Good news for all you Spanish wine fiends! With the success of last years inaugural event in New York City, the Vibrant Rioja campaign decided to include a date in Chicago this year. This years events are focusing on the amazing quality-to-price ratio that many Rioja wines have been able to maintain even during these tough economic times. The key to this years events are not focusing on the least expensive wines necessarily, but the best “Value Wines.” I have noticed many Reservas from Rioja are still quite affordable and, in my opinion, the best “Value Wines” one can find from Rioja. However, don’t exclude the amazing array of Crianzas from around this famous region, most of which you can easily find in any market for under $15.

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

Despite travel issues cause by the “Snowmeggedon” storm system that whipped the through much of the East Coast last week, we were lucky enough to have many importers and distributors brave the chaos and attend the D.O. Ribeiro wine tasting last weekend at Jaleo. Celebrity chef José Andrés was on hand to taste many the wines and samples the fantastic tapas that his kitchen staff was shooting out of the kitchen at a surprising rate, as well as discuss why he feels these wines are some of the best wines from Spain.  Polbo á feira, caldo gallego, queso tetilla with membrillo were just some of the wonderful creations on hand to that chef Andrés created to pair with the amazingly fresh wines present.

Located in the northwestern region of Spain, Galicia has seen a considerable amount of media and press attention due to the popularity of the Albariño variety being produced in the neighboring Rias Baixas region. Where as Albariño shines in Rias Baixas, D.O. Ribeiro has a higher elevation and is located more inland, providing prime growing conditions for the Treixadura variety, the star white grape of Ribeiro. The white wines are amazingly crisp, fresh and full of minerality and well balanced acidity that provide the perfect pairing for a variety of shellfish and seafood, as well as light meat dishes of pork and chicken.

Also occurring this past weekend, the Washington D.C. International Food & Wine Festival did in fact go on as planned, despite the continued travel issues cause by the severe winter storms. A surprising number of attendees were on hand, from importers and distributors to restaurateurs and the general public, and all arrived eager to try new and exiting wines from various countries and regions of the world. There were wineries present from the Spain, Italy, France and Alana-Tokaj from Hungary, as well as several US producers from Idaho, Pennsylvania, and the Washington DC area as well. While the event was sponsored by the Kingdon of Navarra, there was a never ending stream of people packing in and around the D.O. Ribeiro booth. While the majority of wines on hand were the incredible white wines from the region, there was quite a bit of interest in the red wine produced by Coto de Gomariz, the Cuve Caco. Produced from indigenous varieties, Caiño Longo, Sousón and Mencía, the Cuve Caco presented a completely different flavor profile from the various other Spanish red wines on hand. Very few people had heard of  these varieties, and only about five people had ever tasted a red wine from Galicia, all of which were mono-varietal wines produced from Mencía from neighboring Ribeira Sacra.

With all the buzz around the Cuve Caco, I began to think if it was just a matter of the demographic at the event, or if the obscurity of the red wines from Galicia are just due to the fact that the white wines overshadow them due to their popularity and coverage in the press. So, my question to the readers, have you ever tried a red wine from Galicia? Where was it produced? What varieties were used?

Looking forward to hearing some responses!

Cheers,

Michael

We’re excited to announce that two wineries we are fortunate to represent will be attending the 11th Annual Washington D.C. International Food & Wine Festival this February. Coto de Gomariz located in the D.O. Ribeiro region of Spain and Alana-Tokaj located in the Tokaji region of Hungary will be presenting their wines this year and we hope many of you will be able to attend and taste the amazing wines these two wineries are producing.  While the event will be featuring more Spanish wine than any other region (the Kingdon of Navarra is a major sponsor) there will be wineries from all over the word, including France, Africa, New Zealand and right here in the U.S. Many local restaurants will be holding cooking seminars and tastings as well, including local celebrity chef José Andrés who lives in the D.C. area. If you happen to live in or be visiting our nations capitol the weekend of February 12 through the 14th, I encourage you to attend the event and be sure to visit and taste the amazing wines Coto de Gomariz and Alana-Tokaj will be pouring- I can assure you they won’t disappoint!!

Cheers,

Michael

It seems Emilio Lustau continues to dominate the sherry market, picking up yet another award, this one arguably the highest honor a Spanish producer can receive. Here is a press release from Europvin, whom we are fortunate enough to represent in several markets.

“We are proud to announce that EMILIO LUSTAU has taken the Spanish Wine Producer of the Year Trophy in the 40^th Anniversary edition of the International Wine & Spirit Competition.  This is in addition to the eighteen medals awarded to our Sherries, of which we advised you in the summer.

