Feeling Wine & Food - El ABC del Vino in English

"The moon has just come out, tonight the grapes will sleep illuminated by the stars, and tomorrow the sun will bathe the magic vine ..." It is always a pleasure how new variants of great Malbec wines are still born. I have recently had the opportunity to taste this new wine from Viña Las Estrellas, which I have liked very much because of its authentic character, but even more for its elegance and softness. Without ceasing to be perfectly expressive, it is a Malbec that responds to the new trend. A subtle and friendly wine to seduce the palates of the world. With all the typical notes we can expect and coming from Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, it offers in the nose a very perfumed bouquet with flowers, some cinnamon and nuts. In the mouth, although it has been for 6 months aging in new barrels, I must emphasize that this contact and influence of the oak is well assembled with the fruit, since it has a fresh, unctuous and balanced character. A Malbec with a delicious expressi...

By Andrea La Forgia - Special Contributor in Buenos Aires Sommelier de Cava Last week, at another interesting meeting organized by Asociacion Argentina de Sommeliers and thanks to Maru Barbero from Clusters, we gathered together again at Lo de Joaquin Alberdi, which was celebrating its eleven years as a wine store in Palermo. In this occasion, Trivento winery, having in mind the   writer Julio Cortazar, introduced the top of the line wines called " Lejanamente Juntos ", which means   " Far away Together ". Victoria Prandina, one of the winemakers of the team, who is in charge of the limited edition wines and exquisite products, guided us in the tasting. These wines were an original blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc 2016 and a wonderful classic blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon 2013. In this white blend made of 85% Semillon coming from an old vine and 15% of Sauvignon Blanc, we found a very expressive nose that reminded us of honey, lemon and...

By Andrea La Forgia - Special Contributor in Buenos Aires Sommelier de Cava This week, we could meet Arnaldo and Marcos Etchart, who introduced us their wines from Valles Calchaquies. This tasting took place at a historical bar of Buenos Aires, Los Galgos, established 1930. Marcos told us that after the prestigious winery founded by his father, a new winery started business, named Yacochuya, and it was the first one that hired a French winemaker, Michel Rolland, as a consultant in 1988. They have old vines, which is one of the items needed for high quality wines. The first wine was San Pedro de Yacochuya Torrontes 2016, classic style, made with golden and ripe grapes, super expressive in the nose, fruity, floral and with balanced acidity. The second wine was Coquena Corte 2015, a blend made of the classical varietals of Salta which are Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat. Structured and powerful , from younger vineyards.  The third wine was San Pedro de Yacoch...

It is always a pleasure to see that the offer of Argentine wines continues to grow in these lands. And even more so when they are wines that go beyond the already standard and emblematic pure Malbec. It is not at all my wish that this variety cease to be a registered quality mark for my beloved country. I only consider opportune to invite consumers to discover and to be seduced by different Argentine wines, some good blends or made from other grape varieties. In a wide proposal you will find hidden and infinite treasures. Since a few weeks, they are available on the SAQ shelves and I was curiously seduced by tasting these two wines from Finca Agostino, a winery whose history interconnects Argentina and Canada. Its owners are four brothers from Italian origin who lived their childhood in Mendoza and then emigrated in the 60s to Montreal. They promised to return and honor their grandfather and their lands, and thus was born this winery located in the beautiful andean lands of Maipú. ...

Urban Uco Malbec 2015  Bodegas y Vinedos O. Fournier  Uco Valley – Mendoza – Argentina  SAQ Price: $ 18,70 The international Malbec day is fast approaching and, to get myself into this topic, I decided this Friday to bring you an interesting proposal to discover! This Malbec comes from the prestigious winery O. Fournier located in the Uco Valley, where the vineyards are planted at 1100 meters high. I was surprised by its character so intense and so pleasant with seductive notes of evolution. A Malbec wine with strong body and personality. In the nose, it is easy to perceive black fruits and plum in compote, notes of caramel, leather and marmalade. In the mouth, it continues to offer those sweet and fruity notes. With round and soft tannins, it is a succulent wine, flavoury, with a very unctuous and pleasant final.  Ideal for drinking now. A good food pairing: pork ribs in BBQ sauce. The sweetness of the sauce and the marmalade fruitiness of the wine wil...

Ataliva Malbec 2016 Bodega Benegas – Mendoza Available IP (licenced): $ 18,70 Represented by PV Wine & Spirits A very good wine, great personality and style. Made from Malbec grapes from the Uco Valley, the Ataliva from Bodega Benegas offers in nose intense aromas of leather, spices and violets. In the mouth it maintains the character and the body that makes it generous, with quite present tannins, lots of fruit and a unctuous and very long finish. It has an oak aging of only three months, which has contributed with all the necessary to turn it into a wine with a lot of body and structure. Beyond its irreverence and seduction of youth, I dare say that it will be even more delicious and pleasant in about two or three years, when it reaches full maturity. Ideal for supplying ourselves with a box and discovering its evolution, one bottle at a time, very quietly ... On this occasion, it was an excellent companion for a delicious stew of meat and vegetables. A wine with thi...