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TIME TO CHARGE AHEAD AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
BEING THE NEW YEAR OF 2011 (
NOW 2017 ! ) I HAVE DECIDED to make this an extraordinary year on all
fronts, all levels and for everyone that I touch through working here at
Cleveland Park Wines by harnessing all the energies, the creative
impulses, the daring feats, the ideas and the aspirations and plans of
those that work here and share them with us here to make this the very
best place for us all to be and to meet and to work together mostly in
bliss and in harmony as often as possible with as few interruptions and
discords as humanly possible. That's one of my biggest New Year's
resolutions and to make it possible to both envision and complete I will
take it step-by-step and have many daily as well as by-the-minute goal
completions as possible so as to neither get discouraged or dispirited.
I WROTE this and sent the above paragraph and email on Tuesday, January 4th, 2011!
HERE ARE SOME Great Specials :
BEER From Santos -
1) Wheat Ale from
Bloomington, Indiana, Midwest, USA, from the UPLAND Brewing Co ( On
Special for $11.99 a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles, with 4.7% alcohol by
volume, our local rep Jon Brandt was here earlier telling me how good
this would be now with this biting cold. Thanks Jon.
2) Miles 2 Go unfiltered
pale lager from TWO ROADS , Slow Down,, and enjoy the journey, and what a
journey it will be! Love the vibrant colors that SHOUT OUT at me as I
type this, the bottle poised here on our computer, the VW wagon from the
sixties on the label - ride the highway, ' Roadhouse Blues ' from Jim
Morrison and the Doors - I can hear it all. Have a Miles 2 Go while we
enjoy this moment together, with 6.2% alcohol by volume.
3) ' Local's Stash ' Reserve
Series . a tequila barrel-aged double wit, ale brewed with spices, with
9% alcohol by volume, a 750ml bottle, from CRAZY MOUNTAIN Brewing
Company , Denver, Colorado - again highly recommended earlier to me as a
perfect brew for this cold by Jon Brandt! Thanks Jon.
IN Spirits from Jagir Singh we have -
TWO from ANTICA DISTILLERIA , SIBONA, Italy -
1) ALO-E Liquore all' Aloe E
Miele ( made with Aloe, honey Grappa )- soft, bright, lovely, highly
recommended, so smooth!$30.99 for a liter bottle.
2) Liquore alla Camomilla
made with grappa, $36.99 a bottle, a firmer, more delineated, more
layered, sculpted taste and flavor that is also sublime and bold and
beautiful. Love it, a real treat. Highly recommended!
TWO Mezcals -
1) YUU BAAL Joven-Young
Espadin 100% Agave, 100% Artisanal product, 48% alcohol by volume, since
1859, $45.99, a gift from the gods and goddesses! A ; must-try! '
2) Mezcal Reposado, produced for Illegal Mezcal , Special edition, Oaxaca, Mexico, 1892/2880 lot 39, $59.99 a 750ml bottle.
AND -
Made By our local Dan Ziegler, his own
- CHACHO Aquardiente en
Fuego Jalapeno-infused Cane neutral Spirits with Natural flavors, On
Special for $29.99 a bottle, a real treat to liven everything up, add
some flavor and spice to our moments!
THREE Tequilas - From VAN GOGH :
1) Vodka clear 40% , $27.99
2) Acai-Blueberry , 35% alcohol, $27.99 - love the color, love the glow, essence, feel, eye-contact-peel!
3) Double Expresso, 35% alcohol - a ' classic - ' class-act ' ! ) YES !!!!!
YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT on the wine till the next email as I am all out of time!
BIG NEWS - We have a ' new ' web page and tomorrow I will add the Calendar of Events there for you all, ...
GO TO : Clevelandparkwines.us to check it out. In the BLOG section the store email always is available to read, Cheers,
THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! You all are the best.
READ ON HERE to see more of our mission this year, comments, local news, all ...
MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION is that I
will accept more of who I am and not try and deny the ' me ' in me, and
do the same for all those around that I am in contact with.
ALSO : #SpeakU! #SpeakOut! #BeHeardNotHerded! Some mottoes!
THRILLED TO SEE THE ' Today Show '
with two FABulous lady anchors now! This is great news for all of us,
speaks volumes, I personally applaud those at NBC News for doing this,
it is the right thing to do, about time, and the magic between the two
is already there and this will make us all smile more!
