Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

WWBG: Champagne vs. The World

By ARLnow.com Sponsor


Editor’s Note: This biweekly column is sponsored by Dominion Wine and Beer (107 Rowell Court, Falls Church). This week’s Guide is written by Arash Tafakor of Dominion Wine and Beer.

As this weekend’s New Years Eve festivities approach, most of you are going to buy a nice bottle of champagne or sparkling wine to celebrate the New Year.

Usually I would go in depth of what champagne exactly is, the process of making champagne and all the different types of champagne, but I will save that for another time. For simplicity purposes I’m just going to write up a quick guide that should ease you into buying a nice bottle to pop open for your celebration.

Champagne

You will notice that actual champagnes from France have a higher price tag than other sparkling wines from the rest of the world. This difference in price is just. Producers from around the world have tried to duplicate the quality and taste of champagnes for years to no avail. Some come close, but champagnes from France are truly unmatched (in my opinion).

According to French law, champagnes must be a cuvee of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes. There are many types of champagne available at most reputable wine stores. Picking one maybe pretty daunting unless you can read French. You cannot go wrong with a big name such as Moet, Pierre Jouet, Taittinger, Piper Heidesick and Veuve Clicquot.

These champagnes are crowd pleasers, and have been produced for more than a century. Louis Roederer and Ruinart are also classic champagne producers that are of excellent quality. All these producers make a rose varietal of their cuvee. Roses tend to be slightly sweeter, and not as dry as their brut counter parts.

Avoid overpaying for champagnes such as Ace of Spades and Cristal. Although these champagnes are of good quality, the price has been inflated due to pop culture referencing them in music videos. If you do feel like paying the extra price for vintage champagne, try Dom Perignon or first growth champagne.

Sparkling Wines

Even though sparkling wines are not true champagnes, most use the same method of secondary fermentation. This method is called methode champenoise, which is where producers bottle the wine and add sugar and yeast.

Secondary fermentation takes place producing carbon dioxide, which is where the bubbles come from in champagnes and sparkling wines. All this takes place in the bottle you buy from your local retailer. Now the less inexpensive sparkling wines, such as Prosecco, ( We went in depth about Prosecco last here, can read here) have their secondary fermentation in pressurized stainless steel tanks known as the charmat process. This process is much cheaper for producers and often produces bulk sparkling wines.

Unless mixing with orange juice stay clear of these sparkling wines, they often are high in sugar and alcohol and produce hangovers. When picking out a sparkling wine, it is very important to see on the label “Traditional Method” or “Method Champagne.” This indicates that the sparkling wine was made the same way champagne is made in Champagne.

Most cava’s from Spain and sparkling wines from California use the traditional method and are very good alternatives to Champagne.

I hope this brief guide will help you pick out a great sparkling wine for you to celebrate the New Year with. Please drink and celebrate responsibly.

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

Happy New Year!

Team Cathell wishes you and your family a fun and safe new year.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is always the sleepiest of the year and this week is no exception. Only 10 sellers braved to put their homes on the market this week, but 26 buyers ratified contracts, mostly on homes that had been on the market over 30 days. That raised the average days on market to 46.

Wall Street’s intense volatility this week is credited with lowering mortgage rates yet again. The huge rally on Wednesday revealed investor’s confidence in continued US economic growth going into 2019. Mortgage rates dipped about seven basis points to 4.6% for a 30-yr fixed rate mortgage with no points. That should inspire more home buyers next week to go out and ratify a contract so they can lock in that rate.

As Freddie Mac pointed out yesterday, “the economy remains healthy, so the drop in mortgage rates should stem or even reverse the slide in home sales that occurred during the second half of 2018.”

Hello 2019!

Click here to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.

New Years Eve Gala at the International Spy Museum Supports The Red Cross

If you like good parties and good causes, then you will love the newest New Year’s Eve event to hit D.C.

Not only does each ticket to the NYE Charity Gala at the new International Spy Museum get you access to open top-shelf bar, food and great music to dance to all night, but all profits from this party go to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund.

Guests also get exclusive access to the brand new yet-to-be open International Spy Museum where everyone will be dancing on an LED dance floor to the backdrop of the Washington Monument, the Capitol and the new D.C. Wharf.

