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Wine Education in Mendoza

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

 

Two of the teachers at the Wine Institute at Septima winery--one of the best perks of taking a wine course are the field trips!

So perhaps you’ve made a few visits to the bodegas and realized you’d like to learn a lot more about wine in one of the Great Wine Capitals of the World. Here are a few hints:

Classes: Most short-term classes cover a brief history of wine and Argentine wine regions (class 1), how different wines are made (class 2), a service class covering how differents wines should be served (class 3), pairings (class 4), the proper tasting techniques (class 5) and a final class on distilling (class 6). I think every institutions offers a blind tasting at each class.

Wine Institute: conveniently located at Sarmiento and Belgrano, Wine Institute offers a variety of options in terms of how long classes are, what material is covered in the class, etc. I deferred to this route without much investigation, but I’m really enjoying the laid-back nature of the classes, the extensive knowledge of the teachers and of course, the wine tasting at the end of every class. Sarmiento 786, (0261) 4230909 www.wineinstitute.com.ar

Enoteca: The local government wine foundation also offers one-time courses ($25 pesos) as well as somelier courses, although you really have to contact the Enoteca to stay on top of what their current events are…They also offer an online manual of their lessons. http://www.fondovitivinicola.com.ar/escuelas/index.html enoteca@fondovitivinicola.com.ar / Peltir 611. Ciudad de Mendoza / Tel. 0261- 4295274

EAS (Escuela Argentina de Sommelier): EAS is located at Hipólito Yrigoyen 242 and runs short courses as well as two year sommelier courses.  The Mendoza Sun recently posted a review on their courses. http://www.sommeliers.com.ar/mendoza.php

Educational Experiences

Winemaker’s Night: I’ve blogged on Vines of Mendoza’ Winemaker’s Night before but if you’re just passing through Mendoza and don’t have a lot of time to devote to an actual class, Winemaker’s Night is a nice way to learn about the winemaking process, etc. with the insight of someone who lives and breathes wine every day.

Blending Room: I don’t think it gets much cooler than making your own wine, and the Vines Blending Room lets you do that in one afternoon! Open 3-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. I’m counting down the days until I make my first wine in the Blending Room on September 13 so check back for a review.

Aroma rooms: Two wineries in Lujan de Cuyo have aroma rooms to help you start training your nose:

1. Belasco de Baquedano 261 153 023 491, www.belascomalbec.com

2. Pulenta, 261 420 0800, www.pulentaestate.com

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

 

 

Posted in Behind the bottle, Experiences, Life in Mendoza, Mendoza Bodegas, Tasting Notes, Uncategorized, Vines Events | No Comments »


Wine Republic Annual Wine Tasting 2011 Results Posted

Saturday, August 27th, 2011

Wine Republic, Mendoza’s only free magazine in English, recently published the results of their Annual Wine Tasting in their August/September 2011 issue. Eight wine writers, winemakers and wine experts judged 72 wines with no more than six wines per varietal with the exception of 15 wines for the renowned Malbec. The wine tasting was held at The Executive Hotel on July 23 and lasted three hours. Try some of the bottles yourself through Vines of Mendoza’s Online Wine Shop, including Malbecs Opalo 2008 and Lindaflor 2006 and Gran Cabernet Franc 2008!

 

 

 

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Brief History of Wine in Argentina!

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

The gates to General San Martin Park in Mendoza

After I started blogging for Vines of Mendoza, I realized how much I had to learn about wine so I took the plunge and signed up for a sommelier course at Wine Institute. It was kind of a whim as I was walking past the door one day and decided to go in and ask for more information and a week later here I am already one lesson in. Look for a blog post later this week on where you can take different wine classes in Mendoza.

Since Argentineans celebrated Dia de San Martin Monday (although it technically is on August 17), I’ll share my latest history lesson on wine in Argentina.

Argentina is the most important country in terms of wine in South America–just last year Argentina exceeded Chile in wine exports. Currently, the order of wine exportation is as follows: Italy, France, Spain, the U.S. and Argentina. No coincidence that a huge amount of the immigrants who came to Argentina were Italian and Spanish, and the famous Malbec comes from France.

