Cleveland Park Beer, Liquor & Wine

Featuring a wide, international selection of fine wines, micro-brews and spirits

LET'S CELEBRATE ACTIVELY this week ... both " Teacher appreciation " ... and Mother's day! A very full week for us all indeed, and a very positive one, too!

CALL US : 202-363-4265 ; We deliver ; HAPPY TO DELIVER, happy to get things for you to give to teachers as well as to your mothers!

LOOKS LIKE SUNSHINE TODAY and rain for the weekend, SO : start celebrating now and then also on Sunday continue as things will dry up some and the temperatures on Mother's Day will be 70 or so!

IT IS DROP-DEAD Gorgeous Today and I sure did love my drive into work, inspiring, really felt and still feels good.

WE HAVE LOTS GOING ON once again. It seems like the only way to go these days as we come topgether as a community and share and grow together.

JUST TRIED SOME TOMINTOUL Speyside Single Malt Scotch whiskey that I have never seen or tasted before, tried, three including the 10/ 16 year-old and was thoroughly impressed, and we are working to set-up a tasting now here with our local BREAKTHRU Beverage rep Christopher Regan ( Field Sales Manager - working with Jill Sites the Regional Director - East Region Emerging & Craft Brands ) : what a treat for Tuesday morning on this great Tuesday morn. If I had had some coffee it would have been even better , like being in a pub or cafe and having coffee and a splash of something like this, or Calvados or Cognac or Armagnac to jump-start the day! Yes! Thanks Chris and Jill. I have known Chris a long time and he has always served our store really well. Thank you.

NEW & EXCITING In BEER From SANTOS :

1) Ginger Brew Ale Brewed With Ginger from HITACHINO NEST BEER, GA, ? Kodawari , product of Japan, On Special for $12.99 a 1 Pt 8 Fl. Oz bottle, with 8% alcohol by volume : " Fresh ginger roots added to the brewkettle create an intriguing balance of ginger-spice, sweet-malty and hoppy-dry flavors and aromas. "

2) Super Pils ( Never compromise on taste ) BAVIK, product of Belgium, no high gravity, 100% Malt no distution , 100% noble bitterness, no pasterization, long and cold maturation, 100% crystal clear, 100% natural flavor : WOW : I sure am impressed! In cans, a six-pack of 12-ounce cans. On Special for $10.99 ...

3) Millenium Ale , Ale brewed with honey, a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, from DOMINION Brewing, On Special for $12.99 ... : " Originally brewed as a celebration of our 1000th batch beer, Millenium is brewed in the barley wine style to highlight the milestone, Millenium's high gravity, generous hopping & bottle-conditioning all allow this beer to be cellared and enjoyed for many years. " I like that, like a fine bottle of wine, age and enjoy gradually over the years, no need to rush this. Made in Dover, Delaware.

New & Exciting LIQUOR - LIQUEUR From Jagir :

1) ARACK MABROUKA , traditional Arack , authentic distilled, $22.99, product of Israel, something to taste, check out, try it on for size, fit and feel, a treat!

2) Buzzard Point Colonial Style White rum , On Special for $27.99 a bottle, distilled and bottled in Washington D.C., NW. by the District Distilling Company, with Matt Strickland their master distiller here twice already pouring, and we have some here for you to try, so aks us, and we will see how it tastes to you? Great for this warmer weather, support local!

3) Pineapple CIROC , made with vodka infused with Pineapple flavor and other natural flavors, made from fine French grapes, and distilled 5 times, $38.99 a bottle, a treat for this warmer weather coming our way ohhhhhh so soon!

WINE From Chris & Me - Tony :

We Are Really Supporting Austrailian Wines Once Again - ACTIVELY - here in Cleveland Park.

DO NOT GET ME Wrong - we have always supported Australian wines, but the high Aussie dollar against ours, and the need for distributors to bring in 600 ot 14 hundred cases at a time of the wines made it very hard and prohibitive to do so, and so they have suffered here in the United States now for almost ten years now. SAD.

