$20 Malbec vs. $135 Malbec - Weekly Wine Picks Ep. 5

PRESS Restaurant Sommelier Amanda McCrossin gives her weekly wine picks under $20 from WINE.COM - Is this $135 Malbec really better than this $20 Malbec?? ----------------------------------------
this week's wines
AMALAYA MALBEC 2015: http://bit.ly/2oH2kgm
CATENA MALBEC 2014: http://bit.ly/2q0JogC
CATENA ZAPATA NICASIA VINEYARD MALBEC 2012: http://bit.ly/2q0HGfd
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WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: http://sommvivant.me
PRESS RESTAURANT: http://pressnapavalley.com
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MAPS/RESEARCH: http://guildsomm.com
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Malbec may be the world’s most MISUNDERSTOOD grape - and I’m on a mission to set the record straight. For too long we have thought of Malbec as a one-dimensional spicy alternative to Cabernet, incapable of elegance and restraint. In this weeks episode I’m exploring the various iterations of Malbec from Argentina, from big and bombastic to nuanced and subtle. Catena Zapata has been one of the leading producers of the grape since the early 1900’s and has lead the charge for the research and development of the vineyards in Argentina. The American consumer is likely to have seen their entry level wine “Catena” on the shelves of their shop, but the higher tier wines in the portfolio are really where they flourish. The tasting today pits the two against each other, and offers a third inexpensive highly rated one that will be perfect to buy by the case for your next party. *small editing note, I put RHOC instead of RHBH!!!! MY APOLOGIES!!!!*

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Each week I'm bringing you 2 great wines that not only have great value, but are actually delicious. Whether you are looking for that perfect Tuesday night wine or just want to know what the sommelier's are drinking on their night's off (God forbid we're fresh out of Burgundy) - the Weekly Wine Picks series has you covered.

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After years of struggling trying to find great wines that were not only valuable but easily accessible, I've finally found a great solution!!! With friends and family scattered across the US, I constantly ran into the same situation. They'd ask me, "What wine can I buy for $20-$30 that is great." The problem would always be the same - no two stores ever carry the same wine, and if they did, it was generally something I didn't feel was either great or worth the money. So for the past year I've been doing some extensive research.
I started first by identifying the types of wines I would recommend, and then reverse engineer from there. I started googling these wines to see who carried them and how often. Then I started actually ordering them - which is where it got tricky.
Some online retailers would claim to have them and then upon ordering would be out of the vintage or the wine entirely. Others would ship them but the cost of shipping was more than the actual bottle. Then one day, I got a big break - a retailer that was once chock full of crap wine started carrying wines that I was actually interested in buying. It was a revelation. I would get email after email announcing the arrival of this wine, and that producer, and good lord back-vintages!! What's more, is they offered a ONE-TIME YEARLY SHIPPING MEMBERSHIP for UNLIMITED SHIPPING FOR $49!!!!!!! I thought I hit a gold-mine. Surely it would be some 3rd tier shipping service that took a month to deliver.
Perplexed and cautious, I made my first order. Fast forward 2 days later and the wine, no joke, was on my doorstep (yes, you have to sign for the package). Properly packaged, the wine arrived in tact and seemed to have even been shipped in a temperature controlled environment. I ordered again, surely it wouldn't happen like this every time. But time and time again, the same thing would happen. I started experimenting with other states, same deal. I even had a corked bottle arrive once so I called them up and they shipped me a new one immediately, free of charge.
The company I am referring to is WINE.COM - they have undoubtedly knocked out every other competitor on the market - and that includes, I'm sorry to say Gary Vaynerchuck, Wine Library (I had high hopes for them - but they failed me too many times).
In this series, I will pick 2 of my favorite wines (I'll try to keep them under $30) from wine.com and do a quick review of them here with links to buy them below. I'll switch its up from week to week with reds, whites, and sparkling to keep it fresh! Make sure to subscribe to stay up to date and I'll look forward to your feedback in the comments below!