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Bodega Decero | New Restaurant

Monday, September 27th, 2010

Bodega Decero has now opened their restaurant for visitors to fully indulge in the Argentine wine experience with spectacular views of the Andes and luxurious food and wine pairings. They have partnered with well known Mendocino chef Matías Podestá to create a seasonal menu that is paired with their wines. You can choose from several different options of entradas, “platos principales” and deserts, to suit your fancy. The choices also appeal to vegetarians and those that are feeling the beef hangover and are craving food from the sea.

To whet your appetite we have provided some of the options and some photos to entice you to come and visit. Make sure that you make a reservation, you wouldn’t want to miss this. Open Monday through Saturday from 12pm-3pm, 3 course lunch paired with wines $180 pesos.

Some of their menu options:

empanadas: chorizo sausage, blood sausage, osobuco
Corn cake with creamy goat cheese and proscuitto
A citrus salmon baked with seeds on a bed of vegetable cous cous
Grilled steak with an assortment of fresh grilled vegetables
Pumpkin sorrentinos with a creamy arugula, almond and sun dried tomato sauce

Wines: Finca Decero Malbec 2008, Finca Decero Syrah 2007, Finca Decero Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

To make a reservation for wine tastings or a decadent lunch, please contact:

Ana Inés Musi Senior Wine Educator

T: +54 261 524 4747 int. 12

anaines.musi@decero.com

Posted in In the News, Mendoza Bodegas, Photos | No Comments »


The Vines Wine Barrel Tasting Outdoors!

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

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.

Posted in Behind the bottle, Private Vineyard Estates | No Comments »


2010 Owner Harvest Recap

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Here in Mendoza we are in the midst of late fall, the yellow and red colors are resplendent in the streets and vineyards, the light is hazy with golden hues, and there is a brisk freshness to the breeze as you walk down the streets. Fall has flown by, but Cosecha 2010 was a whirlwind of activities and we are now able to look back and see everything that we were able to accomplish in such a short time. We had many of our Private Vineyard Estate owners on hand to harvest and process their wines and we are now carefully watching over them as they go through their first and second fermentations in our new winery. I was chatting with owner Barry Chaiken from Boston, who brought a troupe of friends to experience this almost magical process. Below is a brief recap of what he and his friends were able to experience. So, cheers to all the other Private Vineyard Estate owners that made wine this year- we are looking forward to tasting the final product!

Notes from the 2010 Harvest by Barry Chaiken

What a great trip!! Over a two week period I had 12 of my closest friends travel to Mendoza to share my first harvest at Chaiken Vineyards. In addition to touring the vineyard, we visited the newly built winery, met with the consulting winemakers, and sampled some of the best food in Argentina.

OK, here’s the news on the harvest. Due to a relatively cool summer, harvest was delayed almost two weeks. Although this prevented me from seeing the malbec being picked, it does offer great hope for the wines. Warm days were followed by cool evenings allowing the sugars and acidity to be in balance, which means more interesting and flavorful wines.

On my last visit to the vineyard our winemakers were blind tasting all the grapes from every vineyard determining the right day for picking. Although winemakers use equipment to measure BRIX (sugar levels), nothing is more important than how the grapes taste. Amazingly, each winemaker tastes more than four pounds during one of these sessions. Winemakers grade the grapes A, B, or C with A the highest rating. So how did we do? We got an A!!

Harvest of our malbec began the week of April 5th. Primary fermentation takes place over a two week period for each varietal with the malbec followed by syrah, cabernet franc, and then cabernet sauvignon. I should be getting a report on the how it’s all going real soon. Right now everyone both in Mendoza and here in the U.S. are excited about it all.

Chaiken Vineyards

www.chaikenvineyards.com
info@chaikenvineyards.com
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Posted in Experiences | No Comments »


New Bus Tour to Uco Valley Wineries

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Amongst the tourists that I have encountered in the The Vines Tasting Room, it is amazing how seemingly a lot of people like to “bike and wine”- personally I would just stay at the first winery, ditch the bike, keep drinking and have someone pick me up. “Biking and wining” also tends to keep you confined to Maipu where the wineries are conveniently located fairly close together and there are some various lunch options available.

