Archive

There have been a great many reports about The Grateful Palate in the past few months pertaining to their impending bankruptcy/demise/dissolution. Many things about this renowned Australian importer have been incongruous to say the least. I have been an ardent supporter of TGP for nearly 10 years, ever since I first had the opportunity to [...]

Wednesday Wine Day started off with another visit from our very own Dr. Gonzo, with two inexpensive little numbers for our SOND sales pushes: Concannon Pinot Noir Central Coast 2008. Grade=Outstanding. I am not even going to bother you with the ridiculous deal Dr. Gonzo whipped out for us, but this soft, light-bodied red emulates [...]

I’ve laid claim to the unofficial position of Washington State Wine Ambassador for the state of Kentucky, which I’ve been driven to ever since attending last year’s Road Trip Washington Wine excursion. Four days and nights of non-stop Washington Wine in all its glory, amongst their vineyards, amongst their winemakers, along with 40 other buyers [...]

The last weekend of summer tends to make me feel slightly depressed that the warm weather is on its way out , almost as if I can ominously feel the cold, dark weather just around the corner. However, this Labor Day weekend I decided to try a different approach to beating the end-o-summer blues by [...]

Lauren came by yesterday with 4 French wines from old friends Patrick and Connie Allen of United Estates, a boutique French importer specializing in wines from the South of France: Jean Falmet Brut Tradition Champagne NV. Grade=Outstanding. A stunning value in Champagne, this blend of 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay shows [...]

I was fascinated when some friends of ours, Ben and Brooke, were looking for a particular Zin that I hadn’t heard of – which is rare when a wine gets past me and my maniacally obsessive need to be the first to know about such things. And they weren’t the only ones looking for the [...]

It has been a helluva week around the store. We’ve bid adieu to several friends who have reached that point in the road where it’s time to zig instead of zag, and they have transitioned into new jobs, new places, or whatever. We’ve concluded another inventory while utilizing an exasperating and nerve-gnashing POS system. We’ve [...]

I’ve been a little distracted the last week or so, what with that immaculate inventory time I like to call a holiday on fire, my wife’s broken ankle, and the subtle change in season that sort of leaves everybody here in “Sinus Valley” a bit plugged-up in the head. Yet I think I am getting [...]

I just got in three new wines from Washington State (oh, here we go again with the Evergreen Bandwagon) – from Revelry Wines in Walla Walla. My good friend Jeff (of Ohio/KY distributor Vintner Select) told me these were coming, and I must admit I brought them in on blind faith. Granted, 1) I haven’t [...]

My wife and I have become completely enamored with the cable network BBC America. I’ve made a few assertions that my wife and I are inevitably heading for the UK to become full-fledged Brits, and our latest guilty pleasure is the reality/game show called “Come Dine With Me.” The concept is pretty straight-forward. Four people [...]