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The Vines 2011 Harvest

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

We finished our last harvest on Friday at The Vines Private Vineyard Estate with all of the staff on hand to bring in the last of the grapes. It has been a very busy season with owners, guests and of course the grapes and wine that we have made over the last few months. We started on March 1 and finished on April 29th. The cellar crew at the winery has had their hands extremely full but we are extremely pleased with the grape quality and the wines!

Here is the rundown for our harvest.

COSECHA 2011
The grapes were harvested from 280 acres or 113 hectares

240,000 Kg (265 tons) of grapes were processed at the winery
18,160 bins of grapes went through the hand selection process at the sorting table
160,000 Kg were of Malbec (2/3 of the total)
7%  were of white varietals
1% was of our own Torrontes
16 different varieties in total

10,500 bins of grapes were sold to 6 premium wineries including: Monteviejo, Achaval Ferrer, La Rural.

The harvest lasted 59 days in total, 39 days of harvest

9,500 Kg (20,943 lb) was the average amount harvested per day
19,000 Kg (41,887 lb) was the most we harvested in one day
Over 60 people worked in the harvest

But the work is not over as we have over 160 different microfermentations in the winery!

Posted in Harvest Diary, Private Vineyard Estates | 1 Comment »


Its all about the dirt…

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Or for Piero Incisa della Rocchetta its all about the compost. At his winery Bodega Chacra, which he founded in 2003 and which is located in the Rio Negro Valley in Patagonia, 620 miles south of Buenos Aires, he focuses on the pure, unadulterated expression of Pinot Noir. He hails from one of the most esteemed winemaking families in Italy and spends part of the year at his family estate Tenuta San Guido which makes the stunning Sassacaia wines, a European wine that broke the mold of what world class wine is made of and the traditions that surround it.

Piero is boisterous, passionate and an amazing host, waxing on not only about dirt but the property that he brought back from the dead. He has named his wines after the years that the vineyards were planted, one in 1955 and aptly named Cincuenta y cinco and the other Treinta y dos from a single vineyard planted in 1932 and then later abandoned. The finca is unasumming and modern with clean lines and a beautiful winery filled with concrete tanks. The focus is entirely biodynamic- not only in the vineyard but in the winery as well, which is often difficult in and of itself. It is surrounded with chickens, goats, and bee’s as well as an incredible vegetable garden which we were luckily able to sample from for lunch.  The setting is a country idyll. Located pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the climate of the Rio Negro valley is dry at around 750 meters in altitude and often experiences high winds and harsh frosts, however like Mendoza, it is free of pests and phylloxera due to the aridity. That being said, Patagonia is making a name for itself with Pinot Noir and Piero is definitely leading the charge with his expressive and intense wines.

The wines themselves are silky, elegant and entirely a Patagonian expression of Pinot Noir. No mechanization is used at all during the wine production which results with rich aromatics, deep color concentration and lush flavor profiles.  We tasted a 2010 Cincuenta y Cinco which was delicately floral with caramel, coffee and strawberries in the nose with sweet, succulent cherries and spice throughout the lovely finish.

The Treinta y Dos 2009 was much more masculine and expressive with brooding, dark colors and flavors. Blueberries, black cherries with graphite, tobacco and a bit of tar entice your senses with rich round fruit in the mouth accented with black licorice, dried fruits and structured yet extremely elegant tannins.

The Barda Pinot, a declassification blend of the other wines is an amazing value and a lush Pinot to seek out when you can. There is lots of spice and acid, (one of my favorite wine components) with tart cherries and strawberries and dusted with dried herbs through the finish.

Piero’s wines are not just wines, but an expression of the terroir as well as his innate personality. Talking with him you begin to understand the integral relationship a winemaker has with the land, the grapes and the final product. His passion and attention to detail is apparent from beginning to end. We were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Piero and some of his friends, harvesting fresh vegetables from the garden for a succulent impromptu lunch that was definitely a highlight to our trip to Patagonia. Indeed, his  wines are essentials in your cellar.

