Mendoza & the Queen of Argentina

Wine Regions of Argentina

Mendoza, the main wine growing region in Argentina is ubiquitous with Malbec, the red hot-red wine grape that is spearheading the rise of South American imports into the United States. This region is responsible for nearly 70% of Argentina's total wine production, albeit being a rather dry, arid region fueled by irrigation (very similar to Washington State, but we will leave that for another day). Elevation is what allows this hot, dry region to produce award winning wines as the cooler higher conditions allow grapes to ripen slowly which produces intense and concentrated wines. However, there is a second grape hailing from this up and comming region that is about to challenge Malbec for the Argentinian wine throne: Torrontes.

Torrontes is a medium sized white grape variety

Torrontes is a white grape, perfectly primed to soon become the Queen of the Argentinian wine industry. Its flavor hits dead on as to what most people love in an everyday white: lively acidity & a touch of ripe tropical stone fruits such as fresh apricots, nectarines, & white peaches. Despite these ripe fruit flavors, this wine is almost always produced "dry" meaning with 0% residual sugar. What really sets this wine apart from is flavor cousins of Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc, is a distinct floral nose and an almost silky light/medium body that allows this wine to handle light appetizers better then most summer whites.

What's best is that this grape has the same awesome feature as Malbec: its drastic affordability.

During my side job at the wine shop, I recently tasted the the Laberinto Torrontes and found it to be excellent example of a classic Torrontes, exhibiting the classic nose of Gardenia on the nose & apricot and pear on the palate strengthened by a stainless steel fermentation & aging. Setting this particular wine apart is its organic roots, and still for only $15 a bottle.

Due to its silky body and dry yet fruity taste, this is the perfect wine to have before dinner or during happy hour. The acidity will open up your palate, and rev-up your appetite - white the fruit can handle a bit of spice. As such, calamari, shrimp, and topping heavy salads are excellent choices (although I would avoid the Caesar dressing).

So whether you are looking for another great ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) or just longing for those summer porch sipping days to return, pick up a Torrontes and expand what you expect from our beloved Argentina.

Primal Roots & The Art of Blending

A couple of months ago, a fellow wine friend nerd and I went down to a local wine bar in Orlando to bid him adieu as he had completed his summer internship was was returning to my Alma Mater in upstate NY. That night was more about enjoying some shared laughs then learning about weird off the wall wine (our typical past time), and thus we ordered what we thought was some simple, inexpensive, innocuous red wine.

Man, did our pompous sommelier preconceptions get a rightful slap in the face!

This wine lept out of the glass with an aroma of mocha, rich ripe red berry, jam, & spice. On the palate it WOWed as well, with a full body of dense black currant & raspberry fruit, luscious full palate mouth feel, & an excellent application of oak lending a nice vanilla note.

Awed, our geek sensibilities returned and we both reached for our iPhones to learn more about this mystical prodigy of value wines. When we reached its page on WineAccess.com (our go-to site when we are trying to price a particular wine), we turned to each other in gleeful disbelief. It only cost $6.95/bottle*.

I give you Primal Roots California Red Blend.

So what makes this wine sooo freaking delicious and sooo freaking cheap? It is the value of blending. Think of it like this:

Single varietal wines are like cooking pasta with garlic - just garlic. Don't get me wrong, I love garlic, but the likelihood of a pasta dish coming out memorable and awe-inspiring by just using garlic... well, you are going to need some pretty special garlic; and while I'm sure Whole Foods would be readily waiting to sell you special garlic at $20/oz, we have much smarter ways of making plain pasta taste yummy. Blended wines are like pasta sauce, a simple yet complex mix of several ingredients, garlic, tomatoes, oregano, & salt - each bringing their own talent to the table. You put a little too much tomatoes in? Eh, your good. Your oregano looking a little old & lackluster? No problem. The other ingredients help to hide any tiny flaws you may have in your ingredients & you still have a pretty scrumptious bowl of pasta.

That is why you can get pretty awesome blended wines for an even more awesome price tag, because the individual ingredients don't need to be the crem-de-la-crem in their own right. They just have to be average, do their part & make delicious pasta sauce.

So lets break down this blend:

• 43% Merlot: The Tomatoes. Merlot is the bulk of this wine and provides the base for the other grapes to play off of. Merlot specifically brings those notes of mocha, cherry, and the soft velvety mouth feel.
• 37% Syrah: The Oregano. Syrah commonly has more earthy notes with black pepper, and adds that little something that at times can be hard to pin down, especially in blends. It's beefier then the other ingredients (like meatballs!!), and provides the backbone of this blend.
• 20% Zinfandel: The Garlic & Salt. Zinfandel is known for being jammy & spicy (In the way Indian foods use spice, not chili pepper spice). As such, a little can go a long way. It also has a soft very full mouth feel.

Speaking of pasta, what should you eat with this lovely value? Well, not pasta per say, but dark roasted meats & veggies, such as juicy pork chops, duck, or even a bourbon glazed salmon. Overall, this is an excellent starter red that can actually stand up to a heavier dinner. This wine is only 13.5% alc. so it can handle a little black pepper, but I would stay away from anything too spicy.

On that note, keep a look out for a post on pairing techniques, but as for now, I wish you well & good wine :)

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*Total Wine prices at $10/bottle

Hello! & A New Old World Favorite

Welcome! to "Wine for Your $20's" - a reference for everyone who desires to have a small bit of luxury, for a layman's price. However, the world of "value wines" can be daunting to navigate as many large wineries choose to funnel their money into their marketing campaigns & not into what ends up in the bottle. So what is a frugal "wineista" to do???

That is where I come in - a 23 year old Certified Sommelier and restaurant industry professional, with a growing desire to delve ever deeper into the world of wine. I also have a good chunk of student loans, which doesn't leave much from my first job paycheck to drop on a top line Bordeaux. Thus, I am on a mission to find the best wines out there for under $20.

So whether you are in your 20's, loved your 20's, or just got a couple $20's to "liquidate", Cheers! and lets get sipping.

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My first wine I am bringing to you is something unexpected for the daily drinker, but is an excellent example of the amazing wines you can find from some of the lesser marketed wine regions.

This white comes from a famed French estate, Moulin de Gassac whose property started the quality revolution in the 1970's within the Languedoc [Lang gwah doc] region, an area of Southern France. The "Midi" as this area is commonly known, produced the 1970's versions of Franzia (sans box).

 
Despite the odds the Guibert family forged on, enlisting the top French wine scientists of the time and in 1982 they produced a wine which was critically acclaimed as the first Languedoc "Grand Cru."
 
The Languedoc is now the home of many young and eager winemakers and is really pushing the boundary of quality wines from France, making it a "go-to" region to find some excellent wines for the dollar.
 
The Guilem is the entry level brand from this fabled producer, and at between $9-12 is an budget friendly buy. The white (pictured above) is 40% Grenache Blanc 30% Sauvignon Blanc, & 30% Clairette and has a nose somewhere between an unoaked California Chardonnay & an old world Sauvignon Blanc - yellow apple, nectarine, & some mineral and wax notes. Due to the blend, this wine covers a lot of bases, some body, some fruit, some mineral & acidity, making it an excellent wine to always have chilled in your refrigerator as it will go with a large variety of homecooked meals including chicken, white fish (sole to swordfish), and even a simply grilled porkchop.

I hope you enjoy! Feel free to share your thoughts and what meals you drank it with :)