If I were to bike and wine- which I probably never will- I would hit the Uco Valley. The landscapes are stunning, the air is pure and the culture is 100% campo- or rural Argentina. However it is a bit difficult to get to and the wineries are fairly distant from each other which effectively ruling out the easy “bikes and wines.”

HOWEVER now there is another option other than renting a car or getting a remis for the day- which tends to be a bit too expensive for the average backpacker and tourist on their own. Andesmar has worked with several bodegas in the Uco Valley to create a day trip to sample several wineries at a very amenable price.

The Bus Vitivinicola (super fun word to say- may take some practice for gringos) is still in its infancy and currently offers tours on Fridays for $100 pesos for the day and you can purchase your tickets online. They will be expanding their services to Tuesdays and Saturdays for South Uco Valley and Fridays and Sundays for the Northern Uco Valley. You can visit the bodegas Atamisque, Andeluna, Salentein, O’Fournier and La Celia.

So now you have another option for touring the Uco Valley on your next visit to Mendoza!

Here are a couple of links to videos in spanish in you can’t wait for the real deal and want to take a turn virtually.

http://www.malbectv.com/video.php?id=188

http://www.malbectv.com/video.php?id=187

Posted in Experiences, Mendoza Bodegas | No Comments »


The Vines last day of 2010 Cosecha

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

It has been a busy fall for us here in Mendoza with the winery, clients, and harvest! Today marks the last day we will be harvesting grapes and we currently have 82 different lots of wines! We have 74 lots are fermenting in stainless steel tanks- we have the ultimate technology in microfermentation! Each owner has their own tank and the cellar staff is busy with hand punch downs, some of the owners have even gotten in on the action, and monitoring the fermentation process. 6 wines have already completed fermentation and are in barrel ready to go through malolactic fermentation. This year we produced Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Syrah. Now I can’t wait for the blending trials!

It has been a monumental year for us and we are happy to share it with both our owners as well as everyone that will be drinking these wines in the future!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »


The Vines Team- Cosecha Day 2010

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Every year the entire Vines team heads into the vineyard to harvest grapes that will eventually become wine for guests at The Vines of Mendoza’s tasting room. This year was especially unique because we were able to harvest and process the grapes in our own winery! As many of us work and live in Mendoza city, about an hour from the Uco Valley, and as we are in the midst of high tourist season, we often are not able to visit the finca as much as we would like. I watched as many members of the team entered the winery for the first time and the looks of incredulity were amazing. The bright shiny tanks and fully functioning sorting line and pumps, all gleaming with the smell of wine in the air, captivated the imaginations of what had previously only been a dream, but was now a reality.

Several owners were on hand to experience the process and we all jumped in and helped with the selection process. After several hours of hard work “on the line” we took a break to celebrate with lomos off the parrilla, super thin beef sandwiches (yum) and of course some champagne and fernet branca y coca (national Argentine drink of choice).  It was a momentous day for the entire team, one that culminates a year of hard work and amazing achievements!

Posted in Experiences, Life in Mendoza, Private Vineyard Estates | No Comments »


Mendoza’s new Art Atelier- Gonzalo Anton

Friday, April 9th, 2010

One of Mendoza´s best kept secrets is the new atelier of international artist Gonzalo Antón (www.gonzaloanton.com) located on Larrea Street 1585, the heart of Chacras de Coria village: a district known for its small wineries, boutique inns and premium tourist attractions.

Gonzalo Antón was born in Mendoza and spends most of the year here when not traveling and personally delivering his paintings to international clients. He is often featured in international art exhibitions-you can see some of his international exhibits and press coverage in his website.
The atelier, with a spacious garden with a pool and the beautiful backdrop of ancient trees and the tranquility that is found inthe country- it is a perfect spot to create beautiful works of art.. After admiring some of his huge canvases (some measure 170 by 90 inches -4 by 2 meters!-) you will wish you had more space in your home to add some of his pieces. And if you are in luck that day, you might be one of the few he invites over for a drink afterward at his private home -just a 2 minute drive away- to frolic in the garden with his pet peacocks. Settle back with some wine and enjoy a lively conversation, a beautiful setting and fine art- this is sure to be one of the highlights of your trip.

