Cheers! from the Duke of Bourbon

May 1, 2010, marks the 43rd Anniversary of the Duke of Bourbon! Amazing, isn't it? It's also amazing how much things have changed since we opened our doors in 1967.

We began as a neighborhood alcoholic beverage store, but it didn't take us long to become involved in the wonderful world of fine wine. Our first visits to Napa Valley, when there were only about 15 wineries, enhanced our knowledge and brought us many terrific friends and business relationships. Later, we visited California's Central Coast and other great wine regions around the world, where we continued our wine education. We, in turn, began to spread our excitement to our customers through our Vine-Line newsletter. This brought us a multitude of enthusiastic wine fans. Today, our newsletter takes the form of e-mails, which reach our customers so much more quickly.

Another way in which we have brought the wine country to our customers has been through our tasting club, The Wine Association of the Duke of Bourbon. It has been so exciting to present winemakers and vineyard owners from California, France, Italy and many other areas as our guest speakers. They contributed their vast knowledge and unique personalities to give all of us a better understanding of their superb wines.

We have experienced many, many highlights and special moments over the years. One of the most special was the opening last year of The David & Judy Breitstein Historical California Wine Collection at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. They created a beautiful temperature-controlled presentation case to house some of our most precious wines . We encourage you to visit the collection when you have the opportunity.

We could go on and on about more of our adventures in wine, but we've probably gone on long enough. We just want to let you know that it has been a great pleasure to share this world of wine with all of you, our loyal customers. You mean so much to us. We thank you for helping make our journey so successful. We also thank the great employees we've had throughout our 43 years who have helped us bring our message to you.

We look forward to continuing our relationships with the world of wine and all of you.

With sincere appreciation,

David & Judy Breitstein