Wishes for Safety and Good Health to Subscribers in the Deep South/US

Ditto!!!!!

And here's hoping that your wine cellars are not flooded either!!!!!

st.helier (sitting out the last of winter in New Zealand)

Indeed, Hunt. I hope that anyone you know in NOLA has managed to find safe lodgings.

Mark Lipton

Indeed, I share your sentiments. Thanks for posting this, Hunt.

Thanks to everyone for the "well-wishes." So far, all but two members of my, and my wife's, families have been accounted for, and all of those are well. Some lost businesses, and others homes, but they are all safe.

It looks like I might be very, very glad that we did all of the "old standards" when dining in New Orleans with the Wine & Food Experience in May, as many may never exist again.

Again, thanks to all for the thoughts, Hunt

That's probably an understatement. New Orleans is my second home, and I can't begin to count all the good friends I have down there. I have no way of contacting them now; the city is underwater and the prognosis is distressing.

One of my pals kept his wines at his studio on Canal Blvd, in the section of town that flooded when the 17th Street Canal levee busted through. I know at least three others who live within blocks of the levee. The water may be 12' deep or more in that part of town, and so far the Army Corps hasn't had any luck sealing the break. So much for any wine storage.

The levee has also broken through on the Metarie side. Martin Wine Cellar has a huge store on Veterans Blvd in Metarie, as does Dorignac's. I imagine Martin's Uptown store is also swamped.

I had $5000 worth of framed photo art stored in a shop on Tulane Ave. Compared to what others have lost, it's less than insignificant. I can always print new photos. I can't print new friends and loved ones.

People in New Orleans are fond of saying, "Be safe" when they part company. It was never more appropriate than it is right now.

JJ

in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com... | | The levee has also broken through on the Metarie side. | Martin Wine Cellar has a huge store on Veterans Blvd | in Metarie ...

It's incomprehensible. And New Orleans is just one of the affected cities.

I was at Martin's on Veteran's a few months ago, little group of locals did a wine tasting. I noticed how the particular fresh hamburger served at Martin's delicatessen was creative. Visited a couple of other good wine shops too. To say nothing of people and restaurants. I just received a newsletter by post from Marisol, an eclectic restaurant on Esplanade near the river.

The New Orleans dam and pump failures (I'm using the general word "dam;" it's a sub-sea-level city like some in the Netherlands) happened in the last

24 hours or so, well after the hurricane had passed. Current news reports say that the city of 500,000 has no drinking water or electricity and is on the verge of martial law.

-- Max

JJ,

Reports that I have gotten from people on the street in the East Metairie Area indicate that Martin's Metairie shop is probably under some water. I have heard nothing from the area of the other shop in the University Area.

Depending on the elevation of the Canal Blvd houses, there may be hope. Just off of City Park, some of the older residences (brother-in-law's property in this case) are probably above the water.

Most of my family is in West Metairie and the Kenner/Harahan Areas, and it appears that they may be OK, but we will not know until Monday, when family members are allowed into the area for one trip.

As an aside, my brother in Gulfport reported that one resident on the Beach Drive (Hwy 90) off of Kelly Ave, was observed removing some bottles from his cellar, though the entire house was gone. He did not get this person's name, but I believe that I know whose house this WAS. If I am correct, he had a 5k btl collection of Bdx, and I can only hope that he was able to retrieve some of them, and that his family is safe and well. If I could only be there and help him!

Good luck with your art collection, and to the wonderful staff of both Martin's Wine Cellar stores, and prayers and wishes for great things to all in that area.

Hunt

Max,

On a wine-note, regarding Martin's Metairie shop - when I was in NO for the Wine & Food Experience, in May, I stopped by that store. I was gathering up about 2 cases of wines for our personal consumption during the week. The manager asked if he could help me, and I inquired about some Zinfandel. He did not have that producer, but said that he DID have some Turleys "for his good customers." I explained that I lived in PHX and had not shopped at either Martins in a few years, so I was hardly a "good customer." He disappeared, only to return with 6 btls of Turley, priced at about vineyard list, and stuck them in my basket. I cannot say enough about those two stores, and their people, and wish them all the best of circumstances in this horrible tale. Though I have been a customer of theirs from back in the 1970's, I have not lived in NO since 1980, and only shop the Martin's about twice per year, I will always be faithful to them, and will be back, as soon as they are.

Thanks for the reflections,

Hunt

PS I hope to do the Los Gatos scene soon

I normally don't steer folks to another wine site, but IF there are some of you who want to do something for Katrina, but haven't quite gotten around to it, I'd like to dangle a little carrot in front of you. Some online friends and myself set up a little incentive program at the WLDG group at

A $50 donation gets you entered in a pool, prizes include a mini-vertical of Meyney ('86, '89, '90), an '82 Latour (!!!!), '90 Angelus, '90 Pichon-Baron, '01 Prum goldcap Auslese, '99 CdP, '00 Leo-Barton, '00 Lynch-B, '99 Chave. So multiple chances of winning. We'll get the bottles to anywhere in US or Canada.

Great idea, Dale:

Since I been hijacked into executive board positions in a number of local senior and veterans groups--I'm hoping my VFW post will lead a drive to re-supply the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington DC--The only other home run by the Feds is the Gulfport MS Armed Forces Retirement Home and its residents are coming to the DC Home. I'm sure they need blankuets, sheets, towels etc. Drop me a line and I'll get back to anyone once I found out what is needed and a collection point is set up.

PS there's a '75 Lafite in the pool, too