Episode Transcript
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Announcer (00:00):
Welcome to Spirited Discussions, a podcast by
Alcohol Beverage Services,exploring alcohol products,
trends, and policies inMontgomery County.
Jocelyn Rawat (00:12):
Thanks for joining us.
I'm your host, Jocelyn Rawat.
With the holiday season uponus, we're asking our experts for
tips on party gifts, stockingstuffers, and seasonal spirits.
To help us with that, we havethe manager at ABS's Kensington
retail store, Preston James.
Preston has been with ABS for awhopping 23 years, working at
eight different stores, and heis a certified Somalier.
(00:35):
Hi, Preston.
Preston James (00:36):
Hi, how are you?
Jocelyn Rawat (00:37):
Good.
So we're also joined by RobertCavanaugh, who is the founder of
Adventure Wine.
He's an award-winning wineeducator who has hosted seminars
all over the world.
So Robert's down-to-earthapproach makes wine education
fun for all levels of knowledge,and I can't say that strongly
enough, having been in lots ofthe classes.
And Robert was nice enough tojoin us for episode six about
(00:57):
selecting French wines.
And we're glad to have himback.
Welcome, Robert.
Robert Cavanaugh (01:01):
Thank you, Jocelyn.
It's good to be back.
Good to see Preston again.
Jocelyn Rawat (01:04):
All right.
So, Robert, I'm going to startwith you.
What's the relationship betweenAdventure Wine and ABS?
Robert Cavanaugh (01:09):
Well, we do a lot of staff training, live
seminars, and in-store tastingsaround the county, usually
funded by major wine regions.
So there's usually not a costto any restaurants or retailers.
Jocelyn Rawat (01:21):
It's a nice benefit to our community.
So I want to dive right in withthe most common question I get
about wine.
And that is "I want to bring abottle of wine to a holiday
party, but I don't even knowwhere to start." Do you have any
simple guidelines?
Robert Cavanaugh (01:34):
Well, I would say, first of all, check with
your stores.
Store managers have a reallygood idea of what is selling
well, what is trending well,what people are buying and
enjoying.
And I wouldn't focus too muchon cost, maybe more on different
styles.
Do they like light-bodied,crisp whites or rich, full,
oaky, buttery whites, lightreds, heavier reds, bolder reds,
(01:57):
things like that.
Jocelyn Rawat (01:58):
And you say price doesn't really matter?
Robert Cavanaugh (02:00):
No, surprisingly, having been
around the Montgomery County ABSstores for as long as I have,
there are a lot of really goodvalues on the shelves.
Just every every time I go inthere, I'm always surprised at
just how good the prices are andespecially the selections.
Jocelyn Rawat (02:15):
And how do you know?
I mean, if I'm looking at racksand racks of shelves, how do I
know that one is good or betterthan the other?
I ask Preston?
Robert Cavanaugh (02:22):
Well, that would be my go-to person.
So usually all the storemanagers are really well
trained.
They have a good idea of whatis selling well, what is
trending well, what makes a goodgift.
But don't be afraid to ask.
I mean, asking saves a lot ofguessing.
And again, I wouldn't alwaysnecessarily follow price.
(02:42):
There's just exceptional valuesto be had.
Jocelyn Rawat (02:46):
Okay, and I've heard sometimes, like red is a
winter wine and white is forsummer, or at least rose is for
summer.
Is that is that true?
Should I stick with red in thewinter?
Robert Cavanaugh (02:55):
Ahh reds, especially on cold winter
nights.
There's nothing like a big,full-flavored, full-bodied
Côtes-du-Rhône wine or aBordeaux wine.
But, you know, are asvwines are as varied as the
meals they're served with.
So you can get a light-bodycrisp white to start a meal,
especially a holiday meal,because that crisp acidity
really sparks up your appetite,and then move on to maybe some
(03:17):
roses and then finishing offwith reds.
And ABS carries quite a fewnice dessert wines as well.
Don't be afraid to ask aboutthose.
Something really unique.
Jocelyn Rawat (03:28):
Okay.
So what kinds of dessert wineswould you recommend?
I'm not very familiar with themat all.
Robert Cavanaugh (03:33):
Big fan of the Sauternes wines from
Bordeaux that ABS carries.
