Feeling Wine & Food - El ABC del Vino in English

Quinta das Setencostas 2013 Alenquer DOC - Portugal Casa Santos Lima SAQ Price: $ 13.85 Coming from Alenquer, a wine region of Lisbon that perhaps we know a little bit, which has a pleasant oceanic influence, this is a red and attractive Portuguese wine. It was a good choice to buy a bottle of this Quinta das Setencostas, which was timidly peering out at the SAQ gondolas, a delicious wine made from a blend of purely native grapes such as Castelao, Camarote, Tinta Miuda and Preto Martinho, also known as Tinta Negra Mole. In aromas, it has endless notes of ripe black fruits mixed with cinnamon, green pepper, smoke and caramel. That symbolic sweetness that we can appreciate in the nose also appears in the mouth, with a kind, enveloping, unctuous and succulent attack. A wine that has a very intense structure and fruit, a very pleasant palate and a persistent and balanced finish. This is another of those Portuguese wines that represent in general terms the identity of the Po...

Dominio de Fontana Blanco 2015 Finca Wine - Bodegas Fontana DO Uclés - Castilla La Mancha - Spain Sauvignon Blanc 80% - Verdejo 20% Price: $ 14.50 (IP) My two favorite grape varieties are together in this Spanish white wine very original, refreshing, young and super friendly. In the nose, it offers all fresh citrus, lime and herbs notes very characteristic of the Sauvignon Blanc. Once in the mouth, it is more unctuous and enveloping, since it has matured a few months on the lees. This white has an interesting body that will captivate all palates. I like this winery from Castilla La Mancha because it produces wines with a modern character but that respect very well the Spanish identity. Such is the case of this delicious wine that has the innovation of an international grape like Sauvignon Blanc but well blended to the delicious and unique Verdejo. The ideal white wine for sunny and hot evenings outside in the terrace, sharing with friends some funny moments. I could ...

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...

La Croix d'Aline 2015 Les Domaines Auriol Saint Chinian AOC - Languedoc-Roussillon - France Syrah (60%) - Grenache (40%) SAQ Price: $ 16.75 The wines are no longer divided among those coming from the old or the new world. Now the wines have their own identity, chosen by their winemakers, beyond their country of origin. And that's why today all types of wines and styles can be found in all the wine regions of our beloved planet. Here you have a French wine that perhaps in my opinion is out of the stereotype, which responds to a very modern style, easy to adopt and that is why I invite you to discover. The Croix d'Aline, by Domaines Auriol, is a wine from the Languedoc-Roussillon region, Saint Chinian appellation. A red wine, round and balanced, from head to toe. Its seductive violaceous color, product of being a blend of two colorful grapes like the Syrah and Grenache, invites us, suggests us to taste it without much preamble. On the nose, floral, spicy an...

Gabriel Meffre Saint Ferreol 2016 Tavel DOP - France SAQ Price: $ 21.95 I have been seduced by this different wine coming from Tavel, the interesting French appellation that produces only rosé wines. Even just starting from its color, we realize that this Saint Ferreol by Gabriel Meffre will offer us something more, which stands out above the other rosé wines we are used to see in the SAQ gondolas. Its reddish tones, probably because it is a blend of grapes like Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault, give it an intense, striking and inviting look. On the nose, I like the aromas of red fruit, watermelon, peaches, cherries, but I rather prefer its spicy and refreshing character, with nice notes of menthol. In the mouth, it is still a powerful wine, but also delicate. In attack is fruity and refreshing, but at the end is thick and unctuous. It is a rosé wine with structure. And this is why it has fascinated me. Without being a red wine, it is a wine with body, and so a versatile w...

By Andrea La Forgia - Special Contributor in Buenos Aires Sommelier de Cava While I was studying sommelierie I discovered that some wines could maintain the characteristics, evolve and even get better though time.  Not all   have this possibility, but they do those which have been thought since the beginning, made with dedication and with careful aging.  I thought that human beings are very much alike.  And I thought about my children.  So I decided to buy a wine for each, that can be stored and age well, made with grapes harvested in the year of their births.  So, while my little boys were growing, these wines were stored patiently.  The idea was that when they are eighteen years old, we could drink the bottle all together.  It was very exciting when we had this first experience two years ago with my oldest son and a few days ago with the youngest.  The wines I am talking about are Lagarde Henry Gran Guarda Ner. 1 ...

TAPAS announces the sixth International Albariño Days, August 2-7, 2017: A celebration of the Albariño grape. We are encouraging everyone to open a bottle of Albariño, enjoy the fun, and share their experiences online with the hashtag #AlbarinoFiesta.  In past years we celebrated only one day, but for 2017 we are celebrating for a whole week - to coincide with the  Fiesta del Albariño  held in the small coastal town of  Cambados, Spain  during the first week of August. Albariño is traditionally grown in Rias Baixas, a wine region in Galicia in northwestern Spain, and produces crisp, acidic white wines ideal for summer evenings and seafood pairings. It is also grown in Portugal, where it is known as Alvarinho.  Now it is being grown in North America, so we’re celebrating with International Albariño Day.  (For six fun facts on Albariño, watch  this two-minute video  from Karen MacNeil, author of the Wine Bible. We encourage you to go to...

Planalto Reserva 2015 Casa Ferreirinha - Sogrape DO Douro - Portugal SAQ Price: 11.55 $ Planalto is one of those white wines that we should always have available in our refrigerators. From the wonderful wine region of Douro, where the reds are mostly the "vedettes", I would like to present you this delicious and particular white wine. It reminds me of the freshness of an Albariño, the elegance of a Viognier, the aromatic character of a Chardonnay. But no. This is a blend of native Portuguese grapes such as Viosinho, Codega, Gouveio and Malvasia Fina. Native grapes that are not very well known to my palate, but which have captivated me and that are inciting me to go discover much more about the particularities of the varieties of this such beautiful country, Portugal. On the nose, it overflows its bouquet with notes of tropical fruits such as banana, pineapple and melon. In the mouth it is unctuous, abundant, generous and with lots of fruit. With a balanced, rou...

Zuccardi Q Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Bodega Familia Zuccardi Uco Valley - Mendoza SAQ Price: $ 22.95 Zuccardi Family wines are well known among local consumers. And I personally like this winery for its versatile and innovative wines which are a trademark in Argentina and worldwide. The Q line, a series of exceptional varietals made from grapes from its high vineyards in the Uco Valley, are a different expression of the fruit and flavor explosion we are accustomed to when it comes to wines from the New World. I have had the opportunity to taste this elegant and structured Cabernet Sauvignon with a very subtle fruit both in the nose and in the mouth. It stands out fundamentally for its slightly tannic character, its unctuous palate, its floral notes ... A wine that I suggest to decant or oxygenate for a few minutes to round up its alcohol and thus to offer its maximum potential. Ideal companion for a tasty grilled steak or very juicy "empanadas", this wine is able to ...