Funny, you just never know where life will take you? Life has many twists and turns and my main objective is to stay focused, to keep moving and working and believing in myself, my gut instincts and that I still very much have something to do and to add to this world that I live in here in northern Virginia with a loving family, having 35+ years of wine experience both in Paris, France and now in Washington D.C., U.S., and finally now taking me all the way back to Bento Goncalves, RS, Brasil. Three cities and three calls to me that all have made indelible impressions and called out to me and are getting my full attention, passion and love. I'm committed to seeing many things trough, and getting back to my roots in Brasil and promoting it's really fine, world-class wines, people, culture, arts, music, food, country, landscape, ... and pretty much " everything Brasil " is a gut and heart pursuit for me that seems to be unflagging and have my most immediate attention these days. ... I am happy about this and feel good about it. ... My conversations though brief with owner Roberto Valduga of his family's DOM CANDIDO in the Vale Dos Vinhedos, Bento Goncalves, RS, Brasil have been very encouraging to me recently. They have helped to sustain me as I continue to work on all of this daily and to stay productive and focused and moving forward to achieve this rather enormous goal of mine. I need help, I cannot do this on my own. I realize that I also need to learn Portuguese and that is my next goal. ...
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These pictures I took just after meeting Roberto Valduga when we arrived. The person I first saw was his father that I will now include here as he clearly is a very important part of all of this. I knew that the minute that I sawm him, thinking of him like the glue that keeps the family and the winery together. I could not communicate with him in Portuguese, but in my gut I felt and knew that he was essential in the DOM CANDIDO Vinhos Finos world there in the beautiful valley of the Vale Dos Vinhedos close to the wine town of Bento Goncalves in RS, Brasil, in late June, 2012. ... ...
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It was a foggy morning this as we arrived at DOM CANDIDO as it was still early enough that the fog high up in these beautiful mountain ranges of Brasil had not risen or dissolved yet and it gave an aura to the whole valley that I quite liked as we got ready to start our day and have our second meeting with one of the wineries that we had contacted and arranged to meet while here in the United States. Unfortunately the person with whom I started this grand adventure here has decided that it is too risky for him and his family and has quit the team before we even got the wines here to the United States and that both saddens and maddens me greatly. But I cannot reflect on that and let it stop me as well : I have to continue to move forward. Having Roberto Valduga comment on my pictures that I post at our Facebook site Bralvin has been a real boost and an inspiration to me. I encourage others to see the example that he is setting and to do the same because this is very much a group effort and will take us all working as a team to accomplish this before both the next Olympics and World Cup. ... ...
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This is the original house of the Valduga's pictured here and Roberto tells us that they have plans to move it as they expand the winery there to give them the extra room and space that they need to better do their jobs : and that means taking some of the hillside in the back away to do this : rather bold and daring and very exciting indeed! he showed us all this later after we met. ... ...
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I appreciate that Roberto trusts me enough to keep the lines of communication open with me as I try and figure out how exactly to move forward to get backing and investors to get these wines here to the United States and to promote them properly and successfully. At this point this is still " one big dream " of mine and I am not being paid anything yet for anything that I am doing. I am keeping my job and simply believing that this is a worthwhile project and one that I believe in and want to continue with. I have the knowledge, the enthusiasm and the willing
ness and belief to make the wines work once we get them here to the U.S. but first we have to get them here. That's a major part of all of this : the wines have to be here so that we can continue the job. ... ...
My partner did not see it this way and told me that he wanted to be sure of everything, have everything in place, have commitments and everything from everyone even before we got the wines here. He wanted to be guaranteed that everything would go smoothly and quickly and that there would be no set-backs or delays or even unexpected costs. Well in starting this kind of business with wines that are not know or tasted or written about already here in the United States this is a near impossibility. There will be setbacks and many starts-and-stops, and hills to climb and beds in the road to go around. NOTHING will be easy : we will be moving mountains with our own bare hands and our guts and convictions and beliefs to make this all happen. Sweat-equity we call it here in The UNited States. ... ...
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I will have to continue this as I have time but for the meantime I will post this " as is " because I think it is important to get the word out that I appreciate very much that Roberto you continue to believe in, and work with me so that we may continue to move forward and finally get your fine family wines of DOM CANDIDO here to the United States where they deserve to be. Cheers e obregado amigo! Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn 3/29/13
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These pictures I took just after meeting Roberto Valduga when we arrived. The person I first saw was his father that I will now include here as he clearly is a very important part of all of this. I knew that the minute that I sawm him, thinking of him like the glue that keeps the family and the winery together. I could not communicate with him in Portuguese, but in my gut I felt and knew that he was essential in the DOM CANDIDO Vinhos Finos world there in the beautiful valley of the Vale Dos Vinhedos close to the wine town of Bento Goncalves in RS, Brasil, in late June, 2012. ... ...
... ...
It was a foggy morning this as we arrived at DOM CANDIDO as it was still early enough that the fog high up in these beautiful mountain ranges of Brasil had not risen or dissolved yet and it gave an aura to the whole valley that I quite liked as we got ready to start our day and have our second meeting with one of the wineries that we had contacted and arranged to meet while here in the United States. Unfortunately the person with whom I started this grand adventure here has decided that it is too risky for him and his family and has quit the team before we even got the wines here to the United States and that both saddens and maddens me greatly. But I cannot reflect on that and let it stop me as well : I have to continue to move forward. Having Roberto Valduga comment on my pictures that I post at our Facebook site Bralvin has been a real boost and an inspiration to me. I encourage others to see the example that he is setting and to do the same because this is very much a group effort and will take us all working as a team to accomplish this before both the next Olympics and World Cup. ... ...
... ...
This is the original house of the Valduga's pictured here and Roberto tells us that they have plans to move it as they expand the winery there to give them the extra room and space that they need to better do their jobs : and that means taking some of the hillside in the back away to do this : rather bold and daring and very exciting indeed! he showed us all this later after we met. ... ...
... ...
I appreciate that Roberto trusts me enough to keep the lines of communication open with me as I try and figure out how exactly to move forward to get backing and investors to get these wines here to the United States and to promote them properly and successfully. At this point this is still " one big dream " of mine and I am not being paid anything yet for anything that I am doing. I am keeping my job and simply believing that this is a worthwhile project and one that I believe in and want to continue with. I have the knowledge, the enthusiasm and the willing
ness and belief to make the wines work once we get them here to the U.S. but first we have to get them here. That's a major part of all of this : the wines have to be here so that we can continue the job. ... ...
My partner did not see it this way and told me that he wanted to be sure of everything, have everything in place, have commitments and everything from everyone even before we got the wines here. He wanted to be guaranteed that everything would go smoothly and quickly and that there would be no set-backs or delays or even unexpected costs. Well in starting this kind of business with wines that are not know or tasted or written about already here in the United States this is a near impossibility. There will be setbacks and many starts-and-stops, and hills to climb and beds in the road to go around. NOTHING will be easy : we will be moving mountains with our own bare hands and our guts and convictions and beliefs to make this all happen. Sweat-equity we call it here in The UNited States. ... ...
... ...
I will have to continue this as I have time but for the meantime I will post this " as is " because I think it is important to get the word out that I appreciate very much that Roberto you continue to believe in, and work with me so that we may continue to move forward and finally get your fine family wines of DOM CANDIDO here to the United States where they deserve to be. Cheers e obregado amigo! Anthony ( TONY ) Quinn 3/29/13