They're usually made fromSémillon grape, rich,
full-bodied with apricot,pineapple, fig flavors, and they
go really well with somethinglike smoked Marcona almonds,
heavy cheeses like cheddar orchalda or something like that.
(03:54):
And just it's really worthexperimenting different wines.
Jocelyn Rawat (03:58):
And that really sounds like the rich type of
flavors that you think of duringthe holiday season.
Robert Cavanaugh (04:01):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Jocelyn Rawat (04:02):
Okay.
So Preston, certainly it's truethat ABS carries a huge
selection of wine, but thereare lots of good liquor choices
too.
So can you tell us about thevolume and the types of spirits
that you're carrying in theKensington store?
Preston James (04:14):
Oh man, we have such a huge selection of liquors
um from around the world.
We have Pisco from Peru andChile, Caçasa from Brazil.
We actually have one that'slocally owned.
Mama Juana, we just got fromDR, Soju from Korea, gin from
all around the world. We haveCanada, Canadian whiskey,
(04:38):
European cordials.
Like the the variety isendless.
Like we really have a lot tooffer.
Jocelyn Rawat (04:43):
Okay, that sounds like something for everyone.
Okay, but what I what I hearabout a lot, I'm thinking that
bourbon is a really hot, popularholiday gift.
Am I guessing right?
Preston James (04:52):
Super hot, white hot.
We sell a lot of bourbon, tothe point where there's some
bourbons that are so hard toget, we had to come up with a
program so everybody could get achance to get a bottle in their
hand.
So every second Saturday, wesell highly allocated liquors
and it's it's a really funactivity, but you got to be
there when the store opens.
So there's usually severalpeople hanging outside waiting
(05:14):
for us to open the door, andthen they can get some of those
rare whiskies that we sell.
Jocelyn Rawat (05:18):
Okay.
So almost every time on thesecond Saturday, or sometimes
the second Sunday, someonesends me a picture of the lines
outside the store.
I would like to remind folksthat if you do want to
participate in the secondSaturday program to get some of
these very hard-to-get rareproducts that are sold at
manufacturers suggested retailprice, that we do post a list of
(05:39):
those products on our websiteon the Thursday before the
second Saturday.
Okay, so what what else?
What about like seasonalproducts that you can only get
at this time of year?
Preston James (05:49):
So right now it's the holidays.
Eggnog is jumping.
Eggnog is one of the biggestthings people look to see that
we have.
And it, and you know, as a as astaff member, we know the
holidays are here when eggnogshows up.
So that's probably the biggestone. Also, mulled wines, uh,
glogg wine, which you can servewarm.
(06:09):
Get that, get grandma's crockpot, put some of that glogg wine
in there, or some ofthat mulled wine that you can
make yourself and you serve itwarm in a little teacup.
And that's one of theproducts that we sell during
holidays.
Jocelyn Rawat (06:24):
Nice, nice for a cold winter's day.
So you talked about eggnog, andI think some of the others are
coming pre-mixed now, basically.
We call that "ready to serve."That's a great convenience,
especially if you are going tobe traveling and you want to
take it with you.
But lots of people like to havea signature cocktail when
they're hosting at their home.
Do you have any good recipes toshare with us?
(06:46):
Yeah, like I said before, thethe mulled wine is really cool.
You can get a little satchel ofcloves and cinnamon and and
warm your wine up.
Or you can do like I do, Imake a wonderful sangria and
people really look for mysangria.
All right, let's get it.
Preston James (07:04):
So, all right, so you get a gallon jug and you
get your fruit.
So you can do melons, berries,citrus fruits, whatever,
whatever you like.
You can go to the grocerystore.
You know how they have thosefruits that are already chopped
up and ready?
Easy.
(07:24):
You can get a couple of thoseand put that in the bottom of
your jug.
Then you get a pint of gold rumand you soak that overnight.
Jocelyn Rawat (07:35):
Oh, this is a serious recipe.
Okay.
Preston James (07:37):
That's right.
And then the next day, you getyour your red wine, because
this is this is like Robert wastalking about earlier.
You want your your red winethis time of year.
I would get two 1.5 liters ofred wine, and you can select
wine that is according to yoursweetness palette.
So if you like wine that'sreally sweet, get your sweet red
(07:57):
wine.
If you don't, get a dry redwine, and then you add that to
your soaked fruit.
