We are often asked what some of our favorite wines or wineries are here in Mendoza and one of the wineries that always tops my list is Pulenta Estate. They offer wines across the board that please everyone from wine connoisseur to the novice that was just introduced to Malbec. They  consistently provide amazing value and every vintage is true to their winemaking philosophy.

We cannot wait to share the Pulenta Estate Gran Pinor Noir with you — it will hopefully be in the market soon. Pulenta numbers their great wines with simple roman numerals and you should now watch out for number XV!

This wine comes from a single vineyard in the Uco Valley, cuartel 23 in their Finca Los Alamos and was made to express the terroir. The grapes were handled very carefully to capture the delicate flavors and aromas that are emblematic to the very finicky Pinot Noir grape. They were treated with a two day cold maceration and then fermented in small open top stainless steel tanks with a manual punchdown. They were then transferred to French oak barrels where the wine aged for 9 months.

To make a splash for the release of this wine, we were treated to a lovely inauguration party at the winery, where the owners and winemakers were able to show and explain the new Gran Pinot Noir for their portfolio. They also showed the new vintage for their Malbec and capped off the evening with a succulent asado. The Pinot went perfectly with some of the best pork loin I have ever had!

To say the least, this is another great achievement for this very special winery. If you are coming to Mendoza, it is one of our top favorites to visit!

2010 Tasting Notes:

Delicate and aromatic with notes of strawberries lightly dusted with chocolate and caramel. The mouth is expressive with deep stone fruit, hints of earth and toast with lively acidity and structure. The finish is simply lovely with fruit lasting in your mouth like a good lollypop- you just want to keep drinking! This is a young wine and is sure to mature and develop even more layers and intricate flavors.

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I have actually, been thinking about writing my own blog for months, but I never sit down and do it. Bloody procrastination. A few months ago I took a final in English Phonetics and the assistant professor, who is a psychologist, told me after the exam was over that I answered better when I was put under pressure.

Anyway, I love wine, and food is my passion. But what to write about that hasn’t been written or said before? And that at the same time is fun and entertaining for the reader?

So? Wine? Food? Wine + Food Pairing? Favorite Wine? Terroir? Here it goes!

While working for several years in the wine+tourism+hospitality industry there is nothing better than knowing about wine, or at least pretending to know about wine. Why? First of all, because every single person you meet thinks you are interesting, especially if you are from Mendoza.

1. Mendoza is currently enjoying being the rock star of the wine world which is reason enough to make a big fuss.

2. Secondly, there’s nothing better than going for dinner with your friends and being in charge of choosing the wine that you want to drink.

3. Third, every time you meet with clients or tourists (that usually pick up for the bill) you are also in charge of choosing the wine. Though, here I must say I don’t take full advantage of that situation. I just can’t.

So, when choosing a wine you have a lot of options and while some like to try new and different things. I know what I like so I choose wine by the phrase: “The devil you know is better than the one you don’t”. The best part of all is that in Argentina there’s a wide list of great values.

Here are my top 5 favorites “mid-priced” wines you can always trust:

1- Serrera Malbec Gran Guarda 2007.

2- Pulenta Estate Pinot Noir 2008.

3- Vistalba Corte B 2007.

4- Catalpa Merlot 2007.

5- Monteviejo Blend 2006.

Here is to enjoying wine with friends and family, and being able to choose your favorite wines. Salud!! (Many of these wines are available in the US for you to try your own pairings, just click on the links above)

Julia Elvira Bermejo Hilger.-Was born and raised in Mendoza and now works for The Vines of Mendoza while going to school. She is a chef as well and is getting a degree in English translation. Her passion for food and wine is a legacy of her mothers kitchen, with extensive travels and experiences. She also believes everything tastes better if shared with friends and family.

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2010 is rapidly coming to a close and it has been a very busy year for us in Mendoza at The Vines. We have built phase I of our winery, had our first harvest from our first vineyards planted in 2007, created a new high tech blending lab in our downtown Tasting Room, planted more than 125 acres of new vineyards and now have a family of 85 international vineyard owners as well as many friends, family, Wine Club members and employee’s which have made this all possible.

We decided to highlight some of our favorite moments throughout the year, however, there are too many to count and if we included them all it would probably end up being a feature length film!

We are thankful to everyone who has made this possible and invite you all to come and visit us in 2011!

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Fire up the grill, get the pool toys out… it’s summer time! And what better pairing is
there than BBQ and Argentine wines!  Pick your favorite cut of beef, throw it on the grill
and pair it will a delicious Malbec, spicy Cabernet or succulent Merlot.

To celebrate we are offering 25% off ALL of our wines in our online store.

Kick up your heels or relax poolside with a glass of Argentine wine!

