AnuvaBlog

Earlier this week, WineSur (an industry website essentially about all things wine in Argentina) had an article about how Argentine wines might find a unique opportunity in the midst of the recent economic turndown.

Various studies both in the US and the UK have already shown how spending practices are getting tigthened and people in bars and restaurants and shops are simply just spending less.

With that said, people like wine and drink it. And will continue to drink it. But they might start changing their choices. This is the moment that, WineSur says, Argentine wines could surge as people begin to realize the Malbec’s great “price-quality ratio.”

Well, this is something we’ve realized for a while now. You don’t have to sell blood to drink great wine, that you can drink a great wine like the Naiara Malbec Reserva 2005 and pay probably half of what you’d pay for a comparable French Bordeaux.

Three of my favorite people on earth have become Leslie and Mary and Erin. Why? They give of themselves when they feel compelled and ask nothing in return. They have helped me promote the Anuva wine club to a very high degree and have been super accommodating all the while.

Leslie and Mary hosted a tasting at San Francisco Massage Supply (www.sfmassagesupply.com). I was very impressed at the degree to which Leslie’s store provides products for massage therapists in the Bay Area. Being the only retail store dedicated to providing essential oils, massage oils, a vast array of massage tables and chairs really shows how much she is dedicated to supporting the massage therapists in her community.

Leslie is a massage therapist herself and so is Mary. Mary took pity upon my neck and shoulders after the tasting and have me a “tasting” of what she does. Heavenly! I have been lugging around cases of wine for the last 3 weeks and needless to say my traps needed some work. Check out  www.true-massage.com.

Now Erin falls into a more post-modern sort of category with her Namaste Mofo shirts and apparrel (http://www.namastemofo.com/shop/). While it maybe is not as wholly holistic as Leslie’s and Mary’s businesses, I love where Erin is taking her concept. Look for variations on the word “asana” as well.

Hats off to these 3 ladies!

Walking into The Beaumont on 150th last night, I felt at ease with the marble inlay and incredible decor of this gorgeous apartment building. My comfort and Janis’s wonderful ability to host (and project her voice) made this evening quite wonderful and enjoyable for all comers.

Although we did have a sock lady with lights on her ankles leave without trying any wine. Hmm. I got over that in about 3 seconds though, as we did have so many that were really appreciative.

Thankfully, we got an extra hour of sleep too.

Thanks Akasha and Kelly so much for having us over.

It was a birthday party atmosphere last night with much discussion about how we select our wines and how we import them.  Anecon Torrontés seemed to be the early favorite but it was surpassed by Mudai Pinot Noir and the Don Juan Reserve.

We sang happy birthday toward the end as I quickly though over the idea of wine pairings with the cupcakes that were present. What goes with pink frosting over vanilla cake?

Many thanks to Matt and Tatiana for organizing this event in their lovely home.

Lourdes was especially excited to have an even closer view of the Empire State Building which glowed red last night.

We had a full menu to go with the usual smattering of Torrontés, Bonarda, Malbec and other wines. Especially popular was the Mudai Pinot Noir. We found some great cheese combinations with the Bonarda especially. Combining the Bonarda with the brie we decided–after a supremely intellectual discussion of the subject of food/wine combining (”Eat what tastes good”)–brought out a decidedly pronounced black cherry flavor on the palate. A wonderful experience.

Equally wonderful was the dark chocolate with the Don Juan Reserve blend.

All the great food combining brought up the subject of biodynamic wines. We almost got Kelly to show us his biodynamic wine dance that evening, which apparently he may be taking off-Broadway shortly. He declined to comment how far off-Broadway.

First, thank yous to Carlos and Randy, two wonderful gentlemen who have been extremely generous and kind to us here at Anuva.

Last night saw a small gathering of friends and neighbors at Carlos’ house, exemplifying exactly what wine is all about: bringing together good people and good conversation. After getting the rooftop tour from Carlos, which was a delight for Lourdes’ first day ever in NYC, we went downstairs to pour wine. (Said Carlos as we traipsed his Zen styled roof terrace (from left to right in a near 360 degree panorama): “…the Empire State building, the Chrysler building, Mid-town, downtown, Martha Stewart’s house, Calvin Klein’s house, Tom (Brady) and Gizelle’s house. Oh right, and Bono lives there.”)