The first vines planted in Argentina was in 1557 in the province of Santiago del Estero by Juan Sedron. However, his intentions were pure: the wine was for church mass. Ten years later in 1567, Mendoza was founded and the first vines were planted here sometime between 1569 and 1589. Many of these first inhabitants were Jesuits, who were able to imitate the irrigation systems of the Incas living near the area before them.  A French agronomist named Miguel Aimé Pouget brought a grape you might be familiar with called the Malbec to Mendoza around this time period. However, at this time, quantity was valued over quality in the vineyards and this trend would continue for several hundred years.

Flash forward a few centuries when European immigrants began pouring into the country, mostly from Italy, France and Spain.  With them they brought their skills in the wine trade as well as new grape varieties (many were actually escaping a phylloxera epidemic that was ravaging their vineyards in their homelands). In 1885, a rail system between Mendoza and Buenos Aires was established, partially funded by the Trapiche winery owner Don Tiburcio Benegas who had the foresight to understand that if Argentina’s wine industry was to succeed, it needed to expand its market.

In 1920, Argentina was the eighth richest nation in the world–but then the Great Depression hit, and foreign investment came to a halt. However, for the next 50 years of political and economic turmoil, Argentina’s wine industry would be sustained by the impressive amount of domestic consumption of homegrown cheap, table wine. In 1970, Argentineans were drinking 90 liters per capita versus the U.K and the U.S. who were drinking three and two liters, respectively. Argentineans were drinking 30 times more! Nowadays, Argentina is the third top consumer of wine, drinking 30 liters per capita.

An important shift occurred, however, approximately 20-30 years ago. Argentina shifted from producing cheap, table wine to producing some of the top wines in world. Which is why we can now enjoy the beautiful Andes mountains and sip excellent wines right here in Mendoza!

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

Posted in Experiences, Life in Mendoza, Mendoza Bodegas, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »


THE PERFECT MARRIAGE BETWEEN WOOD AND WINE

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Oak and wine have been partners for hundreds of years in winemaking. However, it has not been a relationship without controversy.  Does the wine have too much oak? Not enough? Is the oak well integrated? Wine lacking finesse?

In Argentina, the use of oak has followed worldwide trends, without any doubt. But, nowadays our best winemakers seem to be in consensus about this premise: obtain an ideal integration of oak and wine. One of the latest techniques that has received considerable attention in accomplishing this goal is to conduct the primary, or alcoholic, fermentation in new oak barrels.

For most of us, the mention of “barrel fermentation” immediately brings up images of Chardonnay, which traditionally has been fermented in oak. However, for an increasing number of high-end producers, some of those barrels are full of red grapes.

On the practical downside, fermenting in oak barrels requires much more work and money. Barrels need to have the heads popped off before filling, then re-attached for fermentation, then removed again for pressing, and finally put back on for aging. From two barrels you ferment grapes you will end up with enough wine to fill only one. Marcelo Pelleriti, Monteviejo Winery’s general manager and winemaker, explains “We currently ferment 300 barrels of reds, and have been obliged to develop new coopering skills”.

Achieving the proper fermentation temperature and having the infrastructure to roll the barrels represent other practical issues. That is why Baron Tonnellerie has designed OXOline. It is a rack system equipped with rollers to turn the barrels for cap management—rotary fermentors on a micro scale. Michel Rolland has called this the single most important development in fermentation technique in the last two decades. And I am happy to say that we – THE VINES -  are one of the first wineries to implement the OXOline system in Argentina.

Among the benefits of barrel fermentation explains Pablo Martorell, our head winemaker, is that the small volume (225 liters) keeps the temperature naturally low during fermentation: it rarely exceeds 22° to 25° C. The fermentation is relatively slow and gentle. The early contact between fruit and wood speeds oak integration, improves mouthfeel and gives the wine a more refined character. Plus, the polymerization of pigment with tannin helps long-term color stabilization, and barrel fermentation gets that process going more rapidly.

