Just a quick note to let you know that a week from today, on Monday, March 8th, 2010, I’ll be hosting the first domaineLA wine tasting event at Susan Feniger’s Street, with the Manincor winery of Italy. The importer and winemaker will both be present to chat about the five wines being poured (including an unusual and delicious dry moscato), and the wines will be paired with light bites.

The best news is that the event will cost just $15 a person…a bargain! Swing by between 6PM and 8PM — I hope to see lots of you there!

Susan Feniger’s Street, 742 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Oh, and you can buy tickets in advance, online by clicking here:

But I’m not. Funny, it was pointed out to me that domaine547.com appears as a successful example of social media in wine (juxtaposed against the Wine Spectator of all things) in this recent presentation (see slide #25). I guess they haven’t looked at the blog lately; it hasn’t been updated in weeks.

Really, in my internet-only days, I never understood why Brick and Mortar retailers didn’t take the time to blog. Now I know. They don’t have the time!

Seriously. Even in the downtime when there aren’t any customers — which, let’s face it, exists in decent quantity — there’s always something to be done at the store that takes priority…from the very lowly tasks, like sweeping, to the equally tedious but still mundane paying of bills, or putting price labels on bottles, to tasting wine with reps, it all has to get done. And I am here without support staff a fair amount of the time.

Suffice it to say, to all those out there giving speeches about social media and the importance of it to branding for wineries and wine stores, people, for the most part, get it. I know I get it! But finding the time is another story. And finding a voice? Even harder.

So at the moment, what I’m doing is tweeting (@domaineLA), because tweeting is very time un-intensive. A tweet takes a few seconds, and I think I get both my voice and my point (when I have one) across in these little quick spurts. I don’t know that it’s enough, but at least it’s something.

I really hope to get back to blogging soon. I swear, I do! But right now I have something very important to do, so you’ll have to excuse me while I go empty the trash can in the bathroom…

Umami Burger’s truck has been parked today on Citrus just north of Melrose, and in addition to a welcome expansion to my lunchtime options (and an unwelcome expansion of my belly), I’m pleased to report that Adam Fleischman, owner of the enterprise, made a most generous offer to me as I waited for my burger:

For any bottle purchased at domaineLA, Adam will waive corkage at the Umami Burger locations that are licensed to serve wine. This leaves out the original La Brea location, but includes Los Feliz and Cahuenga (and, perhaps, Santa Monica when it opens).

So, come get a bottle of wine and pop it open at Umami on the house. Make sure to tell me that you intend to do so when purchasing the wine, and I’ll mark the bottle so Umami knows where it came from.

Also, I have a similar arrangement with Susan Feniger’s Street, so if you have yet to try that restaurant out and want to bring your own, stop by and I’ll help you pair something with your pupusas. Again, let me know so I can mark the bottle.

Cheers to a great 2010 with lots of yummy, affordable food and wine for all.

The “about us” section below (in blue) is wrong. I need to amend it, and that involves some code and stuff that I don’t know how to do without the expertise of others currently unavailable. So, in the meantime, if you’re looking for domaineLA in the real world, rather than online, here’s where you can find the shop!

6801 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

View Larger Map

Between Melrose and La Brea, at Mansfield. Parking lot with 11 spaces as well as ample street parking on Mansfield as well as Melrose.

Hours are 11AM to 8PM daily, except for Sundays when we open from noon to 5PM. We will close early on New Year’s Eve, at 6PM.

Phone is (323) 932-0280 should you want to call.

Again, sorry for any confusion but we are both ONLINE and BRICK AND MORTAR now, so you can order online, pick-up in-store, or continue to have your wine shipped to you just as before.

Happy new year to all and I look forward to sharing lots of great wine with you in 2010. Cheers!

One of the first days I was open, a very nice gentleman who lives a few houses up from domaineLA stopped by and asked me to sign a petition requesting that this area be included in the new neighborhood designation “Melrose Village.” I was happy to oblige, and signed the petition, though I’m not sure I fully understand the general obsession that Angelenos seem to have with naming each and every neighborhood.

Yet, I’m going to go ahead and suggest that the stretch of Melrose Avenue I find myself in the heart of, anchored by Lou on Vine on the east and Caffe Angeli on the west — with Providence, Mozza, Street, Cube, the upcoming Tar Pit and the soon-to-be transplanted Hatfield’s in its dense epicenter – receive a name.

Why? I’m not sure. No good reason, really, except that naming things is fun. Also, I suppose it recognizes a general trend in the food and wine scene of Los Angeles that so many fantastic spots (my own excluded, humility, humility) have chosen to open up shop in, by the standards of LA sprawl, such a tiny geographic zone. 

I’ve come with a few ideas and put them in a poll format (polls, like naming things, are fun). Please add your own ideas, too, in the comments, and let’s name this little slice of foodie heaven!

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