The gala awards banquet was held on 26 November 2009 at the Guildhall in London, and Lustau was announced as the winner from a shortlist which included such renowned names in the Spanish wine industry as Marqués de Murrieta and González Byass, amongst others.”

In other Sherry news, check out the finalist for the 2009 Vinos de Jerez Cocktail Competition. A huge thanks to akawinegeek for passing along this info!!!

They are:

Alex Raij, Txikito, NYC – “Elkano”, Manzanilla

Reza Esmalli, CONDUIT Restaurant, SF – “Espana en Emerica”, Pedro Ximenez**

Charles Joly, Drawing Room, Chicago – “Bread and Wine”, Oloroso

Danny Valdez, Cure, NOLA – “That Night a Forest Grew…”, Pedro Ximenez

Misty Kalkofen, Drink, Boston – “The Dunaway”, Fino

Todd Thrasher, Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA – “Walla Walla Bing Bang (aka the Witch Doctor)”, Amontillado

Erick Castro, Rickhouse, SF – “French Toast Flip”, Oloroso Dulce

Phil Ward, Mayahuel, NYC – “The Smoked Palomino”, Amontillado

Corey Bunnewith, Coppa, Boston – “Balao Swizzle”, Dry Oloroso

Thomas Waugh, Death & Co., NYC – “Delores Park Swizzle”, Amontillado

These 10 finalists will compete in the live finals on December 15th at Clover Club in Brooklyn, NY, to determine who will be crowned the winner of the 2009 Vinos de Jerez Cocktail Competition.

If you want to try out some of these cocktails at home, visit the Secret Sherry Society for the recipes of the cocktails.

And one other thing- please drink more sherry people!!!!

Salud,

Michael

P.S. Bloggers heads up- there is a ridiculous amount of flash on most of the restaurant websites……

Often overlooked, misunderstood, and unknown, it seems as if Tokaji is making a comeback. With most of the big name publications featuring articles and reviews on these amazing wines, I can only hope that they help to grab some attention and encourage people to go out and but these incredible wines. Of significant importance to us, Decanter Magazine recently published an article “Discover the Magic of Tokaji Tasting” which saw the Alana-Tokaji Furmit 2006 listed as one of the top wines from the tasting. We are very happy and encouraged to see that not only are Tokaji wines receiving much deserved attention, but one of the wineries we are proud to represent has been included among the best. The Furmint, as well as two other outstanding wines from Alana-Tokaji, are available in Utah and Pennsylvania at your local wine store. Please call ahead for stock as these have limited quantities!!

Also encouraging for us is the continues focus on the Cotes du Rhone region of France. Often overshadowed by its more “prestigious” counterparts of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Alsace, Cotes du Rhone has become a heave hitter for incredible wines at competitive prices. With the continued economic troubles worldwide, the region offers quite an array of different styles and varieties to suit any palate. Echoing the high quality and great values available, especially from the Southern Cotes du Rhone, here is Mr. Robert Parker’s take on these amazing wines-

“Last year, after tasting the 2007 southern Rhônes…I stated it was “the vintage of a lifetime.” Tasting the 2007s out of bottle has confirmed my thoughts – this is a truly historic and profoundly great vintage. As the following tasting notes and commentary suggest, this may be the most compelling vintage of any viticultural region I have ever tasted. I say that because the quality of a vintage is not only measured by what the reference point estates produce, but also by how well the generic appellations fare. I have never tasted better Côtes du Rhônes, Gigondas, or Vacqueyras than the 2007s. Moreover, the profoundly concentrated, vividly aromatic, and remarkably fresh, yet substantial, full-bodied, and flawless 2007 Châteauneuf du Papes I tasted in the southern Rhône in late August and September were unforgettable…

…To the extent they are still available, these wines will disappear fast – even in these hard economic times. If you love southern Rhône wines, which are the most underrated great wines of the world, you need to move fast, or forever hold your peace.”