And then you serve it just likethat, room temperature, and
it's really, really tasty.
Jocelyn Rawat (08:06):
How long does that last in your house?
So we're going to be outholiday shopping.
What other gifts do yourecommend?
Preston Jame (08:15):
Not very long. Oh, we have lots of gifts right
now.
This is gift set season, so wehave a lot of products that come
with items.
So you might get a tequilathat comes with a glass, you
might get a whiskey that comeswith a stir and a and a jigger.
There's a lot of differentthings like that right now, all
throughout the store.
Jocelyn Rawat (08:34):
Okay, so here's here's my favorite that I get.
I just buy a bunch of them andhave them on hand.
So I like to get a little giftbag at a miniature, and then
also maybe slide in a gift carddepending on how much I like
you, whether you get a miniatureor a miniature and a gift card.
A beautiful stocking stuffer.
Absolutely.
Lovely.
And a gift card is always theright size.
Preston James (08:55):
Yeah, and all of our stores have gift cards.
Okay.
Sometimes you're shopping withyou're shopping for someone, you
don't know what to get them,and we'll go through the shelf
and we'll say this or this, andyou really just can't make up
your mind that that gift cardreally comes in clutch.
Jocelyn Rawat (09:08):
Yeah.
And the the gift cards thatwe're selling in the stores,
they're really cute.
Nice designs on them.
Yeah, and and you know thatthey're us, nice branded cards.
So Robert, I think that themost iconic part of the holiday
when it comes to alcoholicbeverages is the popping of the
cork on New Year's Eve.
So, can you tell us about thedifferent types of bubbly
beverages?
Robert Cavanaugh (09:28):
I will be happy to.
And also I want to make surethat I am on your gift card
receiving list.
So because it soundedfantastic.
First, you start with a gallonof champagne.
Same gallon champagne.
Preston James (09:39):
Yeah, right.
Robert Cavanaugh (09:40):
No, there's a there are a number of different
styles of sparkling wine,champagne, of course, being the
benchmark.
But I hate to burst champagne'sbubbles.
They were not the first.
The first one was Limoux, andthe ABS stores carry the
original one back in the 1500s.
Sparkling wine, Saint HilaireLimoux, about $15, $16 a bottle.
(10:02):
Doesn't break the bank, madefrom the Mauzac grape.
Prosecco, which is Italy'slittle version of sparkling
wine, made from the Glera grape,mostly found in the north part
of Italy, Spanish Cava, allsorts of different ones.
I noticed the stores recentlystarted carrying Zardetto Rose,
which is, I think, going to be areal fantastic gift.
(10:24):
Uh, the prosecco this year aswell.
Jocelyn Rawat (10:27):
Oh, I've been working here a long time, and
you just said a couple of thingsthat I didn't know about, and
so now I'm on my way to thestores.
Tell me about the bubblesthemselves.
Is it true that they're notnecessarily the same size or
produced the same way, dependingon the type of wine?
Robert Cavanaugh (10:41):
Yeah, there's a couple of different ways to
make it.
The traditional,Méthode Champenoise, is the most
expensive and difficult way,and that's primarily used in the
Champagne region, goes throughnearly a hundred different
steps, usually hand-bottled,very hand everything.
But what you generally want tolook for in sparkling wine is
(11:02):
smaller bubbles are better, andthe longer that they last is a
sign of quality.
Absolutely.
Jocelyn Rawat (11:08):
Okay, but you don't know how long they last
until you open the bottle.
So you just got to try, right?
Robert Cavanaugh (11:12):
That's why you open several bottles, and I
would not wait for New Year'sEve.
We ran a promotion recently.
It's called "Try It on aTuesday." There is no reason
with these prices, especially inthe stores, that are many of
them are under $20.
There's no reason why you can'ttry a couple of sparkling wines
during the week.
If you're looking for a specialoccasion to open a bottle of
(11:33):
wine, dinner.
Dinner is a really specialoccasion.
And if you think it's not aspecial occasion, skip it one
night and see if it is a specialoccasion.
But don't wait for New Year's.
Try these sparkling winesduring the week.
You'll be really glad that youdid.
Jocelyn Rawat (11:48):
Okay.
And speaking of sparklingwines, this brings me to my
absolutely most favoritecocktail of all time,
the kir royale.
