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!

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It is also the time in the vineyards when the vines become dormant and we begin the pruning process in order to get the vines ready for the next growing season. As we have vines that range from 1 year to 5 years old on the property, they are all at different phases of the overall training process. In the first two years it is critical to establish the trunk and the cordons that then become the permanent structure and support the buds and canes that then flower and become grapes. Once they have reached 3 years old the permanent part of the vines, the trunk and the cordons, have been established.

We use a single curtain, vertical shoot positioning system with a bilateral cordon. This system allows us to optimize sunlight and achieve high quality with low yields.

Below is a great video by The Vines agronomist Francisco Evangelista who explains the philosophy behind pruning as well as the techniques used in our own Private Vineyard Estates in the Uco Valley.

Overall Pruning the vines can be defined as “the removal of plant parts to obtain horticultural objectives”.

These objectives include:
- Controlling the size & form of the grapevine.

- Optimize the production potential of the grapevine.

- Maintain a balance between vegetative growth and fruiting.

Training the grapevines on the other hand optimizes the utilization of sunlight and promotes productivity.

- Adapts to the characteristics of the grape cultivar.

- Promotes efficient & sustainable vineyard management practices.

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Lindsay Trivers, The Vines harvest intern was last in New Zealand and decided to share her treasured pirates booty with Mariana, myself and The Vines Tasting Room.

We were overjoyed to break out a Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from some of New Zealands most prestigious wine regions and decided to do a little taste comparison with the same burgeoning varietals from Argentina.

THE SAUVIGNON BLANCS

Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 – From The Awatere Valley, a sub-region of Marlborough- where all the cool kids buy their Sauvignon Blanc. Clifford Bay has a direct concentrating effect on varietal flavours in the associated vineyards.This wine is a classic example of vibrant Sauvignon Blanc displaying intense aromas of nettle, currants, gooseberry and fresh lime intertwined with exotic fruit notes. An explosive, concentrated palate gives way to a long mineral and steely finish

Bodega Rolland Mariflor Sauvignon Blanc 2010- From the Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina. They are able to get great acidity and fruit development with this lovely round and citrus Sauvignon Blanc. Based in the heart of the “Clos de los Siete” Project, Michel and Dany Rolland have planted the Mariflor vineyard to capture the essence of the varietal characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc which is not yet widely spread in Argentina.

The PINOT NOIRS

Thornbury Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 – From The most continental climate of New Zealand’s regions, Central Otago enjoys hot days and cool nights. Although short, the growing season is extremely intense; hot summer days, low rainfall and dry shale based soils mean the vineyards are dependent on careful irrigation management. This Pinot shows a harmonious blend of black cherry and sweet berry fruits underpinned with delicate spice and toasty oak. Perfumed aromatics give way to hints of earth and wild herb, as well as some dark chocolate adding complexity to the bouquet. The wine displays a delicate and silky palate with textured tannin.

Las Perdices Pinot Noir 2009- From Lujan de Cuyo, Las Perdices takes the best from the natural environment and is able to channel it into their wines with interesting characteristics and terroir expression. This pinot shows lovely and subtle with a delicate nose of strawberry jam, sweet red fruits and a light dusting of earth – hints of red roses in summer.

This bodega is one of our favorite wineries actually and this month we are featuring a special package of 5 of their wines in our online wine shop for $115! Try them all out!

Here are our comments about these wines! We hope you are able to purchase them and do your own comparison.

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1. 2006 Enrique Foster Malbec $21.75

2. 2008 Sangre de los Andes Malbec$18

3. 2007 Malbec de Angeles Malbec $18.75

Check out the video for Matt’s comments on each of these wines!

As for me I have a ton of favorites, its often hard to pick! In our online store we have over 31 small production Malbecs alone, not to mention all of the other varietals and blends! So if you are in the mood for a Malbec you should shop now because we are offering 25% off through September 30th.

So ok, here are a couple of my favorites:

1. Doña Silvina Malbec $21.75 - This is from a new Greek winery in the Uco Valley that is focusing on biodynamic wines. It is elegant, smooth with ripe fruit but a little leaner maybe than the super fleshy Malbecs. My personal preference runs a bit on the French side.

2. Laborum Malbec 2006 $36.75 – This Malbec is from the super high altitude province of Salta in the North. The winery, Bodega El Porvenir, makes spectacular wines and this is just one in a line up of home runs! Concentrated with spice and coffee- yummy!

3. Serrera Malbec 2007 $15.75 - If you are looking for a wine that is easy to drink, full of fresh berries and fruit and perfect for any occasion without breaking the bank, this is the wine for you!

So Feliz dia de Primavera (spring) in Mendoza, and Feliz Otoño (fall) for all of you in the Nothern Hemisphere!

Cheers!

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How many times have you said this smell reminds me of something but you just can’t quite put your finger on it.

Test Your Nose

So to test your olfactory senses- cut up slices of banana, orange, lemon, chocolate, cinnamon, cumin, or put mashed berries, tobacco, whatever you have ever thought you could smell in a wine and place them in a set of glasses and put your nose to work. You can also add a little bit of neutral alcohol (or as Mariana tells me, cheap wine) and it will make the aromas a bit stronger in the glass.

You can also invest in a set of essences from Nez de vin, but they tend to be a bit synthetic so it is always better to try and use natural ingredients when you can. Below is a brief description of how Michael, Mariana and I approach sensory tasting at The Vines Tasting Room in downtown Mendoza, Argentina.

And for some tips to help you out with Argentina’s emblematic varietals, the Torrontes, Bonarda and Malbec we have created the following. If you just happen to be in Mendoza or are planning a trip in the near future, make sure to come by the Tasting Room to try one of our guided sensory tastings, where one of our servers can explain all the finer aspects of how to taste and compare essences.

