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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/10/2008 2:07:27 PM

RoundersRob

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Eric,

That sounds good to me. Pick a weekend in September and maybe give a list of hotels not too far from your place. Then perhaps a Saturday afternoon / evening wine consuption related gathering at your house would be good. Maybe BYOB for some variety and so we don't completely raid your cellar of its hidden gems.

Rob

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/10/2008 4:38:26 PM

Serge Birbrair

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I don't care about vineyards, they all look the same to me after a while.
(Please note, I said that and God hasn't striken me on the spot!)
September in Seattle?
This would work for us.
Eric, you think there is a palce in Seattle which can feed us, let us bring our own wines and has enough stems to go around?

If you guys tell us the date, I'll book the tickets.

K eep
I t
S imple
S tupid
CT 2008 Gathering is now officaly on!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uepFO4psgKE&feature=related
and
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rnVKkJFYkhg&feature=related

Eric, you think Ms Eric can handle THIS!????

< Message edited by Serge Birbrair -- 5/10/2008 4:50:44 PM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/10/2008 8:22:33 PM

cgrimes

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Ok, it seems as if there is definite interest here. In honor of the founder of CT, let's just go with Seattle. Eric, if you give me a few names of some potential venues, I'll make some calls, get some dates and prices, and we can assemble some volunteers to divy up the work a bit. BYO is best, and informal seems more popular. I agree the main intent is to meet a very vibrant wine community and to taste some of the great wines that we all have--right in our cellars. This is a great opportunity and if we keep it simple we can pull it off.

Let me know if you would be interested in trying to make this work. Send me a PM and we can talk in more detail.

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/10/2008 8:39:26 PM

Eric

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I am thinking we can do two events:
1) A BBQ/casual thing at my house. We have a large space, large deck, large wine cellar. And unless we look like we are verging towards more than 100 people it will be no issue. The biggest challenge is that we keep Kosher, so food gets tricky if there is any meat involved. Of course, summer in Seattle begs for the obligatory grilling of lots and lots of wild Alaskan salmon...
2) The venue I had in mind is a private space nearby called the Uptown Hideaway. It is is just above a restuarant called Crow which I think can cater. I don;t think BYO is an issue. (I happened to have lunch with the owner once and checked out the space with him, and later went to a friend's party there. Another space is the Palace Ballroom (which also does offsite catering I think). That is more of a private ballroom and bar though, so BYO might be an issue.

Anyway, that was what I had off the top of my head. I have other ideas as well, but those are spots nearby that might be easy. Now if we are 200 or 300 then maybe it gets a lot tougher, but my hope is that we would be 50-100 (although there are close to that many CellarTracker folks that I know in the Seattle area alone...)

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/10/2008 8:44:18 PM

Eric

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Check this out for more info: http://www.uptownhideaway.com/

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/11/2008 8:24:42 PM

cgrimes

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I'll call them this week and find out some available dates. Then I'll get back to you all.
(in relation to the Uptown Hideaway). Looks like a nice place.

< Message edited by cgrimes -- 5/11/2008 8:25:39 PM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/11/2008 8:39:53 PM

Eric

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The owner's name is Kevin Corbett. I met him about a year ago exactly.

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/11/2008 8:45:43 PM

cgrimes

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Thanks.

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/12/2008 7:32:31 PM

jamscreator

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quote:

ORIGINAL: jamscreator

Some of us have jokingly been talking about a CT user weekend (long weekend?) get together where we can all come together and put faces with names, talk about wine, share wine and have an exceptional time.

Is anyone interested in seriously pursuing this idea? We talked about this in another thread, and I've nominated myself to be on the committee to bring this weekend to fruition. Come on Eric, what do you think?

I'll even donate a few door prizes and work on having a representative from the Mondavi family there for a talk and tasting.

Anyone interested?

We rent a hall, get a block of hotel rooms, bring the wine.......pay Eric for the costs associated and throw a few bucks his way. This could really be the start of something very very cool! I've never been to Washington, so this is the perfect excuse.

This is a great new idea of having the event in Washington. Uh.............

I'm in and looking forward to it!

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 6:12:18 AM

cgrimes

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For all interested, I have been communicating with Eric about dates for this Fall in Seattle and have spoken with at least one venue. I think this is really gonna happen! Will post when know more information.

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 8:36:12 AM

RoundersRob

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Thanks for your efforts. I don't know how many of us will be there, but I will try hard to make it. Thinking of the BYOB possibility, I don't think airlines allow you to carry a bottle of wine on the plane so I am not sure if that would affect the BYOB part of this gathering.