Contrary to the minimalist viewpoint that LESS is MORE, when talking about oak refinement MORE is LESS: the more oak you lay on the wine, the less you notice it—and the sooner, the better. An easy exercise would be to compare a wine fermented in stainless steel with oak staves with a barrel fermented red. You won’t find the strong simplistic coffee smell on the second but you do find a delicate sense of freshness, and a preservation of vibrant fruit. When tasting a barrel fermented wine you should discover the perfect marriage between fruit and oak!

 

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La Rural: Mendoza’s Most Historical Bodega

Friday, August 19th, 2011

 

August is a month full of history for Mendoza. First of all, August 17 is el dia de San Martin, or the day that Argentina commemorates the death of the most important leader in Argentina’s emancipation from Spain. You can’t find a town in Argentina that doesn’t have a San Martin street. In actuality, he’s not only a national hero in Argentine, but in Chile and Peru as well. General San Martin holds particular importance in Mendoza and the Cuyo region where he was governor, trained his famous “Army of the Andes,” and planned a devisive disinformation campaign to confuse the Spaniards by sending messages on what passageway his army would take through the Andes, allowing the message to fall into enemy hands and then going the opposite way as the message indicated. Not only does Mendoza have several streets named after him (including one of the most important), there’s also Parque de General San Martin (General San Martin Park) and Cerro de la Gloria (Glory Hill dedicated to his army).

Additionally, last weekend marked the beginning of elections and August 16 is University Day for UNCuyo, celebrating its 72nd anniversary. In light of these many historic events and celebrations, I’d like to spotlight one of Mendoza’s most historic wineries: La Rural.

This 100-year-old colonial style bodega is located in Coquimbito, one of Argentina’s oldest viticultural zones. In addition to producing great Argentine wines, La Rural also houses a museum of antique tools and other objects that were used to make wine in Argentina during the nineteenth century. As a result, the winery’s tour is like taking a trip back in time where you can appreciate the labor and sacrifice that went into wine production a century ago.

Today, the winery has a stainless steel tank capacity of ten million liters and uses modern equipment to ferment and preserve its fine red and white wines. Using grapes from its four Mendoza vineyards, La Rural is much more than an old-fashioned curiosity – this thriving bodega exports wines throughout the world and has helped promote increasing demand for Argentine wine among international consumers.

 Address: Montecaseros 2625 – Coquimbito
Phone: (261) 497-2013
Email: museo(at)bodegalarural.com.ar
Website: www.larural.com
Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm every 30 mins. / Sunday from 10am to 1pm every 1 hour
Reservations Required: Only for groups over 20

Brands: Rutini, San Felipe, Trumpeter, Pequeña Vasija
Recommended Wines: Rutini label varietals, especially the Rutini Malbec.

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

 

 

Posted in Behind the bottle, Experiences, Life in Mendoza, Mendoza Bodegas, Photos, Uncategorized, Vines Events | No Comments »


Pulenta Estate: Best Tour Guide

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

 ”Hacer un gran vino es un acto de generosidad, de pensar siempre en el otro que lo degustará. Nuestra misión es producir series limitadas de grandes vinos, elaborados con orgullosamente hechos en Argentina.” (To make a great wine is an act of generosity, to be thinking always in how the wine will taste to another. Our mission is to proudly produce a series of limited fine wines here in Argentina.)

It’s always such a treat whenever anyone comes to visit because it means it’s time to visit the wineries. This time around was no exception and visiting the wineries at this time of the year is especially nice because they’re not very busy and you get most individualized attention. Do wear a coat for the chilly cement cellars.

Anyhow, after visiting Pulenta Estate today, I had to write something up because of the very thorough explanations we received from our tour guide, Soledad. Sometimes when visiting wineries, the tour guides assume you already know as much as they do and only tell a few unique characteristics about their own winery. However, even after arriving a bit late (Argentinean time, right?), we got a rundown start to finish on how wine is made in general and the special characteristics of Mendoza’s wine region.  