Salud!

The Argentine Sensory Experience

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So last week we talked about the importance of blind tastings, its about getting in touch with your senses- sometimes we are going mach 10 and forget to stop and savor the best italian panini you have ever tasted or the most amazing nuances in a Pinot Noir. So to up the ante we decided to host a water tasting- yes your average H2O, which comprises over 96% of our bodies.

After doing a little research I was stunned that there is so much information on the web about tasting water. Who knew?! (except the people that organized the International Water Tasting Competition of course) So we hosted our own water tasting- only still water this time, with a few of The Vines staff members in our Mendoza Tasting Room, and used all the techniques that we have learned from wine to evaluate the sensory properties of these waters.

So what you want to think about is:

1. Smell- what do you smell, is it neutral, smell like chloride, or off smells (hopefully not)

2. Texture- how does the water coat your mouth, does it slide smoothly, is there stickiness

3. Taste- are there any apparent outstanding flavors that you can perceive and do you like/dislike them and how do they compare to the other waters that you are tasting

4. Finish- is there an aftertaste, any metallic flavors, or does it simply melt away?

So, you too can host a water tasting to prep for your wine tasting- see its not all for snobby sommeliers.

I found this super helpful resource from Bottled Water of the World (they must have a lobbying group for sure)

How to Conduct a Water Tasting

Written by Michael Mascha

A tasting provides the best introduction to the surprising richness of epicurean experiences with water. Here are directions for conducting your own.
•    Chill all the waters to about 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13°C) to nicely showcase the differences in the waters. Make sure they stay at the same temperature throughout the tasting otherwise their qualities (or the perception of them) will change.
•    You will need two to three proper water glasses per person. Ideally, have each flight in the glasses at the same time.
•    Sometimes it’s fun to have pure H2O available to calibrate your palate.
•    Serve bread or crackers, but not salty food.
•    Make notes if you wish, describing how the water feels (short, long, focused, wide, and so forth).
Because the waters vary significantly in mineral content, mouthfeel, and other characteristics, it will be hard to pick a best water. Instead, think of foods that would be good complements to
particular waters.

So the waters that we tasted:

Villivicencia- plastic bottle | 128 mg/l | Magnesium 40.8mg/l | Potassium 5.3 mg/l | Calcium 39.2 mg/l

Evian- they are French and do not need to put anything on ze bottle

Southern Sky- glass bottle | Sodium 41mg/l | Magnesium 3 mg/l | Potassium 23mg/l | Calcium 40mg/l | pH 8

Tap water- don’t think I want to know

So for more information on water tasting- maybe check out the International Water Tasting Competition- the best part is that the website is 2 camels, ha! http://www.2camels.com/international-water-tasting-contest.php

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Mariana – 2007 Monteagrelo Syrah $30

Emily – 2006 Monteviejo blend $45

Alejandrina- 2007 Gran Lorca Poetico Petit Verdot $42

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Coutesy of Wikipedia here is a bit of history on Argentina’s Independence day as well as some wines from The Vines to celebrate!

The Independence of Argentina was declared on July 9, 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán. Actually, Argentina was not a country yet; the congressmen joined in Tucuman declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America (still today one of the legal names of the Argentine Republic). The three Litoral provinces (Santa Fé, Entre Ríos and Corrientes) were expelled from the Congress, along with Banda Oriental, present-day Uruguay. At the same time, several provinces from the Alto Perú were represented that would later become part of present-day Bolivia.

The May Revolution of 1810 followed the deposition of the Spanish king Fernando VII by Napoleon. The revolution terminated the authority of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata and replaced it with the Primera Junta.
When the king returned in 1814, Spain was determined to recover control over its colonies in the Americas. The royalists were victorious at the battles of Sipe-Sipe, Huaqui, Vilcapugio and Ayohuma, in what had been the Viceroyalty of Peru. From there they planned to attack the bases of José de San Martín, and to make their way to Buenos Aires.
On April 15, 1815, a revolution ended the mandate of Carlos María de Alvear and demanded that a General Congress be summoned. Delegate deputies, each representing 15,000 inhabitants, were sent from all the provinces to the sessions, which started on March 24, 1816. However, several territories that had until then belonged to the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata did not send delegates: the Banda Oriental (“Eastern Bank”, today Uruguay), which was faithful to José Gervasio Artigas; Paraguay, which had already proclaimed its independence; and the Gran Chaco, still fighting against Native resistance.

The Congress was inaugurated in the city of Tucumán, with 33 deputies. The presidency of the Congress would be rotated monthly. Because the Congress had the freedom to choose topics to debate, endless discussions ensued.
The voting finally ended on July 9 with a declaration of independence. The Declaration pointed to the circumstances in Europe of the past six years—the removal of the King of Spain by the Napoleon and the subsequent refusal of Ferdinand VII to accept constitutional rule both in the Peninsula and overseas. The Document claimed that Spanish America recovered its sovereignty from the Crown of Castile in 1808, when Ferdinand VII had been deposed, and therefore, any union between the overseas dominions of Spain and the Peninsula had been dissolved. This was a legal concept that was also invoked by the other Spanish American declarations of independence, such as Venezuela’s (1811) and Mexico’s (1813), which were responding to the same events. The president of the Congress at the time was Francisco Narciso de Laprida, delegate from San Juan Province. Subsequent discussions centered on what form of government the emerging state should adopt.
The congress continued its work in Buenos Aires in 1817, but it dissolved in 1820 after the Battle of Cepeda, which deepened the differences between the Unitarian Party, who favored a strong central government, and the Federales Argentina, who favored a weak central government.

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Get these amazing wines in our online store and start tasting right away! cheers!

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