Robert Cavanaugh (11:55):
Oh, that's a wonderful, wonderful one.
It's usually one part creme decassis or Chambord to maybe five
parts sparkling.
Usually a white sparkling wine,a clear Blanc de Blanc
champagne or Limoux, or uh, youknow, Cava is also a good
choice.
Prosecco is always fun.
But if you don't if you can'tfind Chambord, cream de cassis
(12:17):
works.
And you're not just limited toblackberry flavors.
You can also use orange creamsoda.
And sparkling wine is a goodchoice, lemon lime, strawberry
infused waters.
Get creative.
It's the holidays.
Have fun.
Make an evening out of it.
Get a couple of bottles ofsparkling wine, try a couple of
(12:38):
carbonated beverages, see howthey work together, and don't
forget the garnishes -- cherryorange flags, dragon
pineapples, things like that.
Always really liven up thedrink.
Jocelyn Rawat (12:51):
Okay, so I know sometimes these wines,
particularly the French wines,can be a little bit
unapproachable because you'reafraid to try to pronounce these
big words.
And I know that you have anindex on your webpage.
So if you want to know how topronounce some of these wines,
visit uh Robert's website andlearn how to pronounce them.
But I I will share a story witheverybody.
I went to Paris, and so Iwanted to have my favorite
(13:14):
cocktail, kir royale, the n andI ordered it in a restaurant,
and they brought me a sparklingwater.
So don't be embarrassed, folks.
It happens to everybody.
Robert Cavanaugh (13:24):
The key is to try the different wines.
You'll get more fluent the morefluid you get.
Absolutely.
So all right.
Jocelyn Rawat (13:31):
So Robert just went through a whole lot of
different ingredients that wemight want to try.
Can we get them all in yourstore, Preston?
Preston James (13:37):
Absolutely.
We carry all of those items andmore.
Jocelyn Rawat (13:40):
Okay.
And what about what about thesales that are going on in
December?
I heard they're fantastic.
Preston James (13:45):
We have a lot of good deals going on in December.
I just got an advanced copy,y'all.
Uh, up to $60 in savings.
Johnny Walker Blue is on sale.
That's a big deal.
Bailey's is on sale.
Captain is on sale.
Courvoisier is on sale.
We got a lot of good dealsgoing on in December.
Jocelyn Rawat (14:02):
All right.
So if you want spirits,December's the time to do it.
Robert, you're always mygo-to source for wine.
And thank you for coming.
And Preston, you and the staffat the ABS stores are great
resources.
I encourage everyone to ask youfor holiday recommendations.
And so, no matter how youcelebrate, with or without
alcohol, we at ABS wisheveryone a happy holiday season.
(14:22):
And that brings me to the mostimportant part today.
And that is that the happiestholidays are when everyone is
healthy and safe.
So please remember to drink andserve alcohol responsibly.
Preston James (14:34):
Absolutely.
Don't be afraid to call, getthat app going.
Ride share, it's here to helpyou be safe.
You definitely don't want tohave have any trouble on the
road.
Robert Cavanaugh (14:45):
I think the key is to pace yourself.
Uh a lot of water, a lot offood.
Just enjoy, be in the momentand really enjoy yourself.
We have a little joke that wedo pace yourself, start stop at
two, sometimes 2 (14:57):
30.
But you know, definitely dostop yourself.
lots of water, lots offood, and think responsibility.
Jocelyn Rawat (15:06):
Yeah, and you know, food makes wine better,
and wine makes food betteranyway.
So why would you want to forgetthe food?
Also please, when you arehosting an event at your home,
please remember to keep alcoholout of the hands of people who
are under the age of 21.
All right.
So thank you, Preston James andRobert Cavanaugh, for
participating in today'sspirited discussion.
Robert Cavanaugh (15:27):
Thank you.
Thank you for having us.
Jocelyn Rawat (15:29):
If there's a topic you'd like us to cover on
the podcast, email us atabs.spirited
discussions@montgomerycountymd.gov.
And thanks for listening.
Announcer (15:39):
Alcohol Beverage Services is the alcohol
wholesaler of beer, wine, andspirits for Montgomery County.
And it operates neighborhoodretail stores.
ABS also manages alcohollicensing, enforcement, and
education for more than 1,000businesses.
Profits are used to pay forresident services that otherwise
(16:00):
would be funded by county taxdollars.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoco.
