Cheers,

Michael

This is quite an honor for such a young winery- the first vines were planted in 1999 and their first harvest was in 2004. We’re very excited to be working with such an up and coming producer, especially as the Vinho Verde region gains more attention in the media and the competition stiffens. We’ve been fortunate enough to be working with Vitor Mendes from Vinixa, who has been instrumental in helping to make these wines available in the US.

I will be in New York City next week for an event hosted by the Vinho Verde Commission and will be pouring these fantastic wines, so if you live or work in New York please register for the event and make sure to stop by and try the new 2009 vintage!

Cheers,

Michael

While Jancis’ recent post mentioned that the Coto de Gomariz wines aren’t available in the US, I assure you they are, albeit in small quantities. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board carries both the 2008 Blanco and “X” Albariño, along with another one of their white wines, the 2007 Colleita Seleccionada.  They also carry three fascinating red wines from the same producer using other native varieties such as Mencia, Brancellao, Ferrol, Sousón and Caiño. The 2008 Coto de Gomariz Blanco will also be available very soon for order through Flickingerwines.com who is set up to ship to any state where direct shipping of alcohol is allowed. So, if you live in Pennsylvania or nearby bordering states, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding these amazing wines at your nearest PLCB wine store. If you’re not located near to any of these stores, I encourage you to visit Flickingerwines.com and see their entire listing of amazing wines from all over the world.

Cheers,

Michael

We will unfortunately only be able to attend the Chicago event due to upcoming wine events Pennsylvania, but we hope we can make it to the “Big Apple” next year. Both events in Chicago and New York are for members of the press and trade only, so if you are a Spanish wine lover but not part of the press or trade, have no fear, you’ll be there with us in spirit! Don’t feel angry or left out however, these events are taking place for importers and distributors to find outlets to make all these wines available to you, so you are actually the beneficiary in the end. If you are however a member of the press or trade and would like to attend either event, you can sign up online here. This years events will be held May 4th in Chicago, and May 5th and 6th in New York City, so if you’re in the area and can attend, please sign up. We look forward to meeting many of you that are able to make it to the Chicago event!

Salud,

Michael

Cheers,

Michael

Wine Dinner

Fabulous Four-Course Dinner Featuring

Cuisine and Wines of Spain

* Cuerno de Beef Carpaccio – a little Horn of Thinly Sliced Rare Beef, Stuffed with Micro Greens and Manchego,

Drizzled with a Citrus-Cilantro Vinaigrette

Chozas Carrascal – El Cava

*Toasted Goat Cheese on Arugula with Roasted Tomato and a Cracked Peppercorn Vinaigrette, Served on a Crostini

Muro Crianza

*Spanish Spice Rubbed Lamb Loin, with a Lemon-Coriander Sauce.  Wild Rice with Toasted Pecans and Scallions

Ondalan Reserva

*Flourless Chocolate Torte, Served warm with Poached Figs and a Saffron Whipped Crème Fraiche

Emilio Lustau Old East India Sherry

I will be fortunate enough to be attending and I look forward to meeting everyone and discussing the wines and answering any questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the event or the wines!

Salud,

Michael

Cheers,

Michael

After a fun-filled and informative weekend at the 2009 Wine Bloggers conference, I have come away from the trip with a new outlook on the California wine “scene.” As we work exclusively with wines from Europe, it was a nice break to explore the wines being produced in my neck of the woods- especially because I have limited knowledge about California wines. Many people will ask, “What, you haven’t had a Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon from California?” Yes, yes, I have thank you very much, but there is much more to the area than just Chard and Cab, which can only be experienced by visiting the area.

From having over one hundred variations of soil, to the exploration of growing varieties like Tempranillo, Albarino, and an ongoing struggle with the TTB to resolve issues dealing with the pending Calistoga AVA, there is a lot happening in Napa. This was interesting for me as we have had to deal with similar problems in Europe in regard to DO’s and DOC’s dealing with what types of grapes can or cannot be grown, how high plants can be grown, how far apart they must be, etc. To have a controversy like this only a few states next to where I live, I was surprised (and a bit ashamed!) that I didn’t recognize the scope of what is happening in California.

However, the main reason for my attending the conference was for the social media aspects, meeting new contacts, and listening and learning from the fantastic speakers throughout the weekend. I learned a great deal how to better our site, our blog and what I can do now and in the future to get a better hold on the markets we currently sell to. While the speakers focused more on the blogging side of things (obviously), being an importer I still took away a wealth of information from the weekend even though blogging isn’t the most important aspect of my job.

The best part of the weekend for me was meeting all the wonderful winos out there that I’ve been following on twitter and facebook but have never met in person, so it was great to meet the faces behind the blogs! I had wonderful and humorous conversations with The Whineaux and her husband, and even hitched a ride back into San Francisco with them.

Not to mention the incredible outdoor tasting and panel discussion we had about AVA’s at Storybook Family Vineyards, being hounded into taking a pull of a bottle of Absinthe with the fellas from Mutineer Magazine, and managing to rock the late night “tasting” put on by ViniPortugal, the weekend was fun-filled to say the least! I was also fortunate enough to meet and be welcomed to dinner to the private residence of the owners of Lieff Vineyards who opened up their home to 30 random strangers (and bloggers of all people) which was definitely another highlight of my weekend.

