PappyVanWise

This is something I've been meaning to ask for a while, but never got around to doing so. I'd like to purchase some birth year wines for my two daughters, but don't really know the first thing about collecting and storing wine for more than a few years, much less a few decades. The birth years are 2009 and 2011, so where would I begin looking? I've checked a few vintage charts, and know that 2009 was supposedly a very good year in Bordeaux, which is since my oldest daughter's name is a variation of Margaux. But would only a higher end bottle last 20+ years? I've seen 2nd and 3rd growth Margaux with a drinking window closer to 10-15 years, which would come in handy for her Bat Mitzvah but not her 21st birthday. Does anyone else here do this? Any rules of thumb you'd recommend?

I'll throw in my couple of cents worth, now that we've pulled back from the Fiscal Cliff. While I check in with DR.com almost daily, it's almost exclusively in the Wine and Beer and Shopping forums. As my family has grown from a two top to a table for four, my dining money is spent mainly on cooking at home (and drinking at home, lots of drinking at home as I sip a Twisted Oak Murgatroyd). The Beer and Wine forum isn't nearly as active, but when Joe H makes a wine recommendation my next stop is usually Google to find out where I need to go and how much I'd need to spend. In 2012, he can take credit for 20 or so new bottles in my cellar. I think I'd be more inclined to post if those forums were more active...but then again they'd be more active if I posted, so am I the chicken or the egg? A while ago there was some discussion of an online tasting, which seemed kind of silly to me at the time. But after experiencing one over at the WineBerserkers forum, I think it's something that could work well here, too. I have much respect for Don's and Joe H's palates, and of course when Mark Slater and Kathy Morgan chime in with wine talk, I'm all ears. I also like the beerspotting thread, which tends to pick up during Hopslam season, then lie dormant the rest of the year. "Rare" beers now seem pretty common, so maybe twitter and facebook have ruined that for us as well. I remember when Arrowine got their case of Canadian Breakfast Stout, 10 people were already in line when they cracked the case, thanks to social media. Luckily I was 11th for the 12 bottles, even without a Twitter account. ( I also managed to get a case of Westvleteren 12 on 12/12/12, but maybe I should post/brag over in the fourms) I try to participate when I can, and I do frequent Arlington business who are active here (Artisan Confections, Screwtop, Arrowine), but I just don't go out to eat like I used to. So, for you Don and the rest of the community, my New Year's Resolution is to post more in the Beer and Wine forum.

Westover Market had some rare-ish bombers in stock today. There were a few Founders Frangelic Mountain Brown Ales and about a case's worth of Rogue Voodoo Maple Bacon Ale. While the reviews for the Maple Bacon Ale haven't been as kind as other one-off varieties, I picked a bottle up for the curiosity factor. I might pour some out in memory of Restaurant 3.

Buying the Ace of Spades has been a rite of passage for pro sports teams for the past few championship seasons. The first story I remember is Mark Cuban buying one for his team in Dallas, then the Boston Bruins bought one in Foxwoods after they won they Stanley Cup. A little Web search shows it is owned by the Cattier family, but was started in 2006 as a separate brand. I think it is a bit of genius marketing, every time someone with too much money buys one of these bottles reports pop up on the internet. You can get a normal-sized bottle for a mere $250, and I think I saw the metal bottles get some product placement in The Avengers and Prometheus

See what VABC has on special that month and then see if it gets the job done. At least you'll get to try a new vodka every time you need one. When you find something you like, stick with it, and stock up the next time it goes on special. You can also check the VABC specials online. They usually give a pretty solid discount on the $30+ bottles. Whenever Booker's, my bourbon of choice, is on special I think it's a good $10 savings. Alternatively, ask a bartender you know if they have a preference. Clinton from P/X set me up with Citadelle Gin which is significantly less expensive then some of the other premium brands. (That being said, my wife swears by Crystal Head vodka and thinks it is worth the price of admission)

From the list at Corridor, I don't think you can go wrong with Avery, The Bruery, or Jolly Pumpkin. They have a lot of large format varieties and do a pretty good job describing their beers on the label. The Avery Maharaja is a particular favorite IPA of mine.

Thanks for sniffing this one out, Don. I heard the rumor three degrees from the original source, and I figured if anyone knew for sure somewhere on here did.

