Michael Hope Of HOPE ESTATE Vineyard, Hunter Valley Visits Cleveland Park Wines / Tastes Current Vintages In 2006? Start Of Beautiful Relationship!

Above Michael Hope of his own winery the HOPE ESTATE is holding a bottle of his Shiraz made from grapes grown in western Australia. I have to ask him what part they are grown in? I think because of these bottles that it must have been Michael's second or third visit to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine, www.clevelandparkwine.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter, too at : cpwinespirits ) because of this? I do not think that when I first met him with Laurent Givry was it of Franklin Selections that he had this Shiraz from western Australia yet available?

It's now Sunday, October 23rd, 2011 here at my home in northern Virginia at 3:10PM and I wanted to do a blog on Michel. I do not think I have done one before? Have I ? I will have to check.

Anyway we have in the store at this minute his Shiraz from the Hunter Valley at it is a special bottling in pink instead of in blue and the sales help raise money for breast cancer research. We have been supporting these special bottles as we support breast cancer research and support it whenever we possibly can.

We love having your wines in our store Michael. Come on and see us. You can put Dolly Parton's visit on hold and jump on a plane and come see us now. We can organize a tasting of these special bottles which includes the Chardonnay as well and talk about you, your, wines, the Hunter Valley and western Australia and raise money and awareness for breast cancer research and finding the cure. Cheers, be well and do write and tell us / me how you are doing? I hear some from our rep Cristina of Winesellers Inc. these days. Take care, TONY

This was one if not the first visit of Michael hope of his own HOPE ESTATE Wines & Vineyards in Australia's the Hunter Valley I believe in 2006? It was a fine tasting of his current releases available through Winesellers Inc with Adam Sager I believe? What fun, what discoveries. It was great to meet you Michael and to taste with you and make you part of our " extended " Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits wine-life-food-enjoyment-positive vibes and creative energies - family. Cheers and come see us again.

My Nicely Bottle-Aged & Very Fond Memories Of Rob Deford , Owner Of BOORDY Winery In 1980's-Till Now / Great Times - Looking For Many More!

Just like for the me the sixties was the decade for music the eighties was the decade for wine. I learned so much in those really formative years back in the 1980's. Rob Deford and the BOORDY wines of those white hybrids in particular were key for me.

I met Rob back when I was working at the Mayflower Wines & Spirits with Michael Downey and Sidney Moore. Back then I was the one in charge of buying the American wines of California and everywhere else. Actually I shared the East Coast wines I believe with Michael Downey as he also knew some of the owners and wine-makers back then. Chris Smith was a real inspiration and a real facilitator when he left Morris Miller and began to champion many of these wines. Thanks Michael and Chris. You both helped me to open my eyes to what was there almost right at my doorstep.

This morning in the Food section of the Washington Post I read this article on the Maryland wine business written by Dave McIntyre called FROM THE GROUND UP. There's a beautiful picture of the rolling green vineyard rows on the front page of the Food section with a smaller picture of Rob Deford looking older and wiser and more like Sting! Now that's a complement Rob : hope you like it! The quote under it reads : " Above, Rob Deford has been transforming the way he grows grapes and makes wine at his Boordy Vineyards in Baltimore County.

Back in the mid eighties we sold the BOORDY wines at the Mayflower Wines & Spirits at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and M Street N.W. Washington D.C. Rob used to come and taste us on the wines and then he came and tasted our customers on the wines, too. Sidney's monthly mailed newsletter would get everyone to come. The Mayflower Wines & Spirits was a destination point and " the place to be ". It bustled and it moved and there was activity and motion and lots of joy and excitement. Rob you were a part of all of this and certainly added to it. Thanks for that.

The eighties was a completely different time : blank white canvases to be filled, dreams and small businesses thriving and lots of hopes and muscle grind from the family members. They were really inspiring times where it was really all about the basics and the real quality of these basic ingredients and concepts. Less about big business and the idea of let's make some money : find a concept, design a label, get a bottle and then what wine will we put into it?!?

Back in the eighties the wine was always front-and-center. It was always center stage. I liked/loved these days and remember them fondly. So many things were just starting. So, when I read Dave McIntyre's sentence : " It was first planted to vines in the mid 1970's to supply red grapes to Catoctin Vineyards. Catoctin was part of the heydey of Maryland wine in the 80's, along with wineries such as Montbray, Byrd, Boordy and Basignani. Then Montbray, Byrd and Catoctin ceased operations... ". This hooked me and I had to keep reading!

