CORONADO San Diego, California Beers ( 3 Types, IPA, GOLDEN & MERMAID'S ) Tasted In March, 2010 : Then Again With Our Customers In April

I love this picture above of you smiling Tim with the CORONADO CA. beer in my glass just below your neck and you giving the thumb's up sign! . You gleam, you sparkle, you rock ... and look at the color of the beer - so dark and rich and thickly,lustrously burnt-golden-toasted hued ! Gotta love it, too ...


This was one of those totally unexpected pleasures that I was made a part of one afternoon at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 2010 Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) when Santos Rivera our beer-specialist called me over to our tasting table.

There was Tim that sells for Jocelyn Cambier of his own company called J.CAMBIER Imports. It's interesting to note that Jocelyn now seems to sell more beers than wines. I knew him almost ten years ago when he himself would come to our store with samples and wine-makers/ owners and taste Mike Martin and me on whatever they had to offer at the time.




Jocelyn stated bringing some excellent French beers to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area perhaps four or so years ago and they got some nice press in the Washington Post newspaper's Food Section in the weekly beer articles. That caught my immediate attention and soon we had an old sales rep friend Shannon bringing them to us to try and she later did two really excellent in-store beer-tastings with an assortment of them. She left and I heard that Jocelyn had sold his business and so imagine my surprise when I looked down on the price sheet on which the beers had been poured for me and saw the words : J. CAMBIER IMPORTS! Oh well, I asked Tim about this and he said that it was not true and that he was enjoying working with Jocelyn and selling the selection of beers which included the CORONADO San Diego, CA. beers as well as those of SIMPLE MALT ( 4 types : the Stout, Altbier, IPA and the Porter ) also pictured here in these photos ( we did not try these as Santos did not think it was the right time to buy them yet ) ; and others of course including some from Canada. I'd like to try the Canadian beers myself as they seem not to be represented well here in our area at all except for the really big names.




I liked all three beers especially the first one , the Golden. The others had too much body and kick, weight and alcohol for me. I'll just drink the first for the most part and be quite contented.




This blog entry is more about the beer and their froth and foam and their lovely colors : I celebrate all of this from an artist's perspective as with these pictures I try and draw together and connect the dots to the things that are all integral here : the beers, their colors and clarity, their froth and the labels, bottles, glasses that they are poured in along with the people that bring them to us here in Cleveland Park. All this is key : this is the story and for me for the most part the rest is hype. I like these core elements and so I spend my time trying to bring them to life for you all so that you are inspired and want to go out and try one or all three of these CORONADO San Diego, California beers.




I also like trying to come up with some interesting compositions as the one above. I think it works and makes one look harder to see what is in the photograph.

I hope that all you artists out there appreciate and enjoy some of these photos. I am having fun with it all and am adding these images to all the written reviews that already exist about these beers. Combine the two and you get a bigger picture and one that tells you more and gives you all the more reason to go in search of these beers and come to see us here in our nation's capitol.




Tim has already come and done an excellent tasting of these beers here in Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. and I think that Santos has already had to reorder them three or so times? They sold well at the weekend tasting in early April or was it late March, 2010? So many questions!




Tim keeps coming to see us and so I feel sure that more in-store beer-tastings are on the calendar so stay-tuned for more information or call us ( 202-363-4265 ) and give us your email address so that we may send you weekly emails on Tuesday afternoon. You may also check our web page at : www.clevelandparkwine.com for updates.




Funny how time goes by quickly. My last contact with Jocelyn was through email when he gave me some unappreciated advice on how or how not to have purchased some of the premier cru Puligny Montrachet 1999 white burgundies that he had imported to the U.S. and sold through Franklin Selections. I thought again more about him soon afterward when I got a call from Danielle De L'Ansee ( of the DOMAINE DE L'ANSEE Touraine, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blancs and some Cot/Malbec reds ) desperate to reach him and asking me if I had any information on him or other contact info? Jocelyn brought Danielle and her husband to Mike Martin and me years ago and I am happy to say that we have still sell her wines in our store and have some now for sale at $13 or so a bottle. At the time I really felt badly that I could not help her any. I hope that she got a hold of him and got things worked out.

