Evening on the First Day of Winter

We like our view down Front Street.  About closing time the Village goes through a transition between bustle and repose..things slow down...and night just settles in.

We have a lot of store visitors right about now - someone on the way to a friend's home for dinner and needs to bring a bottle of wine while others just have picked out what they are going to eat and a glass with dinner or appetizers changes things from ordinary to a little more special.  We have a nice shop so we can learn about that as our customers generally like to chat a bit and it is more that we sell to friends than just "wonder who that was".  We learn about that when we do the gift wrapping and look forward to listening.  People are friendly and like to talk a bit.  It is very nice.

Everyone's taste is a bit different and we try and remember about each person in that way. Also nice. We have so many friends. So many.

We are so blessed.

Upright or on its side???

We are of course referring to storing sparkling wines and not the condition of the consumer.  In our never ending quest to keep you informed of things...(we are kidding here!)....one of our readers asked about champagne and keeping the bottles on their side or sitting them upright. Does it matter? Do you care?  We personally think that storage shouldn't be a problem if consumed with diligence.  Sparkling wine is like a an old friend who should never grow old.

This applies to sparkling wine generally so here goes -

1. If you have a plastic "cork" then it doesn't matter at all.
2. If you have a cork/cork - you know the type - then there is a debate that says if you rest the bottle on its side the contents come in contact with the cork and that may change the wine but not in a good way like other types...the fine line between keeping the cork moist and therefore airtight v. just plain old cork contamination.
3. The CO2 helps keep the seal (pressure) and if stored upright, it shouldn't matter a whole heck of a lot.

BORED YET???? Well, you had to get me started....

Yardsticks

On this Sunday morning, just turned that day now, and before we trot off to sleep, with visions of sugar plums dancing, the stockings washed and folded, we in our "kerchief" and cap,  and no clatter yet out on the front lawn...this time... a week out...

With all the plastic commercialism that bombards us and that we decry, there are things true and beautiful in this time. That sincere smile of greeting, kids laughing and eyes twinkling, a held door or coat or chair, a helping hand and just that casual nod of greeting.  Nice things.

We all need to (and we won't preach another word - promise) have a yardstick or two in our lives against which we measure how we are acting. If we select something of near transcendental beauty or peacefulness, calmness or even a spoonful of melancholic introspection; against that yardstick we can see how other things measure up.  If we don't have that one standard, well, it's a yardstick with no inches.

So in this little period before the reindeer land on the rooftop, it won't hurt to reassess our yardsticks - to see if our "nice" measures up, if we go to the right length to be considerate, if we inch our way to a more  courteous way of thinking - simply if we have a grip on those things that are the best and we appreciate most and then hold ourselves to that end.

Night.

An addicting game for a "no snow" Saturday

Winter is flirting with the edges of our village and if you know where we are (132 Front Street across from Mitchell Park  hint hint - Tasting today at 3pm...last one before Christmas Eve) sorry, couldn't resist the colors! - we thought it would be fun, along with the Whyligyges in the window to trot out this VERY addicting game. Let us know if you get to level 9.

Bet ya' can't play just one (link here)
We think this to be a great opportunity to pass a few minutes while your mind races toward mittens and boots and the days long gone by. 

Hustle Bustle Time

We are the first to admit that we haven't ever met a gift we didn't like and, for the sake of argument, is there any such thing as a bad gift? Inappropriate perhaps but even then unless it is a sack full of snakes, the intention was probably good even if misdirected.

Sometimes we are so caught up the fray of "the season" that we get a little out of whack. We wonder about what the less fortunate think about a shiny new car with a red bow when indeed a soup kitchen with richer broth would equally suffice.  Our point is put in extreme terms but in truth there are extremes and it is good to keep that in mind.
We enjoy it a lot when folks come in our store and spend a little time and thought on a bottle of wine or spirits to be given as a gift.  We imagine a visit, dinner perhaps or just a "thinking about you" drop by, taking something to the business friend next door or across the hall; a hail "well let's open this up" and share a dram response, all jolly and smiles, a hearty and well meant handshake or kiss on the cheek in thanks that isn't at all for the gift but for the thought.

When we are doing that also remember that the soup kitchens are in tough spots, the food pantry has some holes on its shelves, and generally one man's rags are another man's riches.

Great Sunday - The Market, Parade, and Us

Some pretty big doings today at the Market as you can see by the poster to the right. Shelley has been up doing her thing from right about now (6am).

It is a bit too early to crack open some bottles of sparkling wine but we assure you that they are well chilled and ready for you.

Most of all, this will be fun. The food is always great, the crowd is a real "Market" crowd and Deb, from Greenport Wines and Spirits will be in full smiles which, along with Shelley, is enough to light up a room.

Come, knosh, watch the parade at 1pm,
taste and say hello.

If you can't go to the choir, then we bring one to you

On this Pearl Harbor Day, 60 years ago about now, it isn't a bad thing to think of things more gentle than war.  Good day and good spirits. Don't forget the past but keep it with you as you smile, think good thoughts, and move forward.