Celebrate Your Special Days Of Independence In July - So Many : USA, Canada, France, Argentina, Venezuela, Madagascar,Somalia,Cape Verde, Peru,Liberia, Laos,Sao Tome, Principe, Bahamas,Malawi,Algeria, Burundi,Solomon Islands! Celebrate: USA = Country Of Imm

BACK to reality and getting in-focus for many glorious days of national idependence in July here in Cleveland Park - a vibrant , glorious neighborhood that needs lots of love and focus to keep moving forward as change seems inevitable in a quickly-changing Washington DC landscape that is taking many of it's cues from outside influences. Now more than ever, we need to realize that our actions cound as they all add up to a healthy and prosperous landscape here or not.   JUST SPOKE TO Ricky here the owner of Nam Viet and I told him I would include the address for his Nam Viet restaurant in Clarendon , Virginia : 1127 North Hudson, call : 703-522-7110 for more info. The menu should be similar if not the same, so you can still enjoy their food now in Virginia. Thank you Ricky, Mrs Thoi and all the staff, servers like Ray, the cooks : you all served us really well here in Cleveland Park. Thanks a million.   SO : What is ' New and Exciting '? Many things, some are even a bit old and forgotten and out of the limelight and yet soooo worth the tasting, experiencing, and appreciating with time.     IT IS ALSO the end of June and the coming of July that celebrates so many days of Independence like our own 4th of July. We must not forget our great neighbors of Canada with the 1st of July and Canada Day. We must also not forget the 14th of July with Bastille Day. And there are more, too.   OTHER Countries that celebrate their days in Jul are many : Solomon Islands ( 7/7 ), South Sudan ( 7/9/2011), Cape Verde ( 7/5) , Algeria ( 7/5 ), Malawi ( 7/6), Madagascar ( 7/26 ), Burundi ( 7/1), Rwanda ( 7/1/1962 ), Venezuela ( 7/5/1811 ), Argentina ( 7/9/1816 ), Peru ( 7/28/1821 ), Liberia ( 7/26th, 1847), Laos ( 7/19/1949 , Somalia ( 7/1/1960 ), and the Bahamas ( 7/10 ).   I TAKE THE TIME to include this to show that the world is celebrating right here along with us in July and I am thrilled to be able to include them and their dates and to say we know that July is also a very important month to them, not just for us here born in the United States of America.   SO : We Will Celebrate our many days of independence, each and every one of us, here in Washington DC : exciting.   JOIN US as we draw attention to many or at least some of these countries that may produce wine, liquor, beer, ciders, waters, and other interesting liquids we enjoy consuming. Cheers!   MORE ON That As I continue this email.     BEER : From Santos Rivera :        1) Imported Old MOnk 10000 Super Beer ' Go For MONK ', made in India, a real nice treat especially for this warmer hot weather of ours now. Refreshing, On Special for $4.99 a 1 pt. 8fl. ounce bottle.        2) Imperial Doughnut Break from EVILTWIN Brewing , Glaze, On Special for $17.99 a 1 Pt. 6 Fl. Oz bottle, , with 11.5% alcohol by volume, ... a big glass of beer, buckle-up!        3) Sommelier Selection of UNIBROUE Canadian Belgian-style ales, On Special for $11.99 a 6 pack of 6 12-ounce bottles, : 1) La Fin Du Monde 2) Ephemere Apple, 3) Blanche de Chambly, 4) Don de Dieu , 5) Maudite and ,,, 6) Trois Pistoles : bottle-fermented, yes! Great gift pack, too. A fine RET could just as easily made these selections.        4) Lil S.I.P.A. SEssion IPA from O'CONNOR, a 12-ounce bottle, $10.99, ( also Guapo and Alambic - all three to be tasted here this Friday 5-8PM ) : Join Us. Everyone always welcome!        5) THREE from WESTBROOK Brewing : To Be Tasted Herre also this Friday from 5-8PM : 1) Citrusy-Sour-Delicious Key Lime Pie GOSE, a 4-pack of 12-ounce cans On Special for $9.99, ... 2) White Thai ale brewed with spices, 5% alcohol by volume, a 6-pack of 12-ounce cans On Special for $12.99 a 6-pack! 3) Sour-Salty-Delicious GOSE , a malt beverage brewed with coriander and sea salt - yes : all to be tasted here. A 6-pack of 12-ounce cans , with 4% alcohol by volume, , from Mt. Pleasant, S.C.   Some Great American beers here for you, one from Canada to celebrate Canada Day, and some for the 4th, ...     LIQUOR From Jagir :        1) Spice from JAGERMEISTER , a cinammon and Vanilla blend, imported herbal liqueur, $25.99 a bottle, tasty, intense, we may still have some here for you to taste, ask and we will check. Cheers.        2) JZE Maryland Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey, distilled in Rockville, On Special for $58.99 a bottle, this blew me away, literally, absolutely loved it as I carefull sipped it as the strength is smoothly, delightfully, silkily, seductively POWERful! Adance with care, better yet rent a limo and have someone do your driving while you sip this TWIN VALLEY Distillers' rare treat, only 30 bottles produced a month!        3) Gin made with hard red winter wheat from Washington Island, WI, simple & social & exceptional, from DEATH'S DOOR, On Special for $27.99, really distinct and special. We had the owner himself here pouring it. He just showed up and when I asked him if I could help him he announced that he was the owner and would be willing to pour it if we liked? Of course we would and we did and he did and we truned heads and sold lots. The start to a great relationship.        4) Blended Scotch Whisky called " Pig's Nose ' that our customer Michale endorses heartily and we are thrilled to have it back here again for you all as it represents such a great value at $26.99 On Special now. Cheers!      5) " Corridor ' Vodka from DISTRICT Distillers at the corner of U and 14th Streets N.W. Washington DC, made by master distiller Matt Strickland that has been here now twice pouring it for all himself! On Special for $26.99 a bottle, a great way to drink local and celebrate our 4th of JUly here! Cheers!        AND - in a LIQUERE we have :        1) Creole Shrubb Liqueur D;Orange, from CLEMENT, from Martinique we have here On Special for $33.99 a lovely, delicate, rolling hills, lilting, lulling, lullaby and lovely  French Caribbean liqueur, it is so special for this hot weather to sip by itself or use when you blend and become the real mixologist that you still may not fully realize that you are!     WEDNESDAY is Wine-Sale Day here all day and night 10am-9pm here at CPWineSpirits - every Wednesday : SAVE UP to 20 % off your purchases, just pay on a Wednesday. Call us if you cannot come : 202-363-4265. Ask for Chris or Tony.   WINE from Chris and Tony :        TWO Wines for Canada Day, July 1st :          1) 2014 Pinot Noir VQA Niagara Escarpment VQA from CAVE SPRING Cellars -It is earthy, a bit rustic, transparent, authentic and wonderful with food. I love it! $23.99 a bottle, what a fine wine from Alberto and also Tom the owner, a treat to have here! Go to :cavespring.ca for more info.      2) 2012 Riesling Estate-Bottled  VQA Beamsville Bench , On Special for $17.99, bright, lively, brisk, youthful and vibrant a real treat! Happy Canada Day!            SIX Wines for the 4th of July :             TWO Whites -          1)  BOE Brooklyn Oenology 2014 Pinot Gris, from North Folf of Long Island, : I love the richness, the extension and suplety drenched rich brightness of the flavors, a real treat to sip and enjoy outside this 4th of July!        2) Charlotte County Viognier from Virginia and made by the founder practically of Virginia wines, Gabriele Rausse of Friuli, Italy. Gabriele is also the head gardener at Monticello, is a dirt man - vineyard man and knows his trade. He is honest and humble and transparent, the real thing, just like his wines, a 2015, with 13% alcohol by volume, $21.49, a great way to celebrate our country with a tie-in to Thomas Jefferson and all!             FOUR Reds -        1) A Corot hybrid dry flavorful red blend from SHINDIG< $19.99, On Special now for $15.99,  a New York State red : perfect to chill an hour and enjoy this 4th of July weekend, purrfect!        2) Cabernet Sauvignon  , Virginia unoaked dry red from Gabriele Rausse, this is another stainless-steel Cab to enjoy chilled at a picnic and outside with foods hot off the gril, $19.99 a bottle.        3) 2013 Meritage dry red Bordeaux blend from NORTH GATE Vineyard, in Loudoun County, Virginia, $27.99 a bottle, from owner - winemaker Mark Feder that has been here tasting in the past! Medium-bodied, what a treat, enjoy with a steak, some red meat, celebrate!        4) A Melange slightly floral and fruity red blend with Virginia grapes, as are thos of Gabriele Rausse, a 2010, using the Bordeaux grapes of France, from the NARMADA Winery, On Special for $20.99 a bottle. This is milder, more mellow, and will be great to enjoy just for sipping as well as with food as wel all celebrate this coming weekend through Tuesday on the 4th of July! YES!!!!     WEEK'S TASTINGS :    Wednesday, June 28th, 2017 - 5-8PM :   Brayden Campbell of Lanterna Imports Wines will be here tasting 4 great wine selections : 1) Origins sparkling winr methode traditionelle from Armenia from KEUSH, this made from two indigenous grapes of Armenia blew me away with flavor, power, intensity, elegance, polish, everything, and On Special for $23.99 : does not get much better! 2) Grande Reserve Prieure de la Fine Vieilles Vignes - old vines Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu, sur lie, 2015, from Jerome Choblet Vignerons in France's Loire Valley : a stunning dry white - some-awe-lots-awe! Roche Gravit 2015 dry red Burgundy from the town of Julienas, made from 100% Gamay grapes, from Albert Bichot - chill 40 minutes and enjoy, another winner for this heat and humidity! 4) Pinot Noir 2015 from California's Sonoma County, BARRIQUE - aged in wood barrels called barriques in France, with 13.5% alcohol by volume, I really liked this Pinot Noir - a real balanced harmonious fun treat!   FRIDAY, June 30th, 2017 :    3 Tastings - One Wine Tasting, TWO Beer Tastings - - Narayan Campbell will be here pouring the West Coast wines to celebrate our 4th of July with the wines of BERGEVIN, a Viognier, and a Sauvignon Blanc from Walla Walla, Washington Stae, ALSO : a " King of FEasts " Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles,  AND a ' La Garnde De Cote red blend of 50% Zinfandel and 50% Petite Sirah! Join Us   ALSO :   - O'CONNOR beer Norfolk, VA. A Lil S.I.P.A. IPA Session, a Guapo Agave , and a one more !   