10/06/2020 Newsletter
Greetings from the Wine Cellar:
Just a quick update this week about a legislative effort I described in the Newsletter a few months back: the RESTAURANTS Act, a bill introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2020, with accompanying legislation concurrently introduced in the U.S. Senate. The title is an acronym for Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive (RESTAURANTS) Act of 2020 . The bill is a $120 billion stabilization grant program focused specifically on independently owned restaurant that have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 (as I firmly believe most have.)
I’ve been asked on occasion since that time, “whatever happened with that bill to help restaurants?” Well, as of last week, the RESTAURANTS Act was passed intact by the U.S. House of Representatives, as part of the $2.2 trillion revised HEROES Act. However, it awaits action by the U.S. Senate, which will need to consider it along with the rest of the HEROES Act if any of it is ever to become law. Unfortunately, the Senate appears unlikely to act on the revised HEROES Act before the current session ends, so I’m rather pessimistic about the RESTAURANTS Act getting anywhere in 2020. However, I would encourage anyone who feels that this bill is important and critically needed to stabilize and support a vital industry in our country to contact their Senators and make their feelings known. You can call your senators via the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. And in the meantime, all I can ask is for everyone to please do their best to support independent restaurants (and independent wine shops!) in these difficult times.
NEW WINE & BEER ARRIVALS:
Silverado Vineyards 2016 Estate Merlot, Mt. George Vineyard (Napa Valley) $34.99
Located east of Napa, Silverado’s Mt. George Vineyard is the site of one of the first grape plantings in the Napa Valley in the 19th century. There, deep soils derived from volcanic shale and tufa yield Merlot with power and structure.
Bodegas Muriel 2015 Rioja Reserva (Rioja, Spain) $15.99
This opens with the classic cherry, vanilla and tobacco leaf tones that Rioja reds are famed for. In the mouth, spicy dark cherry and berry fruit flavors mingle with a touch of vanilla and anise, plus a pleasant note of toast from 2 years of oak barrel aging.
Latitude 33 Brewing Hop Nectar IPA (Vista, California) $4.99
Hop Nectar is an experimental rotating series of IPA releases by Latitude 33. With the change of each season, they take their highest scoring test brews and release them in extremely limited quantities. They promise you three things: it will knock your socks off, it will run out fast, and when it does – it’s gone for good…
Cheers!
Mike Shelhamer
Old Town Wine Cellar
265 S. Main Street, Suite E
Yuma, Arizona 85364
928-373-0405
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