TGIC Importers, Inc. and Montes Wines Host Grand Cru Wine Challenge

June 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA - (June 6, 2012)  TGIC Importers, Inc. and Montes Wines will be hosting the “Grand Cru Wine Challenge” blind tasting in Los Angeles at the Hotel Sofitel on Thursday, June 7, 2012. A number of elite moderators will blind taste Montes wines against some of the top wines in the world.  The afternoon will be hosted by Anthony Dias Blue and The Tasting Panel Magazine.

Thanks to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal in which Jay McInerney called the Apalta Valley a “Grand Cru of Chile,” the Grand Cru Wine Challenge was born.  Aurelio Montes of Montes Estate Winery says “Montes Wines from Chile, challenges French Grand Cru to prove that its quality is as good as old world great wines.”

The blind tasting, conducted by Anthony Dias Blue, will give the media and industry attendees the opportunity to taste and rank the wines to determine if Montes Wines stand up to world's best.

"There are great wines all over the world,” stated TGIC’s Founder and CEO, Alex Guarachi, “but there are only a few world class wines.  Montes is one of those world class wines and Apalta is one of those world class regions."  

Featured wine from Vina Montes:
Montes M
Montes Folly
Montes Purple Angel

Against the likes of:
Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Chateau Haut-Brion
Opus 1
Chateau Montelena
Sassicaia
Ornellaia

All scores and notes on the wines tasted will be released in the upcoming issue of The Tasting Panel Magazine.

About TGIC IMPORTERS, INC.
TGIC began 26 years ago as a wine import company with only a single Chilean winery in their portfolio. Their mission is to establish themselves as a leading international producer, importer and marketer of the finest wines of the world with a rich and diverse portfolio. Today, TGIC is proud to represent 18 wineries from around the world as a national importer. They also offer a large selection of select imported and domestic wines for wholesale in the state of California. Like all wines Chilean, TGIC’s Alex Guarachi is spearheading what he describes as “the newest era in wine from the oldest vines in the world.” Shown in their work, Wine Enthusiast announced TGIC Importers, Inc. Alex Guarachi, their Importer of the Year 2010.

About Montes Wines
Montes started vineyard operations in 1987 with the Chilean wine market then being satisfied to producing low-quality bulk wine for export and consumption. Introduced, the vision of Montes’ founding partners -Aurelio Montes, Douglas Murray, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand- that to produce world-class wines from Chile. They achieved this with their “Alpha” line of wines, and Montes was named “Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Spectator in 2002 and 2006.  

About Anthony Dias Blue
Anthony Dias Blue is recognized world-wide as a leading food, wine and lifestyle authority. His James Beard Award–winning food and wine critiques, The Blue Lifestyle Minute, are broadcast daily on KABC in Los Angeles and on WCBS radio in New York. In 2011 he launched a two-hour nationally-syndicated talk show called BLUE LIFESTYLE that currently airs in more than thirty markets across the country. It is also heard on XM-Sirius. Formerly Wine & Spirits Editor of Bon Appétit, Mr. Blue is owner and Editor-in-Chief of the beverage trade publication, The Tasting Panel Magazine.