We are always asked how we pick the wines that we profile in our downtown Mendoza Tasting Room and Vinoteca located in the Park Hyatt Mendoza, just around the corner. To be honest, we are all like proud kids showing their latest show-and-tell treasure to the kindergarten class.

Mariana, our sommelier does most of the grunt work, hunting down small, unknown bodegas and then organizes a weekly blind tasting where a mish-mash of cultures and palates meet to decide the lucky wines that our guests will enjoy.

There are North and South American palates, seasoned veterans, novices, and the enology students that can explain the winemaking behind the wines. It is a serious endeavor, but one of my favorite parts of the week, where there is a no-holds barred philosophy and often a lot of nose wrinkling and laughter.

Today we tasted through 3 Torrontes, one from San Juan, and two from Cayfayate(a province in the north of Argentina). One will be in our spring Acequia Wine Club, but I won’t be giving away those secrets just yet…

We also tasted 3 roses, and amazingly not all pink wine is sweet, as well as 4 “tintos.”

I highly encourage you to try as many wines as you can, your “tasting bank” will only get larger and you will have more and more opportunities to learn about the amazing world of Argentine wine! So put together a blind tasting for you and your friends this weekend.

Or if you want the insider tips on blind tastings, check back next week for some top tips from The Vines of Mendoza Tasting Team! Feliz finde! (have a great weekend)

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After a fun filled holiday season, The Vines welcomed bodega Monteviejo for a beautiful summer evening of amazing wines, and delicious tapas! We were treated to several of the Clos de los Siete wines, the brain child of Michel Rolland located in the scenic Uco Valley. Mariana, The Vines very own sommelier, with enologist Marcelo Peleritti, led the discussion with accompanying slides and photos. There were five wines in all, and as these are some of my favorite Argentine wines, I may wax a bit poetically about them. So imagine these wines paired with lovely tapas, and warm summer weather…you can’t really beat it!

1. Clos de los Siete 2007 (48% Malbec, 28% Merlot, 12% Cabernet, and 12% Syrah) The star on the label has seven points symbolizing ambition and conviction, and to tell the truth it does indeed acheive that. Dark ruby color with velvety essences of black cherry, licorice, and caramel laced oak. Bold and a bit aggressive it settles into luscious blackberry and current flavors ending with a mouthwatering finish.
2. Petite Fleur 2007 – This wine is bright and vibrant like a lively adolescent. Spring fresh berries intersprinkled with some darker smoke and caramel aspects, it is smooth yet brimming with zesty acid. Youthful and fleeting, it leaves you with a beautiful memory.
3. Monteviejo 2006 – This is a cascade of richly cooked cherry lava accented with pepper and spice rounded out with a cloud of mysterious black fruit. Instantly grabbing your attention, this wine is explosive yet layered with a softer side of violet flowers, earth, and cocoa.
4. Lindaflor 2004 – Inky and black, and oh-so enigmatic, this wine is pure “yum”! From start to finish this wine is a pleasure, from the color straight through to the spice infused, enticing chocolate cherry finish, this is a wine to share and remember with a good friend.
5. Val de Flores 2004- Powerful and bold, this is a wine to watch with age. In a culture that does not have a long attention span, this wine will definitely be a crowd organizer. Rich notes of tobacco, leather, black cherry, raspberry with structured acidity and tannins, which all lend to aging this powerpacked wine. Taste this wine next year and guaranteed it will have you purring.

We would like to thank Marcelo for all of his expertise and elegant, beautiful wines as well as encourage you to taste the Flecha de los Andes, another one of the famous “7″ included in Clos de los Siete, which is in our current reserve wine club, (shhh-actually one of my favorite reserve selections to date) and online store!

Salud and Happy New Year! May everyone start the year with a little Malbec in their lives!

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The Dakar is in Mendoza!
Three phases of rally-raid are taking place in Mendoza. After high doses of adrenaline come to The Vines of Mendoza to relax in our patio and taste Mendoza’s most exclusive wines.

Cheers!

A complete range

The extent of Argentina with over 3,500 kilometers from north to south gives the country the status of “other giant” of the continent. On a territory marked by the natural and cultural contrasts, the distances are always long: we are in the register of immensity. For the travelers, the amateurs of maps and more specifically those in love with off-road rallies, the study of the place sees new ideas spring up all the time. In Argentina, the competitors of the 2009 Dakar have the insurance of taking on an extreme endurance event.

While it isn’t completely a “Tour of Argentina”, the course imagined, taking off and heading back to Buenos Aires gives the bikers and drivers the opportunity to express themselves on all types of terrain. First of all heading south, those loyal to the rally will witness fast tracks with a lot of kilometers to cover as of the first days of racing. After having tasted the “hard” part, the competitors will then discover the “soft”. On the way back, several sandy stages will allow dune crossing experts to play their part. The crews that will make it to the finish will have visited a total of ten of the twenty-three provinces of the country: enough for the tastes of all.

The Route in detail

Go to the Dakar’s official website. Click Here

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