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 8:53:59 AM

Serge Birbrair

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put your bottles in the luggage

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 8:57:00 AM

fingers

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Thought about this too, Rob. I think what would be cool is we should all come up with a list of whatever gems we care to offer from our cellars. Then we let the fellow trackers that are attending vote on what they would like each of us to bring. This would help avoid duplicates and probably provide the greatest variety of wines to share. But, as you point out, there is the issue of transporting. I'm not sure about carry-on rules now but I have sent wine as checked baggage with little trouble.

< Message edited by fingers -- 9/9/2008 7:56:27 PM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 9:38:22 AM

Blue Shorts

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I don't know about other venues, but Terra Valentine, in Napa, would rent the room. We would supply our own wine.

edit: Having said that, I do understand the reasoning behind Seattle and I agree that it makes sense. My wife and I would try to make it if the dates worked out.

< Message edited by Blue Shorts -- 5/14/2008 9:54:44 AM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 9:39:00 AM

cgrimes

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Fingers, RoundersRob,
To address some of your issues:

1) Given the nature of this website BYO makes the most sense, both from a variety and expense standpoint--it is also in keeping with the spirit of our community. While I have thought about the transportation issue, it is not insurmountable. I'm sure all of us have packed wines in our luggage without problems in the past. I'm worried that they may get stirred up a bit, but perhaps we shouldn't be bringing our oldest wines--a discussion for another time.

2) As for pre-registering wines--it is a great idea. Whether it is practical or not will depend on how many of you are planning to come. Lets first get a date, then see how many of you will really be able to make it. I'm really excited about the possibility of making this happen, I'm just a little wary of getting too carried away at this time.

Will be in touch soon,
Craig

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 5:23:16 PM

deb293

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The 3 ounce liquid rule still applies. Wine would have to be checked.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm#10

Unless you buy it after screening, which none of us is likely to do.

< Message edited by deb293 -- 5/14/2008 7:42:58 PM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 5:31:03 PM

deb293

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Not exactly in favor of pre-registering wines. There's bound to be plenty of variety, and without elaborating, I can easily see the downside of having such a list. The likelihood of duplications is small, and even if it happens, so what? At the EWS anniversary we weren't micro-managed, the evening was a huge success, the wine flowed freely and no one was second-guessed about which wines in his or her collection to select for the event.

This is basically a big party after all, isn't it? Right before we head to the airport, I'll bet we'll grab a wine that suits the occasion. Just bring a (nice) bottle and show up!

< Message edited by deb293 -- 5/14/2008 8:16:50 PM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 7:02:26 PM

Eric

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I suspect we can keep this really lightweight and easy and welcoming...

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 8:00:51 PM

deb293

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I'd "vote" for that...

< Message edited by deb293 -- 5/14/2008 8:14:15 PM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/14/2008 10:43:49 PM

mbannon

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I sure hope we end up choosing a weekend I'm free...this is getting exciting. But most of my summer/fall weekends are already spoken for...long odds...I can dream, though...already started scanning my cellar for potential contributions...

< Message edited by mbannon -- 5/14/2008 10:44:23 PM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 8:34:54 AM

stevetimko

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So it looks like Seattle in September?

< Message edited by stevetimko -- 5/15/2008 8:40:26 AM >

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 9:50:49 AM

cgrimes

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Fellow Cellartrackers,

After discussion with Eric about the best weekends as well as the availability of local venues, we have tentatively decided on Saturday, September 6, 2008 as date for our first gathering. The venue will likely be the Uptown Hideaway, Seattle, WA. www.uptownhideaway.com

It will be an evening event, BYO (w/o pre-registering wines) which will be catered in some fashion (more on that later).

Eric has also proposed some sort of gathering at his home (depending on numbers) on Friday, September 5 although the definites on this are still in the works.

Both of these events should prove to be casual and friendly. We want to make this as simple as possible.

I'd really like to hear from you about a few things:

1. Ideas about food and presentation (ie pairing stations, buffet, etc.) I'd personally like the food to be of good quality, wine friendly, but not outrageous in price (you know how catering prices can be)

2. How many of you are interested AND would be likely to come? Please let us know. Eric may be setting up some type of poll to see if we can get a rough idea.

3. If anyone is interested in helping with aspects of planning, please let me know. I have a busy practice, and while I am enthusiastic my time is limited.

4. I have yet to work out with Eric how this will all be funded or how you will all be able to pay for it. Keep in mind that I will try to keep the budget down as much as possible.