So, here it is now Monday, April 19th, 2010 at home in northern Virginia at 10:52 AM and I am off to the Michael Downey annual portfolio tasting to taste wines on my day-off and see my old friend Alessandro Furlan that now imports Italian wines that we sell. That will be fun.

If all works out I will also go to the Elite portfolio tasting to see some of the French wine-makers/owners that I have gotten to know over time as we sell their wines in the store really well. If I remember I will mention to owner of Elite Imports, Laurent Givry that I just posted a blog on Jocelyn Cambier and his selection of beers. Laurent and Jocelyn worked together once really well a long time ago at Franklin Selections.

Take care and cheers, and enjoy this beautiful spring day. TONY

Oh well

Brennan Downey & Spanish Importer ( Showing ROSSINYOL Sparkling, VAL SOTILLO Ribera Del Duero ) Estebe Of Trade Winds Imports Here May 2009

It was great to have a chance to talk with Estebe here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-363-4265 www.clevelandparkwine.com sales@clevelandparkwine.com ) the other day when Brennan Downey brought him by to taste some of his Spanish releases. Estebe was at the annual Michael Downey portfolio tasting earlier that I attended but I did not get around to tasting at his table. That's okay, I caught up some here at the store.




Estebe brought a series of his wine including some sparkling cavas from ROSSINYOL ( a dry rose and a dry regular brut, both at $20.99 ) : he also brought some excellent Ribera Del Duero from VAL SOTILLO, $38.99 ). I really enjoyed these three.




I was writing the store wine email at the time and so I was seated here at my Apple computer and writing, tasting and taking pictures sitting down.




I enjoyed these selections from Estebe and will include some sometime soon as we really enjoy working with Brennan the son of Michael Downey that I used to work with years ago back at the Mayflower Wines & Spirits back in the mid eighties.




It's now Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 1:35 PM on a glorious , no-humidity, sunny, breezy, baby-blue sky afternoon here in Cleveland Park and Brennan was just here. We spoke about Estebe and I will make arrangements soon to include at least one or two selections from this portfolio.




Brennan also said that he would speak to Estebe about arranging an in-store wine-tasting here sometime soon. That would be good : it's a great way to quickly introduce wines from a new supplier/ importer.




Estebe, come by the store soon with another round of your Spanish wines and let's organize a wine-tasting for our Cleveland Park customers.




Brennan, thanks for bringing Estebe by.




I can't resist taking pictures through the wine glass : it has become my signature photograph for the foreseeable future. I like the way the light and the glass distort and play off each other. I'm never quite sure what I will get. I like being surprised.




Cheers, and stay-tuned for more information and insights on these wines of Estebe's. Cheers, TONY

Sylvia Franco of NINO FRANCO, Prosecco, Italy Here At Cleveland Park Wines Last Night, Wed. Feb. 11th, 2009 ( 5-8 PM ) Tasting " New " Releases

     Yesterday we had a grand tasting here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008, Tel: 202-363-4265, www.clevelandparkwine.com sales@clevelandparkwine.com ). I was looking forward to this tasting perhaps a bit more than others because of my many memories of selling NINO FRANCO over the years , starting way back at the Mayflower Wines & Spirits ( used to be at the corner of New Hampshire Avenue and M. Streets N.W. ) that for me went back to the mid eighties. 

     I used to work for Sidney Moore and Michael Downey and my first experience ever with prosecco was with the NINO FRANCO! Wow, such a long time ago and back then no one really knew prosecco. It was in it's infancy back then in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. I believe that the Mayflower was one of the first stores to promote it.

     Sidney's parents, Aaron and Helen Millman lived in Florence, Italy at the time and they imported Italian wines into the United States that were sold at the Mayflower Wines & Spirits. I can still clearly remember the wooden bins in the Mayflower store that were full with the two or three NINO FRANCO ( Spumante, s.r.l.  Via Garibaldi, 147  31049 Valdobbiadene ( TV )  Tel : +39 0423 972051  Fax : +39 0423 975977   www.ninofranco.it   info@ninofranco.it ) proseccos ( I believe they make a total of eight or so ( five are brought into Chicago I think Sylvia told me , and two are available here in our area ). It's funny how I have retained this memory after so many years of these wooden bins being filled with NINO FRANCO and some of the others close by filled with fifth and magnums of BILLECART SALMON champagne ( including the now very famous, hard-to-get BILLECART SALMON dry rose ( we used to sell the magnums back them for the whopping price of $35 a bottle or so!

