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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It is almost the official kickoff to summer in the northern hemisphere, the Summer Solstice! Warm days full of light and activity- perfect for finally kicking back and drinking some wine.
The Vines is here to help with 25% off all of our delectable Argentine varieties.

Whether it be on your back porch, friends couch, or garden table
all of these wines at 25% off are perfect for any setting!

**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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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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Argentine wines are hot right now in the US market and have seen substantial and sustained growth over the last few years. The Vines has invited a few top industry experts, who have seen and dealt with this growth first hand, to talk about the current status of Argentine wine in the US market, how it has changed over the last 10 years and what is in store for the future of Argentine wine brands.

The Vines co-founders Michael Evans and Pablo Gimenez Riili, along with consulting winemaker Santiago Achaval, will be joined by Sharon Sevrens, the proprietor of Amanti Vino which was recently named wine retailer of the week in the Wall Street Journal, and Nick Ramkowsky, the founder of Vine Connections, a wine importer specializing in Argentine wines and Japanese sake.

Join us on Wednesday February 16th at 5pm EST

To register for this call click here

There will be a live twitter chat for questions and comments. (@vinesofmendoza) You can use hashtags #vom and #vomtalk to follow the conversation on Twitter!

We will also record the conversation and share it as a podcast at  www.vinesofmendoza.com.

We look forward to your participation! Saludos!

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The Uco Valley is fast becoming the “IT” place for the best wineries to be in Argentina. If you don’t have a winery located in the Uco Valley, most wineries at least source grapes or have single named vineyards that they own located in this high altitude and stunning valley at the base of the Andes. Amongst the notable names are Andeluna, Salentein, O.Fournier, Monteviejo, Catena’s Adriana Vineyard, Achaval Ferrer’s Altamira vineyard and now the newcomer Bodega Diamandes. The star power alone amonst these wineries is impressive.

Located in the Clos de los Siete group- basically across the street, so to speak, from The Vines Private Vineyard Estates, we are excited to see such an interesting combination of architectural innovation combined with classic winemaking methods. In 2005, the Bonnie, proprietors of Château Malartic-Lagravière (Grand Cru Classé de Graves) and Château Gazin Rocquencourt (Pessac- Léognan) decided to broaden their horizons and seek new adventures. They now have 130 hectáreas and they had their first harvest in 2007.

The winery was designed by prestigious local architects Bormida and Yanzon and recently won best winery architecture for the contest “Best of Wine Tourism in 2011″ organized by Great Wine Capitals.

Their wines are definitely ones to watch for- rich, complex, elegantly crafted AND they have already sold out of their first vintage! They have it all- stunning landscapes, amazing wines, beautiful architecture. Make sure you include this beautiful winery on your next trip to Mendoza and the Uco Valley!

Contact: visitas@diamandes.com

Visiting hours: 9am-6pm only by reservation
Languages: español, inglés y francés.
Bodega DiamAndes
C/Silva s/n 5565 – Vista Flores
Tunuyán – Mendoza – Argentina
Tel / Fax + 54 261 47 65 400

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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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MICHAEL EVANS AND PABLO GIMENEZ RIILI

WHAT THEY DO:

Co-founders of Vines of Mendoza, a cooperative vineyard in Argentina (vinesofmendoza.com)

HOW THEY TEAMED UP:

After an exhausting stint as a consultant to John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign, Evans came to Argentina for a three-week vacation and met Riili through a mutual friend. The two hit it off and spent several days visiting vineyards in the Mendoza, a rugged province in western Argentina. When Evans expressed interest in starting his own small operation, Riili explained that, below a certain amount of acreage, grape growing wasn’t financially feasible. So the two concocted the idea of a co-op in which investors could own fractions of a vineyard, bringing in several of Evans’ friends to purchase the land and start the Vines of Mendoza operation.

Read the complete article here.

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FREE SHIPPING ON ALL WINES FROM THE VINES!

The holiday season is hectic and crazy with friends and relatives you may or may not want to see, but we all should get in the holiday spirit!

The Vines is here to help you get through the holidays with the perfect gift for anyone  — everyone loves Malbec, right?
And you can add a couple of bottles to the shipment just to help you through those family events.

We are offering FREE SHIPPING on all wines for orders above $200 through December 31st.

Make sure you take note of the deadlines for shipment and POOF! your holiday shopping will be complete in one fell swoop.

Just enter promo code freeshipping when checking out.

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.

Felices Fiestas!

**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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Since my arrival in Napa, I have been visiting the various vineyards of Robert Mondavi winery (RMW), which is located in Oakville in the Napa Valley. From Calistoga in the north to Carneros in the south I have been checking on the health of the vines as well as the evolution of the grapes by analysis and sensory tasting to determine the best time to harvest for each of the varietals. My work is primarily concentrated on the red varietals like Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabermet Franc, Petit Verdot and of course, Cabernet Sauvignon. While the cosecha is being continuing in the vineyards, the fermentation is started, together with the winemaking team (Gustavo Gonzalez, enologist, and Genevieve Janssens, coordinator of enology for RMW) with daily tastings of all the tanks to ensure the quality of the final product. This part of the process is particularly interesting for me and gives me the opportunity to experience how to make wine from different climates and terrors, and with the wine that is obtained, I am able to learn from the winemaking experience of Gustavo and Genevieve.

But my life here is not only work! I love wine so on the weekends I have been visiting different wineries in Napa obviously tasting wines! This has been a great experience professionally and culturally! Saludos with a Cabernet from Oakville!

EN ESPANOL

Desde mi llegada he estado realizando visitas a los viñedos de Robert Mondavi Winery, ubicados en Napa Valley, desde Calistoga hasta Carneros, cuidando la sanidad de los mismos y posteriormente realizando un seguimiento de la evolucion de la madurez por medio de analisis  quimicos y sensoriales, para determinar el mejor momento de cosecha de cada una de las variedades. Mayormente mi trabajo se centro en uvas tintas como pinot noir, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot y por supuesto, cabernet sauvignon. A medida que la cosecha va avanzando y el proceso de fermentacion se inicia, junto con el winemaking team (Gustavo Gonzalez, enologo de RMW y asesor de Krassia May, y Genevieve Janssens, coordinadora de enologia de RMW) realizamos degustaciones a diario de todos los tanques para asegurar la calidad del producto final. Esta etapa en particular significa una gran experiencia profesional pues puedo vincular una viticultura en climas y terroir diferentes, con el vino obtenido, aprendiendo a su vez de la experiencia de profesionales de la talla de Gustavo y Genevieve.

Pero no solo la vida es trabajo! me encanta el vino, asique los fines de semana, hacia tours por las bodegas mas reconocidas de napa, y obviamente degustaciones!to
Ha sido una gran experiencia laboral y cultural! Ya vamos a brindar con un cab sauvignon de Oakvillle!

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ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT!

Stock yourself up for Independence weekend!

25% off all of our wines in our online store.

CHEERS!

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