5. Is there any utility to try to block some hotel rooms or should we all just fend for ourselves?

6. How much wine should we bring? 1-2 bottles. 1 white, 1 red, 1 old world, 1 new world. Any ideas are appreciated.

Hope to see many of you in September. Start your planning!
Craig

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 10:29:32 AM

mbannon

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September 6 would work for me, yay!!! Now I can let myself start dreaming.

Will cogitate a bit and post my thoughts on the above questions soon. Hooray!

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 10:35:09 AM

RoundersRob

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Oh no!! September 6th is the day of the 12th Annual Kendall Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival!! I was hoping to go drink jug wine and eat tomatoes!

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 10:36:22 AM

Eric

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It's a really, really beautiful time of year in the Northwest. And Seattle is an easy leaping off point to Vancouver, Victoria, Portland or Whistler (which is just GORGEOUS in the summer).

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 10:38:31 AM

RoundersRob

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....That looks like a good day / weekend for my wife and I....

Thanks for your efforts Craig and Eric and whoever else is in the mix.

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 12:22:07 PM

pbm

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Just to add to the mention of Whistler. It is a GREAT place for a family vacation. Lots of outdoor activities, reasonably priced, gorgeous, and about two hours from Vancouver. And there are a few restaurants with excellent wine lists -- not to mention some of the wines you can taste from that area of Canada which are excellent but not produced in enough quantity to get in the states.

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 12:29:17 PM

mbannon

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Random thoughts in random order:

How many people do we want to show up? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm a little a-skeered at the thought of 50-100 bottles of fine wine, all of which are begging me to taste them. Talk about a kid in a candy shop!
On the other hand, this forum is pretty sleepy. Should Eric perhaps send an e-vite out to all users that have not requested non-contact? It would be quite a let-down to rent a place that can hold 100+ only to have 12 show up.
Decanting. How do we do it? For folks traveling by air they clearly can not pull the cork until they land in Seattle.
Should we do a pre-dinner tasting? I highly doubt there will be a single wine present that I do not want to taste, but I surely do not want to pour even a small glass of each to drink! Yikes. On the other hand, maybe we should just have pour buckets so folks can swirl-and-spit until they find one they just can't dump out.
Food. Surprisingly, I'm not a foodie. As long as it's above Applebee's in quality, I'll be happy. So you all are going to have to worry about this without me. Just don't get too extravagent, I'm cheap when it comes to anything other than wine.
Lodging. See above. I'm cheap. As long as there are no crack dealers hanging out in the parking lot, I'm happy. It would be fun to all stay at the same hotel, but if it's $200+/night I might be too worried about my wallet to enjoy myself. On the other hand, I don't want to drive far (or at all) after drinking, if at all possible. So if I need to splurge, I probably will.
Speaking of driving after drinking - Is Eric at any kind of risk here? Clearly we don't want that. But if someone consumes too much, gets in their car, and God forbid hurts or kills someone, would the victim have recourse against Eric? Is there some kind of event insurance we could build into the cost of admission?

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 12:45:25 PM

Eric

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Ultimately I will add a banner to the site and announce this in an email blast. We should get a lot more eyeballs than just the forum.
There may well need to be a waiver for liability. We wouldn't be charging for alcohol though--each person would bring their own. Just charging to cover catering and venue.
In terms of catering, my recommendation would be this http://www.tomdouglas.com/catering/index.html
Shouldn't break the bank, lots of great, wine-friendly stuff with a NW flair.
And if we look like we are too big for Uptown Hideaway there is even this venue: http://www.tomdouglas.com/ballroom/index.html

All of these are walking distance or VERY short cab ride from many, many hotels in the downtown area. No one should need to drive unless they are choosing to stay outside of the city. But I wouldn't recommend that.

As for all of the wines, well think of this as more of a social event than a tasting. Take small pours, use a spit bucket and just enjoy.

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RE: FIRST ANNUAL Cellar Tracker Wine Weekend! - 5/15/2008 12:47:39 PM

Eric

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Oooh, big bonus, I just realized that this is a release weekend for a lot of wineries. So for example, one of my very favorites in the US is Betz Family Winery.

http://www.betzfamilywinery.com/
Our next Release Weekend is Saturday and Sunday, September 6 and 7, Noon to 4 both days, when we will release our 2006 Syrahs and Besoleil. Hope to see you then,

I suspect a lot of people will be able to keep busy on Saturday and Sunday touring the many wineries in Woodinville, really cool and just about 25 minutes from the city.

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-Eric LeVine

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