Beat the heat with these ice chest recommendations from Matt Sterr

As a Volkswagen owner and the go-to guy for wine in the metro, Spirit Shop Managing Partner Matt Sterr certainly has good taste. In fact, Norman’s Spirit Shop stands at the top of stores both regionally and nationally as far as what’s available under one roof.

When he’s not hunting down the best cabs and zins or volunteering his expertise and goods for community events like the Norman Music Festival and La Tour du Vin, he’s spending time with his wife and two kids.

And when he’s enjoying summertime activities, here’s what’s in his ice chest.



The Spirit Shop's Matt Sterr



Best drink at the lake?

Cheap canned beer.  Schlitz is back to their original recipe, and it’s pretty good at the lake when it’s way too hot.

Best drink at a barbecue?

I like Zinfandel—the red stuff, not the pink stuff. To me, it’s the best all-around BBQ wine. It’s also quintessentially American, like BBQ.

Best summertime cocktail?

I love an Aperol Spritz—they go down so easy.  Three parts sparkling wine (prosecco or cava is best), one part soda and one part Aperol.  Serve on the rocks with an orange slice.

Best warm weather wine?

For when it’s hot out I think Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is very refreshing.  For a red I’d do a Beaujolais from France, it’s a red you can chill slightly to beat the heat.

Best beer for cooling off?

See answer #1. But if you don’t want to go cheap, trade up to Pilsner Urquell.  It’s been the best Pilsner in the world for several hundred years.



Best refreshment at an outdoor concert?

I typically like white wine at a summer outdoor show. Oregon Pinot Gris is great out of the ice chest.

Best name for a drink?

The Angry German is a pretty good one. One part amaretto, one part Black Haus schnapps, one part Jager, two parts Rose’s Lime and a dash of salt. Shake with ice and strain as shots. Be careful with this one.

Best drink to order when you want to impress someone?
I would advise you to just be yourself and drink what you like. Authenticity is probably more impressive than anything I could recommend.

Best drink for Volkswagen lovers?

People who I know who drive VWs (myself included) drink anything and everything.  VW drivers usually strike me as fairly open-minded and adventurous, and I think that carries over to what they drink.

Best thing to get at The Spirit Shop that you can’t get anywhere else?
Where should I start? If I had to pick only one, I might go with the 2005 Chateau Haut Brion. 100 points from The Wine Spectator, very hard to find outside of auction, and one amazing bottle of wine.  A little spendy for everyday, though.

Artists chalk it up on 16th Street

We put some local artists to the test at LIVE on the Plaza on Friday to see what they could do with a few pieces of jumbo chalk. From the looks of it, we’d say they passed with flying colors. Thanks to Dusty Gilpin,  Tanner Frady and Jack Fowler!

Photos by Nathan Poppe

Blast off! TV ad launches record month for Fowler VW

We’ve had an overwhelming response to our first-ever TV ad! June was a record month and we can’t help but think our Monster Attack ad had a little something to do with it.  It’s the first time we sold over 100 new and used cars, and new VW sales were up 97 percent year over year!

In case you missed, it check out the Beetle saving Oklahoma City from a big green monster. And if you like the music, check out Norman’s own garage/punk/surf band The Boom Bang.