The wine drinking public is also falling in love with Piero and is wines, check out the latest issue of Food & Wine magazine where they profile the winery as well as include some of his secret recipes!

Also the Wine Spectator mentions his wines as 14 new enticing wines from Argentina saying:

“Bodega Chacra, founded in 2003 by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, whose grandfather started the “super Tuscan” Sassicaia, is setting the benchmark for Pinot Noir in South America. The bodega’s entry-level Barda bottling is sourced mostly from 20-year-old vines, with additional juice coming from 80- and 55-year-old vines. Della Rochetta has also recently begun bottling a Merlot; both wines display the estate’s penchant to couple a pure, elegant fruit profile with the region’s racy graphite and aromatic notes”.

For more information check out their website: www.bodegachacra.com

Posted in Experiences, Tasting Notes | No Comments »


For the Love of Terroir

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

I recently hosted a tasting of Malbecs from different terroirs for local industry wine nerds. Of course everyone knows that Mendoza is the region in Argentina for Malbec but we wanted to explore how Malbecs varied region to region within Mendoza as well as check out Malbecs from the two other main Argentine regions, Salta and Patagonia. What we found was terroir- the wines changed with their geographical locations.

Coming from the French word for “land”, terroir can best be described as the particular geography, geology, and climate of an area that informs the finished product.  With advanced technology and modern winemaking techniques, terroir can often be covered up or deemphasized, but these particular wines were coming from regions so different that the wines had no choice but to show their origin to some extent. The tasting covered Mendoza’s three main regions: Maipu, Lujan, and Uco Valley, as well as wines from Cafayate, Salta and Rio Negro, Patagonia. We tasted in order from lowest to highest altitude.

The lowest altitude vines in Argentina also lie in one of the worlds most southernly wine regions- that of Patagonia. Here, Rio Negro and Neuquen are the main wine areas, home to a mere thirty some wineries on the cold, windy terrain. Pinot Noir and Semillon are the specialties here but some interesting Malbecs are also being produced. From this region we tasted the 2007 Humberto Canale Estate Malbec, a light bodied, markedly spicy, smoky Malbec with a timid fruit expression.  Cool climates tend to produce leaner wines, and this was one of the leanest Malbecs I’ve ever tasted.

Next up were Malbecs from Maipu (2008 Dona Silvina) and Lujan de Cuyo (2010 Zuccardi barrel sample).  These grapes are grown between 800-950 meters above sea level in higher, warmer, dry areas. From these regions, Malbec grapes tend to ripen more quickly and are more likely to display riper fruit characteristics and more leather or cooked fruit notes. While the Dona Silvina showed a notable amount of mature fruit and leather notes, the Zuccardi barrel sample from a slightly higher altitude showed more concentrated ripe fruits with red plum and hints of red flower.

Uco Valley came through with terroir typicity in the just-released 2009 Altos Las Hormigas Terroir Malbec.  At about 1200 meters high, Uco Valley tends to produce Malbecs of great concentration with marked violet aromas and fresh fruit characteristics.  The high altitude means greater sun exposure, leading to developed fruit flavors. It also means low nighttime temperatures, which allow the grapes to rest and develop acidity which helps with structure. These wines are often described as “muscular” with sweet fruit up front and firm tannins on the finish. Altos from Vista Flores displays a deep ruby color with marked violet aromas and fresh cherry on the nose. Rich and bursting with fresh fruit on the palate, this young wine’s tannins are still aggressive, but will mellow with age.

Cafayate high-altitude vineyards

We finished with the 2009 Coquena from San Pedro de Yacochuya out of Cafayate, Salta, home to the highest vineyards in the world. These grapes are grown at 1700 meters above sea level and thus show similar levels of concentration to the Uco Valley grapes. However, instead of pronounced violet aromas, the Saltanean Malbec shows pronounced green and black pepper aromas with plenty of sweet dark fruit on the nose as well.  With dry tannins and a rich mouthfeel, there are more savory notes in this Malbec than any of the others. I couldn’t help but start thinking about pairings.. venison with thyme and sweet potato?

