Wow! Tragic line-up today. Oh well. SDH.

QOTD: Into the Groove

Gary, I don't know what's up with the Malbec and the fakeness. I just opened a couple $12 Malbecs the other day, stoked to see how they compared. Both were very chemical smelling, and you said it best when you said that second wine was just "fake". I'm a big Malbec fan, what are some recommendations for some good wines between $10 and $20?

Bummer about the Catena Alta!! Last year I went to "Malbec Camp" put on by the Catena family. It was awesome!! The family flew myself and 11 others from around the U.S. down to Mendoza, we stayed at the family farm, right in the vineyards. I was actually in the exact vineyards that were spoken about on the back of the label. I have to say, I had plenty of the 2005 Catena Alta Malbec around the dinner table while I was there. It was MALBECALATIOUS!!! The 2006 is just as lip smackingly good, in my mind, a better vintage than 2005. Sorry it was corked! The whole Catena Alta line rocks, their Chardonnay can bat against the best in the world. LOVE ARGENTINA! Let's see some wines from Vine Connections Imports as well a bit more huh? You know Susana Balbo and some of the rest of that portfolio is where it's at. LUCA, TIKAL, BEN MARCO, LAPOSTA, plenty of good juice to be tasted on the Thundershow!!

Poor Agentina...
QOTD: Dear Jesse

hahaha, classic show.

QOTD= material girl. if i had to choose. or maybe vogue. come to think of it i don't think i know any others.

Yikes, tough day for Argentina! After spending 3 weeks exploring Argentina (Buenos Aires, camping & fly fishing in Patagona, glaciers in El Calafate, and Tierra del Fuego)and enjoying CHEAP wine throughout, wine from Argentina will always be special for me. Can't wait to go back and definitely checking out Mendoza this time.

QOTD: Like A Prayer

Gary,

Not every show can be 100% perfect. I liked this show as it can outline what can go wrong with some wines...I have tasted some cracker Argentine Malbecs, Norton Reserva 06 for example. Keep pumping out the shows gv

QOTD: Vogue

Disappointed in what Argentina brought to the table. . . I know they can represent better than that. Maybe a "second chance" show??

Sorry your wines were bad, but don't give up on Argentina. QOTD - Like a virgin.

thats pretty lame mr vay-ner-chuk. couldnt you just get mot to go and run to the store room and grab another bottle of the catena, i was looking forward to that review as ive tried the catena zapata and have positioned it in my top 3 wines, its outstanding.....PLEASSSSSSE do another tasting of the Catena Alta "uncorked". thanks -JBR - uk

QOTD: Like A Virgin, but only because it was performed so campily and brilliantly in Moulin Rouge.

Like to hear more about how a wine becomes corked. Is the whole production affected or just that bottle?

My sister's in Washington twp, NJ. My sister claimed the job of selecting wines. She alway has great wines.

QOTD: I'm not a Madonna music fan per se, but does it really get any better than "VOGUE?!!"

QOTD: Holiday, most definitely holiday. I love the intro to Like a Prayer though ... DAMN, I think I will have to go with Holiday though, it is definitely my favourite!

QOTD: Madonna song? wow. Girls just want to have fun. Oh? that was someone else? I'm so stupid.. oh, that's it -I'm so stupid!

So now you're doing short episodes but obviously several in the same day... either that or you are wearing the same shirt everyday... or you own several shirts that are exactly the same... I suggest mixing it up a bit.

Crushing it!

Erik Wait

Borderline.

QOTD: I'm not crazy about Madonna. I think there's a song that I like but I can't remember what it is.
I'm sure you'll come back from Argentina with many fabulous wines.

QOTD: Lucky Star

Fave Madonna song.... BORDERLINE.
You gotta go way back for this girl.
...just love the beginning:
"dunnnn, duh nuh nuh nuhhhhh, duh nuh nuh dunn duh dunnnnn!"

...and where did this question come from, Gary??

RE: How does a wine become corked?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_taint

Really wanted to hear how the Catina Alta was. Almost picked some up 2 weeks ago, but passed due to the $ (got the cheaper version, which was very nice). Next time you run across a corked wine, why not just run downstairs and grab another bottle?
QOTD: None...I was scarred for life by Madonna when I was growing up and all of the girls in high school started dressing like here..."Madonna Wanna Be". In fact, when she boght the house directly across the street from me in NYC (East 81st Street), I had to move.

QOTD: Not a huge fan but I do have respect for her music. That being said.. Either Ray of Light or This Used to Be my Playground.

How does a wine become corked?

I too say you must do another Argentina episode. I loved youre reaction to the second wine; first you gave it 77 points, then you lowered that to 71 and finished off with 61 points. Too funny.

When r u going to be in Argentina exactly??
I'll be there around that time and it would be wicked if we could meet on the other side of the world, on neutral territory :)

Too bad about the Catena, I was hoping that would anchor the show...but hey, that's reality. Way to put the smackdown on the "manufactured" wine...the packaging had you, but it does happen from time to time, that the product inside is the product of a formula, not the vineyard's expression and the winemaker's gentle hand.
QOTD: was hot on Madonna in the 80's and went to great lengths to get hold of the Playboy issue even though I was still not "old enough"...Material Girl was a great warning song about the adult world.

Wines were bad but Gary, you were still on it. Made me laugh.

This show is the difference between a public service and a commercial. Many times Gary is able to disect a wine by its aroma and then verify it by tasting it. You should insure your schnoz with Lloyds of London Gary. The first two wines turned out to be imposters, so be it. Maybe the Catena suffered from altitude sickness who knows? I have had many bottles of their broad lineup and consider the Bodegas Catena Zapata a safe bet for good value and reliability. The main pyramid building has that beautiful golden glow with its dramatic lighting. Nicolas Catena was here in DC at the Argentine Embassy a month or so ago and he was very gracious and took pictures with anyone that asked. His daughter Laura is quite an accomplished scientist and extends the family tradition.

The origin of the Malbec grape which traces to Bordeaux and Cahors which is further South in France and warmer. The Malbec needs longer hang time to let its tannins fully develop. It casts a dark pigment and is used as a blending grape in Bordeaux in small quantity. The Black wines of Cahors have both valley and higher on the hill estates showing different characteristics. There was a US tour in October extolling the offerings of Cahors. Not enough of these are seen on the shelves in the US.(hint)

When things go bad they often happen in threes...This really makes you appreciate the rare bottle that overacheives its price and status. You have discovered more than your share at a pace of three bottles a day tastings.
Honesty is your currency....

Bernie Bearnaise

I just spent a month in Argentina drinking as much Malbec from Mendoza, Salta and the Cafayate Valley as possible. Catena Zapata is a legend in my opinion. He is the Mondavi of Argentina and his wines are EXCELLENT. Especially his Amelia. It is such a shame that wine was corked. Give him another chance. You won't be sorry.

Tim Wilson

QOTD: Holiday

The reason I watch your show is the honesty. If you didn't have days like this, you would lose something, maybe your credibility. I learned something today, and that's worth my time. Thanks.

QOTD: I don't listen to Madonna...ever..., but I probably wouldn't change the station if Secret came on. JeffWalnuts has it right.

Epic failure for Argentina. Wow! I can't remember having a corked wine, but I've had wines that tasted like over-ripe-rotten banana peels. What is that all about?

QOTD Secret
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjY105QI2io

best watch it Gary, Argentinians have a complex like no other about the greatness of their country, well except maybe Bolivians, who have yet to win a war in their history(except for independence)

thanks for the reviews, certainly not your fault they were terrible

QOTD: I couldn't name a Madonna song off of the top of my head at all, sorry

Could be a very uninformed/rudimentary question but I've been wanting to ask....how come you have to spit that wine out? Is it due to tasting various wines at a time or is to keep from getting half snockered every time you do a "show?" Thanks and keep up the great work! jm

Do another Argentina show, none of these disasters were typical. Argentina deserves a fairer showing.

QOTD: She sings too?

Daria

QOTD: Don't cry for me ford cortina

some good wines from Argentina but not today huh!

Just thought of another one - Holiday - classic.