The summer I graduated from college, after my classmates went home or out into the world, I stayed on in Poughkeepsie to continue studying music. Soon after, I would arrive in California and begin learning about wine in earnest, but that summer, I served lunch on the patio at the Beekman Arms Tavern and drove once a week to Luis García Renart’s Hudson Valley home in Red Hook for cello lessons. I was at the height of my musical powers, thanks to Luis, an incredibly gifted Catalan musician and teacher who had studied with Casals and Rostropovich in the late 50’s and early 60’s and enjoyed a successful solo career as a young man before deciding to become an instructor. By the time I met him, Luis looked a little like a gray-haired teddy bear, and more than any other teacher I’ve had, he treated me firstly as a friend.

I’ve been practicing the Bach Suites Luis taught me, on and off for the last thirty years, and over that time, I’ve thought of him often; how easily he would smile, how he would put down the cello and voice a passage in solfège, how he would light up a cigarette in the middle of a lesson, and how every note for him was integral to a musical phrase. He told me he had traveled to all of the great cities of the world as a concert cellist, but had seen nothing but the inside of auditoriums and music halls, so he decided to quit the circuit and live as a teacher. When I told him I was moving to California and planned to learn to improvise, he asked me if I had a way ‘to keep body and soul together’ and I assured him my experience in restaurants would allow me to continue pursuing my love of music.

I had not seen Luis in over twenty-five years when I learned that he had passed away on July 6th of 2020, but more than I was sad, I am grateful for his teachings, and his friendship, and I know from his dedication, and over a half century of teaching, that there are many like me who continue to carry him in their hearts and minds. In the spirit of Luis, a proud Catalan, and our own Pablo Vasquez, who is visiting his family in Madrid, and summer in general, which lends itself to the storied Spanish lifestyle, Oakland Yard is featuring wines of Spain at the tasting bar this evening. Come join us and lift a glass to those who have inspired you!

Tonight...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: ALL SPANISH Whites and Reds
2022 Carballal Sete Cepas Albarino
2018 Josep Masachs Ulls de Mel Xarel-lo
2022 Gramona Gessami Blanco
2020 HG Wines El Hato y el Garabato Cotexa Tinto
2020 Honoro Vera Monastrell
2018 Ramirez de la Piscina Rioja
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

THIS SATURDAY 7/8: ROSÉ from around the world
Sample four dry pink wines from California, France, Portugal, and Austria! 2022 B Kosuge Rosé
2022 Château Soucherie Anjou Rosé
2022 Herdade Dos Coelheiros Rosé
2021 Umathum Rosa Rosé
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm.

Fondly,
Max