We’re very excited about the recent hype not only from Mr. Parker himself, but also from the various other publications form the US and worldwide. We’re not sure if it’s coincidence or just good luck (but hey, we’ll take either!), but we just recently placed an order for the “2007 Cuve Sabine” from Domaine du Gros Pata, a wonderful family owned and operated winery we have been representing for some time. This beautiful wine is currently available in Utah, Pennsylvania and select stores in Wyoming (the 2005 vintage) and readily available for the upcoming Holiday season, and would be a great wine with your Turkey and cranberry sauce!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Michael

We at the P.R. Grisley Company are fortunate enough to be able to work closely with the fine people from Europvin and their amazing portfolio featuring world reknowned wines from all over the world. One of the many gems that we are priveleged to work with from their portfolio is Emilio Lustau Sherries, one of the most well known and awarded sherry producers in the world. At this years Internation Wine Challenge, the 26th edition, Lustau again proved why it is one of the most beloved sherries all over the world. Below is a press release from Europvin about the great acheivments Lustau was awarded with this year-

“The 26th edition of the International Wine Challenge will go down in the pages of Lustau’s history as their best ever achievement.

Some 9,000 wines from the five continents were entered in this competition, all of which were competing for the medals and trophies of their respective categories (red wines, whites, fortified, sweet and sparkling).  Lustau is one of the most constant and principal players in the fortified category.

Of the thirty two prize winning sherries in this edition, eighteen came from Lustau, more than half of the total awards.  This clearly reflects the quality of the Lustau range of sherries.  Three trophies (the maximum award) were presented to the company, five gold medals, four silver, five bronze and four “highly recommended” mentions.  Thus Lustau was the sherry producer to garner the highest number of awards – and outstanding achievement.

During the awards ceremony, which was held at Grosvenor House on 2 September last, personal awards to relevant people in the trade were announced (enologists, wine writers, etc).  Manuel Lozano, Lustau’s Cellar Master, was named “Best Fortified Winemaker”, following on from his predecessor, Juan Fuentes, who took the same award in 2005.

These superb results give recognition to the efforts which Lustau has dedicated over the years to placing its sherries on a par with other great wines of the world.  They have created a wide range of sherries in which quality is the focal point, and which originates from the three towns in the Sherry Zone.  Their extensive spectrum of sherry styles are to be found in the best restaurants, hotels and wine specialists in all five continents.”

Manuel Lozano talks about his wines: “It is truly an honour to work with wines of this level of quality and elegance.  The variety and excellence of the Lustau soleras are a rare gift for the wine connoisseur, and especially for the Sherry lover.  The fact that Lustau matures wines in the three towns of the Sherry zone gives us access to an immense collection with the most diverse styles and characteristics.  It is like having a whole library of old volumes and limited, unrepeatable editions at your fingertips – a true luxury.”

We currently represent Europvin and Emilio Lustau sherries in the states of Utah, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, with a wide range of sherries available in all three states. If you currently live in any of these states and would like more information on pricing, availability or tasting notes/technical information, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions and provide information to you. If you don’t live in these states and would still like information on these wonderful wines, we will still be happy to help you find the importer or distributor in your area that represents Lustau and/or Europvin.

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!!!

The fine team at Bodegas Vina Hermosa has been busy the past year and a half developing and creating wines that maximize the healthy qualities of wine. Here is the result of their hard work and effort as quoted from the bodega-

After trying several samples from the Portuguese producer Quinta de Gomariz a few months ago, I knew we had stumbled upon a very special producer. With the help of Vitor Mendes, our good friend from Vinixa, we were able to visit the winery and meet the team behind these fantastic wines. Their wines are very direct, beautifully produced, and especially in the current economic situation, are priced extremely well. After submitting them to several different purchasers in different markets around the US, we had positive responses from all of them- even without any press. While this may not seem of any importance, trust me, it was quite the accomplishment.

These days it seems if a wine is submitted to ANY purchaser without ratings, it is almost automatically dismissed as a “substandard” wine. So to have the Quinta de Gomariz wines ordered without any US press or ratings is a testament to the hard work the team in Portugal has been doing for the four short years they have been in business.

Fast-forward several months and a few submissions later, and it seems the Quinta de Gomariz wines have solidified their status as quality wines. In the July 2009 issue of Wine & Spirits Magazine, the 2008 vintage of Quinta de Gomariz wines have proven that they can contend with the bigger, well-known Portuguese vinho verde producers.  All three wines, the Loureiro, Espadeiro (Rose) and Alvarinho were all selected as “Best Buys” by the magazine, as well as scoring all above 88 points.  The Alvarinho received 92 points, the Loreiro 90 points, and the Espadeiro 88 points- and was the only Portuguese Rose to be reviewed.

Needless to say, we are very happy the wines have finally received some press in the US (and positive press at that!) and we can’t wait to make these wines available in your market. They will be available in the US late this summer (late July/early August) in various markets throughout the US. Please feel free to contact us if you’d like more information on this up and coming producer and where to find their wonderful wines!

–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