It was also great to catch up with my friends from Catavino.net as well as Oscar Quevedo from Quevedo Port Wine and chat about the upcoming European Wine Bloggers Conference coming up this fall in Lisbon Portugal that I hope to attend. I hope to be fortunate to attend the EWBC and hopefully have a similar experience this October and November in Portugal.

A huge THANK YOU to all the volunteers, sponsors, and organizers of the WBC 2009, I had an amazing time and look forward to Walla Wall in 2010!!!

After along and anxious wait, Alana-Tokaj wines have finally hit the shelves in Utah and Pennsylvania. It was quite the ordeal getting the shipment out of Hungary and clearing not only Hungarian customs, but also US customs. It was well worth the wait, however, as we recently sat down for a wonderful dinner at Fresco to celebrate with Andras and Allison of Alana-Tokaj and enjoyed the first bottle opened in Utah!!

We enjoyed just one of three different wines being imported from Alana-Tokaj, the 2006 Furmint. It has an incredible nose of intense pear, delicate quince and wild herbs. On the palate it has characteristics dried stonefruits, mandarin and lindenblossom.

The 2006 Cuvee “Autumn in Tokaj” is another beautifully made wine, with notes of tropical fruit and floral touches on the nose. A pure, elegant wine, this wine has all the characteristics of a late harvest Tokaj wine.

Last but not least, the 2005 Betsek has already raised some eyebrows in its home country, as well as in Austria where it scored 94 points by Peter Moser of Falstaff Magazine. Here are his tasting notes-

“Glowing yellow gold. On the nose subtle nuances of nutmeg, a little cumin, anise and marshmallow, a very welcoming bouquet. On the palate, juicy, racy, pure yellow Muscat fruit, beautiful balance, with a convincing length, marked by terroir; spicy finish, very very big presence and great aging potential. So balanced that the residual sugar is perceived no more than a fine touch; fascinating wine.”

If you’d like to purchase any of these fantastic wines, they are currently available in select stores throughout Utah and Pennsylvania. Here is a list of their respective PLCB or UDABC codes- 

2006 Furmint- UDABC: 916992 /  PLCB:10762

2006 Cuvee- UDABC: 916994 / PLCB: 10735

2005 Betsek- UDABC: 916995 / PLCB: 10699

If you’re interested in learning more about Alana-Tokaj and Tokaji wines in general, please feel free to contact us and we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Egészség!!!

 –Michael 

There is never a dull moment at Bodegas Medrano Irazu, where winemaker Amador Medrano Irazu always wears a smile- well, more like a smirk. He is a wiry man in his mid thirties who loves his work and is passionate about it, there is no doubt. So, it comes as no surprise that he owns some of the highest vines in all of DOC Rioja, designed his own trellis system to achieve maximum potential for his vines, and is known all over Rioja Alavesa. Some think he’s crazy, others maybe part genius/part mad scientist, but one thing is clear- he is leading the way for every producer in DOC Rioja.

As Spain continues to produce fantastic white wine from all over the country, it seems like white wines in Rioja have succumbed to the same scrutiny as their red wines- should they be made in a traditional or modern style? While you can find incredible white wines of both styles in Rioja produced mainly with the Viura variety (along with others such as Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca), they are usually overshadowed by Albarino from Galicia and Verdejo in Rueda. In response to other regions and varieties gaining more and more popularity, the Rioja Consejo Regulador has recently allowed the use of chardonnay and other non-native varieties in Rioja as well. While I’m sure this will be quite the controversy within Rioja, I worry more about the response to the addition in the US. As we’re already saturated with California Chardonnay, I just hope that the US consumer doesn’t begin to associate chardonnay with Rioja. Along with Ryan and Gabriella of Catavino.net, I don’t feel there was anything wrong with the white wines being produced in Rioja- I just think they haven’t explored the full potential of what their native white varieties can achieve. In my opinion, the addition has the potential to destroy Rioja’s image, not improve it, and is only an attempt to gain some of the white wine market share being exported from Spain.

Not one to sit back and watch his beloved Rioja become eclipsed by these other regions and varieties, Amador has been experimenting with the Viura variety to determine what kind of potential this grape possesses. With his love of Tokaji, Sauternes, and sweeter Sherries, he set out to see if Viura could make a quality sweet wine. After one successful and one disastrous attempt under his belt, I guess you could say that the “third time’s a charm” as he has been granted the first late harvest, or “Vendimia Tardia” approval from the DOC Rioja. I’ve had the chance to taste both successful vintages and they are absolutely fantastic and intriguing. These wines have wonderful acidity and complexity, as well as incredible floral aromas and honey notes on the nose. While there are some producers in Rioja such as Marques de Caceres producing sweeter wines with native varieties, they have yet to receive an official guarantee from the Consejo Regulador. With Medrano receiving the first official guarantee, I hope many other producers will now realize that they literally have incredible potential growing right at their feet.

I can’t wait to see how Amador will develop and brand this groundbreaking wine in the future. Hopefully it will bring some attention back to Rioja and it’s native varieties and what can be accomplished with a bit of imagination and hard work!

–Michael