Pulenta is a medium-sized bodega located in Alta Agrelo in Lujan de Cuyo. The winery is dedicated to only producing a limited amount of fine wines so they only select a portion of their grapes for their wines and sell the rest to other wineries (for example, they sell some of their grapes to Chandon for their sparkling wine). The Pulenta family has been involved in wineries for three generations and used to own Trapiche winery before they sold it within the last decade and then opened Pulenta in 2002. Antonio Pulenta is 93 years old and credits his longevity to lifelong wine drinking. If you’d like to try their wines beforehand, their lines are (from lowest to highest): La Flor, Pulenta Estate  and Pulenta Gran Corte.  The visit ranges from 30-60 pesos, depending on how many wines you’d like to taste.

http://www.pulentaestate.com

 

Posted in Behind the bottle, Experiences, Life in Mendoza, Mendoza Bodegas, Photos, Private Vineyard Estates, Tasting Notes, Uncategorized | No Comments »


Election Day Wines in Mendoza

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Argentina will hold national presidential and legislative elections on 23 October 2011. But first, and also for the first time, on 14 August 2011, open and simultaneous primaries will take place to elect the pre-candidates of each political party or coalition.

If necessary, a run-off will be held on 20 November 2011. On the national level,Argentina elects a head of state (the President) and a legislature. Voting is mandatory for citizens between 18 and 70 years of age, with some exceptions. For example, if you are 500km away from the place of your registered residency you don’t have to vote.

It is forbidden according to Law 19.945, Section 136, to sell any alcoholic beverages from 8 p.m. on the previous night until 3 hours after the elections are closed. It is also forbidden to drink in public spaces. The managers and owners of restaurants and bars that do so will take the risk of being fined and they might even go to jail.

So, the idea is to stock up before 8 p.m. on Saturday to enjoy a nice Sunday with friends or family to wait for the results. This time my sister will be visiting from Buenos Aires with my niece and since my family have always been into politics, I´m sure we are going to have a big Sunday “asado”. The days are beautiful and sunny so I´m thinking of buying some nice Torrontés from Salta (either Mounier or Labourm) and for the beef, of course, a red, maybe a Cabernet Franc from Pulenta Estate, or the Reserva Blend from La Azul, both great values. So if you are visiting Mendoza beware to buy in advance wine in our Vinoteca at the Park Hyatt before 8 p.m. Salud!

Posted in In the News, Life in Mendoza, Videos | 1 Comment »


Listen to the Conference Call: “Argentine Wines in the EuropeanMarket”

Friday, August 12th, 2011

 


“Argentine Wine Sales and Trends in the European Market“ conference call was hosted on August 10th, 2011 by Michael Evans and Pablo Giménez Riili from The Vines of Mendoza, along with Eduardo Pulenta of renowned Bodega Pulenta Estate, Mauricio Llaver of Revista Punto a Punto and Andrew Maidment, PR manager for Wines of Argentina in Europe.

From left to right: (bottom) Mauricio Llaver, Eduardo Pulenta | (top) Michael Evans, Pablo Gimenez Riili

Mauricio Llaver is a Mendoza-based journalist specialized in Economics and Wine Industry. He has a 20-years career and has been Fellow of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE). He is bussines-magazine Punto a Punto’s publisher and has radio columns and programs mainly devoted to wine. He also runs his web site
www.mauriciollaver.com and has covered Vinexpo’s last two editions (2009/11).

Eduardo Pulenta is the export manager for Bodega Pulenta Estate. With a winemaking history dating back to 1914,  Eduardo and Hugo Pulenta decided to carry on the family tradition with a focus on high quality wines with passion and dedication and in 2001 founded Pulenta Estate.  They now export around the world and have one of the best reputation and highest quality wines found in Mendoza.

Andrew Maidment runs the European division of Wines of Argentina – the trade body that manages the promotion of Argentine wines in the exports markets. His primary role is to develop marketing strategies for ‘Brand Argentina’ tailored specifically to each country, with the aim of raising the awareness of Argentina’s wines amongst both wine trade professionals and the end consumer.

Activities include: developing large scale ‘on’ and ‘off-trade’ promotions, wine tasting events (trade and consumer), obtaining positive and sustained press presence, advertising, product placement and the organization and planning of trips to Argentina for key individuals or businesses.

Wines of Argentina currently has approximately 250 member wineries.