Overall it was an interesting look into how vastly Argentine Malbec can vary from region to region. I am personally most impressed with the Malbecs coming out of the high altitude regions of Uco Valley and Cafayate.  They show strength and concentration with plenty of fruit but ample acidity to balance. As Argentine wines become more well known, look for these sub-regions to start showing up more on bottles. Labels that used to say “Mendoza” will start reading “Uco Valley” or “Agrelo”.  The good news is that the differences in terroir will become more noticeable the more wine you drink!

Posted in Behind the bottle, Mendoza Bodegas, Tasting Notes | No Comments »


How to Choose your Malbec by the Label

Monday, April 18th, 2011

Yesterday we celebrated World Malbec day and not only that but it is Malbec season here at The Vines, where we are in full swing with our Malbec harvest at our Private Vineyard Estates. With so much activity and focus on Malbec, it is often difficult to decide what to by, what it all means and what will actually be in the bottle!

For some help on how to traverse these mazes of wine labels, one of our Private Vineyard Estate owners, Barry Chaiken, proprietor of Chaiken Vineyards has a great blog that discusses what information really is on the back label.

Also you should sign up for his newsletters to get an insider’s perspective on Argentine wine and his experiences as a vineyard owner making wine in Argentina. www.chaikenvineyards.com

Here is one of his great blog posts:

Oh so many wines to choose from in most wine shops, it is difficult to know which of the wines available you will enjoy. Market research shows that attractive wine packaging, just like for other consumer goods, can help boost sales. For many years “critter” wine labels – those with the cute animals on the label – were successful in attracting buyers to inexpensive wines from Australia.

For those of us who are more interested in choosing a wine that will be attractive to our taste buds rather than our eyes, reviewing some basic information on the label can help intelligently guide our choices. Although some wine labels may appear to provide rather limited information about the wine, there is almost always enough information available to guide us.

When first approaching a wine, look at the alcohol content. Red wines with high alcohol content (14.5-16%+) tend to be big, powerful, flavorful wines that are perfect for drinking alone or with very flavorful foods (e.g., rich, juicy steak). Lower alcohol red wines are more elegant and subtle in their flavors, thereby drinking best only when paired with appropriate foods.

For white wines, a lower alcohol content (e.g., 9-12%) usually indicates a high level of residual sugar seen in sweet wines. Very high alcohol white wines (e.g., 14%+) may indicate a dry wine that is out of balance as white wines generally do not have the strength of flavors, acidity, and tannins to counter the alcohol.

The type of varietal considered with the region the wine comes from gives a sense of what flavors can be expected from the wine. If there is a wine you currently like, then choose a wine made from a similar varietal (e.g., pinot noir) and the same region (e.g., Russian River Valley, CA) made by another producer. Most likely you will like this new wine while also learning from the differences you detect comparing the wines.

Other information such as types of barrels used (e.g., French vs. American oak, new vs. 2nd use), time in barrel, and bottle aging, all give you more information about the wine. As you drink more wine and relate the information you read on the label with the flavors in the wine, you will develop an internal guidebook that can help you choose wine in a liquor store or restaurant.

Although reviews and scores are useful in choosing a fine, the best guide is your own drinking  experience. No one is a better critic of what you may like than you are.

Sincerely,

Barry P. Chaiken, Proprietor

Chaiken Vineyards

info@chaikenvineyards.com

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Posted in Experiences, Private Vineyard Estates | No Comments »


Bodega Corvus at Winemaker’s Night

Friday, April 15th, 2011

Wednesday nights at Vines equal Winemaker love! This week we were pleased to discover the wines of Bodega Corvus, makers of Ala Negra, the bottle with the beautiful label that you’ve probably been wondering about. Joining us to talk about the wines was Gabriela Celeste, winemaker at Bodega Corvus and a member of Enorolland, Michel Rolland’s consulting team. A special treat this week, the wines were paired with dishes created by Marcos Zabaleta, executive chef at Chandon.