I AM GOING TO START referring to
Cleveland Park as a village and not just a community, I think that it
sounds good, our Cleveland Park community, what do you all think?
SO : We are busy with last year's
list of : " TO DO " things, many of which we started, many of which
need our continued attention as this is something we start ourselves,
each of us, and then work together as a village to make a reality - once
and for all, for goodness' sake, alright already, what?!? We still
talking about this?!? Still having these conversations?!?
WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW is an old
store email that I wrote from January 4th, 2011, read and enjoy it,
check for current vintages, prices, availability of anything listed
below. Cheers, TONY
WE START AGAIN, carry on, pick up
the pieces, stay focused, peaceful, alerted, aware, productive,
helpful, accepting - successful!
LET'S ALL MAKE IT WORK : WE
CAN and we can help one another to be the ones to come to when we want
to be sure that we all stay on track and accomplish both big and small
objectives through the course of this exciting year! You can always come
by here for some cheer, a pep-talk and a smile and a ear that we bend
your way to better listen to what you are really saying/ asking for /
wanting from us and from life. That's a big task but we all like people
here, especially you all as you have gotten to know us and become an
extension of us and our families...
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MORNING
EVEN WITH THE BLANKET OF WHITE CLOUDS ABOVE as the blues skies and
sunshine valiantly attempt and succeed at times to cut through to us
here below. It was nice both seeing this play above between the sun,
blue skies and the rolling layers of strung-together puffy white clouds
above. I enjoyed feeling, too the sunshine as it kissed my hands as I
drove, making me think of Jimmy Hendrix's famous line : " Excuse me
while I kiss the sky ... ". Who can ever forget that kind of joy and
excitement and " Oneness " with one's environment?!?! Perhaps a glass of
wine, a hot toddy, a cold brew, whatever would be nice, too : you bet
they would.
I'VE GOT THE WEIGHT OF THE
WORLD ON MY SHOULDERS : So Do You All : challenging, scary,
intimidating, inviting fear and the natural response to stay still and
not move and not do anything? You bet but that simply is not an option.
Just as it is for you it is for me : TODAY I have a store email to write
now and to inspire and fire and make you all smile and feel encouraged
and appreciated and well-informed - teaching you something all the while
as I hopefully give both you and myself the courage to carry on. Wow,
heavy stuff, heavy ideas : it's actually just common sense and good to
organize and to work towards goals both big and small.
PLANS FOR ME LATER :
TONIGHT
after I leave the store I've got an OCCASIONS CATERER'S Event at a
private home to attend and be the entertainment for a group of
individuals gathered to celebrate the beginning of a new year. This will
be fun, this will be a blast for me. I've already arranged with the
host what wines we will treat all his guests to. That was relatively
easy and we will focus on dry red wines tonight
: TWO MALBECS ( one from Argentina and made by a female wine-maker and
one from Idaho, U.S.A. ) and TWO PINOT NOIRS ( one from the Willamette
Valley of Oregon and one from New Zealand that is organic with
sustainable agriculture, carbon-zero and both excellent and inexpensive
; as well as one dry, smooth, bright and full sparkling Spanish cava.
We will have some fun now combining all these five with the food : looks
like some Chicken Panini for example, as well as some Smoked Chicken
Scones.
I LOVE READING ALL THE
CONVERSATION : " I thought the Duck would go well with the Pinot's you
are trying. Would you care for something like a Chicken Liver Pate? "
This is making me hungry as I type this at 12:57PM
here at the store. It goes on with a response : " I agree, however,
generally don't care for duck. I like the idea of mini sandwiches. Do
you have something seasoned and flavorful that would pair well? " The
caterer then responds : " We don't have a lot of Chicken dishes that
transport well cold, except for things like mini sandwiches or ( Chicken
Club Points or Smoked Chicken on Scones ) " ...
AHH, THE WONDERS OF WINE
and food! I love it all, really I do : never hardly ever a dull moment
as one tries to make it all work out and I continue to read on ... "
Chicken Panini : Split Herb Focaccia, spread with Basil Aioli, layered
with Arugula, seared Basil Chicken breast, Oven-dried Tomatoes and
Capers, Presented in bite-sized wedges ... "
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU ALL,
but this makes me hungry and it is lunch time now and a glass of wine
with this would be excellent, really : maybe two different glasses to
test them with the various flavors that are being combined above.