 







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Recreating the Argentine Breakfast

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

The Argentine breakfast out, while delicious, is quite different from the eggs, bacon and toast I’m accustomed to in the United States. As you can see above, it usually consists of a sweet pastry known as a medialuna (means half moon in Spanish–referring to their shape) and a cafe con leche (espresso with milk) or cafe cortado (espresso with little milk). You also usually get a bonus orange juice (which can be fresh or can be tang–make sure you know what you’re getting…) and a shot of carbonated water. There’s a little variety to the combination: you can substitute the medialuna for toast with jelly, add ham and cheese to your medialuna or get a tortita (a flaky, layered pastry); you can also get tea or a submarino (hot milk served with a bar of chocolate which you dissolve in the milk) instead of coffee.

Anyhow, after eating the delicious medialunas (shown below) Mendoza has to offer, my flatmate and I decided to try a medialuna recipe on our own as we couldn´t imagine ever going back to the U.S. and not having access to this delicious treat. With our lack of kitchen supplies and baking skills, of course, they didn’t have the same lightness as the ones here, but we came close!

IMG_0318IMG_0319IMG_0321

After trial and error, here´s an even better recipe I found online from an expat living in Buenos Aires. Enjoy!

http://www.seashellsandsunflowers.com/2009/10/recipe-file-medialunas.html

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What´s Going On in Mendoza (August 7-13)

Sunday, August 7th, 2011

Here are a few interesting events coming up you might want to check out!

Sunday, August 7

Dance-Tango

Milonga with Ana y Luis. Go to watch or participate.

Time: 21 a 1.30

Place: Teatro Bar San Juan (San Juan 456 casi Morón, Ciudad, Mendoza)

Music-El dúo. (The Duo) International and national covers.

Time: 22.30

Place: Ambar Living Bar (Sarmiento y 25 de Mayo, Ciudad., Mendoza)

Art-Exposition at the Museum of Modern Art in Mendoza

José Luis Molina with his work ´Límites` y Luis Freire with `Proyecto 1980`.

Time: 9 a 20

Place: Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno de Mendoza (Plaza Independencia, Ciudad, Mendoza)

Phone: 4257279

Mail: mmamm@ciudaddemendoza.gov.ar

Price: $ 8

Monday, August 8

Language Learning-Intercultural meetings points. Practice new languages with native speakers.

Time 21.30

Place Kasa Babylön. San Martín 1701 de G. Cruz.

Price Free.

Dance-Tango Night.  Alberto Luchetti (voice) and Ballet de Marta Morel -Gonzalo Cano (dance).

Time 21.30

Place Tajamar. Peatonal Alameda 1921, Cdad. 4256165.

Wednesday, August 10

Tea and Style Tips at La Bourgogne de Diplomatic Hotel, Alejandro Ferraro presents his collection “Alquimia”.

Time 17.30 RSVP. Reservations: 405 1999 or e-mail labourgogne@parksuites.com.ar

CINEMA-Cineclub Stocco. Ciclo David Cronenberg: “Dead Ringers”.

Time 21.00

Place Microcine Municipal. 9 de julio 500, Cdad. 4495381.

MUSIC-Epicentro (rock).

Time 21.30

Place Tajamar. Peatonal Alameda 1921, Cdad. 4256165.

Thursday, August 11

DANCE-“Gracias por abrazarme”. Flamenco. Dir. Pablo Garay.

Time 22.00

Place Teatro Quintanilla.

Price $30 AR

“Argentinos por siempre (Argentineans Forever)” (Tango and Folklore).

Time 22.30

Place Tajamar. Peatonal Alameda 1921, Cdad. 4256165.

Friday, August 12

MUSIC-“Malevaje a dos pianos” (Tango)

Time 21.30

Place Tajamar. Peatonal Alameda 1921, Cdad. 4256165.

MUSIC- Playbacks (Piano Bar).

Time-00.00

Place Sebastián Bar

Saturday, August 13

CINEMA-“Romeo y Julieta”. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli.

Time 19.00

Place Colegio de Arquitectos de Mendoza. Mitre 617, 1º Piso, Cdad.

Price Free

MUSIC-Tango. Guest Artists.

Time 21.30

Place Tajamar. Peatonal Alameda 1921, Cdad. 4256165.

MUSIC-Dúo Miremont-Darian

Time 23.30

Place Sebastián Bar.

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