AnuvaBlog

Anuva just got a great write-up in The Oregonian! (They got a couple of the minor details wrong, but the gist is spot on.)

From Oregon to Argentina and back

“Two years ago, Portland native Daniel Karlin traveled to Argentina and fell in love — twice. His first love is named Lourdes Silvera, and she’s now Karlin’s fiancee. His second love was Argentine wine, and it’s now his baby.

Karlin’s company, called Anuva Vinos, sources small-batch, artisanal Argentine wines that aren’t available in the U.S. and direct-ships them to its members. (Anuva is a mishmash of “Argentina” and uva, which means “grape” in Spanish.) The well-curated monthly picks tend to be heavy on Argentina’s signature red, malbec, followed by lesser-known Argentine as well as international varietals.

If you’ve been reading this column lately, you know that malbec and the white torrontes offer tremendous bang for the buck…”

Check out the rest of the article here.

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.

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.

I will admit that this is a bit of a sore subject for me, as I am in the business of shipping wine, but I have not yet met a single American who has attended one of my wine tastings who doesn’t cringe when they realize that they live in a state that does not permit direct to consumer shipping of wine.

They stand and look at me flabbergasted, as if I had something to do with the fact that they can’t simply go on the internet and buy the wine they prefer. An article here in the Citizen’s Voice gives great insight into why these direct shipping bans exist (someone thinks that they will not be getting their money), and the ridiculousness of that:

“There is nothing complicated about allowing consumers to buy the wine they prefer over the Internet and having it shipped, while still ensuring compliance with state tax and underage drinking laws. Most other states have figured it out, but the Politburo that runs Pennsylvania’s booze monopoly prefers to treat it as indecipherable rocket science.

According to the Wine Institute, 81 percent of all adult Americans have access to their preferred brands over the Internet. Pennsylvanians are a large chunk of the other 19 percent.

And make no mistake, this truly is a matter of choice. The Wine Institute says that 40,000 to 50,000 domestic labels, and another 40,000 to 50,000 imported labels, are available for sale in the United States each year. Well, the United States excluding Pennsylvania, where the state monopoly has 3,024 listed varieties and about 22,000 others that can be ordered through the state system — about 25 percent of the variety available to other Americans, often at better prices.

Several courts have found that states cannot simply forbid shipments of out-of-state wines, if they allow shipments of wines produced in-state — a little matter known as interstate commerce.

Here’s how a pending bill in Pennsylvania would purport to have the state comply. Consumers could order from a winery, but the shipment would have to go to the state Liquor Control Board, which would then deliver it for a fee. Orders could be made only to wineries that produce 80,000 gallons a year or less, which fits the description of most wineries inside Pennsylvania.

That, of course, is ridiculous. Of 19 “control” states, those where the state government controls varying degrees of the business, 12 allow direct shipments to consumers. None of those states is as “controlled” as Pennsylvania. But New Hampshire, with state-controlled sales, allows direct shipments. It requires shippers to use licensed interstate carriers, for the shipments to be clearly labeled, and for adults to sign the receipts. Consumers get the products they want. The state gets its cut. Cheers.

Rather than forever guarding its own interests, the PLCB should find a way to accommodate consumers who aren’t satisfied with its selection and service. And the Legislature should do far better than trying to convert the PLCB into a delivery service, an enterprise that requires a far greater degree of urgency than the agency is likely to muster.”This article was published Thursday, August 28th, 2008.

It is too bad that ultimately, the consumer is always the one who gets hurt in situations where massive, rich distributors, or other entities that hold onto monopolies are unwilling to change, adapt and overcome new circumstances that will make everyone better off.