I'm late for work so will post this now " as is " and finish it later. Come see me Rob at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 clevelandparkwine.com, http://www.clevelandparkwine.com/, anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com, also now on Facebook at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ).

Rob, I'd like to have you back to the store to launch your wines when they are finally released. Consider this an offer to use Washington D.C. as a point to showcase your wines of your first release with new vines and grapes. Cheers, TONY ... ... I want to add a bit here that I just read recently in Dave McIntyre's wine article called : " A wine region is defined by a common terrain, not state lines ". ... ... Dave quoted ... ... Rob DeFord as saying : ... " The growing season is about 10 days to two weeks longer on each end in the Blue Ridge than here , " near the winery ... That's why the reds do better out there . " Closer to Baltimore he says, ... " we get a cooling influence from the bay " ... ... that helps white wines maintain their aromas and acidity. Dave writes : Rob DeFord , owner of Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, Md., north of Baltimore makes wines using grapes from throughout Maryland. His top-line red blends are made from grapes grown at South Mountain Vineyard, just north of Burkittsville in central Maryland, and his top whites are from grapes grown near the vineyard in Hydes, a short drive north of the Baltimore beltway, where the rolling hills of the Piedmont meet the maritime influence of the Chesapeake. ... ... thanks Dave for including all of this. It really helps to bring it all that much more alive and real for us. I can almost taste and smell this all, very nicely-written. ... ... LIke I said Rob, I do look forward to seeing you sometime soon and planning a wine-tasting of your wines here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits if it is okay with you? Cheers, TONY Monday afternoon here in northern Virginia where I live on my day-off, April 22nd, 2013. Take care, ...

Meeting Owner Andrej Razumovsky Of Argentina's ALPAMANTA Wines One Early Oct. Night 2011 Con Dan Terassa & Loving The Cab Sauv. 08 & Natal 09 Chard!

Reminds Me Of My Recent Visit ( Also Because Of Dan Terrasa ) Con Owner Lucas Nemesio Of NEMESIO, Pategonian, Argentina Wines! This is the way the headline should read if I only had more space!

I have sitting here to my right the empty two bottles of the ALPAMANTA " Natal " Chardonnay Mendoza, Argentina, 2009 : as well as the ALPAMANTA Estate 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza Argentina. I really liked both.

Two nights ago on Sunday, October 9th, 2011 sitting outside at dinner on our deck with our dear friend we finished the little bit left in the bottle from my meeting with the owner and Dan a few days before this. It was amazing : so full and round and lush and rich and delicious : I loved it. It was so appealing and so perfect for the coolness and the darkness of the night except for the candles on our table as the evening drew to a close. It warmed, pleased and comforted me : wrapping it's flavors all around me and insulating me from the cold that I was feeling from being outside.

I wrote here a few days ago and some of what I wrote has disappeared! Aaaarrrggghhhh! I don't understand : so frustrating!

Anyway, I wrote about how I loved this serendipitous meeting with Andrej and with Dan the other night at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com http://www.clevelandparkwine.com/ anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ). Dan called and asked if they could stop by? He said he only had a couple of hours to be with Andrej and I felt pleased and honoured that he would want to bring him to meet me. Thanks Dan, I appreciate that vote of confidence.

They came by and it was perhaps 7-8PM already? It may have been a bit later, I don't remember. I remember, however really liking the encounter and our connection as we tasted and talked and told stories. I was extremely pleased with the wines, really I was. In many ways it reminded me very much of my recent visit with Patagonian owner/wine-maker Lucas Nemesio that was also extremely gratifying for me. I do not think I wrote about my experience with Lucas and I should have. That, too was like creating a real bond that continues to today and will for many years still to come even if our paths never cross again. Gracias Andrej e Lucas. You both are making quite exciting wines for the world to enjoy. WE are fortunate to have both here in Washington D.C. in our nation's capitol.

These meetings are so welcome to me and I like to welcome everyone with open arms and to make them feel comfortable and appreciated wherever I can. This past visit with Andrej Razumovsky, owner of ALPAMANTA reminded me of the travelers of the past and of the present that would stop at an inn or a pub or a tavern and take some refreshment, conversation, warmth and nourishment before heading once again out into the elements and to continue on their journey. I like that many owners, wine-makers, reps, national and international sales managers, marketing directors, wholesalers, brokers, whatever want to come to our store for a spell/ visit and to meet me. Thank you all. I hope you enjoy - have enjoyed your experiences as much as I have. Keep coming.