Welcome to Spirited Discussions, a podcast by
Alcohol Beverage Services,exploring alcohol products,
trends, and policies inMontgomery County.
Jocelyn Rawat (00:12):
Thanks for joining us.
I'm your host, Jocelyn Rawat.
With the holiday season uponus, we're asking our experts for
tips on party gifts, stockingstuffers, and seasonal spirits.
To help us with that, we havethe manager at ABS's Kensington
retail store, Preston James.
Preston has been with ABS for awhopping 23 years, working at
eight different stores, and heis a certified Somalier.
(00:35):
Hi, Preston.
Preston James (00:36):
Hi, how are you?
Jocelyn Rawat (00:37):
Good.
So we're also joined by RobertCavanaugh, who is the founder of
Adventure Wine.
He's an award-winning wineeducator who has hosted seminars
all over the world.
So Robert's down-to-earthapproach makes wine education
fun for all levels of knowledge,and I can't say that strongly
enough, having been in lots ofthe classes.
And Robert was nice enough tojoin us for episode six about
(00:57):
selecting French wines.
And we're glad to have himback.
Welcome, Robert.
Robert Cavanaugh (01:01):
Thank you, Jocelyn.
It's good to be back.
Good to see Preston again.
Jocelyn Rawat (01:04):
All right.
So, Robert, I'm going to startwith you.
What's the relationship betweenAdventure Wine and ABS?
Robert Cavanaugh (01:09):
Well, we do a lot of staff training, live
seminars, and in-store tastingsaround the county, usually
funded by major wine regions.
So there's usually not a costto any restaurants or retailers.
Jocelyn Rawat (01:21):
It's a nice benefit to our community.
So I want to dive right in withthe most common question I get
about wine.
And that is "I want to bring abottle of wine to a holiday
party, but I don't even knowwhere to start." Do you have any
simple guidelines?
Robert Cavanaugh (01:34):
Well, I would say, first of all, check with
your stores.
Store managers have a reallygood idea of what is selling
well, what is trending well,what people are buying and
enjoying.
And I wouldn't focus too muchon cost, maybe more on different
styles.
Do they like light-bodied,crisp whites or rich, full,
oaky, buttery whites, lightreds, heavier reds, bolder reds,
(01:57):
things like that.
Jocelyn Rawat (01:58):
And you say price doesn't really matter?
Robert Cavanaugh (02:00):
No, surprisingly, having been
around the Montgomery County ABSstores for as long as I have,
there are a lot of really goodvalues on the shelves.
Just every every time I go inthere, I'm always surprised at
just how good the prices are andespecially the selections.
Jocelyn Rawat (02:15):
And how do you know?
I mean, if I'm looking at racksand racks of shelves, how do I
know that one is good or betterthan the other?
I ask Preston?
Robert Cavanaugh (02:22):
Well, that would be my go-to person.
So usually all the storemanagers are really well
trained.
They have a good idea of whatis selling well, what is
trending well, what makes a goodgift.
But don't be afraid to ask.
I mean, asking saves a lot ofguessing.
And again, I wouldn't alwaysnecessarily follow price.
(02:42):
There's just exceptional valuesto be had.
Jocelyn Rawat (02:46):
Okay, and I've heard sometimes, like red is a
winter wine and white is forsummer, or at least rose is for
summer.
Is that is that true?
Should I stick with red in thewinter?
Robert Cavanaugh (02:55):
Ahh reds, especially on cold winter
nights.
There's nothing like a big,full-flavored, full-bodied
Côtes-du-Rhône wine or aBordeaux wine.
But, you know, are asvwines are as varied as the
meals they're served with.
So you can get a light-bodycrisp white to start a meal,
especially a holiday meal,because that crisp acidity
really sparks up your appetite,and then move on to maybe some
(03:17):
roses and then finishing offwith reds.
And ABS carries quite a fewnice dessert wines as well.
Don't be afraid to ask aboutthose.
Something really unique.
Jocelyn Rawat (03:28):
Okay.
So what kinds of dessert wineswould you recommend?
I'm not very familiar with themat all.
Robert Cavanaugh (03:33):
Big fan of the Sauternes wines from
Bordeaux that ABS carries.
