It depends on where you are and what your cultural background is apparently. I forgot what day it was until I checked facebook,  oh trusty facebook, and saw all the status updates talking about Friday the 13th. Basically, I associate Friday the 13th with the motion picture industry and Freddy!

However my curiosity was sparked because here in Argentina, Friday the 13th does not portend bad luck, it is actually Tuesday the 13th when you are not to get married or embark on a boat…ok.

However after a bit of research it is actually really interesting the significance of the number 13 and what days are considered bad luck.

US/Northern European/ Anglo Saxon Countries- Friday the 13th

Spain/Greece/ Latin American countries- Tuesday the 13th

Italy- Friday the 17th (hmm)

Why Tuesday?

This day dates back to the middle ages when on Tuesday May 29, 1453 the city of Constantinople fell, which was a huge blow to potential Christians and since then Tuesday came to symbolize the war with the pagan gods and as such, bad luck. Also Marte, is the god of war and reflects destruction, blood and violence and that one legend states that Tuesday the 13th caused the confusion
of the different languages when constructing the Tower of Babel, thus eradicating the option to have a unified humanity. Serious stuff and if you haven’t caught up recently on your mythology check Wikipedia here.

Trezidavomartiofobia vs triskaidekaphobia?

According to an super informational article in Indy Posted: The fear of Friday the 13th goes back to ancient times. Friday the 13 superstitions are rooted in two separate fears. The fear of the 6th day of the week, and the fear of the number 13. When these two things are combined, you have one seriously unlucky day.

According to National Geographic, Friday the 13th is rooted in a Norse myth. 12 Gods sat down for dinner, when a 13th uninvited guest, Loki arrived. Loki, the god of mischief, convinced Holder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder, the beautiful god of joy and gladness.

Some people also trace Friday the 13th back to the last supper. Again, 13 people sit down to dinner, and one eventually dies. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Christ, is said to be the 13th person to the table.

So basically, don’t have dinner with 13 people tonight.

Another theory about Friday the 13th superstitions, is that 13 is unlucky because it follows 12. 12 is considered by many to be a complete number. 12 months in a year, 12 zodiac signs, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus.

Friday the 13th Superstitions

If you have dinner with 13 people, one of those people will die within a year.

If you cut your hair on Friday the 13th, someone you love will die within a year.

A child born on Friday the 13th will be unlucky for life.

If a funeral procession passes you on Friday the 13th, you will be the next to die.

According to the Huffington Post, many Friday the 13th Superstitions still exist. Hospitals and hotels don’t usually have 13th floors. Airplanes don’t usually have a 13th gate or a 13th aisle. Some cities will skip over 13th avenues. And if you have 13 letters in your name, like Charles Manson, you’re bound to have the devil’s luck.

Good luck today in the Northern Hemispheres- here in Argentina we have a year, until September 2011 when we will experience the same phenomenon.

Share this:

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

Share this:

It is winter in Mendoza and our gorgeous Andes Mountains are completely covered in snow.  If you have ever come to Mendoza during this season, you will find that the nicest and sunniest part of the day is immediately after lunch – what we call siesta time. For this reason, we chose to do our barrel tasting at the finca, enjoying the warm siesta sun with the Andes as a backdrop. Who needs better inspiration than that?

Every week, Santiago Achaval, The Vines consulting winemaker, and Pablo Martorell, The Vines winemaker, do barrel tastings of the nearly 50 different wines that we are aging for our Private Vineyard Estates owners.

The wines are now undergoing malolactic fermentation and starting their vital journey of aging. It is necessary to monitor the wines during this process to ensure stability of the wine and the absence of any possible fault that might contaminate the wines.

At this stage, the main character of the wine is already determined. However, depending on the style of wine chosen by our clients, there are some small procedures that will need to be done in order to help achieve their desired style. For instance, if you want to improve the mid-palate structure of the wine, the number of battonage per month may vary. Battonage is the process of stirring the wine while it remains in its barrel on its yeast lees. This process results in the extraction of additional amino acids and mannoproteins from the yeast creating a “creamy” mouthfeel.

In essence, the main objective of these regular barrel tastings is to ensure a very good quality, observing the aging process in order to obtain the best characteristics out of each wine.

Share this:

Mariana – 2007 Monteagrelo Syrah $30

Emily – 2006 Monteviejo blend $45

Alejandrina- 2007 Gran Lorca Poetico Petit Verdot $42

Share this:

One of the advantages of being in the wine business is occasionally you have to be the guinea pig- trying new and interesting wines or unique wine pairings. One of my good friends, Marcela Lledo, is creating new wine pairings and tasting experiences for Bodega Navarro Correas. Located just outside of Mendoza city in Godoy Cruz, it offers an easy way to do a fast tasting of not only their sparkling wines but also their line of still wines. We obtained different gourmet products from Recetas de Entonces/Cristo de los Cerro and then went to work- what paired well with what, what nuances were overwhelmed, what pairings were plain god-awful- we noted our likes, dislikes and came up with the following combinations.

