Spain Wines Distributed in Vermont

Calmont’s Spanish Portfolio is unequalled not only in Vermont, but in New England, and possibly the entire country. In no other house than Calmont’s do superstar importers, Eric Solomon’s European Cellars, Jorge Ordoñez Fine Estates from Spain, and Dan Kravitz, Hand-Picked Selections all reside.

Superstars whose standards previously were generally unheard of, but have always insisted upon cool, hygienic and controlled fermentation with stainless steel and/or investment in American oak and current technology, and insistence on bottling without fining or filtration to avoid stripped, sterile, mass-produced wines, and on shipping in proper refrigerated containers, their standards are unmatched. Although Spain has more acres under vines than any country in the world, the country's extreme climactic conditions make for terribly low average yields. The diversity in climate and altitude from the torrid south to the cool north is definitely reflected in the wines.

Spain, the sleeping giant for decades, now the hottest wine region in the wine world, has been transformed and its rate of transformation has been accelerating for the last twenty years in large part due to the handful of these innovative importers, whose name on a bottle is synonymous with quality (a quote from Robert Parker), and who spend time ferreting out outstanding producers. The wines of Spain cover every sensation that the human nose and tongue can transmit. They intrigue the mind and touch the heart. They capture the energy of youth and its passion for transformation, while retaining at least some of the pride and tradition that come only from ancient lands. Spanish wines give me what any wine lover loves: intensity. This is not a matter of over-ripening grapes, sorting fruit berry by berry or bulking up the wine with unnecessary new oak.

The best of these wines come by their flavors honorably — some by virtue of being planted in marginal soils, some by virtue of age (when they say old vine, they are talking 60 or 80 or 100 years, not just 20 or 30). The white wines are succulent, sharp, crisp and herbal. The reds are bright, sappy, often tasting of rock and mineral, with plenty of acid. It's rare to find oxidized wines, as in the old days.

Eric Solomon’s European Cellars France & Spain www.europeancellars.com

Eric Solomon was recently named as one of the Wine Personalities of the year by the Wine Advocate. Robert M. Parker, Jr. went to say, "This small specialist importer is one of the bright shinning start of winedom. His exquisite selections exude personality, quality, and character."

Eric Solomon's European Cellars Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate “I have always been committed to profiling high quality importers who represent distinctive wines. Long-time readers may remember the profiles I wrote on specialty/niche importers. While some of these specialty importers have an effective system of national distribution, most of them tend to specialize, selling their wines on an exclusive basis in this country's top three or four dozen marketplaces. because they deal with relatively small quantities of wine, their selections will not be found in every city. However, it is the quality, not the quantity of their selections that obligates me to dedicate space and attention to their efforts.

Eric Solomon of European Cellars is another exceptionally talented individual who has a penchant for ferreting out superb, generally unknown estates from the Rhone Valley and Languedoc-Roussillon regions of France. He also has ventured into Spain with considerable success. Solomon began as a budding musician (he even had a brief understudy with the London Symphony Orchestra as a principal percussionist). However, his interest quickly turned to wine as he found himself spending more time in Londons wine bars than beating on his drums. In 1980 he officially began his wine career as a director of French Wines and Ports for Heublein. By 1989, "tired of the corporate wine world's mentality", he established European Cellars, which is dedicated to working with "small, intensely serious wine-makers in both classic and emerging wines regions throughout Europe". Like other specialty importers, Solomon believes in shipping all his wines in temperature-controlled containers and, assuming the wines are stable and free of potential problems, he insists that the wines be bottled with no filtration.

As is often the case with these small specialty importers, many of their producers make frightfully small quantities, but because of their high quality, they merit considerable attention from consumers searching for the best."

“European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; 704-358-1565 - Eric Solomon, an enthusiastic young man, is quickly building this importer into one of the top specialists in ferreting out terrific wine bargains from France's Rhone Valley and the sun-drenched, wind-swept area known as the Languedoc-Roussillon. They represent a bevy of top notch wines being sold at remarkably low prices.” - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Jorge Ordoñez, Fine Estates from Spain
Jorge Ordoñez, the human dynamo who imports Spain's biggest, deepest wine portfolio to America, he draws from an astonishing portfolio - 13O wines from 4O wineries.

Renowned wine critic Robert Parker of Wine Advocate has called JORGE ORDONEZ one of ‘the most influential wine personalities in America’ on more than one occasion. This is because of his commitment to finding the finest small bodegas in Spain, helping them to perfect their wines and introducing them here in the U.S., often to rave reviews. He is a ‘blue chip’ importer, bar none.

“Jorge Ordoñez – Even though he hasn’t been in business that long, Jorge Ordoñez is the blue chip standard for great Spanish wines and wine values. He has more competition (thanks to his own success and hard work ethic) but he remains the man to beat when it comes to extraordinary wines from Spain. He has also been an important force in making sure all his wines are shipped in temperature controlled containers and are distributed properly so the consumer gets to taste the same wines that he purchased at Spanish wineries. (RMP)” – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 2005

“Jorge Ordoñez (Fine Estates From Spain, Dedham, MA) – The undisputed master of Spain, Jorge Ordoñez has brilliantly succeeded in an unprecedented manner. Spending more time in Spain than any other importer, Ordoñez has unearthed not only extraordinary treasures for value hunters (a bevy of terrific wines priced under $10), but he has also has encouraged cutting edge estates to push the level of wine quality higher and higher. His own project in Toro, called Numanthia, is a watershed wine for this viticultural region. He is in a class by himself for his selections from Spain. Rather than resting on his impressive track record, Ordoñez works harder than anyone else in his field. Highly recommended wines: see Issue #136, pages 2-10. Tel. (781) 461-5767” - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 2001