The wing! Long family history explains the lone crow wing gracing the labels of these bottles. Ala Negra means “black wing” in Spanish, and this symbol is a tribute to the family’s ancestors who were instrumental in founding Chile.  The Corvalan family shield displays five crow wings like the one on the label. What’s more, the label was designed by Cris Delhez, a famed Argentine painter and sculptor.

The pairings were a delight! With the 2010 Torrontes, we enjoyed a fresh shrimp tartar over avocado and warm tomato confit. The lively floral and citrus characteristics of the wine (produced with grapes from the Calchaqui Valley in Salta) married well with the acid in the fish and avocado.  A light and summery combination. With the 2009 Malbec Rose, Zabaleta prepared a buttered trout crostini with quince honey. The notes of wild cherry and strawberry in the wine complimented the warm, savory trout mini-sandwich well and the quince honey was a nice contrast for this dry rose. Chorizo and Portobello empanadas brought out lots of black and red pepper spices in the 2008 Malbec. This fruit-forward Malbec provided a lively, juicy counterpoint to the richness of the pastry. Finally, veal confit over almond risotto was a nicely rich and savory accompaniment to the 2008 Reserva Malbec, a full-bodied red full of boysenberry and red flowers with spicy tannins and a chocolately finish.

Gabriela Celeste shared with us her passion for winemaking as she explained vineyard practices and how they affect the finished product. As all of the Malbec grapes come from the same vineyard in Lunlunta, Maipu, some are chosen for the rose, some for the classic line, and only the best go into the reserve line. As she spoke, branches crackled and leaves fell from the atrium  ceiling- a result of the strong “Zonda” winds blowing that day.  Celeste talked about how the Zonda could negatively affect the vines during pollination in the springtime, but are not much threat to the vines at harvest time, as the grapes have already developed and most have reached full maturity.

In all it was another interesting, tasty Wednesday night at the Vines of Mendoza.  Thanks to Bodega Corvus and Gabriela Celeste for presenting their wines and to Marcos Zabaleta for providing the parings. See you next week!

About the author: Cara De Lavallade is a Level II Court of Masters Sommelier from Seattle, Washington. Temporarily relocated to Mendoza, she is smelling and tasting all she can to gain a better understanding of the local juice.  Look for her wine reviews, bodega visits, and other winey musings on The Vines of Mendoza blog this spring.

Posted in Experiences, Mendoza Bodegas, Tasting Notes, Vines Events | 1 Comment »


The Vines and Azafran Unite!

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

Now that Lindsay’s got you all excited about dining in the cellar, let’s talk about the brand new promotion between The Vines of Mendoza and Azafran! Every time you buy a bottle of wine over $200 pesos  in Azafran’s well-stocked cava, you’ll receive a card worth a discounted Reserve Tasting in the Vines tasting room.  The deal is excellent- get two excellent wine flights for half the price of one. Today I stopped into the tasting room to check out the high-end flights that are included in the promotion.

Two Reserve Flights are available in the tasting room- Reservas de Argentina and Reservas del Valle.  Reservas de Argentina is a tasting of some of the best wines coming from different regions in Argentina- Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, and Cafayate.  A collection of different varietals, styles, and vintages, this flight is a tour of the country, showing the versatility of Argentine wines. Here’s what you’ll taste in Reservas de Argentina:

2009 Bressia Piel Negra Pinot Noir

From local cult wine maker Walter Bressia, this is a sweet, earthy Pinot with lively acidity and plenty of vanilla and spice on the finish.  With fruit from the Lujan de Cuyo, Piel Negra is an excellent display of what this warm, sunny region can do with this classic varietal.  With fresh red fruit, floral aromas, and plenty of earth, Bressia puts out a Pinot that does the grape justice.

