AnuvaBlog

Upon returning to Buenos Aires, I am always shocked as to the difference in the quality of the dairy products here vs. the United States. For lack of a better term, I shall call this the “creaminess factor”. The problem, though, is that this does not accurately sum up the difference in flavor and quality between milk, yogurt, cheese (not variety… quality), and ice cream in Argentina vs. the U.S. I had my first cup of coffee with a splash of milk yesterday and there is richness and fullness to the flavor that is unmistakable. It’s the same type of quality that you get in Europe.

And this of course translates to ice cream.

I would argue that Argentina has the best ice cream in the world. First, because of the quality of the cream. Mostly free range cows who make better milk followed by the fact that that milk goes through less processing. The only other country that comes close is Italy, but they use egg yolk in their gelatto so it is not a fair comparison.

The best places to go get ice cream in Buenos Aires are:

1. Persicco. What a wondrous and jovial place! What great uniforms! Oh my God, dulce de leche con brownie, mascarpone con frutos del bosque, bacciola, chocolate amargo!! That first flavor is dulce de leche ice cream with real artesenal dulce de leche mixed in with big chunks of chewy brownie. Give me my insulin shot now!

The second flavor is akin to strawberry cheesecake but 10x better. It has the hints of the flavor of mascarpone cheese with a rich raspberry/blackberry swirl mixed in.

Bacciola is basically Nutella flavored ice cream with chunks of hazelnut. Chocolate amargo is dark chocolate, but the richest most chocolately dark chocolate you’ve ever had.

2. Freddo. All over the place and with as much selection as Persicco, just a little more expensive.

3. Cremolatti. What you can be happy about here is the Mantecol flavored ice cream. Mantecol is a sort of brittle, peanut buttery candy bar here in Argentina that they have turned into an ice cream. Jump on the treadmill first.

4. Heladería Venezia. Located in Palermo just off of Av. Santa Fe on the 4500 block of calle Berutti, this is one of the only places where you can actually see the process of making ice cream. They have 3 small vats in the back where they put their creams, flavors and sugars to make you some of the most joyous chilly mouthfuls you have ever experienced.

5. Cabaña Tuyu. These guys have a flavor called Banadita Dolca. This is also a candy that is native to Argentina (discovered by the Mapuche?? :)) that is basically a banana nougat  covered in chocolate. Tuyu has converted this into a concentrated banana/chocolate ice cream that I used to order weekly (read: daily).

Que disfruten!

www.anuvawines.com

What I want to know is why doesn’t Cavagnaro Reserve Malbec 2004 have about 99 points from Robert Parker, Wine Spectator, Steven Tanzer and the rest.

It is hands down one of the top Malbecs made in Argentina yet no one knows about it.We opened a bottle for a tasting 3 days ago and decided to finish the bottle tonight. What lusciousness and wonder! It’s like a carnivorous, smoke filled, overripe black cherry with the richness of a cheesecake and an aroma of a country kitchen where pies are being baked.

Put that with a rich pork tenderloin (especially when it’s from Argentina) and some baked sweet potatoes on oil and my welcome party back to Buenos Aires was a hit. For my palate at least.

www.anuvawines.com

Just thought I would plug us for a little bit: http://alternativelatininvestor.com/wine2.phpYay!

http://austin10.cityspur.com/2009/10/28/global-cost-of-living-ranking-1-april-2009/

That link there shows you the top 300 or so cities in the world in descending order from most expensive. Buenos Aires comes in at number 252 on the list meaning that it is incredibly cheap to live here.

The irony, however, is that although rent, transportation and food are quite inexpensive when compared to the rest of the world, clothing, electronics, “exotic foods” (like sushi) and actually wine as well are all as expensive or more so than the United States.

Just look at prices for the ipod: twice as expensive in Argentina vs. the U.S.

Look at Levi’s, Old Navy or other “normal” brand clothing: also twice as expensive in Argentina.

Look at Alamos wines (from Catena) or Norton, Trapiche, Las Perdices, Mairena, or Mevi: all of these wines are comparitively 3 times as expensive in Argentina as in the U.S.Why is this? Well, in the case of electronics and clothing it is due to extremely high import duties as well as increased shipping costs. Don’t be fooled though, it is the import duties that account for 99% of the difference where shipping only accounts for maybe 1%.

So why is domestically produced wine (the only wine in Argentina) so much more expensive in Argentina than in the U.S. Keep in mind that I am comparing the same brands. There are many brands that exist in Argentina that you can get for less than a dollar. But none of those are sold in the U.S.

The reasons, according to my friends in wine circles, that wine in Argentina costs the same if not more in Argentina than in the U.S. comes down to three things: greed, import duties, and value added tax. Again, don’t be fooled, it is greed that accounts for 90% of this equation. But not just on the part of the wineries and distributors: greed of the government. A 21% V.A.T. is added to all goods. And in Argentina it’s added 3 times: once when the winery sells to a distributor, once when the distributor sells to the retailer, and once when the retailer sells to the public. This accounts for a 77% increase in the price of the wine due to taxes.

But that’s not all. Why is it that you cannot find any imported wine in Argentina? Literally I can count on my hand the number of restaurants and wine shops that offer something from outside Argentina. And I’m including Chile, which is their next door neighbor. A huge import duty (50% at times) exist on all imported wine as a protectionist measure. Could you imagine what wine would cost in Argentina if this duty was reduced to say 5%? The market would become much more competitive and local producers would have to reduce prices to compete. Right now that huge import duty allows them to inflate prices without consequences.

It’s high time that Anuva Wines start recommending some wineries to visit in Mendoza, since this is a request we get a lot. Keep in mind that there are around 800 wineries in Mendoza in the 4 main regions of Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, Valle de Uco and San Rafael. Many large ones are very commercial, touristy and museum-like with fancy restaurants and artwork. This list here represents our favorites, in no particular order, and spans the range of quaint, small and family to large, commercial, Disneyland-for-wine type establishments.

1. Carinae Vinos. Owned by Philippe and Brigitte Subra, a lovely couple from France, this boutique winery has lovely vines, a nice little tasting room and plenty of personality. Great if you want to get to know the owners and winery personally. They also have fantastic Torrontés and a high end blend called Prestige which Michael Rolland consults on.

2. Carmello Patti. What a character. Will talk your ear off and let you taste whatever you want. Best Cabernet-Sauvignon in Argentina and widely distributed in the U.S.

3. Andeluna Cellars. Absolutely gorgeous grounds and tasting room with intricately carved tables and chairs. Great Reserve Chardonnay.

4. Salentein. Here is a museum (literally) in Mendoza with a gorgeous restaurant with a view of vines and the Andes. Their tour is also beautiful with their vast array of barrels and ins and outs.

5. Weinart. This is a non-traditional choice but I put it on here because of the history of the cellar. It is one of the only wineries in Mendoza that has oak casks (of 2500L up to 10,000L!!) that they are actually still using and experimenting with. They also have vintages of Malbec back into the 60s and 70s so if you happen to run into Peter Weinart, make him an offer and maybe he’ll let you have a bottle.

www.anuvawines.com