AnuvaBlog

We had 5 wines last night at Anuva’s wine tasting in Las Cañitas: Hom Espumante, Ikella Malbec, Sin Fin Malbec, Tobiano Cabernet-Sauvignon, and Don Juan Reserve. The favorites of the tasting ended up being the Don Juan (no surprise there) and the Sin Fin Malbec and besides a corked bottle at the onset, everyone walked away happy from the tasting at El Estanciero last night. El Estanciero provided a gorgeous “picada” of sun-dried tomatoes, olives, cheeses and meats. Should anyone be in the Las Canitas area and in need of picada or steak I very much recommend it.

Thanks to Expat-Connection, we had very good attendance and a lively talkative group. For those of you visiting or living in Buenos Aires, I highly recommend checking out their events as they are fun filled and a great way to connect with English speaking locals and sometimes tourists.

Dearest Readers and Members…

It is my distinct pleasure to inform you that Anuva has just added 10 new wines to its wine store! I guess the logical question is “What do I recommend?” Well, all of them of course! It depends on the occasion. I will only address the next collection of 6 here:

Santos Beck Torrontés, a lively and fresh white from the province of San Juan, will do very nicely when you serve it chilled on these warm summer days coming up.

Naiara Reserva Malbec compliments and hearty dish. It’s robust, concentrated and velvety smooth.

Durigutti Malbec Reserve takes a more fruit forward approach to the Malbec genre but also has great complexity and depth.

Beviam Syrah will begin a bit closed and dry but as it opens will explode with typical syrah characteristics like blackberry and spice.

Occhioverde Merlot, an organic wine (the name means “green eye” in Italian) combines sumptuous herbs like oregano, thyme and rosemary with hints of black and red fruits.

And finally, Callejon del Crimen Petit Verdot from Finca La Luz, an uncommon varietal, gets the award for most unique wine in this group. Minty and chocolaty at the onset with hints of spice and gingerbread, this 12 month oaked varietal is long, supple and full.

We await your comments…

Last week we had several upstanding citizens of the English speaking Expat community over to sample Anuva’s wines. What a hit it was! We had a total of 9 Americans and Brits here and while our discussion began about wine, winemaking, wine tasting and drinking, and the malbecs, bonardas and blends we were drinking, we ended up talking about politics, travel and business ideas.

The biggest hit, not surprisingly, was the Don Juan from Las Perdices which was the reserve wine served that night. It’s a complicated mouthful of 14 months of oak aged malbec blended with syrah, bonarda and merlot. Full, velvety and luscious.

A great treat for the tasting was a spicy sausage brought by one of our British members. Caked with pepper, this is one of the few foods I have found in Argentina that actually makes my body temperature rise. And what a combination with the Malbecs and the Bonarda. The pepper of the sausage really brought out different characteristics in all of these wines. Just goes to show there is always something new to learn about wine, food and their combinations. Especially with good company.

We go through so much headache shipping wines to the US and EU that it is quite satisfying when new shipments of new wines finally go out to our members. We have quite a collection this May, all stuff that will keep your palates enthralled and your glasses filled.

If I had to pick a favorite in this collection, it would be very hard, because each has its appeal–that is the beauty of wine–so much variety. And since I spend the better part of my life sifting through all the bad wine that is made out there to bring you guys the best, its hard for me to choose from six greats (since I already chose those from about 300 others). Santos Beck Torrontés is delicate and easy. Great on a hot summer day. Naiara Reserve Malbec is super velvety and rich. Durigutti Malbec Reserve: black and red fruits, bold, complex. Finca La Luz Petit Verdot: mint, chocolate, tobacco. Beviam Syrah: gorgeous just to look at and even better in the mouth. Occhioverde Merlot (my favorite name for a wine–it means “Green Eye” in Italian and is named that way because it is organic): great body, great herbs and spices.

I think I’m ready to go open a bottle for myself. Lourdes is cooking basil spaghetti with Salsa Bolognesa (tomato and herb based meat sauce). Hmm… I think Occhio Verde or maybe Naiara…

…Or maybe both.

The idea for my wine club spawned about 12 months ago when I took my Dad to Mendoza. My father is a man who has never like alcohol in any form—no beer, no wine, no spirits. Not for any health reason, mind you, but simply because he didn’t like the taste. After my own awakening to the joy of Argentine wine, I figured he might like a drink at the foot of the Andes. So when I witnessed him purchase 2 cases of a young Malbec at an out of the way bodega (winery), I thought I could make something happen from this.

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A little Argentine wine 101 for everyone who needs it. And even if you don’t, this may provide some good cocktail party sound bites!

It is important to know that wine is not only an agricultural product, but a living thing. Wine changes. In the barrel, in the bottle, in the glass, and even in your mouth, wine will take on new characteristics according to its environment. Wine tasting is extremely subjective. I have met too many winemakers, wine club owners, and wine enthusiasts who tried to convince me that their wine was the best (“Un Vinasso”—a fantastic wine.) When dealing with wine, we can only have preferences. What we at Anuva Vinos claim, therefore, is that our wine represents a particular style and culture. The Argentine style and culture. Easy to drink, fruit forward, and elegant.

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Welcome to our blog! This part of the site is one of my favorites because we can do a deep dive into the latest and greatest things that are happening in wine, the micro-bodega (small wineries) industry and of course, the breathtaking country of Argentina. Before I get ahead of myself, I want to take a step back and give you the lowdown on how Anuva Vinos got started.

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