Gaston Williams ( Commercial Director ) Of FINCA El ORIGEN Argentinian Torrontes, Cabernet & Malbec Stops To Taste Feb 2010 @ Cleveland Park Wines

It was great to taste with Gaston Williams the Commercial Director of the FINCA El ORIGEN Argentinian wines that we have been using now at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits for several months already. They have sold very well for us : the Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and the white Torrontes. At $11 a bottle they represent great value and just the other day Dave McIntyre that writes the Wednesday wine column for the the Washington Post newspaper ( yes, it's still a news paper that dios mio I can actually still hold in my hands : don;t take it away from me please! ) also recommended.




We are currently out and will have to order more really soon as our customers like and want it sold in our Cleveland Park neighborhood. By the way if you wish to contact Gaston Williams for more technical information on the FINCA El ORIGEN wines go to : Washington 225, Dorrego 5519 Mendoza, Argentina, ( 54 261 ) 4527769 / 4524902 gwillimas@fincaelorigen.com www.fincaelorigen.com.




Gaston spoke with his hands and I really enjoyed recording this as much as anything else. Being an artist I pick up on things like this as I am so interested in the people behind the wines and less not at all about the points and the scores that they receive along with all the hype and the reasons that are created for why I might want to drink the wines. Look at the color of the Malbec here in my glass in these pictures above and below. It's lovely.



I love this picture above. It is one of my very favorites that I took while Gaston was waxing poetic over his wines.




Interesting angle above , do you like it? How often do you look at a bottle of FINCA El ORIGEN from this angle anyway? Being an artist I like to take some of these artsy photos just to add something new and a sight that perhaps is not the most obvious? Do you like my thinking here? Does it open your eyes as well as open your palates later when you actually go and buy a bottle or two of FINCA El ORIGEN and drink the wines? I hope so : that is the idea.




I got to hand it to you Gaston, you sure are expressive here above and below with your hands. You tell the story well and with authority and it was a pleasure to taste these wines with you about a month ago.




I usually prefer the Cabernet Sauvignon over the Malbec wines from Argentina. In this case I think that it might have been close and unfortunately the Malbec outsells easily the Cabernet Sauvignon even though at one time not too long ago the Cabernet Sauvignon was king in Argentina along with the Bonarda grape, followed by the Sangiovese and the Torrontes grapes. No one had heard of the Malbec in Argentina until about ten years ago.




What does this tell or spell for us? It's a real problem. First of all it is rumored that Argentina is selling more wine labeled as Malbec than they produce. Is this true? If so it means that the wines we may be enjoying in the U.S. are blends of the grapes that I have mentioned. This may be more than is permitted by law to blend as still call it Malbec?

I don't have the answers for this if it is indeed true. I would like to know, really. If so it means that people here are enjoying the blends more and not aware of this.




Of course I am not insinuating or implying any of this with FINCA El ORIGEN. It's simply an open question for debate. I mention it because it points to a bigger problem that is : what are they supposed to do in Argentina with all the other grapes if , by-and-large North America just wants to drink Malbec and nothing else? Where are they going to sell all these other grapes? Will they all have to end up in blends with Malbec being one of the grapes so that the other grapes may be used and sold : piggy-backing off North America's infatuation for the moment with the Malbec grape?

These are serious questions and I am sure that now for the last three years or so they have been hotly discussed in Argentina : probably quietly as to not draw attention to this situation. However, I think that the debate and discussion has to be a public one and that as many people as possible should get involved ad try and draw attention to some of the other grapes like the Bonarda, the Sangiovese and the Tempranillo ( as well as the Syrah and the Merlot grapes, too ). They are all well-made in Argentina and should be actively promoted as to achieve a more even balance. It's simply too easy and harmful in the long term to just " go with the flow " and only talk about the Malbec grape. The owners and winemakers in Argentina as well as all of us in sales should work hard to try and sell some of all these excellent dry red wines of Argentina so that they will all have a place and become better known to the wine-drinking public of today.

Also, we should inform the public today of which countries that each of these grapes came from originally : Malbec, ( Cahors and Bordeaux, France ) ; Cabernet and Merlot ( Bordeaux, France ) ; Bonarda ( Oltepo Pavese, Italy ) ; Syrah ( France ) ; Sangiovese ( Tuscany, Italy ) ; Tempranillo Rioja, Spain ) : and for the white Torrontes ( Spain ).



I like taking pictures, too like the one above where I see Gaston's face and his watch below tells us the exact time that he and Steve were in our store tasting these excellent value wines of Argentina made by the FINCA El ORIGEN winery.




We need to help educate and share information with our public so that they may better enjoy the richness of flavors and tastes that are available to them throughout the world today. This would be a great service and one that would help to create a better balance and help preserve a healthy variety of wines and grapes produced around the world made either in the traditional style or the modern one : or a blend of the two styles.




We need to work more closely together as a team here as we sell and promote wines. I'd like to see people going more out on a limb in the selling of wine and if necessary going against the grain and pointing out as often as possible that it's important to try the whole variety of wines that any country offers and not simply the most popular at any one given point in time. This is not always easy and it will often be met with some resistance. However, careful explanation and persuasion can give everyone a broader range of experiences and open their taste buds to many worthwhile and exciting experiences.




Thank you Gaston for coming to taste with e at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. It was fun to meet you and give you grief that with your French-sounding name that you do not speak any French? There's still time you know. Yo can learn now before it's too late. You might want to go to the town of Cahors sometime in the future and talk with the French there about the Malbec grape?

Also, don't forget that Argentina also makes excellent wines outside o Mendoza like in Patagonia for example or where all the bet Torrontes whites are made. Celebrate diversity and always keep an open mind ...

In my guest book you wrote Gaston : " Antonio , Congrats for your special spirit, hobby and sense of humor!! Cheers !! " Gaston Williams . Thanks for that Gaston. It was a very fine meeting with you as well. We got along splendidly.

Cheers e hasta luego amigo! TONY