Marketing has many creative ways to promote products. But I must confess it's the first time I see a giant bottle of wine covering a medieval tower in a French city!

Puy L'Evêque is a small medieval city near Cahors. It has a beautiful tower and houses dating from the 13th century. This didn't prevent the mayor of the city to cover this architecture delight by a "magnum" of Cahors Malbec in its wooden case. This event took place during the rightfully called "Festival de l'Insolite" (the festival of weird events).

Three young men (25 yr-old about) partnered to create a new brand, La Pièce. Paul Parlange is wine maker in Bordeaux and Jérémie Illouz an enologist settled in Cahors.  They partnered with a wine grower in Cahors and decided to launch their own wine brand.

Their concept: they select the best grapes from the best terroirs, and then make the wine themselves. They created La Pièce, whose first vintage (2008) is already sold in France, Japan and Belgium for a suggested retail price of 8 euros.

Cahors had a beautiful booth in Vinexpo, next to the Wines of Argentine one. Small but striking, the Cahors booth attracted the attention of many wine professionals who stopped by to take pictures, talk to Jeremy Arnaud, the Marketing Dircetor or Laurent Marre, a Cahors sommelier as well as taste many of the wines.

Dave McIntyre was one of them. Wine and food writer, wine columnist for the Wasthington Post, Dave tasted the range of Cahors Malbecs under the learned guidance of Laurent Marre: "These were arranged from fruity and accessible to more tannic, expressive and expensive. Yet there was an impressive continuity of style and flavors, as one would expect from a wine region that has found its voice. These are large, tannic wines for the most part, with impressive structure, lots of fruit, and minerally finish."

His winners? Château Lamartine, Mas de Périé (organic), Le Cèdre (organic), Château La Reyne.

Thanks to Dave for such a wide tasting and his appreciation.

Cahors Malbecs are really the latest trend in the wine business. While dining at Château Lafite, American journalist Elin McCoy talked to British Adam Lechmere from Decanter.com on the Cahors wines. To her, it's one of the highlights of Vinexpo. Watch the video.