2007 Bacan Reserva Malbec

Also from the Lujan de Cuyo, Bacan produces a lush and spicy Malbec. In the tango language, “lunfardo”, Bacan is used to describe a man who is a lover of the good life- dashing, charming with the ladies, indulges in fine wine and parties.  This wine encompasses all of these characteristics- a delightfully lavish, hedonistic Malbec.

2007 Gran Lorca Blend

An assemblage of Malbec, Syrah, and Petit Verdot, Maurico Lorca’s top blend displays impressive structure and fruit concentration. With grapes from the Uco Valley, Lorca has produced an elegant blend with lovely aromas of rose, leather and earth, juicy blackberry fruit on the palate and a lingering finish. My personal favorite of this tasting!

2006 Laborum Tannat

Get a taste of this unique varietal from the world’s highest wine region! Cafayate, Salta is producing impressive wines at staggering altitudes. This five-year-old Tannat is showing an incredible range of secondary flavor characteristics. Bursting with eucalyptus and flower petal on the nose with smoke and red cherry on the palate, this Tannat has a pleasant mouthfeel and plenty of personality.

2007 Atamisque Malbec

From this French-style winery in the Uco Valley, the Atamisque Malbec is the top line of the bodega. Incredibly approachable with juicy black fruit and mint on the nose, this wine opens in the glass, revealing layers of smoke, black cherry, and minerality. With vivacious acidity, the wine shows lovely structure and elegance.  Another favorite.

The Reservas del Valle flight shines a spotlight on the wonderful wines coming out of the Uco Valley, Argentina’s shiny new wine region that’s getting a lot of attention. Here you’ll taste the work of Michel Rolland, Giminez Riili, and more gems from Mauricio Lorca and Atamisque.

A memorable wine experience doesn’t have to end with a great dinner and a bottle at Azafran. Extend the eno-joy and take part in this promotion while it lasts!

About the author: Cara De Lavallade is a Level II Court of Masters Sommelier from Seattle, Washington. Temporarily relocated to Mendoza, she is smelling and tasting all she can to gain a better understanding of the local juice.  Look for her wine reviews, bodega visits, and other winey musings on The Vines of Mendoza blog this spring.

Posted in Mendoza Bodegas, Promotions, Tasting Notes | No Comments »


Mendoza Restaurant Scene: Spotlight on El 23 Gran Bar

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Nothing makes me happier on a Monday than a sunny restaurant with good eats and WiFi! Today I  visited El 23 Gran Bar midday for a little lunch and e-mail catch up. Attached to the popular wine shop, Winery, this restaurant is a serene culinary oasis in the city center. Enter through large, ornate iron gates to a lush, expansive patio, complete with a bocce ball court to one side. At one-thirty it’s busy, but still feels peaceful, easy, vacationey.

Starving, I decided to go for the the Bondiola de Cerdo con Cerveza Negra (Black Beer Braised Pork Shoulder) with apple-ginger puree, figs, and sweet potato fries. A glass of Rutini Trumpeter Malbec paired nicely. I appreciate that the server offers a selection of three Malbecs by the glass, as opposed to offering one option of generic tinto so common in many Mendoza restaurants.  A plentiful portion, the pork shoulder was pleasantly moist and flavorful, the savory beer sauce pairing nicely with the sweet apple and fig. The crispy sweet potatoes added an extra textural element.

The inner dining area is surrounded by windows, full of sunlight, and the walls are decorated with wine and food related quotes, as are the placemats. It is spacious, airy, and perfect for a quiet afternoon with the laptop.  The service is typical laid-back Mendoza style, but gracious and friendly.  After a fairly successful entree, I found myself interested in dessert. Although the creme brulee called to me, I decided on the fresh summer fruit salad with pineapple and peach.