Entertainment for the night will include illusions by a professional magician, a mystery spy theater, fortune-telling palm readings by all-seeing psychics, fantastical feats and tricks of sparks and glassware flying by professional flair bartenders, and comedic interactions with the International Man of Mystery himself, Austin Powers.

The concept for developing experience-based social impact events came from a group of locals who believe that you can have fun and do good at the same time. For the New Year’s Eve Gala, the donation will help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises.

The profits going to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from tragedies big and small across the United States. Tickets to the Gala range from General Admission to Gold VIP level and can be bought by visiting www.nyecharitygala.eventbrite.com. Use code NYE2019 for $25 off.

Healthy Paws: What Is That?! Incisive Papilla

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Editor’s Note: Healthy Paws is a column sponsored and written by the owners of Clarendon Animal Care, a full-service, general practice veterinary clinic and winner of a 2017 Arlington Chamber of Commerce Best Business Award. The clinic is located 3000 10th Street N., Suite B. and can be reached at 703-997-9776.

One of the most important topics studied in vet school is anatomy — as veterinarians, we need to know what is normal and what isn’t.

Most pet owners, on the other hand, haven’t spent countless nights studying every organ, vessel and protuberance found on a dog’s body. So it’s understandable that when an owner notices a less obvious anatomic structure for the first time, they may become alarmed and rush their beloved pet to the vet, fearing the worst.  These situations have inspired a new series for our column called, “What is that?!”

Maybe you’ve experienced this scenario before — your happy, fun-loving pet is playing and when she rolls on her back, you suddenly notice a firm, diamond-shaped lump on the roof of her mouth, just behind her front teeth. Panic bells start ringing.

But not so fast! This is actually a completely normal structure. It’s called the incisive papilla and every dog has one, though some may be more prominent than others. The incisive papilla contributes to the dog’s intricate and exceptional sense of smell.

A human’s primary sense is vision — we understand our environment best through visual pictures. Dogs, on the other hand, rely most heavily on their sense of smell. To put into perspective just how sensitive a dog’s sense of smell is, dogs have more than 200 million olfactory receptors. Humans only have about 5 million!

And it gets even more interesting. Dogs don’t just smell with their nose. They also have a vomeronasal organ, which helps detect chemical cues called pheromones. Pheromones are important for communication and passing social messages between dogs. The incisive papilla helps collect these cues and is connected to the vomeronasal organ.

So if you’ve ever lost sleep after noticing this bump on the roof of your dog’s mouth, don’t worry — you’re not the first and you won’t be the last! The incisive papilla is one of the most common normal anatomic structures that cause owners to scratch their heads and wonder, “what is that?!”

Ask Eli: Three Biggest Home Buyer Mistakes

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Rosslyn resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!

Question: What are some of the most common mistakes people make when buying a home?

Answer: Hope you had a Merry Christmas! I’m assuming very few people will read my column this week so I figured it was a good time to sneak in some click-bait so I can pick-up some future readers :)

Please don’t throw tomatoes or broken Christmas tree ornaments, I’ll get back to my normal columns on January 8 with a deep dive into how the market performed in 2018. Without further ado, here are the three biggest mistakes I see people make when buying a home:

Mistake #1: Meet Me At [Insert Address] in 60 Minutes

Buying a house should not be like ordering an Uber across town. Just because you can “order” a real estate agent online to meet you at a house in 60 minutes doesn’t mean you should… and you really shouldn’t.

If you want to set yourself up for the best results, you should expect the process to start like any professional relationship; with an introductory meeting to discuss your needs, review the process, establish a strategy and vet the professional you’re working with.

Mistake #2: A Good Deal Isn’t Just About Negotiations

People are programed to think that by negotiating a seller down from their asking price, they’ve secured a good deal. Good deals come in all shapes and sizes and shouldn’t be defined by the seller’s asking price, but by whether or not you are getting value relative to the market and your needs.

I come across plenty of properties that are underpriced or fairly priced and buyers who are solely focused on negotiating a discount often lose out on what would be a great deal without negotiating. Similarly, I’ve seen plenty of sellers overprice homes by so much that buyers negotiate 5% off and still over pay, but they walk away feeling like a winner.

Don’t let a seller’s price dictate what is or is not a good value. Put yourself in a position to recognize value and move with confidence when you find it.

