Alex Elman, with passion and a mission, presents her "Authentic Wine Treasures" from Argentina

I had the great pleasures of speaking and then meeting Alex Elman this weekend. What started as a phone conversation arranged by Alex's PR team turned into a trip to Sparta, NJ where she was showing her wines at the eclectic Burke's Wine.

I was so intrigued by Alex Elman's life story and approach to wine I just had to meet her in person. Plus, Diana needed some wine for a fund raising event she was doing with Garden State Yoga in Bloomfield, NJ. What better wine for an event with a Yoga group than Elman's pure organically produced, terroir authentic, wines.

We tasted her four new offerings from Argentina and heard more of her story. It is quite a tale.

You see Alex grew up around exquisite food and wine, her mother a Brazilian chef and step father an American oenophile. She was well suited for work in the field, with trained senses of taste and smell. But then at age 25, some years ago, she came to experience and rely those senses with even greater intensity. There is a reason there is a guide dog in the image above.

Even after loosing her sight Alex pursued the wine business with great alacrity. She made a real name for her self among the wine elite. But her passion drove her further. She sought to have healthy quality wines available to a larger audience.

A pivitol turning point was a few years ago after attending the growing Millésime Bio organic wine trade show in France. Alex realized that this event left her energized and alive, unlike other traditional shows that took days to recover from. It was clear organic was the way to go.

Organic has had a stigma in the wine world, terms like "Bio-Dynamic", "sustainable" creeped into the vocabulary, but organic wine was still relegated to a special shelf. The funny thing is that until just a few decades ago all wine was organic. There were no artificial fertilizers or chemicals to use. The factory farms of today did not exist.

But now popular opinion is changing, organic by whatever name is gaining approval, it makes sense, says Alex, "It is good for the land, it is good for the grape, and it is good for us." One thing lead to another and soon Alex found her name on the labels of four well produced wines from Argentina. Labels from other countries are planned for the future.

Her 2010 wines from Argentina include a Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Torrontes. They are available at many stores in New Jersey. We liked the Malbec and Torrontes the best. These wines are very moderately priced and great for gatherings of family and friends. Which leads to Alex's other mission to bring friends and family together. These are important and noble goals that we should all embrace.

Alex Elman Wines