Libation Station... "The Wine Shop Chronicles"
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
a premature diss'ing...The other day I posted a link to a news article that most of the Australian wine industry operates in the red. Yesterday, we tasted a Shiraz that was a wonderfully balanced huge ball of fruit, not normally suitable for warmer weather and the threat of spring. But we all know we are still in for some serious drab climate conditions worthy of a comfort wine such as this. And true to the Australian way... cheap. About $12.00 a bottle. We had it with Spanish cheese and olives. We bought some.
Labels: Wine Alert
Monday, March 26, 2007
Growing pains...Monday the 19th at the end of the sanctioned workday, at a time when binary triggers fire and hexadecimal rules demand adherence, the Washington State Liquor Control Board performed its duty and turned the key a little further as prescribed by the rules of scheduled events, jettisoning our particular consciousness from its current confines into a new physical realm with a new site approved liquor license.
We are starting the move into our new shop!!!
Still in downtown Mount Vernon, located where "The Skagitonians" office last resided, next to Scott's Books and Calico Cupboard; this has been a long process and though we have previously alluded to such a happening, we have kept the details secret until the risks of the laws of Murphy could be minimalized. Three previous attempts to move were thwarted at the last minute leaving a terribly bad taste in our mouths.
This is a dream move for us as it releases us from some specific restrictive confinements particular to how we wish to participate in the communal aspects of brick and mortar retail. Our plan is to triple our wine inventory, add specialty food items, amplify our wine specific events, and increase our community involvement with regard to projecting our organically honed brand... "Wine is food. Food is life. Life is art."
We also are raising eyebrows, industry and State wise, by keeping our current location. Yup, this is an expansion, not just a move. More on The Libation Station Old Town Grainery Small Box Discount Wine Warehouse concept as it unfolds in the next few weeks. (Steve and Carol B, you gotta be smiling about that.)
Labels: Events, Other Observations
Rumor has it, it was quite the yummy Pinot tasting with a couple surprises thrown in--like a Spanish Pinot Cava and a Burgundy Chardonnay. I wouldn't know because I was chewing on several spoonfuls of Sheetrock dust. Time is of the essence. April is about to pounce and we need to ramp it up to get the new shop open in time for the Tulip tourist rush. We be stressed. But in the meantime, we still can toss a quick wine sipping with phenomenal wines. Much thanks to Shelly Humula of Vino Venerata for her passion for great wine, enthusiasm to bring people into the realm of food and wine, and the paired delicacies. I won't miss too many more of these, paint and polish be damned!
Labels: Events
Monday, March 19, 2007
Hmmm...
Ninety percent of Australian wineries are operating in the red. Maybe they can flood the US market with more of that Yellow Tail type crap to make up the diff, or not. Hmmm...
There's a reason for selling your product at a sustainable price. Not too much. Not too little. Expectations of cheap juice means the good stuff won't sell. We are decreasing the Austrailian presense in our shop for that such reason. Sad, because their good stuff is really good.
Labels: Wine Alert
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Kermit Lynch...
...probably has the best newsletter for appreciation of French Wines. His writings are incredible as is most likely his palate. Plus he's been at it for a very long time and just a stones throw from California's fields of mega juice. How contrary. Go here and plan to read quite a bit.
Labels: Wine Alert
As we participate in the communal aspects of mercantilism, we do believe the human experience is only as elevated as its weakest components. We vilify the mundane of the generic, the herding for pennies accomplished by the forces that commoditize the necessities of our
existence, the ones that forces a disconnect of awareness that we really are what we eat. We dismiss the tyranny of political cronyism and the its effects on the bottom line for what it is: boring. We will continue to be holy warriors in our pursuit of truth, though truth is the least marketable of our wares. And we will fight that fight as if it was our last.If perceptions label us otherwise, then we will be happy with our subliminal insurgency. A dent is a dent. And we will sip on the divine nectar of the ancients while we unleash this guerrilla ware-fare upon unsuspecting souls that venture through our door and even those suspicious of the suspect. A fellow warrior in this continual battle has succumb to the relentless hypocritical bombardments of a far less than free market environment. With the tax break prostitutions of local governments as incentive, the big box stores that particularly qualify what they deem reasonable for you have access to read has finally worn Scott's Books out. After 30 years of fighting the Barnes and less-Nobles, the Costcos, the Amazons, and other engulf and devours, they have decided that the journey has become too brutal. We salute them for the time and effort they gave for the cause. Thirty years is a long war. In their farewell letter, they simply stated that in the end, a community gets to decide how and what it wants to be. Unfortunately, our vision-less leaders see something else.
Labels: Other Observations
Monday, March 12, 2007
If we are what we eat...... then we are deep-fried. If you follow this North American conventional gastronomical standard and try to incorporate wine into your daily digestiions then you really have only but one choice to wash down that fat infested globule of whatever that is batter dipped and drenched in trans-poly-unsaturated-goo. Prosecco! Italian bubbly, dry with enough zip to cut through all that chin dribbling crunch. Try it specifically with Kentucky Fried Chicken... if you must. Personally, I find it better with eggs and spinach and caramelised onions, and mushrooms, and the such.
Labels: Other Observations, Wine Alert
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Follow the yellow brick...Tastings, and classes and dinners, oh my.
Tastings, and classes and dinners...
Sorry, Sol is out and our eastward perched mountain (Mr. Anderson), the one that gives birth to whatever the morning wishes to panoramically toss our way, has finally lobbed the great lost golden ball forth. So I'm feeling festive. Something to do with brighter than usual light and the warmth on the bones thing; I'm looking at the dust coated V-Twin in the garage, wondering where I last saw the leathers; wondering if it will start, wondering if I could make Paso Robles by tomorrow afternoon. Maybe it's best not to go there. I have way too much to do with regard to issues of marketing and ordering and inventorying... oh my.
So I'll start with the First Wednesday Wine Whatevah! That would be tonight, same time... same station, 8-5pm and I'm scouring the nooks and crannies for something from someplace we have not all ventured to for quite a while... if ever. I'm thinking old world notes of things herbaceous and mineral, coaxed from ancient volcanic soils packed tight from the weight of a past millennium full of roaming bards tickling the strings of mandolins, with loaves of hard-crusted yeast infested edibles within reach. Or something like that.
Labels: Other Observations
Friday, March 02, 2007
Ye Ol Wine Club...The wine club exists! It's Aliiiive! We have accepted the fact that The State's interpretation of what we do is not worth the restrictions of not being able to ship. (We were considered a Tavern so we could pour by the glass... no shipping allowed). The problem is... other people want to experience what we are drinking. Sometimes they live elsewhere.
And sign up. We like to scrape and crawl and dig to find interesting wines from all over the world. We might as well share the fruits of our labor.
Shipping and order filling starts April 1. Hopefully we'll have another surprise in store by then.
Labels: Wine Alert
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The Libation Station
Wine Club Car
Is available for boarding...
photo by JAL Photography
Wine Club Car
Is available for boarding...
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View my page on OpenWine Consortium
This work by Libation Station, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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