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To get you started I have come up with a little protocol for The Vines Live Tastings 101 to help you navigate, the at times, intimidating world of wine technology. So here are your directions:

1.    Make sure you have a corkscrew, wine glasses and most importantly the wines!
2.    Open a bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass- it will help any technology induced anxiety
3.    Make sure you have a computer and internet access- if not repeat step 2 and call a friend
4.    Open a new web page to www.ustream.tv/channel/vinesofmendoza
5.    The screen may be blank- Don’t panic you are in the right place
6.    Check your watch- is it 5:30pm PST/ 8:30pm EST? Is it Tuesday May 18th?
7.    If your response is yes to all of the above -Sit back, relax and taste along

For Mensa Wine Members

For those that actually want us to respond to comments and questions-Try your hand at twitter or Ustream chat. Here are your additional instructions:

1.  Log into your twitter account www.twitter.com
2. Follow @vinesofmendoza if you don’t already (but of course you do!)
3. Because you are a supreme multitasker you can watch ustream and tweet and drink wine at the same time
4. Post any comments and all tweets should include #wine, #vinesofmendoza or #acequia
5. To ask questions or reply to specific comments, tweets should include @vinesofmendoza

6. You can also use ustream chat.

For Technological or Calender Challenged Individuals- Those that lack one of the key ingredients above- Follow these directions.

1.  Check if you have the newest Acequia wines. If not click HERE, enter this item into your shopping cart and check out.
2. Check back here for the video of the tasting.
3. Set up a time and place to taste along with us.
4. Send any comment or questions via email- you have lost the chance to chat.

Viola! You are all now technologically wine savvy! Felicitaciones and I hope to see you all tonight! Remember www.ustream.tv/channel/vinesofmendoza

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Join us tomorrow to taste through 6 of our newest and best Acequia wines!

To participate in the live tasting, just click here  Today May 18th | 8:30pm EST/5:30pm PST

We will be recording the tasting so if you are not able to participate you can purchase these wines through

May 31st and host your own tasting with The Vines team!

Acequia Wines – 6 bottles for $145  shipping included

Please email emily@vinesofmendoza.com if you have any questions about the event or
how to access the live tasting stream.

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Our new Acequia Wine Club wines have recently arrived in the US and Europe and
The Vines team is excited to offer everyone exclusive member prices through the month of May!

Acequia Wines – 6 bottles for $145  shipping included

Purchase now to receive our latest and best boutique Argentine wines in time to participate
in a live virtual tasting direct from our Tasting Room in Mendoza, Argentina.
So organize a party and share with friends!

To participate in the live tasting, just click here on
Tuesday May 18th | 8:30pm EST/5:30pm PST

We will be recording the tasting so if you are unable to attend you can still order these
wines and taste along with The Vines!

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It really is amazing to see how the wine pairs with different chocolates. For example, here at The Vines, one of my favorites is a orange infused chocolate- oh and you should only buy the best quality chocolate to conduct the pairings (important detail) – with the Lorca Viognier. The citrus flavors jump out at you instantly complementing the acidity in the wine and the balance it has with the chocolate. Another interesting pairing is a spicy pepper infused chocolate with the Malamado Malbec, a sweet dessert wine- the pairing is incredible with sweet and spice doing the tango in your mouth. Try it out for yourself!

So the next time you are in Mendoza, make sure that you add a chocolate and wine pairing class to your itinerary- you won’t regret it. Or contact her if you have any questions about potential chocolate and wine pairings- she is a font of information. My problem is that I just can’t seem to stop eating the truffles!

Chrissie offers:

Chocolate and Wine Tastings

Unique and personalized chocolate and wine pairings, using handmade chocolate truffles and boutique Argentine wines.  Each pairing is created specifically to highlight particular elements of flavour in both the wine and chocolate.   Here you can learn the steps in both wine and chocolate tastings, the why’s of flavor combinations and how to pair chocolate with wine.

Price:  90 pesos per person
5 people and more:  60 pesos per person

Cooking with Wine and Chocolate

Using a selection of recipes and hands on exercises, learn the basics of how to cook with chocolate and wine to create unique desserts that will be sure to impress friends and family.  In this workshop you will:

* Learn about where chocolate originated

* Different chocolate varietals and descriptors

* The different types of chocolate that you can use in cooking

* The basics of tasting chocolate and learning how to select the appropriate chocolate for your recipe

* Learn how to combine both wine and chocolate in desserts

* Create two decadent chocolate and wine desserts

Cost:  60 pesos per person

Email: info@awakenyoursenses.info

Blog: http://awakenyoursenses.info/wordpress/

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Overall we harvested about 208 kilos of Merlot which was then sorted and processed in the winery and will begin fermentation in a high tech 1,000 liter microvinification stainless steel tank. It was a beautiful evening full of music, laughter and stars and maybe a bit of moon magic mixed in.

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