THE WINES I HAVE SELECTED FOR the private party tonight are :
1) ROSIGNOL Spanish dry
Cava( around $15 a bottle ) was tasted here recently by our Spanish rep
Estebe and that's how the customer/host tonight
discovered it here. He was coming to discuss what wines I had on my
mind to serve for his group of colleagues and their spouses. This will
be great for everyone when they arrive to start with. People never
arrive all on time so there has to be a period that people shake off the
cold of the evening and the fatigue of the workday with this delicious "
new " Spanish ROSIGNOL bubbly.
TWO PINOT NOIRS :
1) EVERGREEN VINEYARD "
Spruce Goose " Willamette Valley 2006 Pinot Noir ( On Special for $17.99
) is drinking beautifully now and this will pair quite well with many
of the chicken dishes listed above as well with duck if it had been
served. They serve it " by the glass " over at the new Ripple restaurant
a couple store fronts down from here. We have used it now over the
years and it has always done really well. It's got a bit more body, a
bit more color and grip and grit ( think of the movie just released
called " True Grit " ) : THIS PINOT NOIR IS A GREAT DEAL WITH SOME EXTRA
BOTTLE AGE and it's showing really well now. We have bought extra to
have here in the store for you and it will arrive on Thursday and be here by the time we open. Call us if you are looking for a great deal in Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
2) YEALANDS' Marlborough
2009 ( $17.99 ) Central Otago & Marlborough Carbon-Zero/Sustainable
Agriculture, value and flavorful Pinot Noir is lighter and brighter (
you can see through it somewhat ) and a great contrast to the EVERGREEN
and it will be great to see what of the Chichen Panini that it picks up
on? Will it be the Split Herb Focaccia, or the Basil Aioli, the Arugula,
the seared Basil Chicken breast or any of the other ingredients from
the Tomatoes and the Capers? Wow, so many flavors? Will both these two
Pinots combined match up to all these flavors or will we need the two
Malbecs?
Remember the scene in the
movie " Love Actually " when the little boy tells his father that the
love his life says that she is moving back to the United States? That's
when the father replies : " Come on , we need Leo and Kate! " ... well,
we perhaps now need these two Malbecs.
TWO MALBECS :
1) LA POSTA 2008 "
Pizzella Family Vineyard " Malbec from LA POSTA( $20.99 ) is one of
three or four Malbecs made by LA POSTA and we have carried them all and
tasted them all here in 2010 when Morgan Hartman came to taste them with
you all back in September, remember?!? That was fun and it was great to
taste them all side-by-side to discover what different vineyards and
different sites bring to the finished product. I chose this one because
it really reminds me of the old-style of wine-making from back in Italy
and Europe. It will be a great contrast to the more edgy, modern-style
Malbec from the United States. I think that this LA POSTA is deeper and
thicker and more rustic and pithy and even more earthy : it's fabulous
but not very polished. I like this about it : it sort of chews and tears
and rips and grates on my tongue and palate and I like this more
tactice contact with the wine.
2) SAWTOOTH Snake River Valley 2006 Malbec, Nampa, Idaho ( $17.99, only 140 cases made, (208) 467-1200, www.sawtoothwinery.com
) is something totally " new and exciting " and I love it's taut,
vibrant urgency - like a stringed musical instrument, it's got guts and
it's got a nice, racy and crispness- almost a tartness that needs food
to silence the grumblings of the hungry-for-experience-of-the- world
Malbec. We've sold out of it twice already and this will make our third
delivery of the wine. It will provide a great contrast to the LA POSTA
Malbec and I think also that it will cut through all the flavors of the
Chicken Panini and both will benefit from each other's contact.
BY THE WAY : I just had some
of Nam Viet's caramelized pork on their Chef's Favorites page and I
think that these wines would have been great with this dish. Too bad
that I did not have a bottle of each open to taste against the flavors
of this caramelized pork dish from one of my favorite restaurants.
WISH ME LUCK . I'm thrilled to be doing this and I could do it in my
sleep this wine-food-pairing and yet I still get knots in my stomach as I
always want to do my best and over-deliver : what other choice is
there?