They're usually made fromSémillon grape, rich,
full-bodied with apricot,pineapple, fig flavors, and they
go really well with somethinglike smoked Marcona almonds,
heavy cheeses like cheddar orchalda or something like that.
(03:54):
And just it's really worthexperimenting different wines.
Jocelyn Rawat (03:58):
And that really sounds like the rich type of
flavors that you think of duringthe holiday season.
Robert Cavanaugh (04:01):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Jocelyn Rawat (04:02):
Okay.
So Preston, certainly it's truethat ABS carries a huge
selection of wine, but thereare lots of good liquor choices
too.
So can you tell us about thevolume and the types of spirits
that you're carrying in theKensington store?
Preston James (04:14):
Oh man, we have such a huge selection of liquors
um from around the world.
We have Pisco from Peru andChile, Caçasa from Brazil.
We actually have one that'slocally owned.
Mama Juana, we just got fromDR, Soju from Korea, gin from
all around the world. We haveCanada, Canadian whiskey,
(04:38):
European cordials.
Like the the variety isendless.
Like we really have a lot tooffer.
Jocelyn Rawat (04:43):
Okay, that sounds like something for everyone.
Okay, but what I what I hearabout a lot, I'm thinking that
bourbon is a really hot, popularholiday gift.
Am I guessing right?
Preston James (04:52):
Super hot, white hot.
We sell a lot of bourbon, tothe point where there's some
bourbons that are so hard toget, we had to come up with a
program so everybody could get achance to get a bottle in their
hand.
So every second Saturday, wesell highly allocated liquors
and it's it's a really funactivity, but you got to be
there when the store opens.
So there's usually severalpeople hanging outside waiting
(05:14):
for us to open the door, andthen they can get some of those
rare whiskies that we sell.
Jocelyn Rawat (05:18):
Okay.
So almost every time on thesecond Saturday, or sometimes
the second Sunday, someonesends me a picture of the lines
outside the store.
I would like to remind folksthat if you do want to
participate in the secondSaturday program to get some of
these very hard-to-get rareproducts that are sold at
manufacturers suggested retailprice, that we do post a list of
(05:39):
those products on our websiteon the Thursday before the
second Saturday.
Okay, so what what else?
What about like seasonalproducts that you can only get
at this time of year?
Preston James (05:49):
So right now it's the holidays.
Eggnog is jumping.
Eggnog is one of the biggestthings people look to see that
we have.
And it, and you know, as a as astaff member, we know the
holidays are here when eggnogshows up.
So that's probably the biggestone. Also, mulled wines, uh,
glogg wine, which you can servewarm.
(06:09):
Get that, get grandma's crockpot, put some of that glogg wine
in there, or some ofthat mulled wine that you can
make yourself and you serve itwarm in a little teacup.
And that's one of theproducts that we sell during
holidays.
Jocelyn Rawat (06:24):
Nice, nice for a cold winter's day.
So you talked about eggnog, andI think some of the others are
coming pre-mixed now, basically.
We call that "ready to serve."That's a great convenience,
especially if you are going tobe traveling and you want to
take it with you.
But lots of people like to havea signature cocktail when
they're hosting at their home.
Do you have any good recipes toshare with us?
(06:46):
Yeah, like I said before, thethe mulled wine is really cool.
You can get a little satchel ofcloves and cinnamon and and
warm your wine up.
Or you can do like I do, Imake a wonderful sangria and
people really look for mysangria.
All right, let's get it.
Preston James (07:04):
So, all right, so you get a gallon jug and you
get your fruit.
So you can do melons, berries,citrus fruits, whatever,
whatever you like.
You can go to the grocerystore.
You know how they have thosefruits that are already chopped
up and ready?
Easy.
(07:24):
You can get a couple of thoseand put that in the bottom of
your jug.
Then you get a pint of gold rumand you soak that overnight.
Jocelyn Rawat (07:35):
Oh, this is a serious recipe.
Okay.
Preston James (07:37):
That's right.
And then the next day, you getyour your red wine, because
this is this is like Robert wastalking about earlier.
You want your your red winethis time of year.
I would get two 1.5 liters ofred wine, and you can select
wine that is according to yoursweetness palette.
So if you like wine that'sreally sweet, get your sweet red
(07:57):
wine.
If you don't, get a dry redwine, and then you add that to
your soaked fruit.
And then you serve it just likethat, room temperature, and
it's really, really tasty.