     I may have met Sylvia's parents, too at the Mayflower. I do not remember now : it's just too long ago. They may have come to visit Washington D.C. and to taste the prosecco with our customers. I will ask Sidney Moore who I still stay in touch with as she buys wine from us and is making absolutely beautiful furniture ( hand-made, piece by piece, available for sale ) : she may remember if the Franco's visited us at the Mayflower or not.

     When I told all this to Sylvia last night she did not know any of this history as I believe she said she was not even born yet? Is that what you said Sylvia, or that you were just too young to remember or know any of this?

     Anyway, working at the Mayflower for about three years back in the mid eighties was one of the best wine experiences that I ever had. It was a great team with Sidney, Mike, Iris, Leon, Larry, Moe, Karen, young John, and so many more I am sorry I cannot recall all the names just now. We imported the great Italian bread ( the panelle I believe in three different sizes ? ) from Hoboken, New Jersey ) and we imported so many great Italian wines from Italy ( FOSSI chianti, Pittigliano white from Tuscany in the magnum size ( whatever happened to Pittigliano anyway ?!? ), ISOLE E OLENA, GUERRIERI-RIZZARDI Veneto, NINO FRANCO proecco, VIETTI Piemonte and so many more.

     It was great to put a face with the NINO FRANCO finally and what a beautiful face, too.  Sylvia was charming and with Marty and Chris Pigott of Country Vintners we really stirred the pot here and got everyone curious to try and enjoy the moment.

     So that was then and now here we are in February 2009 and starting a new year. Today is also Abraham Lincoln's birthday ( the 12th, 2009 ). Come by and try some : there's still some left from last night's tasting here for any of you locals interested in trying it. Mike Martin or I ( Tony Quinn ) will be happy to pour you some.

      I really enjoyed both the the " Rustic0 " ( $19.99 ) and the " Primo " ( $29.99 ). I would buy and serve both depending on the circumstances. They are both great ambassadors for the Veneto in Italy and for Italian sparkling wine, too.

  

     And now, unlike the past prosecco is " the item " for great everyday sparkling wines. As I told many people last night when customers come to the store they ask for prosecco first, then cava and French sparkling wines, sometimes U.S. sparkling, too : champagne is generally the last sparkling wine asked for as it is also the most expensive and sometimes, too just way too intense and complicated. People don't always want to wotk so hard at their enjoyment of sparkling wine. Who can blame them? No every occasion warrants it.

     Here are some of the pictures that I took of last night's events between 6:30 PM at 8:30 PM. It started late, there was lots of D.C. traffic and so our guest of honor, Sylvia was late. We had a grand time anyway, once the activities started and the " Rustico " and the " Primo " started to be poured. 

     The " Rustico " ( $19.99 ) was more crisp and had a bit more of an edge to it. It was also lighter and more lively, jumping more quickly out of the glass and onto your palate.

     The " Primo " ( $29.99 )  is the opposite, it's so full, bright, rich and smooth that it will support the full weight of your palate. You heard me correctly, stretch out on it, curl-up, rleax, let the strees just fall effortlessly from your body. You will be lulled, rocked, comforted, supported, soothed - ahhhhhh yyyeeessssss YES! This is definitely the way to go when you want to achieve some immediately earthly bliss and cheer. 

     Both showed beautifully last night and as you can see from the photos Sylvia signed a number of the bottles for happy customers with Valentine's Day just in three days! 

     Sylvia also signed the remaining bottles if you are looking for a great gift for Valentie's Day and this weekend with this beautiful weather which we are presently enjoying here in the Washington metropolitan area. We are fortunate indeed. We were fortunate as well to have Sylvia here.

     

You can see in the pictures a whole lot of joy and animation and people gathering around to see and taste all the excitement as well as absorb it through their eyes - all very stimulating. Cheers,  TONY