Dave McIntyre's WineLine

Malbec Throw-Down at Vinexpo

Vinexpo 2009, which ran 21-25 June in Bordeaux, featured an interesting and obviously intentional juxtaposition. The Wines from Argentina pavilion was flanked by a more modest but still brazen presentation of the wines of Cahors, in southwest France, which considers itself the ancestral homeland of malbec, the grape that has made Argentina famous.

The ploy by the Cahors wineries worked as far as this writer is concerned – being rather familiar with Argentina’s malbecs, I was more interested in tasting the French versions. I sat down with Laurent Marre, a sommelier born and raised with the “black wine of Cahors,” who poured me several of the wines on display.

These were arranged from fruity and accessible to more tannic, expressive and expensive. Yet there was an impressive continuity of style and flavors, as one would expect from a wine region that has found its voice. These are large, tannic wines for the most part, with impressive structure, lots of fruit, and minerally finish. Although I am usually a fan of wines that do not see oak, I found myself drawn more forcefully to those that had been aged in new oak barrels for at least part of their lives – the oak gave structure and smoothed out the tannins. A skeptic could easily (and perhaps convincingly) argue that the oak stripped some of the appealing rusticity from the wine. But I felt the Cahors character came through even with the polish. That makes the choice a matter of preference, and probably price.

My favorite producers: Château Lamartine, Mas de Périé (organic), Le Cèdre (organic), Château La Reyne.

Argentina’s malbecs are cheaper and more accessible, which makes them more marketable to the U.S. consumer. But during my short tasting with Laurent Marre, we were interrupted several times by Argentine wine makers coming over to taste the “original” malbecs. So the savvy decision to place the Cahors booth near the Argentine pavilion reached a core audience.

More on the Loss of Billington Wines

In the fallout over the demise of Billington Wines, there is at least some good news: Alfredo Bartholomaus, the company’s founder and a joyful bon vivant, will not be slipping away into full retirement just yet. Leonardo LoCascio, president of Winebow, informs me that Don Alfredo will join the new division Winebow is setting up to represent former Billington brands. While Alfredo’s son, Alex (at left in the photo, with his father), is likely to head the division, the elder Bartholomaus will serve as a consultant and brand ambassador, leading trade and media trips to South America and representing the brands before the press, much as he has done over the past several years. So those of us who know and love Alfredo can still look forward to pisco sours, poetry recitals, and lots of good South American wine.

You can read my full report on the closure of Billington Wines on The Washington Post Food section blog, All We Can Eat.

The Recession Claims Billington

The recession has taken a bite out of the Washington, D.C., wine community with the recent demise of Billington Wines, the Springfield, Va.-based company that helped put South American wines on U.S. dinner tables.

Billington closed its doors May 15, citing the loss of some of its primary clients to other importers, depressed demand for wines because of the economy, and declining sales at Havens winery in Napa, which the company purchased in 2006.

The company’s Web site still had no news of this development as of May 26, but it was confirmed to me by Alfredo Bartholomaus, the company’s founder.

Details are still to be worked out, but most of the wineries in Billington's portfolio will now be represented by Winebow, the New Jersey-based company that grew from an Italian specialty importer into a major import and distribution powerhouse. Many of Billington's sales force, including Bartholomaus and his son, Alex, who has run Billington the past several years, will also work for Winebow.

Alfredo Bartholomaus, who emigrated to the United States from Chile in the early 1960s, started Billington in 1985. His main client then was Cousiño-Macul, Chile's oldest family-owned winery. Working primarily “out of the trunk of my car,” Bartholomaus introduced American retailers and restaurants to the value that Chile produces with inexpensive wines that outperform their competition. His company was one of the first quality importers to spring up in the Washington area – a market that thrives today.

In recent years, the company developed the Big Tattoo line of wines from Chile and Germany, which not only provided tremendous value at $8, but also donated proceeds from each sale to local charities.

“I came to this country with one hand tied behind my back, and I have been fighting ever since,” a defiant Bartholomaus said Tuesday. “I will keep fighting. I will still be around.”