We have had important-from-the-start importers like Robert Whale close his operation. A sad moment indeed, as way back when he was one of the very first ever to bring Aussie wines to us, and in 1986 I believe there were six hundred cases of Aussie wines improted, total, for the entire United States? It was a small sum indeed, even if it was larger than that. Then Aussie wines exploded here and Robert Whale with others led the way. Thanks Robert.

SO : here we are and it is time to have more and to show are renewed support for these fine wines that are slowly making their way back and , once again, finding a happy home on our shelves.

HERE IS WHAT Chris and I have found to offer you all now:

TWO Whites :

1) Dry Riesling 2016 from Eden Vale and made by PEWSEY VALE, $18.99 a bottle, , an individula Vineyard selection, this is lean, bright-mean-honest-grit-grip-steel-strict-supple-as-it-warms tasting dry Riesling, what a great wine to sip now and enjoy thoroughly with many a meal in this heat wave coming to us soon!

2) Chardonnay Filius 2015, from Australia's Margaret River, the VASSE FELIX dry Chardonnay is another gem, this one on Austrailia's western coast south of Perthe. $27.49 gets you a rich and layered mouth-feel that is really nice just to sip alone, or have some Chicken Cordon-Bleu or lobster dipped in melted pure butter and fly and sing and dance, too!

THREE Syrah- Shiraz Dry Reds :

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE between a Shiraz and a Syrah : nothing but the spelling and the pronounciation, nothing at all! They are one-and-the-same.

1) Shiraz ' The Ripper ' Geographe Western Australia, from owner Michael Hope's HOPE ESTATE Family Vineyards, a 2013, $20.99 a bottle, this Shiraz has some really generous ripe and fruit-forward EDGY flavor, a touch more steely, a touch more accented spice and girth, great when you grill or have foods more marinated and stronger-tasting. Chill 30-40 minutes and ' let it rip! '

2) Shiraz 2013 from Australia's Barossa Valley which is inland from the town of Adelaide in southern Australia. This is from the SCHILD Estate, 21.49, with lovely polish and elegance, fruit-forward balance and generous yet tempered excitement for the tongue, lovely. Great to sip, like to chill 30-40 minutes to wake the flavors up, energize them, and to make them dance and sing, croon on our palate, yes!

3) Syrah from ' The Right REVEREND ', $24.49 a bottle, from Mount Barker, a 2014, from West Australia sub-regional range, from : " our most reverend vineyards " says Nick the owner/ president of VINACEOUS Wines. Many of you have met and tasted with Nick here over the years from his WEST CAPE HOWE wines of Denmark, western Australia, to now with the Right REVEREND! We tasted this, too here recently when we featured and tasted these with you all for our Big-Theme Aussie wine tasting, sold a lot, too. This is a fine food wine, it has many layers of flavor, needs food to flesh it out some, as in reality the wines are loaded with ' spit and polish ' honest flavors!

TWO Fine Aussi Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Reds :

1) ' Avalon Tree ' Cabernet Fleurieu Penninsula, Australia, a Single Site from ZONTE'S FOOTSTEPS , On Special for $19.99 a bottle, this Cabernet is another fine food red, it has plenty to offer, a bit of an edge, a little more spice and grist and edge, and the food will flesh that out brilliantly. Would have been lovely with the steaks I grilled outside last night, mmmm, or some of our cheese we enjoyed earlier.

2) Kangarilla Road 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia's McLaren Vale, On Special for $21.99 a bottle, there is real polish, brightness, fruit-forward silk and a lovely quality that makes this pretty irrestistable to sip all by itslef or enjoy with many a meal : I gave it top scores, five hugs, five WOWS, my highest praise almost : try and say ' Wow! ' five times straight, sip some, then try again, sip some more and try saying it once again : ALL fun!

THREE Warm-Weather Whites :

TWO VINHO VERDE'S with 9% alcohol by volume ...

1) IT IS Vinho Verde time, almost, now, the weather just keeps flip-floppinh on us, and so we have FOUR back in stock ( 1) GATAO Vinho Verde, $9.99, 9% alcohol by volume _|: usually the most crisp, lean, tart and tangy with a splash of spark spark arc sparkle, too! ...

