Annual Kysela Imports Tasting Coming Up This Monday, February 17th, 2014 : I May Be Going Again / Pictures From A Prior One!

I cannot go today unfortunately. I will try and go next Monday and catch some of the excitement. These pictures are from a couple of years ago when Fran opened his 

 ' new ' warehouse in Winchester, Virginia. I was lucky enough to attend that ' opening ' ceremony and I am glad that I did because, obviously, Fran pulled out all the bells and whistles and it was amazing. It was my day-off and I was able to spend most of the afternoon circulating the various tables and take my sweet time socializing and tasting and eating over a long period of time. It was so much more than simply a wine-tasting for me. I learned and benefited so much this afternoon and I need to do a real blog on the experience, because it was ' an experience ' that I came away with having spent a whole lot of time with the owners and winemakers themselves. I also did many quick portrait sketches of them, too.  SO : Please enjoy these pictures for now, and enjoy today's show and tasting. I am sure that Fran and his excellent staff that include Jeremy Sutton, Leslie and Mark will be exciting indeed. Cheers to you all at Kyela Pere et Fils et Fille. Amusez-vous bien. And, of course, congratulations to all the owners and winemakers there, too : without them there would be no wine and therefore no show-tasting! Monday, February 17th, 2014 ... here in northern Virginia with still a lovely white snow covering much of the ground outside. So beautiful.   TONY

Here we have the  southern Rhone Valley with DELORME meeting up with Italy's Veneto region in Valdobbiadene where with REBULI we have some really fabulouse Prosecco, some Cartize to be exact which is considered by everyone to be the finest expression of Prosecco, just as the DELORME southern Rhone wines which make variou still dry red, rose and white wines featuring the Grenache grape as well as the others is considered to be the ultimate expression as is their 2008 Chateauneuf-Du-Pape red which was being tasted here at this fine event and which we still have some at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits to sell and share with you all. It should be truly amazing right now.

I should mention that last night, February 16th, 2014 here on Sunday night at home in northern Virginia that along with my wife and daughter the three of us enjoyed immensely a bottle of the DOMAINE GAUDRELLE sparkling Cremant de Loire from owner Alexandre Monmousseau that was here pouring at this fine event. We three loved the Cremant and I kept thinking how rich and full and round and flowery without being sweet or cloying it was. Everything was in beautiful balance and my only complaint was that I did not have another bottles as I had enjoyed it so much. It was my treat after having worked on our taxes for 2013 all afternoon long here in our living room looking out onto our cul-de-sac with the sun reflecting so beautifully off of the white snow all around outside. What a treat it was, what a grand reward. Merci Alexandre,! We sell it at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits for around $23 a bottle I believe? Well-worth it and even more : it over-delivers for what it offers us in my opinion. Cheers,  Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn  2/16/14    They say timing is everything ; in this case it was and more ...  TONY