Vinexpo 2024
Discovering New Wines with a Touch of Paris Magic!
F or the second year in a row, Jenn Sanders and I spent three memorable days in Paris in February, attending the huge wine and spirits trade show known as Vinexpo. It was great to meet with many of the suppliers we’ve known for years, who provide wines that have become CW customer
The last two new suppliers I’ll mention here are family-owned and -operated wineries located just seven miles apart from each other in northeast Italy, home of Prosecco. The first winery is Bedin, and we met with Alessandra, daughter of the owner. Their Proseccos ranged from bone dry to slightly sweet (the ironically named “extra dry”) and each was a hit, especially for the price. The other winery is Andreola, introduced to us by Commercial Director Magnus Saccone. Magnus has family in the DC area so we talked for quite a while and heard some interesting stories. The Andreola Proseccos were excellent as well,
favorites. It was also wonderful to meet several new people, helping us discover wines from Portugal, Spain, Italy (and more) that have recently arrived at CW and are sure to become new favorites. One of the people we met for the first time was Rita Cardoso Pinto, co-owner (with her sister) of Quinta do
Michael Sands, Jenn Sanders and Julien Noël from Châteaux Chambrun and Moncets
Michael and Jenn at Versailles
offering a bit more complexity and intensity of flavor. Learn more about Andreola winery in our interview with owner Stefano Pola on page 36. We’re thrilled to add both of these Prosecco producers to our selection. All in all, we met with so many people at Vinexpo and discovered some great new wines. We hope you like them as much as we do! Also for the second year in a row, Jenn and I were fortunate enough to attend the Commanderie du Bontemps black-tie gala dinner at Château de Versailles. The evening started with a private tour of the
Pinto, originally started by her father. Her winery is located 15 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, about an hour’s drive north from Lisbon. We were duly impressed with all nine wines we tasted, even though most of the grapes were ones we were not very familiar with. It was a learning experience for us and Rita patiently guided us through the tasting, and we happily selected two whites and two reds to bring to CW. Another woman we met was Chiara Sorgente, Commercial Director for MontRubí winery. MontRubí is located in Penedes, just west of Barcelona in
northeast Spain. We tasted about 15 wines with her, and are pleased to present four of them to you here. One is a “Pét-nat” (Pétillant Naturel) rosé called L’Ancestrale. Truth be told I’m not typically a big fan of Pét-nats, but I really enjoyed this one and enjoyed it with dinner just a few weeks ago in September. All of their wines had a brightness, a freshness, that make them so easy to enjoy.
palace, followed by a beautiful dinner with
roughly 800 people in a very long room inside Versailles. With dinner we had 2018 Château Olivier Blanc, 2010 Château Montrose, 2009 Château Lagrange, and 2005
Dominique Ferret, Michael Sands, Jenn Sanders and Stephanie Ferret from Domaine Guillaman
Château Lafite Rothschild. With dessert we had one of my very favorites, the 2015 Château Climens. Tres magnifique! It was a magical evening, one I won’t soon forget.
Michael Sands with long-time friends Michel and Karin Labardin
CALVERT WOODLEY 2024 FALL SALE — 7
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