2) SANTOLA Vinho Verde , also with 9% alcohol by volume, and a touch of sparkle, a bit rounder, fuller, more gentl taste here, $8.99 ...

NEWS that I hear about this area concerns the 7-11 that still has not opened, they applied for the wrong lease I hear and so that has been delayed.

TWO Vinho Verde's with 10.5%, 11.5% alcohol

1) Superior Vinho Verde 2015 from CURVOS, On Special for $9.99 a bottle, with 11.5% alcohol by volume, more body, more weight and flavor, , a blend of the indigenous grapes used like Luoreiro 75%, 15% Trajadura and 10% Arinto : lovely, more levels of taste and flavor, great for this heat, enjoy at night!

2) Branco Meio Seco Vinho Verde from ENCOSTAS DO LIMA, $9.99, the fruitiest, with the most weight, with 10.5% alcohol by volume, a touch of sparkle, too, this is the most unique Vinho Verde that I have ever tasted, and aquired tatse, great when you need a low alcohol white for when it is sweltering outside and you want it to complement your meal and you still want a glass or two of white wine! Cheers!

TWO ' Ridiculous Value ' White Wines

1) ' Cote de DANUBE ' Viognier dry white from CHATEAU BURGOZONE, On Special for $9.99 a bottle, ( regularly $15.00 a bottle, or more ), a really dry and refreshing Viognier, flavor, taste, it has it all, a treat. We finished the sample bottle left to us at home on Sunday afternoon celebrating the graduation from college of our neighbor James with Katarina, Byron and Carol, my wife and me included, and it was really good, and it had been open since Wednesday I believe? WE have just over a case so get some now. Five more cases are supposed to be coming to us soon, but you never know? Get some while you can - really special, and a ridiculous price.

2) ' Quantum ' 2015 Chardonnay from DOMAINE BUYAR in Bulgaria, On Special for $10.99 a bottle, ( regularly over $20 a bottle ), this has some FABulous citrus and mineral taste, not heavy yet rich, bright, lively, engaging, a treat to enjoy now, a real treat, I really liked it a whole lot! Come get some while you can, this is excellent dry Chardonnay, with 12.5% alcohol by vlume, classic, balanced, distinct, try some! It will cut through the humidity nicely.

REMEMBER it is Teacher's Appreciation week, we started last week, and continue this week, too!

BUY & SAVE here on Wine Each Wednesday :

1) Save UP TO 20% OFF the marked sticker prices two ways, ALSO ...
2) SAVE Up to 15% OFF the marked sticker prices one way, call either me ( Tony ) or Chris to find out more, 202-363-4265 , be sure and pay on Wednesdays' to save, and pick up what you order at your convenience. Cheers.

IT IS ALSO MOther's Day so think about what gifts that we may have here to tempt you to offer your mothers?

WEEK'S TASTINGS :

WEDNESDAY : TWO Tastings : 5-8PM : Free WineTastings always :

French Biodynamic wines and ...

Georgian Quevri Saperavi red and Rhatsiteli white , too

Camille Edange of Les Grands Chais de France tastes :

1) ' La Chapelle ' 2015 Chardonnay-Viognier rich, complex, multi-layered delicious dry wite, DOMAINE DE THOLOMIES, slow to open, do not rush it, do not overchill it either, a wonderful wine, $16.49 a bottle!

2) ' La Chapelle ' dry red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Pays D'Oc, too, Vin Bio, $16.49 : some real flavor and structure and character - great with a meal, fine balance!