Jocelyn Rawat (08:06):
How long does that last in your house?
So we're going to be outholiday shopping.
What other gifts do yourecommend?
Preston Jame (08:15):
Not very long. Oh, we have lots of gifts right
now.
This is gift set season, so wehave a lot of products that come
with items.
So you might get a tequilathat comes with a glass, you
might get a whiskey that comeswith a stir and a and a jigger.
There's a lot of differentthings like that right now, all
throughout the store.
Jocelyn Rawat (08:34):
Okay, so here's here's my favorite that I get.
I just buy a bunch of them andhave them on hand.
So I like to get a little giftbag at a miniature, and then
also maybe slide in a gift carddepending on how much I like
you, whether you get a miniatureor a miniature and a gift card.
A beautiful stocking stuffer.
Absolutely.
Lovely.
And a gift card is always theright size.
Preston James (08:55):
Yeah, and all of our stores have gift cards.
Okay.
Sometimes you're shopping withyou're shopping for someone, you
don't know what to get them,and we'll go through the shelf
and we'll say this or this, andyou really just can't make up
your mind that that gift cardreally comes in clutch.
Jocelyn Rawat (09:08):
Yeah.
And the the gift cards thatwe're selling in the stores,
they're really cute.
Nice designs on them.
Yeah, and and you know thatthey're us, nice branded cards.
So Robert, I think that themost iconic part of the holiday
when it comes to alcoholicbeverages is the popping of the
cork on New Year's Eve.
So, can you tell us about thedifferent types of bubbly
beverages?
Robert Cavanaugh (09:28):
I will be happy to.
And also I want to make surethat I am on your gift card
receiving list.
So because it soundedfantastic.
First, you start with a gallonof champagne.
Same gallon champagne.
Preston James (09:39):
Yeah, right.
Robert Cavanaugh (09:40):
No, there's a there are a number of different
styles of sparkling wine,champagne, of course, being the
benchmark.
But I hate to burst champagne'sbubbles.
They were not the first.
The first one was Limoux, andthe ABS stores carry the
original one back in the 1500s.
Sparkling wine, Saint HilaireLimoux, about $15, $16 a bottle.
(10:02):
Doesn't break the bank, madefrom the Mauzac grape.
Prosecco, which is Italy'slittle version of sparkling
wine, made from the Glera grape,mostly found in the north part
of Italy, Spanish Cava, allsorts of different ones.
I noticed the stores recentlystarted carrying Zardetto Rose,
which is, I think, going to be areal fantastic gift.
(10:24):
Uh, the prosecco this year aswell.
Jocelyn Rawat (10:27):
Oh, I've been working here a long time, and
you just said a couple of thingsthat I didn't know about, and
so now I'm on my way to thestores.
Tell me about the bubblesthemselves.
Is it true that they're notnecessarily the same size or
produced the same way, dependingon the type of wine?
Robert Cavanaugh (10:41):
Yeah, there's a couple of different ways to
make it.
The traditional,Méthode Champenoise, is the most
expensive and difficult way,and that's primarily used in the
Champagne region, goes throughnearly a hundred different
steps, usually hand-bottled,very hand everything.
But what you generally want tolook for in sparkling wine is
(11:02):
smaller bubbles are better, andthe longer that they last is a
sign of quality.
Absolutely.
Jocelyn Rawat (11:08):
Okay, but you don't know how long they last
until you open the bottle.
So you just got to try, right?
Robert Cavanaugh (11:12):
That's why you open several bottles, and I
would not wait for New Year'sEve.
We ran a promotion recently.
It's called "Try It on aTuesday." There is no reason
with these prices, especially inthe stores, that are many of
them are under $20.
There's no reason why you can'ttry a couple of sparkling wines
during the week.
If you're looking for a specialoccasion to open a bottle of
(11:33):
wine, dinner.
Dinner is a really specialoccasion.
And if you think it's not aspecial occasion, skip it one
night and see if it is a specialoccasion.
But don't wait for New Year's.
Try these sparkling winesduring the week.
You'll be really glad that youdid.
Jocelyn Rawat (11:48):
Okay.
And speaking of sparklingwines, this brings me to my
absolutely most favoritecocktail of all time,
the kir royale.
Robert Cavanaugh (11:55):
Oh, that's a wonderful, wonderful one.