AND -   - 3 From WESTBROOK Brewing Company, Mt. Pleasant SC, 1) Key Lime Pie GOSE, 2) GOSE and 3) White Thai- written about above.   JOIN US!   SATURDAY, July 1st, We Have TWO Wine-Tastings -   1) Andrew Stover comes and pours some of these American wines listed above from 2-6PM, AND -   2) Nik Burgess and Julienne come and pour a series of fine California wines ( Nik and Julienne make one vineyard, the others are made by friends. ALSO : Nik and Julienne have vines growing here in Virginia in Front Royal! Come taste. The wines will be tasted from 5-8PM, sold and delivered later when they arrive from California! Any of the distributors reading this are encouraged to come and taste and decide if they want to represent these here in Washington DC ! I am thinking of you John and Theresa Morrison, you Estebe Salgado, you Narayan Campbell, and Noah Wallace, you Craig Mauro, you CB, and anyone else interested in adding fine California wines to their portfolios. TO BE TASTED : the wines of -  1) DICHOTOMY CELLARS in Kenwood, of Joe Hansen,  2) LA PITVHOUNE Winery, Santa Rosa, of Andrew Berge .. 3) FALCON CREST Winery, Thomasville, of Dan Schafer 4) Riveledge Vineyard, Culpeper, VA. from Nik Burgess, Russian River Valley and Sonoma, ...   JOIN US - let's celebrate the 4th of July early!   THANKS For Everything! You all are the very very very best! Cheers, happy early start to celebrating school being out and the many days of independence including our own! TONY                JUST HAD three young and ambitious, talented young men come from American University that are proposing to stores like us to do our solcial media and get their generation on board and aware fully of what we all offer here to you our customers. I like that kind of initiative. I reward and celebrate it. Jakob Ferraro at Ferraro@vfmarketing.com.   Jakob, at my request provided us here with a 6-page proposal and we read it carefully, liked what we saw in these three young professionals, liked their proposals, and weill hopefully work together at a later date as we need to work here and in life as a community. Cheers and good luck Jakob and team. JUST CROSSED THE STREET to get some lunch and was speaking with Marco that asked : " Have you heard that a lot of liquor stores are going out of business? " I said :  " No. I have not heard that. " He looked at me a bit incredulous. " " You have not heard that? " " No , I have not heard that. " He then asked : " What have you heard then? " I responded : " I have heard that a Chinese restaurant is going into Nam Viet and that either an organic Italian or French restaurant is going into Ripple. That was last week. I have not heard anything this week. "   I CONSIDER our store here a spirits store that sells equal amounts almost now of beer, liquor and wine, with cider and waters and sodas the rest. We are not just a liquor store, we are much more specific. We , like Cleveland Park, are a vibrant space that welcomes , embraces and certainly includes the world of spirits available to us all : as there is a need and an interest in it all as we are a community of people from all over the world living here in Cleveland Park.     WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW is an old store email that I wrote back on June 23rd, 2015 : read and enjoy it. If there is anything there you are interested in please check for current pricing and availability, vintage changes, etcetera!   I DO WANT TO PUT A PLUG IN for the art space across the street in the old 4 P's Irish bar space. I loved it. Being an artist it spoke to me of everything that is true about uncommercial art. Go and look carefully at everything, smile, breathe in the space, the large buckets of paint, the brushes, the words scattered all around that are previous works there, and talk to Mark. Mark will help you and give you a sense of what has already been there, and what is current, and what is scheduled to come soon. It all is one divine mess of a real work of art in progress, like performance art, enjoy saturating every fiber of yourself in ' thee moment ' you are there - it is real, it is raw, it is unedited and still becoming, aging, ... and so much more. It was a true inspiration to my pilgrim immigrant soul. spirit, being, essence : yes, si oui !   FROM BETTE & JALEO & Great GANETA Rose from Estebe Salgado of Tradewinds Specialty Imports last night at the Verizon Center ( old MCI Bette kept reminding us all ) as she sang her heart out and let everything spill freely and joyously, comically, mischievously from her in her running dialogue, constant smiling, mentioning her girls, too pretty much non-stop, saying that " everything you see here is real." LOVED that, loved her frankness, she's a consummate entertainer and thanked everyone, all her musicians, left the message on the Michelangelo two hands Sistine Chapel fresco ' Be Kind ', so true, all of us need to be as kind as we can.   ANYWAY, my wife and I enjoyed the Pre-Theater menu at Jaleo with a flight of three dry rosatos from around Spain, of course the GANETA ( Getariako Txakolina, in stock here now, even some chilled for this hot day of ours, brutally-hot! ) ), 2014, $21.99, 11% alcohol by volume , is from the Basque country, and Daniel our waiter said the three roses were from different regions of Spain. Though Estebe is happy to have his wine there, he would take exception to Daniel;s comment, and besides that, everything else was perfection and it was great sitting and eating our meal at the bar. Cheers, gracias Daniel!     I NEVER DID HEAR BETTE say what she likes to drink? Anyone know?   SO : What Ale, Beer & Cider From Santos?        1) ' Kirsch Gose ' Sour Cheery Bier from VICTORY Brewing, a 4-pack On Special for $10.99 for 12-ounce beers : " A bold and bright step outside the norm, this new twist on an old-world german brewing process excites your senses with the sharp and sweet burst of fresh cherries. Effervescent and sublime ... "From Downingtown, PA. , from Brewmaster Bill Ron, with only 4.7% alcohol by volume. Cheers!        2) ' Son Of A Peach ' Wheat Ale from RJ ROCKERS Brewing Company, in Spartanburg, SC., On Special for $10.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, with 5.8% alcohol by volume, : " This unfiltered American wheat ale made with real Carolina peaches has a real attitude problem. Call him ' sweet ' and he flips his lid. Most would take offense if he wasn't so darn tasty, Go ahead, savor the anger. "      3) ' Parallel 49 Brewing Co. ' TRICYCLE Grapefruit Radler, Beer with Grapefruit Juice, On Special for $10.99 for 4-pack of 12-ounce cans, with 3.5% alcohol by volume, product of Canada, a European-style Radler, a refreshingly crisp summer hybrid for you all to experience and feel totally refreshed! YES!!!        4) ' Uncle Jacob's ' Stout Batch No. 4 from AVERY Brewing Company, Boulder, Colorado, the Annual Barrel Series, $15.99 a 12-ounce bottle, with 16.9% alcohol by volume : slam the head, knock us all down! This is for you die-hard fans, serious beer, serious alcohol, serious flavors and taste, oh yeah!        5) Doppel Bock Schenkerla Oak Smole beer from Germany from AECHT Ochlenterla Fiche, for a 1 pint, $5.99,  ... " traditional beech has been - and still is - used, the malt for ' Schlenkerla Oak Smoke ' is kilned with oak wood... has a smoother and more multi-layered smoky note than the intensely aromatic Beech Smoke Malt... " With 8% alcohol by volume, go to : www.Smokebeer.com for more info and ideas how to best enjoy this thoroughly!     MALKIT JUST RELATED to me that many customers have been coming here thrilled to finally find some ginger beers, that they have asked in other stores and not found any. SO : we have the STOLI non-alcoholic cans I wrote about last week, the GOSLING diet and regular cans, too : and ALSO : BOTH the FEVER TREE : 1) Premium Ginger Beer and also the .. 2) Ginger Ale, BOTH at $6.49 a 4-pack of twelve-ounce bottles. WE ALSO HAVE the Crabbie's Ginger Beer, a 4-pack of 12-ounce bottles from England, $9.99. Cheers!     From Jagir & Malkit On Liquor/Liqueur :        1) Hazelnut Liqueur from FRATELLO, a luscious Italian Liqueur from the very best, the very finest Piemonte hazelnuts, $22.99, with 20% alcohol by volume, and amazing color, great bottle presentation, just glorious to sit around sipping slightly-chilled, this is a winner, come get some and enjoy late into the evenings when things are dark and slightly-cooler, with stars and a sliver-crescent of the moon to see and so many beads of necklace and bracelet flashing lightning bugs above you as well!        2) 901 Triple Distilled 100% Agave Silver Tequila from SAUZA, On Special for $21.99 a 750ml bottle, with 40% alcohol by volume, looks inviting!        3) Gran Reserva Solera 15 Blender Original Formula of Cuba from RON MATUSALEM, est. 1872, $31.99 a 750ml bottle, with 40% alcohol by volume, first produced in Santiago de Cuba in 1872 ... still going strong, still a favorite of many of our customers!      Cleveland Park Wine & Spirits 25 mins · WEDNESDAY WEEKLY Sparkling / Still-Wine 3-PART SALE : 1) BUY ANY $20 or MORE bottle of sparkling/still wine and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker price. 2) BUY ANY 6 Or MORE sparkling/still wines and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices. 3) BUY ANY 12 or MORE sparkling/still wines and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices. This includes port, sherry, marsala, madeira and sake. Call if you cannot come 202-363-4265 : BUY some Father's Day presents this was and SAVE! SAVE & SAVE MORE & SAVE STILL MORE!!!! DON'T FORGET : we have 6-Bottle Wine-Samplers On Sale for $58.99 a bottle : wow, six FANTABUlous wines all for under $10 a bottle each!      THE OUTER BANKS, any of you going there this year?!?   WINES 2 Drink / 2 Take On Vacation NOW :        1) Macabeo Dry Spanish white ( without sparkle, as it is often blended to make sparkling wine ) BLANCO, On Special for $9.99 a 750ml bottle, this REAL COMPANIA DE VINOS from the Vino de La Tierra De Castilla, with 13% alcohol by volume is soft, bright, really full and mellow and so very pleasing to sip and enjoy with many a meal. Highly recommended.        