Mistake #3: Duped by Lenders

It’s easy to shop for interest rates online, but what you see online is often very far from what you get. Here are a few tips when shopping lender rates:

  • Go through their pre-qualification process first
  • Compare rates for a specific property (rates may change based on loan amount, property type, and location)
  • Compare rates on the same day
  • Compare the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) not the interest rate. A lender may artificially reduce an interest rate by tacking on up-front costs and these costs will be captured by a higher APR even though the interest rate is lower.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everybody. I’ll see ya in 2019!

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at www.EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with Real Living At Home, 2420 Wilson Blvd #101 Arlington, VA 22201, (202) 518-8781.

Small Biz Focus: ‘Tis the Season for Nonprofits

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

By Natalie Monkou, Business Development Manager at AED

I don’t know if there is any correlation between colder weather and warmer hearts, but over the past decade, Americans have shown that they are the most generous towards the end of the year.

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, the last few months of the year make up what is commonly called the “Giving Season” for the nonprofit community. This underscores the idea that, during the holidays, we operate in a more generous frame of mind — giving our time and resources to both the people we love and people in need.

But giving once each year is just the beginning. Arlington County is home to several nonprofits that contribute significantly to our local community and have a global impact every day.

For example, The Nature Conservancy is an Arlington nonprofit and a world-class organization that addresses issues in our land and water. As noted by Independent Sector, the company has worked to protect Virginia wildlife for more than 50 years.

In the last few months, Arlington has been in the news for attracting a major company to our community. However, you may have also heard about the recent relocation decision of a nonprofit organization from White Plains, New York to Arlington.

Beyond the common reasons companies choose Arlington as a place for business, nonprofits like March of Dimes choose Arlington because they want to be in a location where they can truly partner with the local community — to be in place where “giving season” is the norm.

Leveraging the spirit of the most generous season, I encourage you to consider new and innovative ways to support Arlington’s local nonprofits and finding ways to give all year round.

Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by licensed broker Aaron Seekford of Arlington Realty, Inc. GET MORE out of your real estate investment with Aaron and his team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6116 today!

Please note: While Aaron Seekford provides this information for the community, he may not be the listing agent of these homes.

Welcome to the last Just Reduced of the year.

Surely, like many aspects of your life, now is a wonderful time to reflect on your personal real estate happenings throughout 2018.

How are you feeling about everything?

For some, it was an active year — exploring new properties and, perhaps, ultimately signing on the dotted line for a new home. If that’s the case, congrats! For many, it was a year of holding on to what you already have… perhaps with an improvement or two. Kudos to you as well.

And, for some, perhaps it was a year with a real estate regret or two. Maybe, just maybe, you didn’t accomplish your real estate goals or had a missed opportunity. To these folks, keep your chin up and let’s get ready to roll in the new year.

Our market is thriving and surely there is an opportunity out there (or that will arise soon) for you. When you’re ready to chat, our team is, too. Let’s GET MORE out of your transaction in 2019.

Happy New Year!

As of December 27, there are 115 detached homes, 8 townhouses and 111 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 10 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week.

Here is this week’s selection of Just Reduced properties:

Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Aaron Seekford.

Legal Review: Virginia Police Making More DUI Arrests Over the Holiday Season

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

By Criminal Defense Attorney Patrick Woolley of Price Benowitz LLP

Virginia police departments know they are going to have a problem on their hands during the holiday season. There are going to be more drunk drivers on the road. Many departments throughout the state say they are taking the same measures as they do throughout the year to combat the problem.

However, the numbers show they have already been making more arrests over the holiday season.

According to the Virginia State Police, there were 11 fatal traffic accidents over the Thanksgiving weekend. From Wednesday, November 21 to Sunday, November 25, nine drivers, two passengers, and a motorcyclist were killed.

That same weekend, police in Chesterfield County charged 16 people for driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence. An officer in Chesterfield County was also hit by a drunk driver on the Sunday of the long weekend. Luckily, he was not seriously injured.

In total, 102 drunk drivers were arrested by state troopers over the Thanksgiving weekend. However, police departments across the state are saying that despite these numbers, they did not ramp up their law enforcement efforts during the holiday. It seems people may just be more likely to drink and drive during this time.

