How We Got Started on Wine Tasting or
"Damn You, Mr. Smythe, Look What You've Gone And Done Now!"
We both had our cell phones so we could keep in contact and avoid his being lost in a strange area driving a strange car. Weekends can be a challenge to park in or near the town, and when he arrived, we were very lucky to find a space in the lot by the trestle where I had waited. Once I got rescued, we loaded my bike along with his and decided to wander into the quaint business district in downtown Ellicott City.
Back in 2011, when we first started to hang out together, I was in the Baltimore area and Robb was in northern Delaware. We would visit each other on various weekends and much of the weekend would involve showing each other interesting sites in our areas.
One afternoon, we decided to ride our bicycles from the Swinging Bridge Area in nearby Patapsco State Park and head out on the bike trail toward Ellicott City, MD.
The town is a popular tourist area which boasts of art, antiques, collectibles, a Christmas store, and some great restaurants offering many different styles of food. Just off Main Street, aside the trestle pictured, is the old Ellicott City Station. It served as the first terminus of the B&O Railroad, and its museum shows the importance of the railroad to the town and vice versa.
Unfortunately, my front tire decided not to cooperate any further, and flattened out. After a brief discussion, we decided that Robb would ride back to my car, load his bike on the rack, and then come to collect me. I would wait in a shaded parking lot on the east end of town.
The town is a popular tourist area which boasts of art, antiques, collectibles, a Christmas store, and some great restaurants offering many different styles of food. Just off Main Street, aside the trestle pictured, is the old Ellicott City Station. It served as the first terminus of the B&O Railroad, and its museum shows the importance of the railroad to the town and vice versa.
Unfortunately, my front tire decided not to cooperate any further, and flattened out. After a brief discussion, we decided that Robb would ride back to my car, load his bike on the rack, and then come to collect me. I would wait in a shaded parking lot on the east end of town.
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| A view of the railroad trestle in downtown Ellicott City, MD |
We both had our cell phones so we could keep in contact and avoid his being lost in a strange area driving a strange car. Weekends can be a challenge to park in or near the town, and when he arrived, we were very lucky to find a space in the lot by the trestle where I had waited. Once I got rescued, we loaded my bike along with his and decided to wander into the quaint business district in downtown Ellicott City.
A few doors down from our parking area we spotted a sandwich board sign outside a shop advertising "Wine Specials: 4 for $20.00, must buy 4." Intrigued, we decided to walk in. Both of us enjoyed wine, but knew very little about it. Robb's usual rule was not to buy wine that cost more than $10.00, and I had about the same standards, so the $5.00 bottle sounded really great. We laugh about those guidelines now.
We encountered a very charming and engaging shopkeeper, probably in his 70s with a long gray pony tail, a quick smile, hearty laugh and a British accent. His shelves had all manner of various distilled spirits, wines, and even beer, many of them were varieties that one normally wouldn't see in a liquor store. At the front, he had his shelving with the special wines.
He explained that some of these wines sold for much more than the $5.00 he charged, but that they were odd lots, so he didn't have a case if someone wanted one. He had them available for people who were interested in trying new things, and the minimal investment wouldn't break the bank if it didn't appeal to their tastes. We saw varieties we hadn't heard of before: reds like the Malbec, Carmenere, and Corbieres, and a white like Torrontes.
He then asked us what types of wines we liked. Both of us tend to the red than the white, and more to the dry than the sweet. After asking a couple more questions, he suggested an Astica Malbec from Argentina, a Gato Negro Carmenere from Chile, a Torrontes from Chile, and a Gato Negro Cabernet Sauvignon.
We greatly enjoyed each of the selections and went back the following weekend both to thank him for his recommendations and to try a few more varieties. He introduced himself as John Bassett, and we introduced ourselves to him. We chatted a bit, got more suggestions, and, so it went. We got hooked, and when we had Baltimore weekends, we had our obligatory stop at Mr. Bassett's shop.
As we got to know him better, we realized just how much of a character he is and his sense of humor. One shining example was how he got the moniker "Mr. Smythe" (as referenced in the subtitle to this post). Seems that he, his wife, and brother were staying at an inn in Nova Scotia. As he was signing in, the innkeeper asked how he pronounced his last name. Not missing a beat, John replied, "Well, it's spelled B-a-s-s-e-t-t, but, with the peculiarities of the English language, it's actually pronounced 'Smythe.'" With a wry grin, he related that, for the rest of his stay, another 3 or 4 days, the innkeeper referred to them as "the Smythes."
He had recommended some stores in the area where we could find more selections of the wines we liked and also suggested we might want to visit some wineries to do tastings. We visited our first winery, Linganore Vineyard and Berrywine Plantation in Frederick County, MD, in January 2012.
In the spring of 2012, John gave up his liquor license to concentrate on selling antique glassware in his shop. We continued to visit, sharing stories of our tasting visits and hearing more of his exploits. John closed his business in the summer of 2012, about the same time as I moved to Delaware.
We named our wine rack the "Damn You, Mr. Smythe! It's All Your Fault We Had to Buy This Rack!" to honor his role in getting us started in our wine hobby. We learned quite a bit from him, and have learned even more from the fifty or so wineries we have visited since we last saw him.
Unfortunately, we lost contact with John between the closing of his shop and my move out of state, but we have not forgotten him. We would very much enjoy the opportunity to catch up with him again!
So, that's our story, and we're sticking to it.
He explained that some of these wines sold for much more than the $5.00 he charged, but that they were odd lots, so he didn't have a case if someone wanted one. He had them available for people who were interested in trying new things, and the minimal investment wouldn't break the bank if it didn't appeal to their tastes. We saw varieties we hadn't heard of before: reds like the Malbec, Carmenere, and Corbieres, and a white like Torrontes.
He then asked us what types of wines we liked. Both of us tend to the red than the white, and more to the dry than the sweet. After asking a couple more questions, he suggested an Astica Malbec from Argentina, a Gato Negro Carmenere from Chile, a Torrontes from Chile, and a Gato Negro Cabernet Sauvignon.
We greatly enjoyed each of the selections and went back the following weekend both to thank him for his recommendations and to try a few more varieties. He introduced himself as John Bassett, and we introduced ourselves to him. We chatted a bit, got more suggestions, and, so it went. We got hooked, and when we had Baltimore weekends, we had our obligatory stop at Mr. Bassett's shop.
As we got to know him better, we realized just how much of a character he is and his sense of humor. One shining example was how he got the moniker "Mr. Smythe" (as referenced in the subtitle to this post). Seems that he, his wife, and brother were staying at an inn in Nova Scotia. As he was signing in, the innkeeper asked how he pronounced his last name. Not missing a beat, John replied, "Well, it's spelled B-a-s-s-e-t-t, but, with the peculiarities of the English language, it's actually pronounced 'Smythe.'" With a wry grin, he related that, for the rest of his stay, another 3 or 4 days, the innkeeper referred to them as "the Smythes."
He had recommended some stores in the area where we could find more selections of the wines we liked and also suggested we might want to visit some wineries to do tastings. We visited our first winery, Linganore Vineyard and Berrywine Plantation in Frederick County, MD, in January 2012.
In the spring of 2012, John gave up his liquor license to concentrate on selling antique glassware in his shop. We continued to visit, sharing stories of our tasting visits and hearing more of his exploits. John closed his business in the summer of 2012, about the same time as I moved to Delaware.
Unfortunately, we lost contact with John between the closing of his shop and my move out of state, but we have not forgotten him. We would very much enjoy the opportunity to catch up with him again!
So, that's our story, and we're sticking to it.