ALSO :

Georgian winemaker, export manager, 3rd generation, Gogi Dakishvili, making and aging wine in the Quevri ceramic large jars - selles that are buried in the ground. Gogi has been assisting the younger Georgian winemakers in Georgia now for two decades, and it will be great to have him here with Noel Brockett of the Georgian House of Greater Washington LLC, with Mamuka Tsereteli, too ... pouring four wines :

TWO Whites :

1) ' Amber Dry ' 2015 dry white indigenous blend of the Rkatsoteli 50%, and the Mtsvane 50%, $15.49 a bottle, made in the Quevri dry and pleasing, a delightful palate-cleaner-palate-awakener to enjoy with a meal from DILAO, AND :

2) Rkatsiteli from ORGO from Kakheti, $26.49 , an orange wine made in the Quevri vessels in ceramic, layered, multi-dimensional, the original ' orange wines ' that have now been copied and made all over the world, and rightly-so as these are quite compelling, quite intriguing wines, come taste and see for yourselves.

TWO Reds :

1) ' Red Dry ' 2015 Saperavi red from DILAO, $15.49 a bottle, , with 13% alcohol , also made in Quevri , a softer, brighter, more approachable red to enjoy almost anytime, anywhere. I like to chill it 40 minutes and have it warm to the perfect temperature for all of us, we decide that. Enjoy with some grilled foods, meats and vegetables.

2) Saperavi 2014 dry red made from old vineayrds ( does that mean old vines, too Noel? ), with 12.5% alcohol by volume, $26.49, these wines are really quite pleasing, very elegant, polished and refined, like them quite a bit! Cheers, look forward to meeting you Gogi.

This will be a great wine-tasting with fine wines of France and of Georgia!

FRIDAY, May 12th, 2017 5-8PM , We welcome John Peters here to come and taste a selection of fine SIMONSIG wines from South Africa, from Stellenbosch, featuring their fine Pinotage, as well as their fine dry Chenin Blanc! Come taste : what pure joy these two.

SATURDAY, May 13th, 2017 ( 2-6PM ) : We have Narayan Campbell here to taste some fine wines of South Africa, Australia, France, New Zealand, : still to be decided! Call for more info at : 202-363-4265.

JOIN US : ALL winetastings are free here, they always have been, join us and have a great experience, learn, meet people, and buy what you like. Cheers, everyone always more than welcome.

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, do not forget to thank your teachers, we started this last week : and do not forget that it is Mother's Day this Sunday. WE have plenty of gifts to offer you all for both occasions. TONY 4/9/2017

THERE IS TALK that the block with Petco will become an office or apartment building , and if, so, we certainly hope that the retail stores below will be kept.

CUSTOMERS for the last week have informed me that they have received notices that WEYGANDT'S Wines is closing it's location here. Though never close to them ( we used to have Peter Weygandt himself come here and propose his wines for us to buy, many that we did in fact and sell well - along with the wines of many fine importers, as there are many ), and we wish them well as they are a part of the community as we are. Was it the high rents there that have them closing shop there?

LOTS OF SPECULATION continues to circle with the old Four P'S Irish Pub location across the street, with talk of retail and an open market coming there soon on the weekends? All conversation, very little transparency as to what exactly will surface there, and we encourage that there be more information offered as this is a vibrant, important space across the street here in Cleveland Park.

LOTS OF CONCERN , too about how other areas are taking our business away from us and making us as a neighborhood/ business - retail area less desirable to live in, where many roadblocks are there to even get or want to open a store or restaurant here in the vacant spaces. That is disheartening as we deserve to be, should be as desirable and imprtant a destination here in D.C. as any other area, even though we are older, we have weathered the many storms and still have so much to offer.

COME SHOP and DINE and EXERCISE here with us : keep supporting our community, we need it, we want to stay open for you all, we are only able to be here with your active support. Tell others, spread the word, Cleveland Park is a great area and we need to stick together and grow more together.

ON THE POSITIVE SIDE I often hear new customers coming here, wanting to lve here becasue of our community and it's look and feel and variety of small shops and businesses that are not chain stores. That is good, we love hearing that. We are small businesses here to offer you something more personal, more special , more important tahn simply only price.

ONLINE shopping is hurting many retail operations, please think carefully before ordering something online because it is simpler and sometimes less expensive, they do not have the operating costs that we do, and a world with no retail at all would be rather bleak.