“Local police departments may not have had an increased presence over the Thanksgiving holiday,” says Patrick Woolley of Price Benowitz LLP, “but they will increase checkpoints and the number of patrolling officers over Christmas. It is vital that anyone that has had too much to drink find another way home other than driving themselves. This will not only reduce the number of fatalities, but also ensure they do not face the serious consequences that come with a drunk driving charge.”

Even if an accident involving a drunk driver occurs and no one is hurt, the driver will face many penalties. A first-time offense will result in a $300 fine if convicted, and the driver will lose their license for one year. Worse yet, individuals convicted of drunk driving will have a criminal record that will follow them around for the rest of their life.

The Chew: Cold Safety for Pets

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

The following bi-weekly column is written and sponsored by Bark + Boarding, which provides a heart-centered and safe environment for your pets. Conveniently located at 5818-C Seminary Road in Bailey’s Crossroads, Bark & Boarding offers doggy daycare, boarding, grooming, walking and training services, plus in-home pet care.

by Chelsea Pennington, Bark + Boarding Writer and Animal Enthusiast

Most of us are aware of the dangers that hot weather holds for pets, but you may not realize the dangers that cold weather can pose. While it is tempting to think that your pet’s fur coat makes them more resilient to cold weather, they are still susceptible to things like frostbite and hypothermia.

There are several simple steps you can take to keep your pet safe, no matter the temperature outside.

The most important thing is to know your pet’s limits. Animals that are young, old, ill or arthritic are more susceptible to the cold. Other factors like your pet’s coat, stores of body fat, activity level and health will play into how quickly the cold affects them.

To help keep your dog active and still safe during the cold weather, dressing them in a sweater or coat and putting booties on their feet will help them stay warm and keep their paws dry. It’s best to have several sweaters on hand so that you always have a dry one to use — putting your pet in a wet sweater is worse than no sweater at all.

If your pet won’t wear booties, you should check their paws frequently for cold-weather injuries like cracks or bleeding. Rubbing paw protection wax onto their pads can help keep them protected, both from these injuries and from salt and other deicers.

Clip the hair between your dog’s toes to prevent ice from accumulating, which can cause sudden lameness on a walk. When you return from the walk, be sure to wash off their paws to remove ice, antifreeze, deicers or other chemicals they may have picked up. These chemicals are toxic to dogs and may be ingested if the dog licks their paws.

Even when your pet is indoors, take extra care during the cold weather. Give several options of places to sleep so they can choose where they feel warmest, and make sure their bed isn’t in a drafty area. Use space heaters with extreme caution when pets are around, as they can burn themselves or even knock the heaters over, potentially starting a fire.

The dry air plus fluctuation in temperatures between going outdoors and coming inside may cause your pet’s skin to become itchy and flaky. Keep your home humidified and towel dry your pet as soon as they come in, taking extra care to remove any build-up of snow between their foot pads.

Bathe your pet as little as possible during the winter months. Washing them too often strips their skin of helpful oils and can increase the chance of dry skin. Ask your vet or groomer about a moisturizing shampoo to help prevent this.

Cars can present dangers of different kinds. Just like when it’s hot outside, you should never leave your dog unattended in a car when the temperature drops. Your car can quickly become like a refrigerator, rapidly dropping your pet’s body temperature to dangerous levels.

For stray pets, they may be attracted to the heat coming off your car even when it’s off. Before you get into your car, be sure to check underneath it or make a loud noise to encourage any animals to come out from under the car and find a safer spot to rest.

If your pet is whining, shivering, seems anxious, lethargic,  weak or begins looking for places to burrow, they could be suffering from hypothermia and should be brought inside to a warm place immediately. Cover your pet with warm water bottles, blankets or towels. Heating pads can burn your pet, so be sure to always have several layers between your pet and a heat source. Frostbite is harder to detect, but if you suspect your pet has either, call your vet immediately and take your animal to receive medical help as soon as possible.

Looking for more tips, interested in adorable pet pics or just want to get more information on what we do? Stay connected with Bark + Boarding on Facebook, Instagram and our website.

Click here to check out our short video about this article

Mention this article for a free evaluation and click here to sign up for one today. If you have a question about your pet, feel free to come in or email [email protected] any time.