Besides the Zaino and Cavagnaro Malbec’s, and the Reserve Don Juan which always capture the attention of our crowds, Mayol Bonarda got a lot of “wow’s” and “very nice’s” from our guests. I am convinced that this has to do with the unique nature of the varietal Bonarda in general. It is something that simply doesn’t exist in the U.S. on a broad level. We hope to change this.

The surprise last night was the arrival of Amy. How was I to know that they had invited former faculty from my high school to this gig? After learning that she had switched from teaching English in Portland, OR (my home town), to becoming a professional photographer, we drank wine and continued the festivities.

While the world market rumble and tumble, wine seems to be getting all the better. So if you’re looking for a place to put that hard earned investment cash, wine just might be a good bet (click here for the full article):

With the stock market as volatile as it is, more and more people are finding that investing in items is preferable to investing in companies. The primary commodities investors look for are art and wine – and those two are doing quite well while many other investments are failing around them.

While world stock markets have foundered, Liv-Ex, the London-based wine exchange, has seen a 40 per cent increase in its index this year.

“More and more people are looking at wine as an asset class, discovering it is uncorrelated to bonds and equities,” said Andrew della Casa, a director at the London-based Wine Investment Fund.

It’s sample tasting time at Anuva, and we had 8 Malbecs yesterday, most from the high desert region of Salta, near the Bolivian border. Unfortunately, we were highly disappointed with yesterdays showing. Most were medicinal (overly so), undeveloped and unexpressive. Some were downright flawed. But this is the process that we so nobly suffer through at Anuva in order to bring you the best of the undiscovered wines of Argentina.

What included at this tasting a group of Chardonnay, that several winemakers/wineries insisted we try and were pleasantly surprised with one in particular. Urraca oaked Chardonnay is one Chardonnay that I might consider putting into the wine club. I always hesitate to put Chardonnay(or Cab-Sav for that matter) into the club as they are two varitals that are produced in enormous quantities in other regions of the world.

But this buttery-as-hell Chardonnay was really quite enjoyable. As full as a white wine can get, with a supple texture and oozing butter aromas and buttery taste (along with some green apple and a nice dancing feel on the palate), we were quite pleased with this wine.

We shall see if it becomes the first Chardonnay varietal to make it into the club.

Such a hideous time in the marketplace has not occurred since the Great Depression. Indeed, many an expert and novice alike predict the likelihood of dire economic conditions. What is interesting is that investment in vintage wine and first growth wine is up.

Could this be a real way to invest your money in a time where every investments seems risky and uncertain? It certainly seems possible.

www.liv-ex.com has a wine market index that includes many of the most historically sought after brands. The index us up 9.5% since the beginning of the year and 7.1% year-on-year. Seems like a good time to invest.

For all you fans out there here is a blurb that might get you excited. Please feel free to send it to everyone you know-Lindsay Olson of Paradigm Staffing did (For all your PR and marketing needs… Lindsay rocks!):

Dear Friends,

Daniel and his Argentine fiancée Lourdes recently started an exclusive wine club called Anuva that sources limited production wines from Argentina for its members. They will be doing private wine tastings to launch the club in select US cities on the following dates:

• New York City: October 27-November 9
• Los Angeles: November 9-November 27
• Portland, OR: November 27-January 6, 2009

Tastings will be led by Daniel and will be for groups of 6-10 people, 12 max. Each group tasting costs $175 total (not per person) and includes:

• 6 different wines guaranteed to please. All limited production and exclusive.
• The glassware
• Set-up/clean-up
• The witty banter (he does a very good presentation I would say)

A host would need to invite the people, provide the space, and could contribute optional food items. Daniel will consult for this upon request (without charge of course).Larger groups can be accommodated, but please contact Daniel to discuss the particulars or if you have any questions:

Contact:

Daniel Karlin
Founder, Anuva Vinos
email: daniel@anuvavinos.com
phone: 310-601-8279 (U.S. landline in Buenos Aires)

Thanks!

d.

And thank you all for sharing!