It's usually one part creme decassis or Chambord to maybe five
parts sparkling.
Usually a white sparkling wine,a clear Blanc de Blanc
champagne or Limoux, or uh, youknow, Cava is also a good
choice.
Prosecco is always fun.
But if you don't if you can'tfind Chambord, cream de cassis
(12:17):
works.
And you're not just limited toblackberry flavors.
You can also use orange creamsoda.
And sparkling wine is a goodchoice, lemon lime, strawberry
infused waters.
Get creative.
It's the holidays.
Have fun.
Make an evening out of it.
Get a couple of bottles ofsparkling wine, try a couple of
(12:38):
carbonated beverages, see howthey work together, and don't
forget the garnishes -- cherryorange flags, dragon
pineapples, things like that.
Always really liven up thedrink.
Jocelyn Rawat (12:51):
Okay, so I know sometimes these wines,
particularly the French wines,can be a little bit
unapproachable because you'reafraid to try to pronounce these
big words.
And I know that you have anindex on your webpage.
So if you want to know how topronounce some of these wines,
visit uh Robert's website andlearn how to pronounce them.
But I I will share a story witheverybody.
I went to Paris, and so Iwanted to have my favorite
(13:14):
cocktail, kir royale, the n andI ordered it in a restaurant,
and they brought me a sparklingwater.
So don't be embarrassed, folks.
It happens to everybody.
Robert Cavanaugh (13:24):
The key is to try the different wines.
You'll get more fluent the morefluid you get.
Absolutely.
So all right.
Jocelyn Rawat (13:31):
So Robert just went through a whole lot of
different ingredients that wemight want to try.
Can we get them all in yourstore, Preston?
Preston James (13:37):
Absolutely.
We carry all of those items andmore.
Jocelyn Rawat (13:40):
Okay.
And what about what about thesales that are going on in
December?
I heard they're fantastic.
Preston James (13:45):
We have a lot of good deals going on in December.
I just got an advanced copy,y'all.
Uh, up to $60 in savings.
Johnny Walker Blue is on sale.
That's a big deal.
Bailey's is on sale.
Captain is on sale.
Courvoisier is on sale.
We got a lot of good dealsgoing on in December.
Jocelyn Rawat (14:02):
All right.
So if you want spirits,December's the time to do it.
Robert, you're always mygo-to source for wine.
And thank you for coming.
And Preston, you and the staffat the ABS stores are great
resources.
I encourage everyone to ask youfor holiday recommendations.
And so, no matter how youcelebrate, with or without
alcohol, we at ABS wisheveryone a happy holiday season.
(14:22):
And that brings me to the mostimportant part today.
And that is that the happiestholidays are when everyone is
healthy and safe.
So please remember to drink andserve alcohol responsibly.
Preston James (14:34):
Absolutely.
Don't be afraid to call, getthat app going.
Ride share, it's here to helpyou be safe.
You definitely don't want tohave have any trouble on the
road.
Robert Cavanaugh (14:45):
I think the key is to pace yourself.
Uh a lot of water, a lot offood.
Just enjoy, be in the momentand really enjoy yourself.
We have a little joke that wedo pace yourself, start stop at
two, sometimes 2 (14:57):
30.
But you know, definitely dostop yourself.
lots of water, lots offood, and think responsibility.
Jocelyn Rawat (15:06):
Yeah, and you know, food makes wine better,
and wine makes food betteranyway.
So why would you want to forgetthe food?
Also please, when you arehosting an event at your home,
please remember to keep alcoholout of the hands of people who
are under the age of 21.
All right.
So thank you, Preston James andRobert Cavanaugh, for
participating in today'sspirited discussion.
Robert Cavanaugh (15:27):
Thank you.
Thank you for having us.
Jocelyn Rawat (15:29):
If there's a topic you'd like us to cover on
the podcast, email us atabs.spirited
discussions@montgomerycountymd.gov.
And thanks for listening.
Announcer (15:39):
Alcohol Beverage Services is the alcohol
wholesaler of beer, wine, andspirits for Montgomery County.
And it operates neighborhoodretail stores.
ABS also manages alcohollicensing, enforcement, and
education for more than 1,000businesses.
Profits are used to pay forresident services that otherwise
(16:00):
would be funded by county taxdollars.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoco.
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