Gaucho, any thoughts on the 2008 Gascon Malbec (which I assume is not a white label)? I bought a bottle for Valentine's Day...

Any recommendations in the Fairfax/Chantilly area?

Thanks!

Escorihuela Gascon, maker of the Gascon Malbec is a traditional producer with a solid track record. Their Gascon Malbec is one of their entry-level wines, so while it will not blow you away in amazement it should still deliver the goods.

While the area is very close to my heart (I went to Middle-School in Fairfax County).... Im afraid I dont know of any colleagues in the area.

Perhaps slaweki can elaborate...?

roanoake valley wine co
kysela
country vintiner
vias
william-harrison

william-harrison sets up about 4-6 sales a year in nova retail outlets. his prices at these events is close to wholesale. he is in manasas. he has titterelli and louis boca.

kysela does about 10 tastings a week. his wines are usually sale priced when he does a tasting. he is in winchester.

danny kravits handpicked selections in culpeper. he has Alfredo Roca
Altura 1024 Calathus Notro Vila none of which i have ever heard of.


eircthenerd, va is a 3 tier state. importers do not usually have license to sell retail. they can only sell to retail outlets.

I actually tried this about a month ago and thought it to be good, not awful or great. Among some of the value Malbecs, if you can find the Juan Benegas Malbec or Terrazas de los Andes Malbecs then those IMO are excellent for about the same price.

On a similar note, what is all the rage with a Malbec called Layer Cake? I assuming it's a big marketing ploy because can't walk into into a wine shop here in Minnesota without someone trying to sell me a bottle of it when I say I'm looking for Malbec. Has anyone actually tried it and how does it compare with other value Malbecs like the Gascon?

Layer Cake - I haven't put my finger on it exactly but it seems to be some company marketing all sorts of wines from different places with the Layer Cake name. The first "Layer Cake" I had was from Australia and was decent, a couple of years ago. Then I saw it elsewhere and thought "oh, a different varietal" and oh, a different country, etc.

http://www.layercakewine.com/
And you can follow them on Facebook. And Twitter!

Clearly, this was more important to some of us than others

Hi guys,
Thanks for ur thread and so many introductions to Argentine wines.
I am an importer from China, deeply attracted by the beauty of Argentine wines. And of course, i feel there is a great chance in the wine trading between Argentina and China.
I plan to take a trip recently around Mendoza area and chat with some potential cooperator. So may u guys plz give me some advice that where to go and which one deserves me to go. Cuz I only have several days.
BTW, my English is ok, but have no idea about Spanish or Portuguese. So shall I find an interpreter?
Thx for u guys consideration in advance.

Agreed... the Juan Benegas is far superior. I rate the Terrazas below the Juan Benegas but would also say I take it over the regular Gascon bottling.

do not worry about spanish or portuguese. lingua franca in the wine industry is english. i have never been to south america, however, the spanish, french, italian, romanian, bulgarian, greek, russian, new zealand vineyards all do english. i have met a number of argentine wine reps. all speak english. the only ones i cannot understand are the ones from australia and a few from South africa.

gaucho can probably provide you with a list of the 10 largest producers in the area. if he cannot, i will find a bunch of people for you to call on. go see them. do not mess with the little guys. the big guys will know how to get the wine shipped to china. you will have to do business american style, not oriental style(bring money). i would presume their word is their bond.

Thanks so much. Really appreciate ur help.

i would only go to mendoza, as you have limited time and it is the largest. i would prearrange a meeting with:
"The two largest companies are Bodegas Esmeralda (which owns the widely exported brand Bodegas Catena Zapata) and Pe�aflor (which owns another widely exported brand Bodegas Trapiche). Between the two of them, these companies are responsible for nearly 40% of all the wine made in Argentina."

unless they are already in china, and have exclusive arrangements with an importer.

this is a list of over 100(i did not count) mendoza producers:

http://andeswinezone.diariodelvino.com/maps/mendoza.htm

there are more producers here than in chianti or california, it seems

Please note that both the above super large bodegas already have agreements in place to export to China. I am not familiar with the details of the commercial terms of these agreements and they may not be exclusive, but I would caution against planning a trip counting on getting a deal done with these two "800 pound gorillas".