I'm thinking really good thoughts now and had some revelations this past week and weekend her about our tastings.

THE ' taste-off ' with Andrew Stover and Jody Jackman this past Friday was a big hit. It was the second in a series that will continue here every couple of months as there is so much energy and excitement when we do it : lots of exchanges of views and tastes and opinions. That is what we want : starts meaningful, unforgettable conversation, and makes bonds that last between all of us, and help us to enjoy our time off even more with food, wine and spirits, family and friends!

WE WILL DO MORE ' Taste-Offs ' , Too with other fine salespeople that sell to us, there are many, and they have lots to add here as they are all quite passionate about their beer, liquor, wine and other spirits. It is their livelihood and passion, They love it.

HALLOWEEN IS COMING SOON : what will you wear, what will you do?!? Will you trick-or-treat, what will you sip on as the trick-or-treaters come knock on your door?!? So many decisions, and the weather will be nice, too : warm for those out trick-or-treating as they pass from house to house dreaming of their cache of sweets to enjoy and perhaps even share with others>

WE HAVE LOTS of choices for you to enjoy on Halloween, lots of pumpkin beers and ales to choose from, come see what Santos has up his sleeves for you? Come see what Jagir has for you in liqueurs and also in liquors?!?

CHRIS & I Have A FULL WEEK planned here for you all, and ...

I will be twice this week a guest at the Kennedy Warren apartments, :

1) tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 17th, 2016 : at 7PM with Ines of Spain and Andrea, too : both of Tradewinds Specialty Selections,with BOHIGAS Cava Brut sparkling, their Xarel-lo dry white, non-sparkling white, too ... the EDER Joven-Young Tempranillo Rioja from the Basque country, .... the EQUILIBRIO 9 Monastrell- ( called Mourvedre in France ) tasty food spicy, earthy dry red, and .... the VALSOTILLO F. BUENAVISTA , too .

2) and also on Thursday at 7PM with the owner of DUCK POND Oregon Winery in the Willamette Valley, and their other property in southern Washington State, DESERT WIND with their fine , elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, too pouring his fine Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, as well as his Pinot Noir,

I WAS INVITED to come pour by Julie the beverage manager of their club, and I accepted. Mike that ran it before also invited me and I came before with owner Estebe Salgado of Tradewinds Specialty Imports then. With Estebe we poured his fine ALEXANDRO Spanish sherries.

I WELCOME ANY invitaions from any of you in other apartments that would like to have me come and pour. Just let me know and we can work something out. Cheers! Call me : 202-363-4265.

THE GREAT THING is that Scott Jenkins will be in the store on Friday, October 21st, 2016 5-8PM, doing the same tasting here with you all, what a great event it will be here this Friday, Join us for both DUCK POND and also DESERT WIND wines of Oregon and Washington State respectively!

FROM Santos in BEER we have :

1) Imperial Ale PUMKING , ale brewed with pumpkin and with natural flavor added, from SOUTHERN TIER Brewing Company, On Special for $7.99 a 1 Pt. 6 Fl. Oz bottle, with 8.6% alcohol by volume, ... brewed with 2 varieties of hops and 2 types of malts : tasty, limited availability, come get some now and save it for Halloween!

2) Frighteningly FRESH Tangerine IPA , Enjoy By 10/31/16 from STONE Brewing Company,On Special for $18.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, with 9.4% alcohol by volume, ... : DRINK IT BY HALLOWEEN or we will haunt you.

3) Farm To Face ale brewed with peaches by the ALLAGASH Brewing Company, On Special for $14.99 a bottle, with , from AppleCrest Farm, with 8.2% alcohol by volume, , for a 375ml bottle, like bubbly, under pressure, open carefully like you would a bottle of sparkling wine. The pressure keeps it so fresh and alive and extroverted : perfect for Halloween!

4) Delirium Tremens , brewed by HUYGHE Brewery, a Belgian ale with 8.5% alcohol by volume, now available in cans, a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans On Special for $20.99. Wow, cans for the very first time, come see how it tastes to you ?!? Should taste great.

THE THIRD ( 3rd ) and FINAL Presidential Debate is tomorrow night, starts just after Frank Agostini is here tasting his fine French wines with you all. You should consider which of Frank's Signature wines you will want to enjoy while watching the debate bewteen Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? WE will have many choices for you.

TWO SUGGESTIONS From Us Here From Frank Agostini are :

1) Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu sur lie dry white Melon De Bourgogne grape variety ( also called Muscadet by many ) sur lie 0 stays-rests on it's own grape skins that settle to the bottom of the barrel or stainless steel vat and are occasional stirred so that more from these skings is reabsorbed by the liquid, called PRIEUR De La Fine , DOMAINE Des HERBAUGES Vieilles vignes/ old vines , from winemaker-owner Jerome Choblet, in Bouaye, Loire valley : this dry white quite literally blows me away : I love it! Costs $16.49 a bottle, and is one of the very best bottles of Muscadet I have had in a very , very, very long time : a real treat, will hold it's own against all the language and vitriol from either of the two candidates!

