The process of wine tasting is tricky. Everyone has his own method, and I am no exception. I look forward to the various types of wine tastings that take place in our glass-enclosed conference room. While people may believe that tasting wine is the easiest part of my job as an importer or a California producer, it can be quite tough depending on the situation.

For example, we often have wineries who seek us out because they want representation in the market. In this instance, my team and I look at everything: packaging, price and quality. We ask ourselves–does the wine over-deliver to the customers? The ratio of the quality to the price is very important. If we are interested in a particular region, that area takes priority over other submissions. The opposite is true as well. We have recently been inundated with requests from Spanish wineries; however, we currently have two fine wineries from Spain so we are not interested in any Spanish wine at this time. As we taste, we look at the price. We especially like wines that taste like they should cost $30 but actually cost less.

Recently, Paul Hobbs, Julian Gonzales and I conducted a tasting of 2011 Guarachi Family Wines baby wines, which is the process of tasting wines about two to three months after the grapes have been harvested. At this early point in their development, the wines show what they will be like, and a professional can see the potential of the vintage. We ask ourselves are the wines up to par? Do they have the color, structure, tannins, acid and fruit? They need all of these components. Despite doing these early tastings, it can still be difficult to determine with 100 percent certainty how the wines will be upon release. Baby wine tastings can be quite exciting and challenging!

When we receive new releases of wines in our current portfolio, we always taste them before sending them out to be reviewed. We automatically compare the new vintage to the previous ones. We ask ourselves is the new release fantastic? If so, should we order more? Should we do a special promotion? A new vintage with a wonderful taste almost guarantees good acceptance by the trade. We can often do a presale based on the wine’s description. We buy more of a great vintage so we don’t run out of stock, but figuring out the right amount to buy can be complicated. In the past, we have run out of Montes Reserve Cabernet and Norton Reserve Malbec. If a $20 bottle of wine gets a 92-point score or a $12 bottle receives a 90-point score, then you will run out of wine. Unfortunately, the scores often come out many months after we put in our orders.

Whether we are tastings new wines, baby wines or new vintages, the process of tasting wines in our office is fun, challenging and unpredictable. It’s not the easiest part of my job, but it’s not the worst part either.

— Alex Guarachi

Join the Wine Enthusiast for a spectacular evening of wines, spirits and music paired with culinary creations from San Francisco’s top restaurants! TGIC’s Bodega Norton will be there!

When:
Thursday • April 22, 2010
5:00 – 7:00 PM VIP Tasting
7:00 – 10:00 PM Grand Tasting (Included with VIP purchase)

Where:
War Memorial Opera House
401 Van Ness Avenue,
San Francisco, CA 94102

For Tickets:

Wineenthusiast.com

Join the Wine Enthusiast for a spectacular evening of wines, spirits and music paired with culinary creations from Atlanta’s top restaurants! TGIC’s Bodega Norton will be there!

When:
Thursday • April 8, 2010
5:00 – 7:00 PM VIP Tasting
7:00 – 10:00 PM Grand Tasting (Included with VIP purchase)

Where:
Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker Street
Atlanta, GA 30313

For Tickets:

Wineenthusiast.com

Join the Wine Enthusiast for a spectacular evening of wines, spirits and music paired with culinary creations from Chicago’s top restaurants! TGIC’s Bodega Norton will be there!

When:
Thursday • May 6, 2010
6:00 – 7:00 PM VIP Tasting
7:00 – 10:00 PM Grand Tasting (Free with VIP Ticket Purchase)

Where:
The Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605

For Tickets:

Wineenthusiast.com

MAX’S MARCH MALBEC MADNESS
Max Amore and Broadway Wine & Spirits Present:
“An Evening with Food & Wine”

Five wine and food pairings featuring Malbecs including a few surprises
Guest Speaker: Marissa Ocasio, TGIC Importers
Wednesday March 31, 2010 6:30 P.M.
$69.95 per person + tax & gratuity

Max Amore
140 Glastonbury Boulevard
Somerset Square
Glastonbury, CT
06033

~The Menu ~

Course 1
Duck “carpaccio” with pomegranate reduction
Kaiken Malbec 2008

Course 2
Beef braciola with creamy corn polenta
Montes Classic Malbec 2008

Course 3
Seafood risotto, saffron rice, grilled chorizo, PEI mussels, gulf shrimp
Pascual Toso Malbec 2008

Course 4
Talaggio stuffed procuitto wrapped chicken, over baby spinach, spiced walnuts, golden raisins, ricotta gnocchi
Norton Privada Reserve 2006
(Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet)

Course 5
Salt crusted sirloin, potato Anna, spring morels, sweet onions
Achaval Ferrer Malbec 2008

Friday, March 12th through Saturday, March 13th, join Diego Surazsky of Norton at the Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival!

Grand Tasting
Location: Sea Pines Country Club
When: March 12, 2010

Public Tasting & Auction
Location: Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn
When: March 13, 2010

Contact:
HHIW&F
Hilton Head Hospitality Association
P.O. Box 5097, HHI, SC 29938
Phone (800)424-3387 (843)686-4944
http://www.hiltonheadwineandfood.com

Cincinnati Wine Festival is Thursday, March 11th through Saturday, March 15th.

TGIC Importers will be in Booth 70
We will be pouring the following:
2007 Montes Cabernet/ Carmenere
2008 Montes Sauvignon Blanc
2006 Bodega Norton Reserve Malbec
2007 Pascal Toso Reserve Malbec
2007 Santa Ema Reserve Merlot
2006 Achaval Ferrer Quimera
2006 Montes Alpha Syrah
2008 Pascal Toso Torrontes

2010 Grand Tasting
Duke Energy Center (Convention Center)
Grand Ballroom, 3rd Floor
525 Elm Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202

Friday Evening 6:30 – 9:00 PM
$70.00 prior to event, $75.00 at the door
$105 for Grand Tasting ticket and Special Tasting ticket, $110 at the door

Saturday Afternoon 2:30 – 4:30 PM
$60.00 prior to event, $65.00 at the door
$95.00 for Grand Tasting ticket and Special Tasting ticket, $100.00 at the door

Saturday Evening 6:30 – 9:00 PM
$70.00 prior to event, $75.00 at the door
$105 for Grand Tasting Ticket and Special Tasting ticket, $110 at the door

The Charleston Food & Wine Festival is in its 5th year of introducing the public to delicious food and wine! The festival will last from Thursday, March 4 through Sunday, March 7. Carlos Serrano from Montes and Enrique Toso from Pascual Toso will be pouring. TGIC’s Christophe Courteaud will be there.

Across the Andes Wine Tasting
Time: Friday, 1:00-2:30PM
Location: Circa 1886 (Upstairs), 149 Wentworth Street
Tickets: $50 per person
Carlos Serrano from Montes will be leading this Tasting.

For more information and tickets: http://www.charlestonwineandfood.com/

Fogo de Chao’s “Icons of the Andes” Wine Dinner
Featuring:
Enrique Toso, Pascual Toso Wines
Julia Cahiza, Bodega Norton
Angela Calad, Montes

6:30 PM Reception; 7:00 PM Dinner
At Fogo De Chao
645 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis MN 55403
Reservations: 612-338-1344.

It’s the most delicious weekend of the year – the 16th annual Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience!
February 18-21, 2010

Saturday Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Featuring:
Enrique Toso, Pascual Toso Wines
Julia Cahiza, Bodega Norton
Angela Calad, Montes

For more detail and to buy tickets, please visit: http://www.foodwineshow.com