I spoke to Dan briefly the other day over the phone as his mother is quite sick and we wish her well. Hope everything gets better Dan : keep us posted. I still have pictures to post here and I still need to get the wines shortly Dan.

Dan you reminded me again of how much I loved the ALPAMANTA Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. You told me that it was my favorite of all the wines tasted. It was superb. That gives me a red and a white that were both superb from you Andrej. I like that a whole lot.

I am thrilled about this as I am so happy to be talking about another wine from Argentina and not another bloody Malbec. I want to also talk about the Bonarda, the Merlot, the Sangiovese, the Syrah, the Tempranillo and whatever other grapes that Argentina grows and not only the Malbec. I want to keep alive all of our many wonderful choices of wines being made in Argentina. It's not easy today as all that anybody wants to drink or talk about is another Malbec.

Dan, let's talk again soon and get a delivery scheduled to the store. So stay-tuned for more here and gracias amigos Dan, Andrez and Lucas para todos. TONY

PARADIS PRIVE Dry Rose & White French Luberon ( Cave De Bonnieux )Sampled For First Time With Kathryn & Dickson Early Oct. 2011 @ Cleveland Park Wines

This was like so many other serendipitous yet not exactly " chance " encounters. Yes, I had known people would be showing up to taste me on some wines. Yes, I knew that it was someone that our good customers of Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits wanted me to meet " if I was interested ? "

As I later told Kathryn and her son Michael that the fact that our good customer Dickson was interested that made me interested, too. We sampled both a rose and a white French Luberon white. The empty bottle of the 2009 rose is sitting right here by my side now in a clear, non-color with a gray and white and silver label.

I listened to Kathryn tell her story as I snapped quickly away with my camera of pictures of her and the two bottles and of Dickson of course. It was Dickson that initiated the conversation with me in the first place. He was very polite about it all and raised the question in a rather round-about way about whether I would be interested in selling wines from France's Luberon region? Having sold them for years as well as other of the many regions of France I was both interested and intrigued as to where this was all going? I did find out rather quickly and I gave him my card and told him that I would be more than happy to meet with the family that made these PARADIS PRIVE wines. I told him that they could contact me and that if he wanted to be in on the meeting that he would be more than welcome.

To make this story a bit shorter I will simply say that it took perhaps three weeks or so and the ball that had been set in motion was by now rolling quite fast and heading my way. I met with Dickson and Kathryn and then later with Kathryn and her son Michael Doyle ( President , md@paradisgroup.com , +1 917 539 9449 ) and then again with Michael this past Saturday at the store ( October 8th, 2011 ) when John and Theresa Morrison were doing an in-store wine-tasting. I told Michael about them and how I thought that they would be a really good fit for his wines. I also suggested that he come around and meet them at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com http://www.clevelandparkwine.com/, anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com, on Facebook now at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ). He did, too.

We tasted the " new " vintage 2010 of the PARADISE PRIVE dry rose. It's quite delicious : more fruit-forward than the 2009 version which is more tight and dry and acidic. The 2010 you could sit around and chat and watch the world pass before your eyes and enjoy sipping it. What a lovely idea.

For more info go to : http://www.paradisprovence.com/. The wine is bottled by : Cave de Bonnieux, 84480 Bonnieux, France and imported by : Paradis Group, LLC Washington DC and it's a Appelation Luberon Controlee wine.

I have some pictures to add to this blog entry as well as more commentary. That will have to wait until later. In the meantime enjoy this story " as is ". I don't want to jinx it and how it may turn out. I like the wines and wish Kathryn and Michael and their family as well as the French wine-maker and those in France involved all well. It's quite a task to manage and run and promote the selling of wines today. There certainly is a lot of competition.

I will always support small family ventures like this and do all that I can to promote and to sell both the wines, the grape varieties, the way in which to enjoy these wines and of course the people behind them. This is key if we want to keep our choices healthy and alive and readily available to all of us. I take a whole lot of personal satisfaction in knowing that in my very small way I am contributing to the continuation of small and important ventures like these.

Kathryn and Michael : do tell me / us a bit of how it came to be that you ended up buying this vineyard? Tell us more, too about your collaboration with the French there and how together you are now presenting these exact wines to the world at large and in New York city as well as here in Washington D.C. now?

I look forward to having you both come to the store to taste your wines and us together selling them to our customers here in the Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. neighborhood in our nation's capitol. WE will make a goof team I believe.

I also remember Kathryn your comment about how you thought that your son and I had very similar philosophies? You commented on it at least two-three times while we were speaking together this past Friday late afternoon ( the 7th I believe ). You may very well be right. It will be fun to sit down over a bottle of wine and a meal and explore this all further. Cheers and good luck to you and to your venture here in Washington D.C. I wish you all the best success. TONY

Hugh Hamilton Of His Own HUGH HAMILTON Vineyard in McLaren Vale,South Australia Spends Tues. 4th- Wed. 5th, 2011 ( 5-8PM ) Tasting Current Releases Of

His Wines @ Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ... Thanks Old Friend Hugh!

THis is how the headline should finish. Enjoy these pictures for now of a previous tasting with Hugh. I will include the recent one soon along with some of the stories and notes to flesh out the two evenings with Hugh. Cheers and thanks Hugh. You are a dear friend, I value your friendship. TONY

Drinking The Bourgogne Rouge/ Red " En Bully " RAPET PERE & FILS 2008 Over Two Nights Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011/ Merci Mark Et Jeanne-Marie De Champs

This was quite the treat to be able to over the course of two nights enjoy the bottle of 2008 bourgogne rouge " En Bully " of RAPET PERE & FILS that wine rep of J.W. SIEG & Company Mark Congdon brought to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com, http://www.clevelandparkwine.com/ also on Facebook @ Cleveland Park Wine & Spirits and also now on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) on Friday, September 23rd, 2011 and that we sampled with customer and friend John Cavanaugh. What a great middle to a busy day! Thanks Mark, especially for leaving the four bottles of burgundy when you left so that I could enjoy them with my family and friends. They were all grand! They will also all be in the store on October 1st, 2011 and all on sale, too. What more could anyone ask for?!? The " En Bully " will be On Sale for $19.99 a bottle and I hope to have all 15 remaining cases to sell you all. Great news for this weather now and all our Indian summer evenings.

We will also get some of the 2007 Gevrey Chambertin red burgundy from the DOMAINE RENE LECLERC and also have that on sale in the first week of October with two other red burgundy selections from Jeanne-Marie De Champs the president of Artisans & Vines, LLC. I will list those her shortly with all the information and pricing. I have already blogged here about Jeanne-Marie de Champs and her selections at : chatwine so check them out as well by using the search engine here. I have in those included pictures as I will here as soon as I have a chance. Call me at the store for more info : 202-363-4265. Look forward to hearing from you. Cheers et merci a Mark et a Jeanne-Marie. A la prochaine, TONY

Last Night @ National Zoo Wash.D.C. Wine-Tasting " Grapes & Apes " W/ Andrew Stover/VINO50-SHINDIG/SAWTOOTH/ Cara Beach/GIRARDET Wine Cellars/Vines 14

This was a great event last night at the National Zoo of Washington D.C. N.W. as they hosted their annual wine-tasting called Grapes & Apes from 6-9PM on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 for the Friends of the Zoo I heard that one thousand people were in attendance. Nelso and I arrived from Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@cleveland parkwine.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com, anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com, also now on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits, too ) just after 6 PM to greet Andrew Stover the president of his own regional United Staes wine selections VINI50 and also the wine sommelier at Oye restaurant her in Washington D.C. ) and there were people gathering and starting to mill around us. Lawrence Camp the Business Development Manager of BREAUX Vineyards ( Purcerville, VA. www.breauxvineyards.com ) was set up next to us. Cara Early the Marketing Director of GIRARDET Wine Cellars in Roseburg, Oregon, 97471 541-679-7252 www.girardetwine.com ) that would be pouring the VINES 14 red 14-grapes wine blend with us was looking for parking and would join us shortly. We set up ans scoped the setting and got ready to start pouring.

We would be pouring wines for the next 3 hours solid from SAWTOOTH on the Snake River of Oregon at the border between Oregon, Washington State and Idaho. SAWTOOTH Vineyard is in Idaho. We poured the off dry Riesling and the pithy, spicy dry, hearty Syrah. From SHINDIG ( Andrew Stover's own blends ) we poured the Michigan slightly off-dry red blend of Merlot, Pinot Noir and Marechal Foch and Baco Noir. Everyone referred to it as the Pinot Noir. I corrected them and told them to think about the Baco Noir invented in Bordeaux, France by Francois Baco a very long time ago. We also poured the SHINDIG white dry blend of Seyval Blanc with some Riesling made in the Finger Lakes of New York State.

I'm off to work and will finish this later. Enjoy this so far and stay-tuned for more. Cheers, TONY