SORRY For The Lecture, I only pass it on as our enighborhood now, more than ever, needs lots of love and care and support. Like so many today we are surviving, certainly not thriving, and we do offer some great services and sense of contact and community that enriches us all, as being able to talk to someone is essential to many of us : our life-blood.

REMEMBER To Contact Your RET! Many of you do not know what a RET is? I know. I ask many of those that sell to me : " What does your RET say / think? " They look at me quizzically? RET?!? Spell it? What is that, what are you saying, asking, talking about?!?

A RET is short for retailer, just as a SOMM is short for sommelier. Consult your RET and have an eye-to-eye conversation where you will learn, have someone immediately there to question, ask advice, talk one-to-one with and get hopefully the information you need to proceed. A RET is here to assist you, we here at Cleveland Park feel very strongly about this and want to do all that we can to have an open / transparent conversation, on-going with you all, it is how we will grow and achieve more together as a community that stays and works , plays and smiles and bonds together in difficult times.

I AM ON FIRE today, much as I have recently siad that Theresa Morrison was on-fire here this past Saturday as she waxed poetic over all the fine Austrian wines of the HOEPLER Winery in Burgenland, Austria. It was inspiring to see and hear Theresa in action as she dscribed and told many stories about here visit there to the winery to see owners Jost and Henry his son - both that have been here. Their wines are perfect for this warmer weather, although it does Yo-Yo back and forth and can be quite confusing at thimes.

WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW is an old store email that I wrote on May 7th, 2013 I believe and sent to you all! Read and enjoy it and check for current availability, vintages, prices, and enjoy! Thanks for everything, Tuesday, May 9th, 2017, ... TONY

LOOKS LIKE RAIN THIS WEEK and you may not to go out so call us and we will deliver to you. It's our pleasure. Just let us know what you are interested in and we will come by and save you from getting any more wet than you already may be from this constant rain, clouds and gray, no sunshine, dampness and puddles everywhere that eventually permeates everything we are wearing as well as within us effecting our moods, feelings and thoughts. Let us bring you some liquid sunshine, we have it in so many colors, forms, textures, from the driest of dries to the sweetest of sweetest, from clear to golden and green and brown and dark and blue, from still to sparkles - few and bigger bubbles or more and really tiny ones like in real French champagne! SOMETHING for EVERYONE is our motto. WE'VE ALL HAD FULL PLATES and it has been exciting to hear from customers about some of them like the NIKE WOMEN'S SERIES running marathons. One of our customers this past Saturday had just participated in the first one held here on Pennsylvania, 13 mile marathon starting on Freedom Plaza with 14 thousand-strong I believe that she said. It all started in San Fransisco with firemen dressed in tuxedos bringing the female runners Tiffany boxes with necklaces. Joan Benoit-Samuelson was there, at this one in D.C. our female customer relaying all of this to me also got a Tiffany box with a Tiffany necklace. She showed it to me. Admission started at $160 per runner and it went to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. ALL GOOD. I loved hearing all of this. So many great causes. She received her Tiffany box here from a man dressed in a tux - showed me the picture, really nice. She had a broad smile on her face as she showed it to me.

WHERE WILL THE NEXT one be held? I should have asked?

I ALSO SPOKE TO ANOTHER WOMAN recently that was all excited about discovering the Barclay Bar Calvados Collection and organic spirits menu in New York City at 111 East 48th Street. Barbara told me that there was some insane number of French Normandy Calvados bottles to sample and order the one that you preferred. She told me that she had sampled a really old one. Being an avid Calvados lover as I am, and knowing that we have many customers that love French apple brandy as I do I asked her to email me the place and address and phone number, etcetera. Thanks Barbara. She did, too : 1) www.intercontinentalnybarclay.com, and 2) www.Facebook.com/NYBarclay. This all makes me wonder what we have to offer here in Washington D.C.? It is worth checking if we have something similar here so that you can support D.C. and our local economy before heading north to the Big Apple. Cheers. Please do respond here and let us know any of your thoughts? We'd love to hear the? How many of you love apple brandy?