Has anyone heard a rumor about a 2nd branch opening up in Westover in the current 7-11 spot at the end of the strip?

Hopslam was at Arrowine today, for 20.99. Usually things show up at the Clarendon Whole Foods and Westover Market later in the week after they premiere at Arrowine, but I'm sure fellow Arlington beer nerds are in on pattern.

For what it's worth, the blue cheese marshmallow salad was on the menu in October 2011. It sounded silly then, too.

This topic got me very interested in trying some of the labels Joe recommended. Although Ex Umbris does appear to be sold out everywhere, I was able to put together a decent mixed case of Washington State syrahs (Owen Roe, Rasa, and PB Wines) from Garys Wine. The PB Yakima Syrah is on sale for $19, and shipping was about $30 for the case. http://www.garyswine...gton/16206.html Has anyone had any luck locally with a store carrying Washington State wineries (Chateau St. Michelle at your local Safeway excluded)?

I've always been a fan of the hamantaschen at Shalom Kosher on University Blvd in Wheaton.

It might just be my imagination, but I think the Clarendon Whole Foods has cut back on their Avery selection. I think I saw Ellie's and something from the Beast Series, Mephistopheles maybe? Arrowine on Lee Highway usually has plenty of Avery in stock, more of the bombers than the six packs, but a pretty solid selection.

Thanks for the heads up, Durwood. Picked up some KBS at Arrowine today. On the shelf at $6.99 a bottle. Not sure how much they had in stock, but I know they'd been sitting on it for three months.

Dear ChurchKey, The next time you have a secret cask of Hopslam AND a secret keg of Kentucky Breakfast Stout, please don't put them both on an hour before the first Seder. Thank You, Jewish beer drinkers everywhere

While on a KBS hunt today, I found some Founder's Nemesis at Arrowine. No real details on the website, but the label says it as a maple bourbon barrel aged wheat wine. That description might be a little over the top, but I can't wait to crack one open. This looks like another salvo in the war between Bells and Founders to be Michigan's top brewery.

Thanks for the heads up on the beer thread. I just got back from Arrowine where I picked up a six pack of Hopslam for $22.99. It was the last one in the cooler, but they probably have some more. I think their coolers only go 3 six packs deep. There was also a healthy collection of Black Ops bottles for $25.99 each.

Found some interesting bottles at the Clarendon WF today, Avery Mephistopheles' Stout. Usually I just see the bombers and 6 packs of Avery around town, but the 12 oz demon series beers on the shelf were a nice surprise. Managed to pick up 3 (all they had on the shelf) at $7.99 a pop. I've only had the Samael's Ale from the demon line, but am looking forward to cracking one of these open.

I also stopped by the Clarendon location around 5 yesterday, and got a pizza to go. I know there was some question about take out orders when the Ashburn location opened, but the people I talked to said the plan is for the host/hostess to handle phone orders and the bar to handle walk up orders for carry out. I imagine once Flatbread-mania takes over Arlington, the wait will be 90+ minutes for a phone order, but that's not much worse than The Italian Store during peak hours. Also good news, the New Va Sausage help up nicely on the ride home.

I knew moving to Cherrydale was a good idea. Now I don't feel so bad having never made it to the $9 bar lunch at Kolumbia. And a quick google search surfaced a menu snapshot

Any chance of getting any beers from the Pelican Brewery in your store? I think I drank the Brickskellar out of their stock in 2003 or so, and haven't seen any since. Of course I have no idea how the distribution works, I might have to call in the Bandit for some assistance.

Any recent impressions from the Rockwellians? I'm about to relocate to Cherrydale and am interested in hearing about nearby sushi options.

I recently had my wedding at 2941; we hosted 25 people in one of the smaller dining rooms, the Koi room. Every single note of the meal was perfect. The setting, the timing, the service, and the food were all top notch. They have the menus and room info on their website, it looks like the tasting room or chef's table are made for small groups. If you do go with 2941, I highly recommend the smoked white eggplant soup, it is the one course people are still raving about three weeks later. Also, my info could be wrong, but I am pretty sure I was told that there is a different catering chef that handles the private dining rooms. The announcement of Chef Krinn leaving came a couple of weeks before the wedding, so they may have just been reassuring me that everything would go smoothly and the menus would be unchanged. Hey, hey, hey first post. -Eric