OCHMRA Trade Expo

The Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association 34th Annual Spring Trade Expo in the Roland E. Powell Convention Center which was held on March 2 & 3 was another success according to all in attendance. In addition to being able to place orders for everything you need to keep your business stock up to date, there were many suppliers who offered show specials; and this year (for the first time ever) attendees were able to purchase goods on-site. Among the new exhibitors showcasing a variety of exciting goods and services were Marinetics, Inc. aka “The Choptank Oyster Company” whose premium quality oysters are aquacultured in a thriving oyster farm that produces over a million oysters per year; Shore Seafood and their canned clams; Lee’s Ice Cream, a Baltimore tradition since 1979; Picky Vicki Gourmet BBQ Sauces & Rubs; many soups prepared by one of Ocean City’s local chefs, Tom Watts; M.I.A. Catering, offering a wide variety of authentic Greek specialties; and Phillips Distilling which introduced their UV Vodka, which was named a “Hot Brand” by Impact, a spirits industry publication.

Spruce Goose Wines

Land In Mid-Atlantic Evergreen Vineyards has announced the April launch in the Mid-Atlantic region (MD, VA and DC markets) of its Spruce Goose wines. Located in the lush northern Willamette Valley of Oregon in premier pinot noir territory and in close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Evergreen is now offering a selection of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay wines and a semisparkling Pinot Noir Grape Juice. According to Evergreen’s French winemaker Laurent Montalieu, “the winery is careful to select only the best grapes for his limited production estate wines - some just a few hundred cases and some from old growth, low-yielding vineyards.” The name of the wines comes from the name of Howard Hughes’ famous Spruce Goose, the largest flying boat ever built with the largest wingspan and height of any aircraft in history. The plane now resides in the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon; and located under the wing of the aircraft is the Evergreen Vineyards tasting room. Mr. Montalieu also stated that “The Spruce Goose labels on Evergreen’s wines depict the only flight of this famous aircraft, and the innovation and dreams behind the plane serve as an inspiration for all of us at Evergreen.”

Boutique Vineyards, based in Annapolis, Maryland is the distributor for Evergreen Vineyards’ Spruce oose wines. For more information on the wines, contact 410 626-1286 or sales@boutiquevineyards .net.

RNDC’S Queen Wins Award of Merit At Annual Rodeo

On February 9, 2008 the annual RNDC Rodeo for warehouse personnel was held in Tampa, Florida. This year’s event was almost twice as large as those held in the past 10 years because it was the first combined RNDC/National Distributing Company (NDC) national rodeo. The 23 competing teams, who represented 23 houses from 15 states, qualified for the national event by winning the rodeos held at their local warehouses.

The rodeo teams consisted of a truck driver and a forklift driver from a RNDC or NDC house. Contestants competed in events that tested many of the skills used in their daily jobs, including maneuvering vehicles in very small spaces, and moving large stacks of items without dropping anything. They also had to follow all safety rules during the competition and complete a written test that required extensive knowledge of safety and standard operating procedures.

At a gala banquet that concluded the weekend, trophies and cash awards were presented to the first, second and third place winners in the truck competition as well as the three top winners in the forklift competition. Judges also recognized three other top finishers with Awards of Merit.

In addition, two outstanding warehouses of the year were recognized at the banquet and received the 2008 Warehouse Award of Excellence and a $10,000 prize. An Award for Special Achievement, along with a $5,000 check, also was presented to another warehouse.

Tannic Tongue New Distributor In MD & D.C. Market

Dr. Aziz Shafi, managing member of Tannic Tongue, a new wine distributor, has announced that his company “will be offering small production wines carefully chosen for their varietal character, sense of terroir, and their ability to convey the dedication of the hobbyist winemaker, and will be available at fine restaurants in Washington D.C. and Maryland.”

Dr. Shafi also stated that “Tannic Tongue has a mandate to promote wines from small producers who would otherwise be unrepresented or unable to exist in the D.C. and Maryland markets. There are many mergers taking place in the wine world these days; as a result, wine marketing is fast becoming the realm of larger companies. Small family owned wineries are constantly forced out of the scene. We aim to maintain diversity of choice in the marketplace by ensuring that the hobbyist producer remains represented in local restaurants and retail establishments; this is, after all, why we choose to visit small wine shops and restaurants. For the family-owned wine producers, we are their champion.”

Dr. Shafi, who holds a PhD in Experimental Physics, founded TannicTongue with the intent of helping to keep alive the tradition of hobbyist winemaking. He has been involved with the wine trade for many years and currently resides in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. He can be reached at info@TannicTongue.com.

Bronco Wine Goes Home With The Gold

Bronco Wine Co. recently struck gold at the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Past winner Napa Ridge came out with two gold medals for their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2003 Syrah. Forest Glen 2003 Sonoma County Reserve Merlot and 2003 Reserve Cabernet as well as Coastal Ridge 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon all received gold medals, and Montpellier 2005 Merlot took a double gold medal.