Be sure to book a visit to Gonzalo´s hidden atelier when coming to Mendoza! Reservations can be made by calling 156 607 531 (from USA dial 011 549 261 660 7531).

Posted in Experiences, Life in Mendoza | 1 Comment »


CONFERENCE CALL: “Cosecha 2010. Uco Valley – Mendoza – Argentina”

Friday, April 9th, 2010

“COSECHA 2010: Uco Valley – Mendoza – Argentina“ conference call was hosted on April 6th, 2010 by Michael Evans, CEO of The Vines of Mendoza. The 4 panelists were Rob Lawson, Santiago Achaval, Pablo Giménez Riili and Pablo Martorell.

> Download the MP3 file for your iPod / iTunes here.
(right click link then download / save as)

Posted in Podcasts | 1 Comment »


COSECHA 2010 | Conference Call | Sign Up Now!

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

UCO VALLEY – COSECHA 2010 - MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

Day: April 6th | Time: 7pm EDT

Please join The Vines of Mendoza and our winemaking team for a quarterly
conference call about the Cosecha (harvest) 2010.
Leading wine experts, Santiago Achaval of Achaval Ferrer and Rob Lawson of Pavi wines and Napa Wine Company will talk with Pablo Giménez Riili and Pablo Martorell about this years grape harvest, the status of the vineyards, our experiences and the industry overall in Mendoza, Argentina.
Get an insiders perspective about what its like to make wine in Argentina and what new and exciting happenings are in store.

REGISTER HERE

Please send any questions you would like to have answered during the call to emily@vinesofmendoza.com

There will be a live chat for questions and comments.
We will also record the conversation  and share it as a podcast at  www.vinesofmendoza.com.

Posted in Experiences, Private Vineyard Estates | No Comments »


South African Wine Tasting at The Vines

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

We are surrounded by Malbec, Torrontes, and all Argentine wines, all the time. Last Friday, we had the distinct pleasure to host a tasting organized by Wines of South Africa to learn more about our Southern Hemisphere sister and her wines.

A group of prominent sommeliers and winemakers from Mendoza were on hand to learn about the growing wine regions of South Africa and what makes their wines special. For me it is infinitely amazing to see how different wine varietals are expressed so differently dependant in the terroir and growing conditions.

We started out with a sparking from Graham Beck made from 100% Chardonnay which was rich with yeasty aromas, hints for clean lime, persistent bubbles in the mouth, lots of apple and pear and a lovely finish.

Next up was a Sauvignon Blanc from Elim called the Weathergirl, 2008. Really typical varietal flavors of herbs, grass, pear, and apple, it was bright with acidity and character.

The star of the night was the 2008 Forrester Meinert Chenin Blanc (FMC) and surprisingly it had 12.8 grams of residual sugar. This means that it should taste sweet on the mouth, yet the acidity and balance of this wine, made the sugar blend into a balanced wine throughout the mouth with fragrant aromas and a lingering finish.

The reds were comprised of a 2007 pinotage made by an ‘estate’ (which is the English for ‘Landgoed’) named Groot Constantia, 2007 de Trafford Shiraz from Stellenbosch, 2008 The Chocolate Block from Boekenhoutskloof, based in Franschhoek69% Syrah, 12% Grenache Noir, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cinsault, 2% Viognier) the Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005 from Jonkershoek Valley in Stellenbosch.

The amount of varietals that are planted in South Africa is impressive with many Rhone varietals and the popular Pinotage. Host, Meryl Weaver gave a comprehensive overview of the different wine regions of South Africa as well as some of the history of the industry. Like Argentina, they have been greatly affected by the effect of foreign technology and investment in the last 1990′s with political restructuring help from Nelson Mandela. Today the country is much more peaceful and we look forward to seeing more of what South Africa has to offer!

Posted in Experiences, Tasting Notes | 2 Comments »


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