2) Dry Piemontese 100% Barbera Italian rose from Bricco Dei TATI, a lighter, brighter, delicate salmon color, On Special for $8.49 is drinking beautifully : lighter, brighter, silkier than past vintages, perfect in price and taste to enjoy daily now with this intense heat and humidity that is caking us, layering and smothering us down.        3) Spicy 2013 Shiraz from TANGLED TREE in Robertson, South Africa is rich and full and rounded-flavorful with accents of spice and warmth and extra rich flavors, that, when chilled 30 minutes come together and fill our palates completely with satisfaction and flare, and coming in a plastic bottle weighs less, will not break, $9.99 a bottle, with 13.5% alcohol by volume : come taste all these delicious dark berries of flavors!      4) Bourgogne dry White Burgundy using ' the OTHER Burgundy grape - the Aligote ', $14.49 a bottle, for Raphael Mallon,, with 12% alcohol by volume, from NAUDIN-FERRAND, this is a perfect wine to enjoy with most meals that are suited to this extra heat and humidity, enjoy outside in the shade!   ALL THESE WINES are Highly Recommended. We do not have a favorite, except for if one matches up better to the specifics of any gathering-event! Cheers.        5) Chardonnay 2013 from Australia's Western southern tip at Denmark, from WEST CAPE HOWE, $16.99 a bottle, 13.5% alcohol by volume, softer, lighter, brighter taste, also LEAN&GREEN : this lightweight bottle saves 21% glass resulting in a lower carbon footprint. Go to : www.capehowewines.com.au for more info. Cheers, thanks Gavin Berry!        6) ' Rigole Rosso ' 2012 from Italy's Friuli region, from the TENUTA TOMASELLA, since 1965, this dry red blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Refosco, $19.99 a bottle, with 12.5% alcohol by volume, is tasty, distinct, a really glorious food wine, medium-to-lighter-bodied, chill 30 minutes and enjoy with many a summer, hot weather meal and BE AMAZED!      7) Saint George grape / also called Aghiorghitiko from Nemea, Greece, this 2011 dry red from SKOURAS , $21.99, with 13.5% alcohol by volume, is a really fine food wine with great acidity and some muscle from the tannins, with some hearty structure, enjoy this with a grilled or barbecue meal, chill 30 minutes to help focus and enliven the flavors and to cut through this 95 degree weather going on outside and all around right now!      8) Questo Non E Un Vino Tranquilo , this ' Osa! ' made from the indigenous Frappato Sicilain grape grown in south-eastern Sicily, a dry and elegant and fleshy-but-not-heavy rosato/rose from PAOLO CALI, $26.99 a bottle, with 13.5% alcohol by volume, will be tasted here this Saturday by Robert Kennedy.   Robert will be here Saturday, June 27th, 2015 from 2-6PM. Made with 100% Frappato grapes, this is a real beauty. It will go On Sale this weekend for our tasting as we drop the price on the bottle! So be prepared to be blown away by this delightful dry Sicilian rose of breed, elegance, romance and finery, the finest finery finely-fluted-flowered,fragrant, fresh foreverness-of-rosatos! I do play with my word selections, I do , I do , I do!          9) Dry white 100% Assyrtiko Greek wine from the island of Santorini, made by DOMAINE SIGALAS, $33.99, on the Aegean Sea, with 13.5% alcohol by volume, WOW : this wine impresses, it is beautiful, it is attractive, it is seductive, it is immediate, it shoots right out and covers the entire palate with added luxury and illustrious gladnness/madness and ' so-right ' gladness! I really do love this special dry Santorini Assyrtiko dry soft spledid white : silky fine. Highly recommended, too.       10) ' Piria ' dry and velvety and lighter-brighter-finer-PURER Lambrusco red flavors and tastes , a Lambrusco Di Sorbara vino frizzante secco, using 70% Lambrusco Sorbara and 30% Lambrusco Salamino , with 11.5% alcohol by volume, we like this so much it will be poured here this Saturday June 27th, 2015 from 2-6PM by Robert Kennedy, and we will rock it with both this ' Piria ' red and well as the ' BIanco ' Lambrusco from PALTRINIERI, Agenda Agricola PALTRINIERI Gianfranco, from Sorbara, Italy to be exact, with 11.5% alcohol, from the 2013 vintage, Alberto the owner and winemaker does a really splendid job with all of his Lambruscos!    WEEK'S TASTINGS :        Friday, June 26th, 2015  ( 5-8PM ) : We have Christina of Kysela Pere et Fils here to taste her fine French and Spanish wines with us. Starting with two Vouvray wines, on sparkling, one not : 1) CHATEAU GAUDRELLE Brust sparkling from Alexandre Monmousseau, clean, crsip, bright, tangy-tart, On Special for $20.99 a bottle ... 2) ' Clos Le Vigneau ' 2013 still/non-sparkling Vouvray from Alexandre Monmousseau, $19.99, 2013, with 12.5% alcohol by volume, with argilo and calcaire in the soil, this is a really silky, smooth, bright dry taste that is so nice to sip and smile and smirk and surf the the skies, the clouds, the hills, the beach, the lakes, the tree lines, hills and valleys ... and feast one's eyes while to taste and sip and feast your palates, too! Highly recommended, they all are : these are all real gems!  3) Albarino Edicion Especial 10 anos, $15.49 a bottle, from Spain's Rias Biaxas, from VALMINOR, $15.49 a bottle, the 2013 vintage, 12.5% alcohol by volume, ... lovely, refreshing! 4) Dry red and flavorful Rioja 2011, from VINSACRO, On Special for $19.99 a bottle, with 14% alcohol by volume, so wonderful, it is a delight, balanced, flavorful, perfectly-almost-yeah-certainly-right!   ALSO : From Santos we have a FOOTHILLS Beer tasting from 5-8PM, Winston-Salem, NC, three types : an IPA " Hoopyum ", a 6-pack, $11.99, a Wheat and a Pilsner 6-pack at $10.99. Join us.   Saturday, June 27th, 2015, We have from 4-7PM a BLUE MOON beer tasting that Santos has organized.   THANK YOU ALL for everything, hope all is well, I have some wonderful wines from William Harrison open to taste tonight so come on by and have a taste with me, what a fun way to enjoy this late afternoon, early evening. Follow us on Twitter at : cpwinespirits, LIKE us on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wine & Spirits, and check put our web page at  : Cleveland Park Wines ... cheers, thanks again for everything!     AND DO NOT FORGET BETTE MIDLER'S parting words from her concert last night : Be Kind! Cheers,  TONY 6/23/2015   ALSO : We have Robert Kennedy from his own RWK Imports specialty Italian Wines coming to pour an assortment from Emilia with two Lambrusco wines, from PALTRINIERI, a dry bianco and a dry rosso, some Sicilian Frappato dry rose, and some incredible Romagna Sangiovese, too from Silvie : all wonderful, balanced, tasty and distinct! Cheers, JOIN US, everyone always more than welcome here. The more the merrier!     North Carolina and feeling a bit disoriented as a result of cooler weather there as well as a lovely breeze and very few mosquitoes. It was pretty magnificent there and I am happy to say that it was quite relaxing : almost to the point that I was concerned that I was doing so very little at times. Working on a Walt Disney puzzle that was perhaps the hardest that I have ever seen with a scene from the animated film " Under The Sea ". We did finish it I am happy to report.        I WAS ALSO ABLE TO DO SOME DRAWING and even more important record myself drawing with my Flip camera on three occasions I believe? The body surfing was also key here and the waves did manage to make me scrape my chest on the very first wave that I rode. I was much more careful after that.Wave-running with my son was also a big highlight for me : my main job being to hold on and not fall off as he steered and zoomed and I had to keep my cap from flying off every split second as well as not losing my balance and landing way behind in the wake of our waves. That was challenging, let me tell you. But I did manage somehow.        HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR VACATION or time-off with family and loved ones.        WHAT ARE YOUR " Big Plans "? May we be of any assistance here in helping you to relax and enjoy yourselves to the very max and to the fullest extensions of your fingers and toes and hairs wild and tame on head, arms and legs?!        I AM ALSO HAPPY TO REPORT that ( on my trip at the Outer Banks ) there was also plenty of wine to go around. I was, of course the master of wine ceremonies as well as of cheeses and crackers. Our " Happy Hours " would start later in the afternoon and extend on into the wee hours and depending on our own remaining stashes of energies, enthusiasms, catching of dreams, chasing of fantasies and trails of conversations and many words on many books. Picture-taking was a key element as well as there were so many Kodak moments to preserve as we do not see one another very often and so we have to " max-out " on our time together.      THE WINE FLOWED SO EASILY ( At The Outer Banks ) BECAUSE many of our wine reps were nice enough to drop off some samples each for me to take to Salvo, North Carolina. Thanks to them my extended family as immediate one did quite well and we enjoyed many great wines as well as stories and " new " shared moments together with broad smiles, giggles, outright laughs and moments of discovery, too.        SINCE THE WINES WERE SAMPLES I WILL mention in their places several similar wines that we currently have here in the store. I will naturally speak to our reps and inquire about buying some of these wines for the store : probably to arrive here in August.        MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW for Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 ( 5:30-8:30PM ) when we have our " Big-Theme FRENCH Loire Valley Wine-Tasting with many dry reds and whites that also include some sparkling, some rose wines and some off-dry as well. We have invited some of the most informed and qualified people in the business to be here like Danny Haas of Vineyard Brands, as well as Roy Cloud of Vintage 59 Imports and Charles Noel Gendrot of Williams Corner Selections. Jeremy Sutton of Kysela Imports will also be here pouring his wines. There should be something for everyone. The Loire Valley makes lots of great wines to be enjoyed in the heat and the humidity and so we will discover different towns and areas, grapes and styles and levels of dryness as well as of minerality and citrus, too. Here are some of the wines being considered for pouring :          From Charles Gendrot ( Williams Corner ) -      1) J. MOURAT Collection Rouge 2010 ( $16.99, sustainable agriculture ), from the Fiefs Vendeens region      2) DOMAINE DE LA BERGERIE Rose De Loire 2010 ( $15.99 ), Anjou            3) Bernard Baudry Chinon dry rose 2010, $19.99      4) Bernard Baudry Chinon Estate dry red Cabernet Franc " Les Granges " 2009 ( $24.99 )       and more being considered ...           From Roy Cloud ( Vintage 59 ) -       1)09 BOVE Sparkling Chenin Blanc ,$15.99       2) 09 BRAGER Muscadet, $14.99       3) GARRELIERE Cendrillon Sauv. Bl., $24.99       4) 10 Sancerre MERLIN-CHERRIERE,$29.99       5) 09 ROCHER , Montlouis white, $27.99       6) GARRELIERE Touraine Blanc, $19.99       7) GARRELIERE Touraine Rouge, $19.99           From Danny Haas -       1) DOM. DE BERNIER Chard 10,       2) Muscadet De RAGOTIERE 09       3) PATIENT COTTAT'S Sauv Blanc 2009       4) DELAPORTE Sancerre 2009       5) BERTIERS Pouilly Fume 2009       6) BERTHIERS Pouilly Fume Cuvee Eve 2008       7) Vouvray Cotteaux de la Biche 2009       8) PICHOT Vouvray 2010           From Jeremy Sutton ( Kysela ) -      Jeremy has a variety from his three sparkling Loire Valley wines, a dry light-bodoed and inexpensive Chardonnay, a Vouvray, and a biodynamic L'ECU Muscadet, too ... and more.      THINGS ARE STILL BEING WORKED OUT and so more will follow next week. Feel assured that you will learn lots about the Loire Valley at this tasting.      ALL WINES WILL BE ON SALE by the bottle at this tasting. Bring family and friends. Cheers.        BACK TO TODAY and the HERE and the NOW and the heat and the strong sunshine and the need and desire to chill. Here are some great suggestions, the first of which I took to the beach and enjoyed thoroughly this past week:           Reds:       1) 2008 Chianti Colli Senesi ( $16.99 ) from VALDIPIATTA. It drinks so smoothly, so wonderfully , so brightly. It's a charmer and a pleaser and a thorough delight no matter which way you taste or evaluate it. I'm thrilled to have it here as it tasted great even with all the heat and direct, over-head sunshine of the Outer Banks. Lovely, really lovely and such a bouquet and rich color, too. I highly recommend this for now.        THREE REDS From West Virginia -        ALL OFF-DRY and fun       1) WEST WHITEHILL Sweet Mountain Spice Wine ( $10.99)       2) WEST WHITEHILL Raspberry Royale ( $10.99)       3) WEST WHITEHILL Highland Mist Blush Wine ( $10.99, with natural flavors of orange and lemon)...      CHILL ALL THREE and just enjoy with or without any food. Fruit baskets would be nice, of course as well as some dark chocolates, too : and so much more.        MORE REDS -      1) 2009 Cotes-Du-Rhone from Charles Thomas ( $9.99 ) was tasted here just this past Saturday with some of you lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time! It sold really well but we still have some for you now. Don't wait too long , it will sell quickly.      2) MARCHIGUE Carmenere 2010 Gran Reserva, from Chile's Colchagua Valley, this dry red Carmenere On Special for $14.99 is a real,beauty with a great bottle and label and once tasted by you it will win you over immediately : even with this really hot and bright weather. What a winning taste.           SOME SURPRISES IN WHITES -       1) TERRANOBLE 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from Chile's Central Valley ( $7.99 ) is so dry and bright and refreshing and light enough for this heat and blaze/craze ... and the price is wonderful, too!       2) ROSENBLUM Cellars Vintner's Cuvee California 2009 Chardonnay ( $9.99 ) has just the right amount of flavorful butter and oak tastes and at this price I predict that it will become a big favorite for a number of our customers.It showed beautifully the other day. Not my style at all but really well-made and also a value.       3) KENWOOD 2009 Pinot Gris Sonoma County at $10.99 is a real steal! KENWOOD is on a roll and makes some really classy, well-balanced wines and has stood the test of time. What a lovely dry, aromatic white at a ridiculous price, too!       4) HUSCH " La Ribera Vineyards " estate-bottled 2010 Mendocino Chenin Blanc ( $13.99 ) is hugely popular here with a number of our customers. We tasted it out here this past Saturday with Nolan and it sold quite well once again. It's very forward and very bright and the rich fruit Chenin Blanc flavors just jump right out of the glass before you even have a chance to weigh-in or have an opinion on it or not. Not shy at all : quite the contrary - quite extroverted in fact. Charming and full of character and pizzaz! Cheers.       5) LA VAL Dry White Albarino Spanish white from the Rias Baixas region ( $19.99 ) was just tasted here this past Saturday by Estebe to quite a favorable response. We still have a few bottles left of the brustling and totally refreshing dry white made with Spain's famous Albarino grape that is still it's most famous after many years of competition from other grapes like the Verdejo and the Verdelho and Godello grapes, just to mention a few.           SOME DELIRIOUSLY Delectable Roses -       1) VITIANO Dry Umbrian Rosato blend of Merlot and Sangiovese is really quite amazing. So much more flavorful with more personality than most and at the ridiculous price of only $6.99 a bottle. It's the 2008 vintage and for many bottles of rose that would be the end of them but for the VITIANO dry roses their life spans are long and glorious. How refreshing to hear. Cheers.       2) 2010 Touraine Dry Rose from the DOMAINE DE BELLEVUE ( $10.99 ) has consistently been one of the most popular dry roses and we are thrilled to have it here. It's so bright and refreshing and so perfect for this intense heat and scolding sunshine now...          HEY SANTOS, What BEER Do You Have:       1) BROTHERS Reserve " THe Beer " ( $9.49 22 Fl Oz bottle, 9.5% alc. by volume , limited release #4 Spring 2011 ) Galaxy Hopped, Barleywine Ale, " ale brewed with huskless malt and Belgian candy sugar ".       2) WEYERBACHER " Slam Dunlel " Double Dunkelweizen Ale ( On Special $6.99   , 12 Fl. Oz, 7% alc. by volume, 4-pack ) is brand, spanking new!       3) PAULANER Salvator Double Bock Munchen ( $9.49 a 6-pack of 11.2 Fl. Oz Bottles, 7.9% alc. by volume , www.paulanerusa.com, from Munich, Germany ) is a special order for a good customer and we liked it so much we ordered some for the store as well. Oh yeah ...        Oh Ravi, What You Have In Liquor?!? -       1) JEREMIAH WEED Blended Bourbon Whiskey 90 Proof On Special for $14.99 a 750ml bottle. From Norwalk, CT distilling company ...  www.jeremiahweed.com for more info.       2) Pear Williams Alto Adige-Sudtirol ( $37.99 a 750ml bottle, 40% alc. by volume, Osterreichischer Williamsbrand ) pear brandy is also " new and exciting ".       3) HIGH WEST Distillery " The 36th Vote " Barreled Manhattan ( $54.99 ) is Manhattan made with rye whiskey and vermouth, 37% alcohol by volume is also " new and exciting". So much that's new to consider. This is a good thing. " The 36th Vote commemorates Utah's role as the deciding vote to end Prohibition".       4) ATLANTICO Ron Private Cask Rum from the Dominican Republic ( $29.99 ) will be here tomorrow or this week anyway. It's owned in part by singer Enrique Iglesias and I believe that we will be tasting it here shortly. Sounds pretty exciting. Will Enrique be here for the tasting? We sure do hope so. Perhaps we could get him to sing a couple of songs during the tasting? What do you say Enrique?!? Venga aqui por favor ...            WEEK'STASTINGS :      Friday, July 15th, 2011 ( 5-8PM ) : We have wine rep Ann Skillman back again to taste her wines from India called THE GOOD EARTH which includes a dry, spicy, flavorful 2998 Reserve Shiraz "  Brio "( $22.99 ), an earthy and old-world style Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ( On Special for $19.99 the " Basso " ; and a dry white Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ( $16.99 ) : all three from Nashik, India. Join us, the wines are exceptionally nice and great with flavorful meals as they all have tons of character and personality. Nothing light-hearted or innocuous here. Oops, that was last Friday! Were you all here? Thanks Ann for the tasting. Sorry I missed it but I was at the Outer Banks chilling.      Friday, July 22nd, 2011 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Jeremy Sutton of Kysela Pere Et Fils here to taste a selection of his wines from France, Austria, Spain, and Italy.          Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 ( 2-6PM ) : We have Matt of Washburn Imports here tasting some of his excellent selections which will include Chile and California and France I believe. What fun! Matt brings a lot of experience to the table here with him. He's been a really fine Washington D.C. waiter for years and can answer questions about that, too if you are interested.      I WANT TO THANK all our reps for helping Greg and myself last Saturday here as we were both off. I hear that things went really well. We could not have done it without your help Jeremy, Estebe, Jody, Chris and Nolan. It's nice knowing that we can be away occasionally as we certainly lefy our customers in your professional and capable hands. Thanks again.          I AM SURE THAT I HAVE MISSED MANY THINGS but it's time to get this email to press and release it into the infinite cyberspace that is both exciting and mysterious, too. Come check on us and learn more at : www.clevelandparkwine.com, on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits, on Twitter at : cpwinespirits, and at : chatwine.blogspot.com,chatpoetry.blogspot.com , too. Tell us what we may improve here. Let's always work together as a team. Some of the best work done ever is because of team work. Cheers and thanks as always for all of your support now and over the years. Let us know what we may do better for you all to repay in part your support and kindness. Take care,  TONY

Sadly We Say Bye Bye To Both Ripple & Nam Viet Here In The Next Few Days Of June, 2017 : Come By ASAP & Dine & Enjoy A Last Meal Or Two While You Still Have The Time! Nam Viet Closes Saturday, June 24th!

     

Cleveland Park Beer, Liquor & Wine Featuring a wide, international selection of fine wines, micro-brews and spirit

We all need to be in more of a cleveland park state-of-mind. we need to spend more time looking around us here in our neighborhood & Appreciating what we have fully.   I was just saying that as patronage goes down here prices usually rise and that makes many of you think we are being greedy and not keeping your interests at heart. NOT TRUE : we have to pay high rents to be here and have to make a profit to keep our doors open as customers come through less and perhaps order more goods on line?   there is more competition, more choices for you all, we know that, we all are trying our best to keep our doors open for you, prices down, and our service to you as good as we possibly can.   that being said we are saddened to be saying ' Bye , Aurevoir, hasta luego, a la prochaine, a presto ' to both the two fine restaurants of Ripple and Nam Viet here on our block that close their doors before the end of june.   What follows below is an old store email I wrote and sent on June 17th, 2014 : read and enjoy it if you have time, here is today's from Tuesday, June 20th, 2017.   HOPE YOU ALL enjoyed a great Father's Day weekend. My family took me to the Sprinfield Manor Winery and Distillery outside of Frederick, MD, to visit their wonderful lavender fields on the hill, drenched in bright sunshine and heat Sunday, but saved by the constant, cooling breeze!   I AM SAD to say that I did not sample anything, either the wines of the distilled spirits, : too hot, and the wines were made from grapes from other states and not Maryland alone. Oh well, felt better as a result on a horribly hot and dangerous day, and was able that evening to enjoy more of the @PaoloCalli wines of southern Sicily that we tasted here with you all this past Saturday night with owner/ winemaker Paolo Calli himself, and importer @RobertKennedy between 6:30-8:30PM. Many of you got signed gift bottles from Paolo, lots of smiles, great cheer and moments to treasure. We even had someone play their harmonica here for Paolo - that was a ' first ' here!   WALKING AROUND the store just now collecting my / our thoughts and seeing what ' goodies ' we need to write about today and share our wealth of riches with you?!? Have found many and will start with them now :     IN BEER From Santos Rivera we have :           1) Hefeweizen Grapefruit Bier imported from Germany, On Special for $8.99 a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans, that is perfectly refreshing for this hot weather with low humidity today and tomorrow I believe. Come get some, Santos keeps it in our silver cooler up front across from our register.        2) Pilsner POLESTAR from LEFT HAND Brewing Company, $11.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, with 5.5% alcohol by volume, : " a zesty German-style Pilsner with great biscuity malt flavor and a dry, crisp finish. " Yes, love seeing a Pilsner for a change, nice for this heat, too.             TWO From UPLAND Sour Ales :        1) Dry-Hopped Sour Ale " Hopsynth " , ale aged in oak barrels with fresh hops, On Special for $8.99  for a 500ml bottle, from Bloomington, Indiana, : " A Blended Work Of Art - We developed HopSynth by blending younger batches of our blonde base sour Basis, then dry-hopping with new and experimental varieties of hops, This non-traditional combination results in a unique balance of tart and hoppy flavors as well as a range of hop aromas including pine, tropical fruits and citrus notes. " YES to all the above!        2) Limited Sour Ale ' Revive ' , same size as above, On Special for $8.99, : " Let this bottle Revive your beer drinking experience. A unique blend of pineapple and chamomile meets our base sour blob=nde ale. Discover our wood-aged sour with the unique combination of fruit and spice, producing lively aromas of citrus fruit and herbs with tart flavors of apple, pineapple and stone fruits. " Liqueurs / Liquors From Jagir :          1) Allspice Dram from ST. ELIZABETH , a tradition of the West Indies, $35.99 a bottle, with 22.5% alcohol by volume : tweek many a drink with a dram of Allspice, yes, from Austria : " From its origins in the tropical hills and valleys of Jamaica, the allspice berry has for generations been prized for its exceptional tastes of citrus, cinnamon and nutmeg and pepper note that dazzles the palate. The allspice liqueur known in classic cocktails as ' Pimento Dram ', brings together the fine pot-still rum and allspice berries of Jamaica. " Enjoy in punches, mulled wine, and with continental and land cuisine, too.        2) Double Expresso from VAN GOGH , On Special for $25.99 a bottle, with 35% alcohol by volume, , this is a brilliant naturally-infused expresso flavored vodka that may be enjoyed in so many ways : find your own, be proactive and creative, let your imaginations soar.        3) Dry Rye GIN from ST. GEORGE , handcrafted in California, On Special for $39.99 a bottle, with 45% alcohol by volume, I loved this becasue it has an aroma of mangos and I love mangos, the taste is smooth, bright, rich and lingers in a really pleasing way, too!        4) Grapefruit Bitters that is ideal as a cocktail flavoring, from BITTER TRUTH, $11.99 a 300ml bottle, all natural, from Germany, with 44% alcohol by volume, this is a great refresher in a cocktail, two-three splashes and your tongue and palate with feel so much more alive and free and happy!            WINE From Chris & Tony -        1) A Merlot, A Cabernet Sauvignon , and a Cabernet Franc, THREE reds from the Domaine BASSAC, All three On Special for $9.99 a bottle, all distinctly different, made from organic grapes, all fruit-forward and fruit-centerd : all delicious now for this weather. Tasted here last Saturday by Andrew Stover.        3) THREE From The MERKIN Vineyards : from Maynard Keenan : A) " Tarzan ' 2013 New Mexico dry red blend of  88% Tempranillo and 12% Primitivo - a lovely elegance, not heacy, fruit-centered and lighter!$38.49 .. B) " Chupacabra " 2015 Arizona dry blend of 45% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 15% Mourvedre - a lively frisky and fresh expression of these three grapes, a delight to sip even in this heat,$28.49 a bottle. C) " Shinola " 2013 New Mexico dry red blend of  44% Sangiovese, 26% Montepulciano 16% Dolcetto, 7% Refosco , 7% Primitivo: a bit fuller with the extra bottle age, still delightful in this hot weather : ALL THREE should be chilled 40 minutes or so and then enjoyed!     OUTSTANDING French Champagne, Value, Too :        1) Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot Premier Cru RM ( Recoltant Manipulant - own and do everything themsleves from start-to-finish ), $41.99 a bottle, a Brut dry Tradition, this is amazing : weight, body, bread and dough, complexity, presence, character, and such an amazing low price : love it!   WONDERFUL Portuguese Red Dao -        1) Colheita Selecionada desde 1990 / in perpetuum, from CABRIZ, $13.49,  a flavorful, complex medley of flavors from the blend of 40% Alfrochero , 40% Tinta-Roriz, and 20% Touriga-Nacional - loved it with food when I first tasted it, fine with things off your grill yes!       WOW : Burgundy French Wines : 3 White Chardonnays, 4 Red Pinot Noirs -             WHITES -        1) Chardonnay old-vines / vieilles vignes from the CHATEAU DE SANTENAY, 2015, $27.49 : I was thoroughly impressed with this wine, the flavors, the unique taste, the body and the bright long finish, lovely.        2) ' Le Jarron ' 2013 Deux Montille from a sister and brother ( soeur - frere ) team : and they knocked it out of the park with this Saint-Romaine Chardonnay with so many levels of flavor, such intense appeal and presence, such an impact , and balanced completely, a jewel always, and one that will improve with more age, On Special for $46.99 a bottle.        3) Meursault dry white 100% Chardonnay from the DOMAINE Jean-Michel Gaunoux, 2013, On Special from $75.99, a firmer, more lean and muscular, more svelte and mature yet youthful taste of Chardonnay that is so slow to open and reveal all of it's charms, and yet rushing it would be the worst thing that you could ever do! Well-worth the delay, the time, the effort, the patience, the unwillingness to march along to the beat of this very special white Burgundy from the town of Meursault!           REDS -        1) 2015 Bourgogne Rouge 100% Pinot Noir from the CHATEAU DE SANTENAY , made from old-vines / vieilles vignes, this is also quite impressive, more body and presence and flavor than I would have expected, and youthful and balanced, slow to open, do not rush it.        2) " Herbuottes ' Morey-Saint-Denis from Frederic Magnien, a 2013, On Special for $43.99, this is a tasty, youthful, rustic, a meatier, more grip, more girth and a bit of the ' savage - primitive ' cry of these Pinot Noir clones that howl their existences to us in joy, pain, hope and brilliant survival! Yes.        3)  " Seuvrees Vieilles-Vignes / Old-Vines, from the Domaine Michel Magnien, 2013, $55.99 : I liked the more lean, the more kind-mean texture and attitude here, a stamp of these Pinot Noir feet letting us know that though often considered mor of a lamb, here the wolf or the bull wants to assert itself, too : a treat with a meal. Slow and steady, steady and slow, like the tortoise, this wine already is a winner and when it crosses the finish line we will al break out in a big smile that will connect into one representing all of us . YES!        4) 2013 Volnay 1er Cru ' Les Champans ' No 00470 from the Domaine Joseph Voillot, mis en bouteille a la prprete, from Volnay, Burgundy, France, On Special for $82.99 a bottle : this is quite backward, quite rustic and still dark, closed, a bit self-centered and less open at this point to the world around it. It might need the most babying/coaxing and coddling, the most patience. Do not be in a rush, put it away for a rainy special day in five years or so. Wait and you will be greatly rewarded, leprechans standing by the pot of gold at the endo of a brilliant rainbow of Pinot Noir colors, accents, nuances, highs-to-lows-and-back-again, It will be amazing, now it is partially asleep. Wednesdays is always SAVE ON WINE DAY @CPWineSpirits!     3 ( THREE ) Ways To SAVE -   TWO Ways To SAVE Up To 20% Off Sticker Price   ONE Way to SAVE Up To 15% Off Sticker Price   CALL ( 202-363-4265 ) and pay if you cannot come, but always SAVE every Wednesday on your wine purchases here.   CALL and ask for Chris or Tony ( me ) for all the details. ALSO : One Insane Deal -        1) Viognier 2015 from the Chateau BURGOZONE , their ' Cote de DANUBE ', On Special for $9.99, regularly $15.99 a bottle. This is a lean, greatly impressive dry and structured, lively, jostling, forward-tasting, fresh and enthusiastic youthful Viognier that shows some real maturity of composition and character, too ! Love it, LOVE the low price, only a bit more than two cases here now! Come get some quick!     WEEK'S Tastings :   Wednesday, June 21st, 2017 ( tomorrow, we have Valerie of Winesellers Ltd, an old friend, we have done so many great events and tastings together here and also next door at Nam Viet with her German wine selections ( we have also done the same thing at Dino's restaurant on the corner here before it left to the Shaw neighborhood ), and so tomorrow we will taste here with Valerie the following :             TWO German Whites -        1) Dr Heyden 2015 Rheinhessen  Silvaner troken- dry alte Reben - old vines  estate-bottled  from winemaker and owner Frank, a treat, an amazing German white from the Silvaner grape, a beauty!        2) 2015 Riesling DR. THANISCH Erben Muller-Burggraff , Mosel $16.49, from another great friend Barbara Rindquest , Feinherb, with 10% alcohol by volume, this has got a lilting brace of acids that keeps the whole Riesling taste on our palates very bouyant! LOve it, thanks Barbara.             TWO Aussie Red Shiraz Wines - HOPE Estate Family Vineyards , Hunter Valley & Western Australia -        1) Shiraz ' The Ripper ' Geographe Western Australia, from owner Michael Hope that has been here many times in the past. 2013, $20.99, 14.5% alcohol by volume, this is leaner, meaner, more gruff and hearty like one of the trolls under the bridge that insists on being reckoned with! Great food Shiraz.        2) Shiraz Basalt Block Hunter Valley New South Wales, 2013, $16.49 a bottle : this is rounder, softer, more silky and soft and less bite or tannins, the more mellow and pleasing to sip of the two!             ONE Fine Port from Portugal -        1) Ruby Reserve Lote No. 601 Portofrom QUINTA De La ROSA, 500ml bottle, 19.5% alcohol by volume, with extra layers of buffering and calming, soothing and pleasing flavors that coddle and comfort and relieve stress, anguish, despair and worrying ! This is a winner, chill for 40 minutes before serving and enjoy the exotic magic carpet ride this affords our palates and our tongues - true pals to all of us!   Graham Isaac from the Country Vintner will also be here with Valerie : we will rock it here tomorrow. JOIN US.     FRIDAY, June 23rd, 2017 ( 5-8PM ) : We are welcoming Jeff of LVDH to come here and pour some of his fine selections that he represents brought to us by Alan Cohen and Laurent Vonderheyden : French , Italian, Chilean, and more!   ALSO :   We Have JoAnn returning from TWIN VALLEY distributors in Rockville, MD to taste a selection that includes the ' new and small-production - less than 30 bottles each month - JZE Cask Strength Bourbon whiskey , too, what a great treat this will be with  Four-Grain Rye and Thoroughbred and more, JoAnn is great at making these MD spirits come fully alive, too.     ALSO :   We have Sophia of the DR. STONER'S -        1) Fresh Herb flavored vodka, like non-other that you have ever tasted as it is layered and redolent, thick, viscous and flowing and fragrant and almost exotically perfumed if you can imagine any of this come and taste it, and BE AMAZED! On Special for $29.99 a bottle.        2) Smoky Herb flavored whiskey, On Special for $29.99 a bottle, with 42% alcohol by volume, : AGAIN_ amazingly thick, the bouquet alone will make you think of none-other than winning the ' pot ' of liquid gold that will not burn up in smoke but will coddle and please, rock and cradle you and your palate and all your senses into a state of total relaxation. Cannot believe this till you try it!     SATURDAY, June 24th, 2017 ( 2-6PM ) : With Andrea Shank of Tradewinds Specialty Imports we will taste a medley of Spain and Argentina here :             FOUR Sherries from ALEXANDRO : aavailable in 375ml and 750ml bottles - 1) Finos dry, 2) Manzanilla soft silky dry, 3) Amontillade a sharper nitty-honey dry, and ... 4) Cream that rolls around, lulls, languishes, caresses the tongue, throat, wallls of your mouth, teases your lips, a real pleasing tease and symphony of liquid sherry textures to absorb, yes!        ALSO :   Andrea will taste the FABulous  -        1) Spanish sparkling Cava from ROSSIGNOL de Moragas , their dry rose, $16.49 a bottle, 12% alcohol by volume, a lovely refresher in this heat, along with the bolder Malbec from CHANARMUYO, a 2014 La Rioja, Argentina dry red of Malbec, their Reserva bottling, $21.49, chill 40 minutes and serve, with 14% alcohol by volume, from the Valle de Chanarmuyo ... a fine food dry red, best with a meal.   JOIN US : ALL these tastings are free and meanto to educate , entertain, introduce you to more wine, people, experiences, expose you and you palate and senses to ' new and exciting ' sensations!   Bring family and friends, ...   Everyone always welcome here!   THANKS For Everything. You all are the best , the creme de la creme, the top-niveau, the salt of the earth, and we love you.     ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD there is so much to say :   SAD that RIPPLE is leaving us as they have been great neighbors, a great inspiriation and fun and exciting and with such quality and attention to detail, to local, to small-batch, farm-produced produce and always serving up some of the very freshest and the very best. Thank you Roger, thank you waiters, staff, bartenders, chefs and all the staff that have made our lives here all that more special. Good luck to you in your new location. You will be sorely missed, and the void will be impossible to replicate.   SAD, TOO To be losing NAM VIET Restaurant this ame month of June, 2017. Mr and Mrs Toi, son Ricky and his brother and sister have all been a big part of this neighborhood now for twenty years. I have already written a lot about this so go to our Facebook page to read more at : @ClevelandParkWine&Spirits. Cheers,   THANKS To you Ripple and Nam Viet. You have been truly magnificent!   BOTH Ripple and Nam Viet close by this weekend I believe? Maybe next Tuesday and Wednesday are the last days? Check, go by, have a meal, celebrate their food, excellent service and what they have added here. Neither will be replacable : each had their own uniqueness and special qualities, a sad loss indeed for us. Makes me cry almost, I stop short of that, but it is hard. SHOP LOCAL, find things to try and to experiement with. Participate, engage your retailers and restauranteurs. Do not be silent, tell us your concerns, give us all a second and a third chance, try and be as excited as you can here in your own neighborhood because we need you as much as we need you. Let us work closer together, grow stronger together, flourish, smile, beam together.   EVERY SALE or every meal that we do not get hurts us and makes it harder for us to stay healthy bright alive and completely here and present for you, with the means to truly answer your needs, It takes a village, a neighborhood, a Cleveland-Park-State-Of-Mind and committment.   ALWAYS express your concerns, your issues, what does not work so we may adjust, correct, deal with them while we still can before moving out , away, and out of your lives.   CHEERS, I am by nature a positive and optimistic person, and I say all of this only becasue I care.   THANKS again to you all, TONY 6/20/2017                       LIFE IS HOT HERE NOW IN Cleveland Park & You All Need To Know Why You Should .... be drinking wine for the world cup and not Beer, cider or liquor instead...   1) They make wine in brazil and it's quite good!  RESPONSE : They make wine all over the world and it's quite good, too!   2) THEY WORLD CUP is being held in Brazil this year!   RESPONSE : It's been held in many other countries like Italy and Greece and the United States and many other countries, so?!?   3) PEOPLE NEED TO DISCOVER the fine quality of wines from Brazil as they are still largely undiscovered, no one knows much about them?   RESPONSE : That  can be said about many areas of the world like Croatia that played against Brazil on Thursday, June 12th, 2014 and lost their match to Brazil. We should have all been drinking their wine to make them feel a wee bit better?   4) THEY DON'T MAKE CACHACA Rum in other parts of the world?   RESPONSE : They do make many other rums in places like Venezuela, Trinidad, Martinique, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Nicaragua,  and so many other countries as well, so?!?   5) THEY DON'T MAKE BEER in other countries like they do in Brazil! I mean, what about another XINGU Black beer from the Amazon, where else can you get that?!?   RESPONSE : Try some GUINNESS Man and get a grip with more bite, more guts and intensity, not so mild as XINGU. The Italians that just beat England make fine beer, too like PERONI and NUOVO BIRRIFICIO NICESE Amber Medea beers in the 1 Pt. 9.4 Fl Oz bottles for example?!?   6) PEOPLE WILL BE GLAD to discover SAO FRASISCO named like San Fransisco, and they both make excellent wines?   RESPONSE : They make fine wines in Lebanon just as they do in New York State at the SHAW Vineyard in the Finger Lakes by father and son, the father being Irish and the son being half Irish and half Lebanese, so?!? And I just tasted them with the son Steve Shaw and will have both the dry SHAW Riesling and the dry Pinot Grigio, both at $19.99 a bottle here in late July!   7) BRAZIL is such a wonderful melting pot and they speak Portuguese and not Spanish which is more widely spoken, and we want others to discover the beautiful language of Brazil and Portugal?   RESPONSE : True, Portuguese is beautiful but so is Spanish and all the other romance languages and all the others, too, so ?!?   8) BRAZIL moved it's capitol into the middle of the country so that it could be made more available as a government to all Brazilians? RESPONSE : That's a hot bed and talking politics is difficult at best and always brings up issues that are upsetting, so let's all just focus on the games and the incredible athletes playing them.   9) Everyone LOVES Bossa Nova and so we want to celebrate the Soccer World Cup with the products and the music of Brazil?   RESPONSE : True, Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz, Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald all did go to Rio de Janeiro in the the late sixties to perform and share their music as well as learn from Brazil their Bossa Nova and Sambas, I mean, even David Byrne recorded not that long ago much of that more current yet traditional music in Bahia and from various regions of Brazil, so?!?   10) Be current, be ' of the moment ', be Brazilian as the Soccer World Cup games are there and to absorb it all you have to absorb as much of the  here and the now ' and of the culture as possible!   RESPONSE : True, but maybe if we all meet somewhere in the middle it will be great!     AND : Since we have it all that should be no problem, just come on by, hang with us, do not be strangers!   AND TO DO THIS TODAY & TOMORROW you can all SAVE REALLY BIG ... SAVE TONIGHT & TOMORROW : TUESDAYS : 1) BUY ANY sparkling wine bottle over $20 a bottle and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker price ( except for VEUVE CLICQUOT ). 2) Mix six or more bottles and save 10% OFF the marked sticker prices. 3) BUY 12 or more bottles of sparkling or still wine and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices. Includes Port, Sherry, Marsala, Madeira, Sake. WEDNESDAYS : 1) BUY ANY Still Wine over $20 a bottle and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices. 2) BUY SIX or MORE bottles of still ( non-sparkling wine ) and SAVE 15% OFF the marked sticker prices. 3) BUY TWELVE OR MORE non-sparkling wines and SAVE 20% OFF the marked sticker prices. INCLUDED are Port, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala and Sake. MIX THINGS UP. Have fun, get more of what you want this way. spread out your experiences, too. SAVE , SAVE, SAVE MORE @ CP WINES! FROM SANTOS in BEER, ALE , CIDER :        1) ' Pink ' WOODCHUCK Hard Cider - Gluten Free, Private Reserve ( On Special for 9.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce hard cider bottles, 5.5% alcohol by volume, Middlebury, VT ) : " In support of DRAGONHEART'S cancer SURVIVORSHIP ...  "       2) ' Family ' Family Reunio  - 5 SHINER family ' favorites ' ( On Special for $7.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, est. 1908, SPOETZL Brewery Shiner ) : includes : 1) Bock, 2) Kosmos Reserve 3) Black lager 4) Wild Hare 5) Brewer's Pride 6) Premium ... what a mix, something for everyone. Really nice. 3) CIDRE de Thierache Brut French cider  CLOS De la Fontaine Hugo, Rozoy aux Serre ( $11.99 a 750ml bottle, 5% alcohol by volume, ) : methode traditionelle and dry and what a great value, too!   4) ' Positive Contact ' Dan the AUTOMATOR the presenter from DOGFISH HEAD Brewing, Delaware ( On Special for $10.99 a 750ml bottle, 9% alcohol by volume ) : " ale brewed with apple cider and spices, a positive combination of Fuji cider, slow roasted farro, a bit of cayenne and fresh cilantro. " Love the yellow- earth tone of this label, too : very soothing. LIQUOR - LIQUEUR From MALKIT & JAGIR :        1) Amaro delle SIRENE traditional bitter liqueur from DON CICCIO & FIGLI ( $41.99 a 750ml bottle, 29% alcohol by volume, Washington D.C. - support local - ) : " We handcraft our amaro based on an infusion of selected roots and herbs." Glad to have this here, really glad!        2) Grappa Di Arneis from MOLETTO ( $37.99 a 750ml bottle, 43% alcohol by volume, from Livenza ( TV ) Italy, ) : " The result is the finest artisan production processes utilizing the pomace of Srneis grapes, this fine grappa offers an elegant, refined balance that emerges in the delicate flavor and unique bouquet, typical of the varietal." The Arneis grape also makes a great dry white in the Piemonte as well as this superb grappa. Cheers.      3) Distinctive Maine potato COLD RIVER vodka ( $36.99 a 750ml bottle, 40% alcohol by volume , Freeport, Maine, distilled and bottled by MAINE DISTILLERIES, LLC ) : " Discover a new appreciation of spirits by taking a FREE TOUR of the Cold River distillery in beautiful coastal Freeport, Maine. See how we make each handcrafted bottle of super-premium vodka and gin." Sounds like a great idea, let's all go : when can we meet?!?      4) Trinidad & Tobago Caribbean Rum Aged 7 Years Estd. 1824 from ANGOSTURA ( $24.99 a 750ml bottle, 40% alcohol by volume, ) : " ... we say the sugar cane is only ready for making rum when it's been kissed by a butterfly." LOVE that, love Trinidad and Tobago. Was there in the late sixties when the Vietnam War was going on and I had to go to my father's office at the American Embassy to sign up for the draft ...        5) Seasonal Spring/ Summer Batch Number from D.C.'s very own GREENHAT Distillery, the Show Hat, the Yellow - not Green label, $34.99 a bottle, 750ml bottle, 45.1% alcohol by volume. For more cocktail and more recipes and more of this wonderful story go to : www.Greenhat.com. Cheers. We love having this here. Why have they not contacted us to do an in-store GREENHAT tasting yet. Must be too busy making it ... WINE By TONY :        1) Shiraz-Grenache 2011 Aussie red by the WINE MEN Of GOTHAM ( $9.99 a 750ml bottle, 13% alcohol by volume, go to : www,gothamwines.com.au for more info ) : I like this as it is so balanced, so light and fresh and vibrant and pleasing and a delight to drink, even with all this heat, chill twenty-minutes before serving!        2) Xinomavro and Moschomavro 70-year-old-vines make this delightful dry Greek rose from DIOFILI, 2013 ( On Special for $11.99 a bottle, 13% alcohol by volume ) : Sotiris Bafitis tasted it here this past weekend and it sold really well as usual. It is from Siatista, Greece, go to : www.diofili.gr for more info, and come get a bottle to enjoy tonight after you get off work.        3) Estate-Bottled Tannat 2011 dry red Serra Gaucha, Brazil red from the SALTON Harmoniza Vineyard ( $11.99 a 750ml bottle, 12,5% alcohol by volume ) : chill slightly and enjoy during these World Cup soccer matches, what a delight, so forward and smooth and balanced and poised and such a great value, too. Highly Recommended.        4) 2011 Kisi Orange wine from VINOTERRA in Kakheti, Georgia ( $16.99 a 750ml bottle, 13% alcohol by volume, fermented in Qvevri large earthen jars buried underground ) ... I like this, flavorful, a food wine, you have to give it time and space and care and not rush things ... and I thought about this Kisi VINOTERRA Orange wine because Theresa Morrison came just thirty minutes ago with a TERRE ROUGE 2010 Grenache Blanc from California's Sierra Foothills that has such a deep golden color, not orange, and yet the weight and the texture and the grip of this Grenache Blanc from TERRE ROUGE made me think of the Kisi Orange wine from Georgia's Kakheti region. The TERRE ROUGE will get here in July in time for the 4th of July and instead of selling it for $25.99 a bottle we will put it On Sale for $19.99 a bottle in honor of our great holiday. Come get some, there will be just a couple of cases and we will sell a maximum of two bottles to each person. Cheers ... what fun, how special!!!        5) ' The Custodian ' Grenache 2009 from the d'ARENBERG Winery in Australia's McLaren Vale ( $19.99 a bottle, 14.5% alcohol by volume ) : it's always such a treat when Jody Jackman our Winebow rep tastes this out here with you all in the store. It's a classic and flavorful and tasty and great when you grill and want to be outside. Chill twenty minutes and enjoy thoroughly ... wax poetic, let yourselves relax ...        6) 2009 - great vintage in burgundy, France from the DOMAINE De L'EVECHE , a 100% Chardonnay from the Cote Chalonnaise ( $21.99, 13% alcohol by volume ) from Vincent Joussier 0 : we tasted this here this past Saturday with Chris Bartha and it is drinking like a dream - wonderful, just a couple of cases left of this quite spectacular dry and rich white burgundy that is balanced, fleshy and forward and silky and bright and , ahhhhh : ' just right! ' : but don't take my word for it , come and see what you think yourselves?        7) ASSAF " 4 Seasons Pinotage ' 2009 from Israel's upper Galilee, this dry ASSAF Winery dry red Pinotage from winemakers Assaf Kedem and Soren Kedem  has so very much to offer all of us. It sells for $35.99 a bottle, is 14.9 % alcohol by volume,  ) : " The way the vines grow, the altitude, and the cool, dry climate of the Upper Galilee combined with its rich volcanic soil - the terroir. Everything taken together, directly influences the quality of our grapes. "   BIG NEWS , the ' new ' barbecue restaurant where the old PULPO was , called FAT PETE is it ( ?!? ) will open in a week, on Monday June 23rd if not at the end of this week tells me Peter, one of the owners. This is so exciting for all of us, we need something that attracts a lot of people here and this sounds like it might just be one of the missing key elements here to solidify and ground things even more and keep more people here and bring more to us, too. How exciting! Keep an eye peeled and stay-tuned for more : nice.        8) Azienda Agricola LA GIARETTA Recioto Classico Delle Valpolicella 2005, $35.99 a 500ml bottle, 14% alcohol by volume , Veneto, Italy ) : This just sounds like something we all need to indulge our taste buds in really soon! Do not delay any longer ... WEEK'S TASTINGS :        Friday, June 20th, 2014 ( 5-8PM ) : WE have :    1) Fernando tasting from Tradewinds Specialty Imports as well as tasting some great dry red and white wines of Spain and Argentina, and some Moscatel sweet sherry, too  ...    2)  Gabrielle Rausse, owner and winemaker and tends the gardens at Monticello, too ... of his own Virginia winery GABRIELLE RAUSSE in Charlottesville, VA. here tasting a selection of his wines. What fun, we will have quite the event! Gabrielle is one of the great pioneers here that got the whole Virginia wine business off to a start back when there was only FARFELU vineyards, perhaps INGLESIDE, back in April 1976 I believe he has told me. Cheers, join us, this is an extraordinary opportunity to taste Gabrielle's wines. Gabrielle is from Italy, from Friuli originally and so we will taste an assortment of his wines.        Saturday, June 21st, 2014 ( 2-6PM ) : We have John Spina here of THE Spanish Wine Importers tasting an assortment of his Spanish and South African wines.         JOIN US, NEVER any charge.        Thanks for everything, you are all wonderful. I know I have forgotten many things and yet it;s time to post this now. Follow us on Twitter at : cpwinespirits as well as at : wineenabler : also LIKE us on Facebook and follow us there daily at : Cleveland Park Wine & Spirits. Thanks again for everything. Call us when you need a delivery. We deliver : 202-363-4265.       WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW is my store email I wrote and posted here for you all on Tuesday, July 17th, 2014 ... enjoy it if you have a chance ...   TONY 6/17/2014 ...   LIFE IN THE HOT, Fast lane in Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C.      Just look outside or stroll up and down Cleveland Park and soak in the sun as it pelts down and strikes us square between the eyes and try and see the balance of things clearly so that you may maximize the pleasure of as many moments as possible. We are here to help you do this.        The heat can be disorienting : so can the brightness of these sunny, baby-blue skied days as we plod along and try not to shrivel like the grapes left outside to do so in the Valpolicella region of Italy that results in the Amarone dry red wines and some of the very best wines made anywhere in the world!          STORIES, TIPS & RECOMMENDATIONS to best survive this intense heat, haze, humidity and pounding sunshine :        This intense heat that we are experiencing here now reminds me of walking the hillside vineyards years ago Azienda Agricola LA GIARETTA with the owner and our small group of five men on a wine-adventure to visit these sites where some of the greatest wine in the world is being made. We have some of the lesser-known, lesser-spoken-of Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2005 ( $39.99 ) LA GIARETTA in stock. It is even denser, even thicker and lusher and darker in hues and riper than the Amarone that everyone knows and loves. It comes in a 500ml bottle, 14% alcohol by volume,  for this very reason : you drink it more slowly, you let it lavish it's concentrated sweet raisin and spice and toasty-roasted flavors that come from the mostly Corvina grapes ( some Molinara, Negrara and others, too ).        I AM RELEARNING PORTUGUESE. I spent my early years of 2-8 in Brasil and we are now selling so many Portuguese wines. More than ever before : we have three shelves devoted to Portuguese wines in the store and not just to the Vinho Verdes either that we stock up front and sell for less than $10 a bottle. We just got back the more flavorful, thicker-richer-denser, fruitier version of a Vinho Verde - the  Colheita 2011 ENCOSTAS DO LIMA Branco Meio Seco ( $9.99, 10% alcohol ) also has a lovely slight sparkle and it will taste great inside or outside and not go directly to your head. Enjoy it!        SPEAKING OF PORTUGUESE and Portugal and Brasil we even have the MIOLO wines of Brasil and I have heard through the grapevine that the 2008 MIOLO Family Vineyards  100% hand-selected Merlot, 13% alcohol by volume, is a very fine vintage and made in the southern Vale Dos Vinhedos region. I was given a sample bottle by our local rep and I can attest myself to liking very much this dry, firm, fruit-forward Saint-Emilion style of Merlot that we sell here for $16.99 a bottle. You should check it out sometime : it's really a wonderful surprise and a delight.        I LIKE TO DRAW and as a result I like to connect the lines, especially between the Eastern and the Western hemispheres. The lines, too are so often blurred today as many of our customers do not know that many of the grapes came from the Eastern Hemishere and were brought here by immigrants from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany, France and so on. I have learned by looking at the MIOLO web page , for example that many of the people that settled in the Vale Dos Vinhedos were from both Veneto and Trento, Italy.        