SPEAKING OF APPLES we have three California ACE Ciders for you all to try and choose from to see which you like best? You may want to buy a 6-pack of each to see where you all stand/ where your palates-tastes fall?! 1) ACE California " Joker Hard Cider ( On Special for $11.99 a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles, 6.9% alcohol by volume, produced by the CALIFORNIA CIDER COMPANY, Sonoma, California, Sebastopol, 95472, www.acecider.com ) : " Our Master Cider Maker, decided he would experiment and make a strong dry cider. The result is Ace Joker which is European in style and has distinct Champagne characteristics. ... Enjoy this exhilarating alternative to beer or wine. "

2) ACE California Berry Hard Cider ( On Special for $10.99 a 6-pack, 5% alcohol by volume ) : " ACE Berry Cider is a premium hard cider made in the heart of Sonoma Ciounty's apple orchards. Ace berry is a mixture of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry juice added into our fermented apple cider ... Enjoy this exhilarating alternative to beer or wine."

3) ACE Hard Pumpkin Cider ( On Special for $10.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, 5% alcohol by volume ), : " Our cidermakers developed a seasonal cider with pumpkin and allspice for the fall. The cider is crisp with subtle aromas of pumpkin. Ideal for Halloween and Thanksgiving which is traditionally cider time. Enjoy! : I might add that with all this cold weather, dampness and rain, cloudy days with spotty sunshine that this will also taste great now for this week of Teacher Appreciation! Try some out, see what you all think? ALSO : Great for Mother's Day.

BEER From SANTOS :

1) MOYLAN'S Hopsickle Imperial Stout Triple ALE Hoppy ( On Special for $8.99, a 1Pt. 6 Fl. Oz bottle, 9.2% alcohol by volume, from MOYLAN'S Brewing Company, Novato, CA. www.moylan's.com ): " This is a " Hop " tribute, worthy of a King's Imperial Court! Enjoy the blast of fresh Tomahawk, Chinook and Ahtanum Hops as they stimulate the taste buds in a truly Imperial Fashion. Pucker Up! "

2) " Night Tripper " Imperial Stout from The High Gravity Series from NEW HOLLAND Brewing ( On Special for $8.99 a bottle, Vintage 2013, 27 Plato, 10.8% alcohol by volume, 1 Pt, 8 Fl. Oz bottle, www.New HollandBrewing.com ) : " An abundance of roasted malts and flaked barley create rich, roasty stout with deeply intense, lush flavors. Layered, nuanced tones invite intrigue and reward a curious palate. Pairings: dark chocolate, stinky cheese, cayenne." Sounds like a real tasting experience. I love this text, makes me want to try it!

3) PEAK Organic Brewing Company , the IPA ( On Special for 10.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, 7.1% alcohol by volume, pure ingredients, delicious beer , Portland, Maine ) : Santos has organized a tasting here from 5-8PM on Thursday night, May 9th, 2013/ JOIN US, NEVER any charge ...

LIQUOR/ LIQUEUR From RAVI :

1) Amaretto di Saschira from LUXARDO ( On Special for $26.99 a 750ml bottle, 28% alcohol by volume, product of Italy ) : a perfect Mother's Day treat. I know for a fact that my wife really likes it. how about yours, and how about your mother? Beautiful gift-bottle, too : fun, so much fun and great taste, too. Cheers, Happy Mother's Day everyone ...

2) TORRES 20 Hors D'Age Imperial Brandy ( On Special for $62.99 a bottle, Penedes, Spain ) : this is another perfect gift for both Teacher Appreciation Week as well as Mother's Day this Sunday. It's smooth enough for everyone to enjoy sipping it all by itself. From the TORRES family, from Miguel Torres, 40% alcohol by volume, aged 20 years - NO BITE - soft like a newborn baby's skin : www.torreswines.com for more info. A REAL TREAT for everyone.

3) Reposado CASAMIGOS Tequila, 100% Agave Azul, from Jalisco, Mexico, Numero 22122 On Special for $56.99 a 750ml bottle, 40% alcohol by volume, made in Mexico ) : another great Teacher Appreciation Week gift that can be enjoyed still relishing our past weekend of the Cinco de Mayo! Cheers and enjoy.

