Just a couple of images for the now…

Some of the single-depth racks, assembled (thanks again to Tim Krablin of Modern Cellar for the photo)…

And the interior of one of the lampshades, of which there will be 48, in three different shades of blue-ish purple. Keep in mind this is 36″ in diameter — as in three feet (the exterior is aluminum, non-powdercoated. I’ll let your imagination do the work).

Maybe one day I’ll post about the wines I’ve been tasting and stocking, and actually try to sell you something…which would possibly help me pay for all these neat things…ummmm, maybe next week…

Thanks to Tim Krablin of Modern Cellar for the linked album, showing the beginnings of the wine rack construction for the shop. Here’s a sneak peek photo attached:

I need to make some upgrades to the plumbing in the space formerly known as California Food Mart. Today I got an estimate for a few items that hadn’t been anticipated, like adding a urinal, some other fixtures, and upgrading both the water line and a water heater. Needless to say, the costs are mounting. So help me afford that urinal (and a whole bunch of other things) by buying some wine from the d547 online shop!

To incentivize the crap (or should I say pee) out of you, any in-stock item is now 15% off. Just use coupon code “R.Mutt” during checkout and you’ll be a proud contributor to the Domaine LA Urinal Defense Fund.

Cheers!

I know, I’ve been unusually quiet over here. My attention has been very much focused on the brick and mortar space, so the website has taken sort of a back seat for the time being. I apologize.

But I’ll be honest. The brick and mortar isn’t the only reason I’ve been quiet. The other reason is that this time of year, the usual flood of blog posts and newspaper articles on wine tend to get repetitive. I’m not sure I can count the number of articles I read the past two weeks on what wines go best with barbecued or grilled fare. Okay, I hate to be the nay-sayer but pretty much any wine you like is appropriate to serve at your barbecue, and of course it always depends on what food you’re serving. My general rule of thumb is, if you like it, it’s okay to serve. Period.

And now that Memorial Day has passed, and at least until the next wave of “wines to grill by” articles hits us as we approach July 4th, we’re going to be inundated with pieces on Rosé wines, and what people like to call “Summer Sippers.” Patrick Comiskey starts the pink season off with a nice piece in today’s LA Times that functions as a Rosé 101 of sorts. It’s informative, to be sure, but I say enough is enough with the endless cycle of seasonally-themed wine writing.

Sorry for being snarky, but I just think it’s way too easy to fall into the trap of Zin goes with barbecue, Rosé is for summer, and Sauv Blanc sipping on the porch-swing pieces.

Of course, I don’t have a proposed alternative, other than that I’ll continue to write about wines I like, and place them in whatever context might be appropriate for each wine (seasonal or otherwise). Hopefully a few of those posts will come soon. Today, all you get is this rant.

Over and out.

I love it when people make me sound smarter than I am. Read this nice little piece by Jessica at LA Weekly’s Squid Ink blog for a preview of the brick and mortar space. Cheers!