Some of the great U.S. wine impresarios “fly over” Texas each year, ignoring a large state and lucrative market where the big distributors’s chokehold on the flow of wine makes it difficult for the smaller guys to get a word in edgewise.
Some of them come every year, cultivating relationships and building brand recognition for European wines that our countrymen hardly know or know how to pronounce.
It was fascinating to sit down the other day at Vino Vino in Austin with the dynamic André Tamers (above, left), who has built one of the best Spanish portfolios in the U.S.
He was “working the market” (as we say in the biz) with three of his core producers, winemakers whose products have shaped his career over the last fifteen years as one of the leading importers of European wines in the U.S.: from André’s left, Florentino Monje (Luberri), Gerardo Méndez (Do Ferreiro), and Jesús Gómez (Viña Sastre).
What a thrill to taste their wines and chat (in my passable Spanish) with these men — all of them growers.
I liked the wines across the board but I couldn’t resist telling Florentino that his Orlegi Tempranillo was one of the best I’ve ever tasted: partial-whole-cluster-fermented Tempranillo vinified in a light, fresh youthful style (a “return to the traditional,” writes André on his site). Lip-smackingly delicious, low-alcohol, food friendly and inexpensive wine.
There’s a lot of great old-school Tempranillo out there and available in our country (and you don’t need to tell you the producers if you follow along here). But this wine really surprised me. I love, love, loved it…
Chapeau bas, André. See you this time next year back in Texas.
Do Bianchi 
Jeremy, I agree about the portfolio (very arguably THE best Spanish), and based on your note, the Luberri sounds like a must-try. My favorites include the Ferreiro Cepas Vellas and the D. Ventura Caneiro (both with a bit of age, i.e., ’07s that I have had recently were outstanding). The sherries are also excellent, with the Maestro Sierra’s Fino being my favorite. Mike
It’s kind of funny I ran across this as I met with the guys last week in Miami (I’m the west coast of FL rep for Bertin Henri Selections; we distribute De Maison down here) and I was blown away by his other Tempranillo, the Biga. We did not have the Orlegi represented as there was an accident involving the samples but I too was struck by how pure the fruit was in his wines. I look forward to checking out the Orlegi when we get it in!