IT ALL CONNECTS SOMEWHERE and this seemingly large world of ours is connected in so many wonderful ways and so I can start speaking about Italy and Portugal and naturally get to Brasil and to Uruguay that we have supported in a big way for many years now. I am sorry that Abel Sauza our Uruguayian connection has moved to Florida. We do have, however a really fine dry red Tannat that is a grape that originally comes from France's Madiran southwest  not that far from the French-Spanish border.        WE HAVE A REALLY EXCELLENT 2007 dry Tannat Cerro Chapeu " Amat " Tradicion Carrau ( $29.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume,  desde 1752 ; I got to meet the owner recently at a trade wine-tasting of the Downey imports ) that is pretty amazing and well-worth the money if you want something special. You can start with the MIOLO Family Vineyards 2008 Merlot ( $16.99 ) as it is fleshier, rounder, brighter and more fruit-driven and then pass to the " Amat " BODEGAS CARRAU Tannat 2007 that is both earthier, more spicy and with more developed flavors with more oak, too. I ask the question, too whether this Tannat is made from 100% Tannat grapes or is the law there for only 75-85% of the grapes necessary when listed on the bottle? So much to learn, so much to know, so better get cracking!        THESE ARE TWO WINES made not that far from one another and yet they are so stylistically different and yet for my palate both are really quite excellent and memorable examples of the grape variety and where they come from and I would be delighted to drink either or both along with the bottle of the Recioto della Valpolicella Azienda Agricola LA GIARETTA 2005 ( $39.99, 14% alcohol by volume, 500ml bottle ) to finish off the meal. I would have a bottle of the ENCOSTAS DO LIMA Vinho Verde Colheita 2011almost as a palate-cleanser/refresher at this same meal to give a break between the wines and the courses and to thus also add accent and the proper attention to each and every wine here as well as the accompanying foods.        FUNNY, and something that caught my attention immediately, the one and only time that I saw the epically long and interesting-fascinating wine movie called " Mondo Vino " it both started and ended in Brasil. I will have to watch it again as I do not remember if any mention was made of any specific wineries there or of any specific wine region. I have to assume that they were filming in the Vale Dos Vinhedos? That makes sense from what little I know. It also makes me really curious as I wonder if one of the people involved in the filming was from Brasil or not? It all deserves more attention and I will be renting a copy of the movie to watch again.      ANOTHER THING THAT I NOTICE as I connect all the dots is that all these wines are 14% alcohol and less and I like that as especially with all this extra heat and humidity and beating-down sunshine the lower alcohols are so much easier to both enjoy and to absorb. You not only enjoy them better while you are drinking them with your meal but you also probably feel a whole lot better later as a result of this , too as there is less alcohol ( and in better balance with the other components of the wine ) so as not to got to your head so quickly and leave you with a pulsing headache as well. All good if you ask me.        STAY-TUNED FOR MUCH MORE INFORMATION and many more choices on these wines as here in the United States and here in Washington D.C. very few people know that they even make wine in either Brasil or Uruguay.        IT'S SO HOT and the haze and the humidity is holding us all down as we walk along this stretch of Connecticut Avenue N.W. here in Washington D.C. People walk a little more quickly as if trying to escape the pounding and that is completely understandable.        I JUST HAD TWO YOUNG LADIES come to the store and look into our refrigerator with cold sparkling and still wines. When I asked them if they needed any help the one asked me if we had any really deals on cheap white wines? I responded that we had deals on some " inexpensive " white wines and immediately showed them the bottle of ANJOS De Portugal Vinho Verde ( $8.99, 9.5% alcohol by volume, with a slight sparkle for refreshment ) is made from the indigenous grapes of 40% Arinto and 30% Trajadura and 30% Loureiro.        I TOLD THEM IT WAS THE BEST THING to drink now with all this heat and humidity and I told them that was so because of the lower alcohol and the slight sparkle. They objected immediately to the lower alcohol and I said that they would have to trust me and report back to me if there were any problems on there day-off and as I would be here all day. I told them my name as well. So far they have not been here and so I hope that all is going smoothly and as planned. Vamos a ver ...     BUT HEY, BEER & LIQUOR IS REFRESHING, TOO In ALL THIS HEAT, HAZE, HUMIDITY :             BEER From SANTOS -        1) IPA from FLORIDA BEER , Indian Pale Ale " Swamp Ape " ( $9.99 a 4-pack of 12 Ounce bottles, 10% alcohol by volume, Melbourne, Florida, www.floridabeer.com ) : " Firsthand accounts describe an intense beast with a potent aroma and bite. ... Or proof that brewing with five distinct varieties of hops creates an unbelievable, relentlessly hopped India Pale Ale? ... ".        2) Beer called : Lobster Lovers Beer with quite the sensual/funky label ( $10.99 a 6-pack of 11.2 Fl. Oz bottles, 9.5% alcohol by volume, Aiko Importers Inc, Mount Pleasant SC, www.aikoimporters.com, from Rinkuskia, Birzai, Lithuania ) : " Has life ever snapped at you? Grab it by the claws! ". I rarely ever, hardly never would I say this  BUT I might buy this six-pack just from the art on the label. How does the label and the taste relate? Is there a correlation between the two : imagined or real? The power of suggestion is intriguing and I might just have to buy this from the label. I do have a really good sense, however, that this will be a great summer/hot weather beer to help get through, past and away from the heat and the haze and the humidity that dogged me through the day. Worth checking out. Come by this Lithuanian beer and enjoy the taste and telling stories about what the label might mean or suggest? Cheers.        3) Wheat beer, unfiltered, since 1989 from the BOULEVARD BREWING CO. ( $9.99 a 6-pack of 12 Oz. bottles, Kansas City, Missouri bottle-conditioned ) : " Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Beer is a lively, refreshing ale with a distinctive cloudy appearance. Bottle conditioning gives it an extraordinary depth of flavor and makes for a beer that tastes fresher, better , longer. If you wish, gently swirl the last inch or so before pouring to enhance your experience of this traditional beer ".     LIQUOR From RAVINDER :        1) Imported THREE OLIVES Vodka 1.75ml ( On Special for $25.99, 100% neutral grain spirits, distilled from grain, 40% alcohol by volume , from England ) is one of the tried-and-true vodkas that has stood the test of time and all the recent competition and represents one of the great deals today here. GREAT VALUE, really fine vodka.      2) Whipped Flavored French Vodka from PINNACLE ( On Special for $13.99 a 750ml bottle, 35% alcohol by volume, PinnacleVodka.com ) has got a real following with both our customers and our bartenders. WE sell out of it regularly. How do you like to serve it? On the rocks? Share your ideas with us.        3) Tequila Gold  SAUZA made from Fresh Blue Agave Gift Set with SAUZA non-alcoholic Margarita mix ( two bottles, each 750ml bottles ( On Special for $13.99, just blend the two together ) to make your very own SAZA-ritas!!! Cheers!!!      4) Vodka with natural flavors of CUCUMBER, from SKINNY GIRL ( On Special for $19.99, 30% alcohol by volume, Deerfield, Illinois, 75.8 calories, 0 carbohydrates, 0 Fat, 0 Protein per 1.5 fluid oz. skinnygirlcocktails.com ) is new and exciting here at Cleveland Park. Come try some. Various flavors available. Inquire with Ravinder.     WINES From MICHEL Et/E Tony :             WHITE :        1) The FURST Gewurztraminer 2010 ( $19.99 , 12.5% alcohol by volume) from Kientzheim , Kaysersburg ( Haut Rhin ), Alsace, France is round and full and generous and smooth, bright and rounded and has a wonderful and refreshing mouth-feel and is a delight to sip with or without food. It showed beautifully this weekend when Chris Bartha tasted it with our customers for Bastille Day! Highly recommended.             ROSE : Dry -        1) " La Clape " Classique 2011 dry rose blend of  80% Mourvedre,  10% Syrah and  10% Grenache, famille E. Fabre ) from the CHATEAU D'ANGLES is drinking like another velvety, bright, fresh, rounded, generous yet toned dream that on the very-first-taste is wonderful and pleasing and easing to one's palate! Again, tasted by Chris on this past Bastille Day and highly recommended. Only 13.5% alcohol by volume, info@chateauangles.com.           REDS - Dry :        1) Vinho Regional Alentejano from Portugal, this " LOIOS " from J. PORTUGAL RAMOS ( $9.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume ) is named for the Loios monks that dominated this region. Fresh and bright and forward and a great wine to chill slightly and to enjoy even with all this pounding hear, haze, glaze, humidity and heavy sunshine. Great for a picnic, too with the easy-to-open Stelvan closure.             AND WHEN ALL IS SAID & DONE :        2) Pinot Noir " Terrazze " Italian Pinot Nero TENUTA MAZZOLINO  from the Provincia Di Pavia ( $16.99, 2011, 12.5% alcohol by volume - low alcohol once again, easier on our systems ) is an absolute pleasure and delight to drink with or without a meal as we return to from where we started this email : Italy! You can enjoy this Pinot Nero/Noir even in this humidity and heat. Chill it thirty minutes and enjoy it even sitting outside here on Connecticut Avenue N.W. in this really hot summer weather. It is worth this $17 a bottle and more. The Frenchman that makes it in northwestern Italy really knows what he is doing. Cheers, sante, salute!!     WEEK'S TASTINGS :        Friday, July 20th, 2012 ( 5-8PM ) : We have Arielle Monaco of the Country Vintner coming to taste some great Italian as well as Aussie wines : LA GERLA Rosso di Montalcino:  Chianti Classico, too - both reds  ... and then two whites from Australia, one from western Australia and one from South Australia. Something for everybody.        Saturday, July 21st, 2012 ( 2-6PM ) : We have Mark Congdon of J.W. SIEG Imports here with the national sales rep of JULES TAYLOR of New Zealand to pour the three wines that Jules makes :  the 2011 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ( $18.99, 13.5% alcohol by volume, www.julestaylor.com ), the 2010 Pinot Noir ( $23.99 ) and the Pinot Gris 2009 ( $18.99 ) ; all from the Marlborough region.        JOIN US FOR BOTH TASTINGS : NEVER any charge, everyone is always welcome. Bring a guest. Bring an acquaintance, bring some high expectations with you and surprise yourselves and meet some other really interesting people here. Cheers.        THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, we love selling to you: we love meeting you for the first time and sharing tips, stories , observations and recommendations. That has been what this whole email has been about. Hopefully you have enjoyed it and learned something, too. Thanks again.        WE DELIVER FOR FREE here in the D.C. area on deliveries for more than $30. Call us at : 202-363-4265. Read more about us at : www.clevelandparkwines.com. Follow us on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits.        OUR DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN FOR YOU during our business hours. Let us know what we may better do to help you.        CHEERS,    TONY