Win Games and Make Friends at the Board Room in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

https://www.facebook.com/kerishullteam/videos/758508017830443/

Stepping into The Board Room in Arlington, you hear competitive cheers and laughter, the clink of glasses. You smell someone’s adobo mint-grilled lamb chops and mint yogurt on its way to a table. Patrons wander the floor and gather around games, rolling up their sleeves for friendly competition.

The Board Room in Clarendon wants you to come have a drink, share a plate, put your smart phone away and play a game with friends or soon-to-be friends. In the video above, Drew Carpenter of the Keri Shull Team takes us inside Board Room.

Owner Mark Handwerger has been in the restaurant business in the area of Ballston and Clarendon for over 22 years. According to Mark, the clientele in Arlington is “intelligent folks looking to go out and do something fun that they can’t get anywhere else.”

Note that although their Dupont Circle location in D.C. is a hangout where you can take your own food and drink, the Board Room in Clarendon has its own full kitchen with a long, mouthwatering menu. The Board Room in Clarendon cannot allow outside food and drink, so plan to eat there.

When the now-closed Sehkraft Brewery left this space they also left behind their distilling equipment, which is why Board Room can offer their own “Board Room Brews.”

Borrow From the Game Library

Have a warm salted pretzel with your game of Carcassone, or try a spicy black bean burger while waiting for your turn in Settlers of Catan. Test your coordination with a game of Jenga. Have a laugh with a drink and a round of Cards Against Humanity. The Board Room also stocks staple classics like checkers, chess, Risk and Monopoly, of course. You can also play towering, oversized games of Connect 4 and Jenga.

At the Board Room you can get cozy with nostalgic childhood board games or get competitive with complex grown-up board games that will test your strategic mettle.

In all, Board Room’s Arlington location offers a game library of over 100 board games. Most cost $2 to rent. If the Board Room doesn’t have your favorite game — if you’re a Cones of Dunshire connoisseur, for example — feel free to bring your own box from home.

If during the evening you want a change of pace to celebrate defeating your friends at Scrabble, Ms. Peacock’s Champagne Lounge, attached, has a very elegant atmosphere, a separate menu, and a rotating list of cocktails involving sparkling wine. It’s the kind of place so beautiful that it’ll make you feel underdressed.

Put Down Your Smartphone and Interact

Only at the Board Room could you experience this kind of Monday night: pull up an easel for Paint Nite, head to the bar for Monday Night Football or gather around a TV for Mario Kart Monday in the gallery. Happy Hour is from 4-8 p.m. every weekday. Board game rentals are free on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Games make perfect icebreakers, cozy rainy day escapes and great date nights. Stop in at Board Room’s Arlington location any night for great food, delicious cocktails, a warm social atmosphere and constant entertainment.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to watch for our upcoming articles as we explore the best entertainment venues Arlington has to offer. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in the area, The Keri Shull Team is here to help.

What’s your favorite game at Board Room? Let us know in the comments!

Flying Colors: The Journey We Have Taken

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Flying Colors column banner
Flying Colors is a sponsored column on the hobby of backyard bird feeding written by Michael Zuiker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store at the Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Visit the store at 2437 N. Harrison Street or call 703-241-3988.

For the past year we have truly enjoyed our journey with you in your backyards, patios, parks and preserves. We have explored the seasons, the storms, the sunsets and the songs of your backyard birds. We have looked at the beauty of the flying birds through your eyes and knowledge.

We also sprinkled in 27 years of history of the Lee Harrison Center.

It has truly been my pleasure to share with you my knowledge of the great hobby of backyard bird feeding.

But that knowledge is just the beginning. Because nature will and does challenge us as to what we think it is and what is right. So, we are always looking for more experience and more knowledge and new ideas and new solutions.

Is that not what makes being in nature that much more alluring? Look under the rock! What is there? Look into the sky. What do I see? Close your eyes and open your ears. That is a new sound not heard before!

So, a big thank you for taking this journey with us. We hope you cross over to our website and follow “Flying Colors” there. We will continue to provide bi-monthly articles, stories and videos about the wonder of nature and the hobby of backyard bird feeding.

And a BIG THANK YOU to ARLnow for helping us share our love of bird feeding with the great Arlington community. Their platform helped us connect to many people who did not know of Wild Birds Unlimited existence.

Remember by using high quality foods and feeders in your yard, you just never know what might show!

Seasons greetings! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay happy, stay inquisitive, stay true to yourself.

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