4) " Midnight " KAHLUA Rum With Black Coffee Liqueur ( On Special for $18.99 a 750ml bottle, 70 Proof, product of Mexico www.kahlua.com ) : best enjoyed as a chilled shot. This is another perfect Mother's Day present that may be enjoyed easily this weekend, especially if the temperatures continue to be cool and there is still some rain and drizzle around. Let's hope everything will dry up and that the sun will break through the thick blanket of clouds. Cheers.

IT'S BEEN BUSY HERE : SOME UPDATES:

THIS PAST FRIDAY with Jody Jackman we tried the COUSINO-MACUL Chilean wines from the Maipo Valley and they all showed really well as expected. The LOTA 2007, On Special for $99.99 a bottle showed beautifully and we sold some of that as well as of the FINIS TERRAE, the ANTIGUAS RESERVAS, the MERLOT, and the dry white an exciting SAUVIGNON GRIS. ALL the wines are still in stock and available here for any of you that missed this incredible event to honor Arturo Cousino that was just in town here in Cleveland Park about a week and a half ago. What a great moment that was to see him again and have him back here. The LOTA Bordeaux blend may be enjoyed now or aged and it will only show better with time. It's still very young. The LOTA will make a great FATHER'S DAY Gift as that is also coming up soon.

THIS PAST SATURDAY with Chuck our salesperson for Robin Cellars we tried three California wines from SHANNON RIDGE Petit Sirah and Sauvignon Blanc, VIGILANCE dry red Zinfandel blend with Petit Sirah in it as well - from North Coast , and PALI Chardonnay from Sonoma, that all showed really well - SOLD REALLY WELL, too. We still have them all here for you to enjoy. They, too will make great Teacher Appreciation Gifts, along with the COUSINO-MACUL wines from Chile.

JUST HAPPENED : We had winemaker Pascal / Schildt of the FALSE BAY Portfolio here with Nolan Hale introducing his dry Chenin Blanc 2011 and his dry Pinotage 2012 , both will sell for $14.99 a bottle, both are balanced, fruit-forward, smooth, bright, fresh, medium-to-light-bodied : delights both. They will make good additions to what we currently have. Nolan will come by and try Michel on them to see if he agrees with me on these two? I hope so as I really do like them both very much. It was a treat for me to taste them as I finish this store email for you all.

WINES From Michel & Tony :

1) Pinot Grigio from Italy's Veneto, from CORNARO, $9.99 and very flavorful and rich and tasty this 2012 vintage! It's a fine food wine.

2) 100% Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from France's Loire Valley, a Touraine from Jean Sablenay, $10.99, 12.5% alcohol by volume, this is clean and crisp and bright with more body and more personality than most and thus more reminiscent of a delicate Sancerre. Cheer. Great value, too. AMAZINGLY GOOD!

3) !00% Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from MATUA in New Zealand's Marlborough Valley ( $11.99, 13% alcohol by volume, www.matua.co.nz ) : this was amazingly good like the Touraine Sauvignon Blanc above : BOTH WAY OVER delivered for quality and price.

4) 100% Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from SEIFRIED in Nelson ( On Special for $19.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume ) : this is the " new " vintage that arrived and it's really amazingly flavorful, crisp, tasty, tangy, like a great mineral-laden Pouilly-Fume from the Loire Valley in France. Better with food, makes you hungry quicker as there is more acidity and TANG here and so it's great with salads and vinaigrette, goats' cheeses, anytime you squeeze lemon or lime on a dish, casual or formal, inside or outside : and CERTAINLY PERFECT for both this week of Teacher Appreciation and Mother's Day this Sunday! Cheers.

