Tag Archive for 'dave chambers wine merchant'

That's it for this week and I am outta here!

Map_france_loire_2This space is going silent for a while.  My family and I are spending some time in the Loire Valley, thanks to Superwife, whose first choice would have been somewhere in Africa or Asia.  You see, before I got married my goal was to spend vacations in one of the globe’s best winegrowing regions.  Immersion in the local food and wine is the best way to expand one’s appreciation and understanding.  And love.

But Superwife made this a conditional concession – we could tour the Loire as long as I was not running off to every internet cafe to post new articles, process orders, manage club members or any of the other duties I take on as Chief Cook and Bottle Washer at SidewaysWineClub.com.  Don’t worry, orders will be filled almost as quickly as we are known for, and I’ll come back home with a plethora of posting possibilities.

I’ll be back in touch later this month, after processing our club orders on the 16th.  Meanwhile – pop the cork on a bottle of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc or Cabernet Franc for me, and I’ll raise a toast in your direction.

Swclogogs3x3_2 Cheers,

Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant

Dave@SidewaysWineClub.com

Today’s Quote is from Oscar Wilde

Too much work, and no vacation,
Deserves at least a small libation.
So hail! my friends, and raise your glasses,
Work’s the curse of the drinking classes.
~ (I wishe he’d known about www.davethewinemerchant.com!)


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Removing Red Wine Stains – Video

Redwine_spill_2 Before I was fully immersed in this business, I dabbled.  Among my many wine-realted activities, I hosted wine classes several times a year.  The evenings would often go late, and my usually tidy guests would let their standards slide.  Let’s just say, "spills happened".

So my permanently-stained tablecloth became something of a visual journal of prior classes.  I began asking spillers to sign their stain, indicating the date and the type of wine spilled.  The tablecloth was finally retired after one well-served guest decided to use the Sharpie for more than signing her name, rendering a male nude that looked surprisingly like the instructor.  She had a good imagination.

Had I but known then what I know now…

Continue reading ‘Removing Red Wine Stains – Video’

What is your tax type?

Adtaxtime According to a very recent and brilliant social theory *, the U.S. population is made up of just three types of people:

Tax Creditors – Those who have paid too much, and look forward to a refund upon filing their return.  Not surprisingly, these people tend to file early.  They also tend to purchase wine with which to celebrate their windfall.

Tax Debtors - These are citizens who have chosen to use their funds themselves instead of letting the fine folks at the National Treasury hold onto them for a few months.  For these folks, it is time to pay the piper.  This painful reality tends to make them seek the comfort of friends and family with which to share a good bottle of wine.

Tax Delayers – A temporary state often visited by Tax Debtors, who stay for as long as possible.  This temporary state of reprieve is best enjoyed with a good selection of wine.  I have just the thing…

Continue reading ‘What is your tax type?’

For one brief, shining moment

Postcard_1 Greenwood Ridge Winery, the host for the California Wine Tasting Championships, is located in the Anderson Valley, about seven miles from the valley floor (distance, not altitude, of course). 

It is so remote that first-time visitors often report turning off of Highway 128 at the "California Wine Tasting Championships" sign, only to grow increasingly convinced they either missed the place or their odometer is broken.  The familiar thought of the perpetually lost begins to haunt the driver – "Am I getting closer or FARTHER AWAY??"  Even after seeing the winery’s sign (and missing the driveway, requiring a quick u-turn), there are another two miles of dirt driveway to navigate.  That clean car you started out with?  Forget about it.

Continue reading ‘For one brief, shining moment’