Sparkling Wine Pairings Navarro Correas and Recetas de Entonces

•    Navarro Correa Extra Brut (Pinot/Chardonnay blend), Method Charmat. Suggested Pairing: Asparagas points or Eggplant a la siciliana
•    Navarro Correa Brut Rose Malbec, Method Charmat. Suggested Pairing: Eggplant with mint and semi-sweet peppers
•    Navarro Correa Grand Cuvee (Pinot/Chardonnay), method Champenoise. Suggested Pairing: Eggplant a la siciliana y sundried tomatoes. Opiconal: Mediterranean Tapenade.
Navarro Correas Wine Pairings and Recetas de Entonces
•    Coleccion Privada Sauvignon Blanc. Suggested Pairing: Eggplants with mint, artichoke hearts in water or asparagus points
•    Coleccion Privada Chardonnay. Suggested Pairing: Asparagus points and Eggplant with mint.
•    Coleccion Privada Merlot. Suggested Pairing: Crackers with creme fraiche with a dab of roasted red pepper juice and asparagus points
•    Alegoría Malbec. Suggested Pairing:sundried tomatoes- kick it up with crackers topped with creme fraiche, sundried tomatoes and mediterranean tapenade
•    Alegoria Cabernet Sauvignon. Suggested Pairing: Mediterranean tapenade with sundried tomatoes.
•    Tardio Alegoria, Late Harvest Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc. Suggested Pairing: Roasted red peppers

Visit Navarro Correas

If you would like to try out these delectable pairings for yourself, make sure to schedule a visit to their tasting room on your next trip to Mendoza. They usually hold tours and winery visits Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10am, 12pm, and 3pm. Be sure to make a reservation- they pride themselves on their personalized service. Call  Leo at 261-432-5521 or 261-15-507-1684.

Share this:

Tomorrow is the big battle- Argentina vs. Germany! To gear up for the battle we felt it appropriate to pre-game a bit with some of South Africa’s finest wines.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

The Vines of Mendoza Weekly Wines Series | South African Wines

Be sure to cheer Argentina on to victory tomorrow in South Africa!

Share this:

Off the field Argentina is also dominating in the world of wine. In an article from Wines of Argentina, Argentine wines are still the fastest growing import in the US with dollar sales up 31.3% and volumes up 27.5%. Three Argentine wines also earned a spot of the coveted Wine & Spirits “50 Value Brands of the Year” further solidifying Argentina’s position in the international market as the go-to wine with high quality and value. The three listed were all under $20 and included Basso, Cruz Alta, and Trivento.

And while Malbec is certainly the darling of Argentina’s wine portfolio, the future is bright with the arrival of new and exciting varietals, research and development and new technologies. In a recent interview from Wine Sur with long-time winemaker Aldo Luis Biondolillo from Bodega Tempus Alba, his take is “differentiation is key.” He feels that winemaking has been “one of the few agroindustrial activities that keeps growing steadily in the export market, both in terms of production and commercialization.”  Particularly interesting are the associations that are in place to help foster winery development as well as research for clonal identification and propagation.

” Our winery relies on strategic alliances with Mendoza’s fund for transformation and growth (FTyC, Fondo para la Transformación y el Crecimiento), ProMendoza and the Argentinian fund for technology transfer (FONTAR, Fondo Tecnológico Argentino). The funds granted by the FTyC helped us protect our vineyards by means of anti-hail nets, and last year, it also allowed us to expand the capacity of our vats at the winery. ProMendoza guided us along our process of commercial development. And FONTAR helped us by means of their non-refundable funds program, which we’re using to finance the evaluation of ten years of work devoted to the identification, selection and multiplication of Malbec clones. We’re already producing our own clones. Our future vineyards will be developed using material selected from the centennial genetic pool of Argentina’s commercial viticulture. Today we can offer our importers wines produced from grapes selected by ourselves. Though this is a costly and time-consuming task, it will help us pave the way towards differentiation.”

Argentina, despite all of its recent popularity, is still a wine region that has yet to really hit its stride. Since I have been here over the last 4 years, the number of Cabernet Sauvignon’s that I have tasted and actually liked have increased dramatically. Granted I have a bit of a California palate, but I believe with the influence of foreign winemakers and techniques, understanding, farming, and producing Cabernet has increased in quality and consistency over the last 5 years. The future holds the same true for new varietals. I am excited to see how transplanted varietals, such as Rhone selections like Marsanne, Rousanne, and particularly Syrah have in store!

The future is shining brightly for Argentina both on and off the field!

Share this:

Their hard work has paid off – their wine label Solsticio recently won very prestigious silver medals for their Malbec and Torrontes at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competiton. Just in time for the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice in the Southern!

The entire family came down in March to harvest grapes from their Private Vineyard Estate, three generations experiencing their first grape harvest. We look forward to seeing the evolution of their wines in barrel and which should be in the market soon! For more information about their wines or where you can find them, check out their website www.solsticio.com.

Congratulations to some of our founding Private Vineyard Estate owners whose vision has made their winemaking dream come true!

Share this:

This morning I was walking down the street, a bit late, heading to watch the game of Argentina vs. South Korea and it was a veritable ghost town. At 9 am the streets are usually a nightmare of commuters and pedestrians hurrying to the office, but today, it was as if there was a holiday. No one was on the street and as I passed several cafes, they were packed with all eyes glued to the television screens, in hopes for victory while watching Messi dominate the ball on the playing field. Every “kiosco,” a corner convenience store, from large to small also seemingly has a television as well. Everywhere all eyes were plastered with resounding cheers of GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL every time an Argentine player hit the mark.

So with Maradona at the helm, which is a sight unto itself, Argentina’s prospects are shining brightly! Two games down with victory sweetly resounding. Next up Greece on June 22! Vamos Argentina!!!

Share this:

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

Share this: