AnuvaBlog

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.

Anuva Vinos was born from an observation I made about my father—a man who has NEVER drank with regularity in his life. When he came from Portland to visit me last November, I wanted to take him to Mendoza. Not only because I knew he could use a drink (!), but because Mendoza has some of the most gorgeous scenery in the world. Especially at that time of year, the deep green vines line the countryside backed by the snow-capped Andes, creating one of the most enjoyable places to drink wine I have ever been. After going to many wine tastings at different bodegas (wineries), my father became hooked on a young, fruity, easy- to-drink Malbec from a small producer we visited. He bought two cases to take home. Having never seen my father enjoy any form of alcohol—not beer, not wine, not spirits—nor spend a very large amount of money on wine that he would have to schlep home himself, I thought “This is the wine people need to be drinking. People need to know about this.” And thus the idea was born.

The name came later on. After many terrible, painful to pronounce, indecipherable mouthfuls (imagine having to type www.argentinawineexperience.com every time you had to visit our site!), we combined the Spanish word “uva” meaning grape with the English “an” to create Anuva, or “a grape.” We thought it nicely summed up what we are all about… the grapes. Good ones. Really, really good ones.

At Anuva Vinos, we search for and distribute wines that exhibit and express the greatness of the grapes found in Argentina. This means that we look for bodegas that put their fruit first. The good news is that in Argentina, especially at the micro-bodegas we partner with, the winemakers take tremendous measures to care for their grapes. They even go to the extent of harvesting in the dark of night, so that their grapes do not spontaneously ferment in the harsh, midday sun. They also harvest, trim and prune by hand, and in essence take a much more personal approach to their winemaking than many of the larger Argentine producers the world is more familiar with. The great grapes and personal attention given to the process is what gives micro-bodega wine in Argentina its distinctive qualities: drinkability, fruit forward and elegance.

After finding this style of wine in Argentina, and seeing the relationship between price and quality, we wanted to confirm what our gut told us – that other people, besides my dad, would like this style of wine. Before we formally launched, we did some tasting experiments with tourists in Buenos Aires and Mendoza to see how they would react to our wine selections. The overwhelming result was:

“Wow, I never knew wine could be so easy to enjoy.”

After these results we began to pick the wines. We make our selections with not only the oenophiles in mind, but also people like my Dad who are just starting out on their wine odysseys. Thus, in every quarterly shipment you will receive wines that can be appreciated by both of these groups, and most importantly that will all adhere to the characteristics of fruit forward, easy to drink, and elegant. In addition to that, to guarantee quality (and for the oenophiles) we consult with top notch sommeliers in Mendoza, and Buenos Aires.

So for wine enthusiasts and wine beginners alike, we hope that the wines you enjoy through Anuva Vinos will make you want to drink more - lead to great conversations about wine and also great conversation over wine. Because above all, wine is meant to be shared.

Our first case of six will arrive at your homes in the end of November, and charter memberships will be available at a discount until the end of 2007.

Que disfruten (Enjoy!)!