Topped with a dehydrated orange slice, what turned out to be a fancified fruit cocktail was nonetheless refreshing and made more interesting by a speckle of black pepper atop.  A coffee to finish, and I declared lunch successful. Not cheap, but worth the plata.

A recommended joint for good food and wine in Mendoza. Check it out.

El 23 Gran Bar

Chile 874

Ciudad de Mendoza

Tel: 0261 4251716

info@el23granbar.com

About the author: Cara De Lavallade is a Level II Court of Masters Sommelier from Seattle, Washington. Temporarily relocated to Mendoza, she is smelling and tasting all she can to gain a better understanding of the local juice.  Look for her wine reviews, bodega visits, and other winey musings on The Vines of Mendoza blog this spring.

Posted in Experiences, Life in Mendoza | No Comments »


How to tell what’s IN the bottle by what’s ON the bottle

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

Winemaker Carmelo Patti is extremely proud of his self-designed label.  Visit the winery and he will personally point out to you the details that he includes to make his label distinct: the month of bottling (March 2008) and exactly the number of bottles produced (18,300).  Carmelo is thorough with his label design, and he is among many Argentine producers who use the bottle presentation to convey as much as they can about the juice inside.  With more than 800 wineries in Mendoza alone, picking out a wine at a shop or restaurant can mean shopping by the label, which can be helpful, entertaining, or just downright confusing.

With all of the details that local wineries like to include on their labels, you might feel like you need a sommelier just to translate the outside of the bottle, to understand better what you’re getting into before even getting the cork out. Where here I am! And here are some tips for deciphering the Argentine wine label.

Vino Tinto/Vino Blanco

Generally, red wine/white wine. If a varietal name is not found elsewhere on the bottle, this is probably a blend of grapes. Though traditionally used to describe generic table wines, a number of high-end red blends are marked as “Vino Tinto” today.

Cosecha vs Bottling Date

FYI- Cosecha = harvest. Carmelo’s bottle says “Cosecha 2006″, meaning that the grapes for this wine were all picked in 2006. Meanwhile, the wine was bottled in March of 2008.  This means the wine spent roughly two years ageing in tanks and oak barrels. This is an aged wine before it even hits the market. The tannins will be softer and more integrated, and more “secondary” flavor characteristics (like dried fruit and flowers) will be showing.

A note on vintages:

Most Argentine wines are made to be consumed young! Don’t be scared to buy that 2008 Malbec because most likely it’s fresh, fruity, and drinking nicely. Most 2010 whites are also ready to drink now. In high-end blends, look for more bottle age. Because of beautiful weather, irrigation, and few pest problems, it’s tough to have a bad wine year for Argentina. The best vintages include 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.

Region

Local wine producers vary in how they describe where their grapes are coming from. While some simply state “Mendoza, Argentina” on the label, others include a more specific region of Mendoza (Lujan de Cujo), sub-region (Alto Agrelo) or specific vineyard (Finca Remonta).  This Terrazas label mentions the general region (Mendoza) and the sub-region (Las Compuertas), as well as stating “single vineyard”, which means that all of the grapes for this wine come from one vineyard. There are only two D.O.C. (Denominacion de Origen Controlado) wine regions in Argentina- the Lujan de Cujo and San Rafael. When a label reads D.O.C. it ensures that the grapes meet quality standards for that region and that the wine has been in barrel at least eight months, in bottle at least one year.

Altitude

Argentina”s claim to fame! Home to the highest altitude vineyards in the world (Cafayate, Salta), Argentina has had great success growing grapes in regions 980-3000 meters above sea level.  Because of this, you will almost always find some mention of altitude on a local label.  What does it mean? Basically, lower altitude vines will be more productive and make juicier, more fruit-forward wines while higher altitude vines produce wines with more aromas, concentration, and acidity.