(Some disclosure is in order. Like most wine writers in the Washington, D.C., area, I count Alfredo Bartholomaus as a friend and mentor. He has been a gregarious and effective missionary on behalf of the wines from Chile and Argentina, always with a keen eye, rapier wit and precise palate for the value these wines represent for consumers.)

I will have more on the demise of Billington Wines, both here and on The Washington Post’s Food section blog, “All We Can Eat,” at washingtonpost.com.

Argentina's Andes Advantage

In these recession-plagued times, we're all looking for extra value. Ask any retailer or sommelier what wines are selling these days, and Argentine Malbec will be near the top of the list. "We're selling the hell out of Mendoza," one retailer told me recently. (I didn't even know Hell was IN Mendoza!)

Argentina has some specific advantages in growing quality wines, and you really can't miss them, as they loom over every vineyard and have a way of sneaking into the background of every photograph. But you can read all about it in my April 8 column in The Washington Post.

Can you spot Argentina's secret in this photo?

Fair Trade Wines - Yet Another Factor to Consider???

Vinophiles face a large number of choices every time we buy a bottle of wine. Cabernet or Merlot? Chardonnay barrel fermented or unoaked? Imported or domestic? California or local? (Well, I can dream, can’t I?) Were the grapes farmed organically? What is the carbon footprint of this massive bottle?

No wonder we spend so much time in wine stores!

Add one more factor to consider: Fair trade certification. We’ve seen “fair trade certified” labels crop up on coffee, tea, chocolate and other agricultural products over the past few years as a feel-good reassurance that the developing world workers who toiled to give us a more delicious way of life were paid a fair wage and provided reasonably tolerable working conditions. TransFair USA, the California-based non-profit that certifies fair trade products for sale in the United States, is now bestowing the label on wines from Argentina and South Africa at selected retailers.

It’s a laudable concept, and one to consider if the wines are good. You can read my assessment of fair trade wines in today’s Washington Post.

Xmas Wine Camp 2008: Malbec and Petite Sirah Make Holiday Magic

Christmas is a wonderful time for getting together with family and friends - and for Wine Camp. I've written about this before, and about Dave Johnson, my brother-in-law's brother-in-law, more or less. We do this exercise in wine geekdom twice a year now, at Christmas and Memorial Day.

I lost count of how many wines we tested each other on, and some of the bottles have already been tossed. My notes, as usual, became less extensive and more ambiguous as the afternoon wore on. But two wines stole the show.

Bramare Malbec 2004 from Marchiori Vineyard in Argentina's Mendoza district, was stunning - rich and intense, with flavors of cocoa that seemed to transport Dave back a few years to his childhood; he described it as "Nestle's Quik on steroids." It had more blackberry fruit than the blueberry flavor I usually attribute to Malbec, which threw me off track at first as I tried to guess its grape and provenance. So I kept asking for another sip. Bramare is made by California wine great Paul Hobbs.

Another California legend was responsible for the second stunner of the day. Rosenblum Petite Sirah 2004 from Rockpile Road Vineyard in Sonoma County's Rockpile AVA was ripe nearly but not quite to the point of pruny, with notes of leather, cocoa (hey - Christmas is a time for memories, after all!), plums and cherries. It was long, deep and gorgeous with tight, stony tannins befitting the vineyard's name.

I had the pleasure of visiting Rockpile Road Vineyard a few years back and walking among the vine rows with Jack Florence, Jr., and his father, Jack Sr. They produce Zinfandel and Petite Sirah that epitomize mountain fruit, from steeply sloped vineyards overlooking Lake Sonoma at the far western end of Dry Creek Valley. They sell their grapes mostly to Rosenblum but also to Carol Shelton and perhaps one or two other winemakers. Rockpile wines are hard to find - the AVA is small and only a few wineries make wines from there, and only in small quantities. But if you can find them they are worth a splurge.

I hope you had a joyful and delicious holiday, too! Please tell me in the Comments about the wines you enjoyed.

Maipe - Bargain Wines from Argentina

Argentina continues to produce some of the best bargain wines in the market today, even with economic storms above and below the equator. One of my favorite labels is Maipe, with a consistently good line of wines, including a juicy Malbec, a spicy Bonarda, and a flowery Torrontes. At $10 each, these wines represent great value for everyday drinking.

Imported by Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, Va.