2) Chinon 100% Cabernet Franc dry red from the DOMAINE GOURON , a 2014, winemakers in Cravant les coteaux, $17.99 a bottle, this is the Cuvee Domaine, using sustainable Agriculture Practices, : tastes like real fresh, lively, true-to-character Cabernet Franc from France's Loire valley : I love it, really I do, amazing wine. Great to watch the debate, will fight back to any opinions, feelings, flairs, flares, flourishes and flaunts, taunts, teases and tears made at it. Chill 30 minutes : enjoy tomorrow night!

LIQUOR From Jagir :

1) ' Natural Cherry ' Liqueur from GRAND MARNIER , On Special for $34.99 a bottle : what a fun treat, the cherries will take some of the thickness and sweetness away, and give the orange some real zip, zest and brightness-lightness! Yes, oui, vrai tout ca!

2) Barrel Proof Linited Release Irish Whiskey from WEST CORK Distillers , made from the finest hand-selected ingredients matured in Bourbon casks : like cognac and armagnac, the Bourbon barrels give some of the heat and the fire, yes, yet lots of finesse, too, $37.99 , with 62% alcohol by volume, cheers!

3) Old Port Rum Deluxe-Crafted from the AMRUT Distillery Pvt, Ltd, $19.99 a bottle, with 40% alcohol by volume, from Kambipurra, Bengaluru, what a fun ' value ' treat, try some, see what you all think?!?

4) " Peppered ' Gin from UNCLE VAL'S, handcrafted, $42.99, with 45% alcohol by volume, see what you all think of this pepper addition? ANSOLUT introduced it, UNCLE VAL'S added polish and brightness, fullness of flavor to it?!? What do you think?

WINE From Chris & Tony :

1) Sauvignon Blanc Private Reserve 2013 ALMA DE CHILE from Chile's Aconcagua Valley, On Special for $9.99 : this dry white is lively and thoroughly refreshing and perfect now for this weather in the eighties!

2) VOLTEFACE Vinho Regional Alentejano, $19.99, vinho branco / dry white wine made from the indigenous grapes of Castas and Antao Vaz by winemaker Teresa Metedo Dias is quite a lively broadcast, animated, personable and delicious blend of tastes to enjoy as they spread over the surface of your palate : cheers, obregado Teresa!

3) Tinto dry red 2009 ' Cueva del MONGE ' Tempranillo dry red Rioja from the BODEGAS VINICOLA REAL, $27.99, with 13.5% alcohol by volume, is quite the flavorful treat. Medium-bodied, distinct, flavorful where the flavors reach out to your palate, but never impose their dominance, what a delicious delight! I liked it the two times I tasted it!

4) ' Les Allees de CANTEMERLE ' 2011 Haut-Medoc, $29.99 a bottle, from CHATEAU CANTEMERLE in Macau , Medoc : classic, good white pepper and spice, a treat to enjoy from a more angular, pithy, perky, dry and lighter food wine, a treat with a steak or other red meats, just like my lunch earlier, a steak I grilled this weekend and brought what I did not eat today for my delicious lunch!

5) Carmenere ' Costa ' 2012 from Chile's Colchagua Valley, this CA2 , $31.99, from TERRANOBLE Winery, with 14% alcohol, has character, flavor, taste, personality, good medium body, polish, bright, silky flavors to please and to relax and to feel expansive about life and the moment, ours!

ALSO :

6) Muscat sweet from the Greek island of Samos, CAVINO Deus , this sweet Muscat golden elixir , $10.99, with 15% alcohol by volume, is a real delight to sip! Try some tomorrow while watching the Presidential debate 1t 9PM : then go outside afterward and enjoy sipping more as you watch the moon and the stars above!

TASTINGS Of WEEK :

Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 ( 5-8PM ) : We have tomorrow , Wednesday, Frank Agostini mentioned above to come and pour his fine French Frank's Selections from Bordeaux, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and the Rhone Valley in France : what fun, find something to drink while watching the Presidential debate that starts at 9PM after this FABulous wine-tasting.

Friday, October 21st, 2016 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Scott Jenkins the owner of both DUCK POND ( Oregon ), and DESERT WIND ( Washington State ) here to pour four fine wines, two from each winery : Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir from DUCK POND, and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from DESERT WIND : fine wines indeed, polished, bright, balanced, elegant, real finesse, too.

Saturday, October 22nd, 2016 : We have owner, winemaker Sylvia Casali here from her own family's TENUTA CASALI in Romagna, Italy to pour her three great Sangiovese Superiore dry reds, as well as her fine Trebbiano, and her Villa Zappi dry sparkling rose, too! With Robert Kennedy, this will be Silvia's third visit here, what a treat and a delight.

SAVE BIG HERE every Wednesday on wines, three ways to save, two ways to SAVE UP to 20% OFF sticker prices, ONE WAY to save up to 15% OFF sticker prices!

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, you all are the very best, we could not be here without you. We thank you for your patronage! Cheers, TONY 10/17/2016