BUT I CANNOT SPEAK JUST ABOUT WINE CAN I?!? NO, I must Be fair and talk about BEER , LIQUOR & LIQUEUR, TOO.
BEER FROM SANTOS :
1) SIERRA NEVADA'S 30th Anniversaty " Jack & Ken's Black Barleywine Ale ( On Special for $12.99, www.sierranevada.com
, 10% alcohol by volume, 750ml bottle ) is made to honor I suppose Jack
McAuliffe that " was the first American " micro " brewer "? We need to
do a tasting on this Santos : when can you organize one?
2) SIERRA NEVADA'S 30th
Anniversary " Our Brewer's Reserve " ( On Special for $12.99,
9.2%alcohol by volume, ) is a Grand Cru special ale highlighting the
pioneering history. We need to taste them side-by-side Santos.
3) SQUAL IPA Unfiltered,
Unfettered ( love the use of this word! ) Conditioned
Naturally-Fermented 90 Minute Squal India Pale Ale by DOGFISH HEAD (
On Special for $12.99, 9% alc. by volume ) is new and exciting and we
should taste all three together. Ask Santos to organize a tasting of all
three of these.
LIQUOR-LIQUEUR BY RAVI -
1) HONEY RESERVE By EVAN
WILLIAMS ( On Special for $13.99, ) is a Kentucky Liqueur made with
extra-aged bourbon and infused with real honey ( 35% Alc. by volume, 70
proof ). Go to : Evanwilliams.com/honey for more info.
2) Dark Honey by Seagrams 7
( $12.99 , 35.5% alc by volume/ 71 proof ) : enjoy it straight on the
rocks or mixed with soda or a splash of lime.
3) Imported FRIS Vodka
from Denmark ( On Special for $18.99 for the 1.75ml bottle, 40% alcohol
by volume ) is a great deal for you vodka-lovers out there.
2) EAGLE RARE Single
Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey ( $29..9 ) is once again back
by special request ... lead a rare life ... courage, leadership,
survival, heroism, devotion and character ... this is what is written on
the neck of the bottle. I'm in - let's have each a glass and some EAGLE
RARE and talk about all of this ...
3) CRUZAN Original Single
Barrel Handcrafted Rum is aged in single barrels of American white oak (
$32.99, 40% alcohol by volume, 750ml bottle ) and is also brand new
here. We need to taste it out, too Ravi.
PALAZZO Napa Valley Cabernet
Franc ( $84.99, 14.8% ) was tasted to us a few months ago by owner
Scott Palazzo and I remember liking it at the time for it's polish and
more subtle, less-extraverted flavors where the alcohol is quite well
concealed by the lush fruit flavors. It needs more time in my opinion
for it all to come together. I fear that many will drink it way too
soon. If I were to buy it I would put it away for another 2-5 years and
wait for everything to open and develop and display all the nuances and
the tastes that at this point are like the picture still beautiful but
out-of-focus and not well-enough defined yet for the cost of the wine.
You have to be patient - you are paying a lot of money for it, don't be
in a rush.
TOMORROW/ WEDNESDAY we do our store inventory and.. . ON THURSDAY
we receive lots of great " new values " in our wines from Malbecs, cru
Beaujolais reds, Pinot Grigios, more reds from Washington State and more
California Chardonnay, more organic wines, too : we are filling the
store for the next two months with " values " so that you get as much
for your money as you possibly can.
ON FRIDAY I will do an in-store wine-tasting from the " values " that we have just received ( from 5-8PM ).
ON SATURDAY I will continue this tasting of MORE OF THE VALUES that I did not open on Friday night. Join us on Saturday from 2-7PM.
WINE-CLASS ON SATURDAY from 11:30AM-1PM.
Six wines from Europe, $10 per person and to you must call and reserve a
place, limited to ten people each class. You must also pay in advance.
So, if you are interested call Chris or Tony at : 202-363-4265 and let us know. I already have the wines listed so you may call me for an update over the phone. Cheers, hope to see you this Saturday. This will be fun and exciting and you will try some amazing wines and learn something, too.
I KNOW THAT I AM FORGETTING
SOMETHING and yet it's time to put this baby to rest. Cheers and Happy
New Year 2011 and come by and check out what we are doing here now. Take
care, TONY
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Cleveland Park Beer, Liquor & Wine
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