Reserve

Officially, for an Argentine producer to put “reserve” on a bottle of red wine, the wine must be aged one year in barrels and two years for “grand reserve”.  For whites it is half of that- six months for reserve and one year for grand reserve. However it should be noted that this law is still in the process of being implemented, and many wineries are still using the word reserve as a brand or marketing tool. On this Andeluna bottle they include Tupungato, which is a sub-region of the Uco Valley, which is the most southerly region of Mendoza and they note that the wine is estate produced and bottled, meaning that the wine is made at Andeluna’s estate and not sent out for vinification or bottling. Basically, they have a facility where they can do it all.

Alcohol

Yep, these wines are big.  Argentine reds can be anywhere from 13.5-16.5% abv.  Don’t let the percentages on the label scare you- the alcohol can be very well integrated, adding body and sweetness. What’s more, remember that local producers have .5% wiggle room when printing labels, so 14.5% can also mean 14% or 15%.

And now that I’ve said all that, don’t forget that it’s what’s inside the bottle that really counts!

About the author: Cara De Lavallade is a Level II Court of Masters Sommelier from Seattle, Washington. Temporarily relocated to Mendoza, she is smelling and tasting all she can to gain a better understanding of the local juice.  Look for her wine reviews, bodega visits, and other winey musings on The Vines of Mendoza blog this spring.

Posted in Behind the bottle, Mendoza Bodegas | No Comments »


Bodega Ruca Malen- revisited

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

One of our favorite Bodega experiences in Mendoza is definitely Ruca Malen. The setting and scenery is captivating and the restaurant is one of the most memorable for visitors to Mendoza. Last night Mariana Onofri, The Vines sommelier, and I were invited for a special event with a group of local wine providers, sommeliers and tour agencies. Under the expert guidance of chef Lucas Bustos and a visiting chef from Chez Nous, the restaurant located in Algondon Mansion in Buenos Aires, the courses were expertly designed to be paired with delicious wines and we knew we were in for a special treat!!

They created a 7 course, very decadent, meal, showcasing the best local ingredients. They featured trout from nearby winery Atamisque, who has their own trout farm as well as vegetables, cheeses and meats from local growers and providers. I can’t even describe the succulent lamb that was served with braised corn and a coffee reduction foam. The wine pairing were perfect with delicate shrimp with the Ruca Malen Chardonnay, the Yauquen Cabernet Sauvignon balancing the blue cheese croquette and a sweet Malbec paired with a hearty brie.

You can see the passion that comes through these dishes and the innovation and creativity that is infusing the culinary scene here in Mendoza. It is not just pizza, beef and empanadas anymore!

Named by Wine Enthusiast as one of the best restaurants in Mendoza, they say:

“Eating at a winery can be a hit-or-miss experience. But at Ruca Malen, where chef Lucas Bustos turns out delicious five-course prix-fixe meals with wine pairings, the hits win out. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Bustos relies on gourmet takes on classic plates, i.e. mini milanesas (fried veal cutlets) topped with pumpkin terrine, and beet-and-carrot croquettes served with chimichurri.”

So make sure you visit Ruca Malen and their restaurant on your next visit to Mendoza. It is sure to be a highlight!

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THE VINES SPRING SAVINGS | FREE SHIPPING

Friday, March 4th, 2011

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL WINES FROM THE VINES!

Stock up on the next hottest Argentine varietal, Torrontes, or indulge in your favorite Malbecs or try some new tasty blends.
They are sure not to disappoint you!
We are offering FREE SHIPPING on all wines for orders above $200 through March 31st.

Just type freeshipping in the box above your shopping cart.

If you need some help choosing the wine, our “wine concierge” is available to help you with any of your shopping needs.

Just email noelia@vinesofmendoza.com with any of your questions.
Saludos!
**Promotion valid for shipments within the US only. To ship gifts to multiple addresses please contact us so that we can place your order for you manually. Not all wines are available for shipping to all states. Customers in Canada and Europe: As our online store does not allow us to process orders outside of the United States, please submit your order to us via email. Please note that additional duties will be charged upon delivery of the wine.

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