5) Moscato 2011 from Oregon's FORIS VINEYARDS in Cave Junction ( $20.99, 7.5% alcohol by volume, www.foriswine.com ) : this is a perfect dessert wine all by itself or with many fresh fruits like apricots, pears, peaches, nectarines. Steve was the winemaker, he might still be? Anyway, for years Steve lived and worked here and so it was a great surprise to find him here at the FORIS Winery : " This Moscato was made in an exuberant style and rich in sustainable enthusiasm. Enjoy." We will : perfect for this weekend and to cap an exciting evening or celebration : like teachers getting their students to check their work, catch their mistakes, and dot their " i's " and cross their " t's "! OH YEAH. BRAVO.

RED :

1) Syrah La Rioja, Argentina of CHANARMUYO, 2011 ( $10.99 , 14% alcohol by volume, www.chanarmuyo.com.ar ) : wow, peppery and spicy, earthy, pithy and delicious and GREAT VALUE! WOW!!!

2) L.A. CETTO Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Estate-Bottled from Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico ( $11.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume ) : the lovely essence of bright dark red berry fruit like blueberries and raspberries : I love it, so do many of our customers. Cheers.

3) Pinotage " La Capra " from FAIRVIEW , this 2011 in South Africa ( $11.99, 14% alcohol by volume ) is nice to add here to our collection. Cheers.

4) BOE Brookly Oenology 2010 Social Club Red Merlot blend from the North Fork of Long Island ( $19.99, 13.2% alcohol by volume , www.brooklynoenology.com ) is medium-bodied, bright, fresh, lively and really balanced and a TRUE DELIGHT to enjoy now. Bravo! Signed, too in time for Mother's Day by the female winemaker. Cheers.

5) TINTORGEN Co-Ferment Malbec 2010 from Mendoza, Argentina ( $19.99, 14% alcohol by volume ) : I loved the fruit-forward balance of the plum and the prune, spice and toasty, bright roasted berry flavors here. Quite the treat! SO ENTICING, drew me in ...

6) Pinot Noir Cuvee J from EVESHAM WOOD from Oregon's Eola -Amity Hills, $54.99, a 2010 made with organic grapes, 13% alcohol by volume , this is elegance and SILKY SUBLIME-NESS , so fine and bright, and lovely now even so young.

DESSERT RED - PORT-STYLE :

1) Syrah Dessert Wine 2008 from the LAUTERBACH Cellars, this Russian River Valley , Sonoma County ( $36.99, 375ml bottle, 18.5% alcohol by volume ) is a beauty to sip. WOW, it's a TRIPLE WOW! Michel and I both LOVED it, really we did.

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY 3-PART STILL-NON-SPARKLING WINE SALE :

1) BUY ANY $20 or more non-sparkling wine and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker price.

2) BUY ANY 1-6 Bottles of non-sparkling wine and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices.

3) BUY ANY 12 or More Bottles of Non-Sparkling Wine and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices.

Pay on Wednesday and SAVE BIG> Cheers, call if you cannot come : 202-363-4265 and Michel or I, Tony Quinn will be happy to take care of you.

WEEKEND TASTINGS'

THURSDAY, May 9th, 2013 ( 5-8PM ) : Santos has set up a PEAK Organic , Portland Maine beer tasting . Join us, NEVER any charge.

FRIDAY, May 10th, 2013 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Chuck Leopold here to taste the organic California wines of TERRA SAVIA : a Chardonnay, a Merlot and a Petit Verdot. Join us, NEVER any charge.

RAVI has set up a FEW Spirits American Gin & Rye Whiskey tasting for you all as well. Same time.

SATURDAY, May 11th, 2013 ( 2-6PM ) : We have 3 from France from Bobby Kacher to try : Julienne Ducasse with Domaine Tariquet, vegan an where they make Armagnac as well, as well as Antonin Bonet of Domaine Caze, and also Jean Hubert Leberton of Domaine Liberton. Antoine Songy the president of Robert Kacker Selections will be here, too. It's in anticipation of the Robert Kacher portfolio wine-tasting on Monday. Cheers. FUN!

I AM SURE I HAVE FORGOTTEN MANY Things but it's time to post this. Cheers, thanks for everything. Don't forget to say " thanks " to the teachers in your lives and to prepare early for Mother's Day this Sunday. Cheers, TONY