all the way up the East Coast to New Jersey, New York and Maine to name just a few of the states that I can remember as I type now. I enjoyed selling them all back then at Burka's Fine Wines when I was the wine-buyer. They all sold well and people would buy them on our recommendation and often come back for more. Thanks Chris, you really helped to get the ball rolling with your company Golden Crescent Wine Selections so many moons ago! Bravo to you.

     I also want to comment on this next sentence or two : " But independent experts I spoke to generally agree that many Virginia wineries are still making wine that ranges from unremarkable to unpleasant. That helps to explain why all but about 3 percent of Virginia wine is consumed in Virginia - much of that by tourists at wine festivals and winery tastings. Who were these independent experts I would like to know? I view these two statements as rather harsh myself and that need much more elaboration than given as they only tell a part of a story. Truth be told there are many wines worldwide that are both unremarkable to unpleasant. This should not be a statement made just on Virginia wines that have made remarkable strides to making many really fine wines. Also, may wines worldwide are sold at the wineries themselves, especially wineries that make small quantities, and many of them do, at first go to festivals to sell and show their wines to become better-known. Nothing wrong with that, nothing negative, all part of the process.

     This is Part-Two of my comments that I started yesterday and posted here at : chatwine. Please read Part One as well as this.

     I am happy to see articles and stories like these so keep them coming. Please feel free to comment. All comments are welcome. I believe, always have strongly in the future of our local wines. I am happy to have them and sell them at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. We sell them daily there.

     I just want to have more information available to read and digest. Not just the most current and popular people, wines and wineries to promote. There are many that deserve mention and credit. They have worked together as an industry and made many strides. It was bound to happen with all this dedication and combined efforts and hard work.

     And just as much as it's important to have  many good sommeliers and Master of Wine ( there are fewer of those as it's not easy to become one ), writers and bloggers, it's also vital to have many wine retailers as they are the ones that in many one-on-one conversations with the wine-buying/ wine-drinking public have a chance to convey the message that Virginia, Maryland, and other local wines deserve their attention and support, as it is a mutually-beneficial relationship, and everyone gains and comes away the happier for it. Cheers,  Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn   Sunday morning, November 24th, 2013

     I'm off to buy our Thanksgiving turkey for this thursday, happy Thanksgiving and Hanakkah to one and to all.