When discussing Argentine wine regions the topic tends to focus on Mendoza, its silky Malbec and Nicolas Catena’s influence (http://www.bibendum-wine.co.uk/retail/news/February/2009/Catena_Decanter) on the quality of the wine produced in Argentina.  Possibly someone will mention Salta’s floral and fruity Torrontes (even though the Torrontes grapes, though grown in Salta, are commonly shipped over night to Mendoza for processing), but other than that the average consumers does not talk about the other regions in Argentina.  This is not without reason:  Mendoza represents more than 60% of Argentine wine production, it represents a much higher percentage of exported wines, and Torrontes and Malbec are grown with unique characteristics in Argentina and have found a niche in foreign markets. 

The next highest wine producing region of Argentina is San Juan, located directly north of Mendoza.  This area is in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains, resulting in an arid climate watered by snow melt and run off, just like Mendoza.  However the climate here is slightly warmer, and the grape of choice for high quality wine shifted from Bordeaux’s Malbec to the Rhone’s Syrah.  This is not to say you won’t find Malbec from San Juan, it is still grown there but it is not the ideal terroir as is offered in the south.  Wine purchased here will be less expensive (for now) than Mendoza’s wines, and while Malbec might not be as good, this does not mean there are not great wines to be had.  Medoc’s Petit Verdot also seems to have found a home.  This is a French grape used in Bordeaux blends, but has the down fall of being late ripening to the point of commonly losing the entire crop and only occasionally being ripened properly.  The fact that the Syrah market is already saturated  domestically in the US and Europe has limited the export market of San Juan’s signature grape, but does not make the wine produced there any less potable or any less the value of Mendoza.  In fact in Buenos Aires premier wine event, “Cuisine and Vin” there were two rooms dedicated to San Juan. 

To the south is Patagonia (encompassing Neuqúen and Rio Negro), which stirs ideas of glaciers, mountains and even penguins, but to an oenophile it should be known as the bastion of hope for Argentine production of quality Pinot Noir (though Mendoza has been producing good Pinot Noir by using high  altitude of the vineyards).  The area is only in its infancy, with only a handful of wineries, but this has not kept it from receiving some promising press (http://www.winesur.com/ver_nota.php?nota=17803).  With Oregon’s Willamette Valley, New Zealand’s Central Otago and of course Burgundy, representing the few places producing quality Pinot Noirs, Patagonia is Argentina’s opportunity  to break into a market which is fiercely loyal, low in supply and willing to pay a lot of money for a quality product.  The relative small number of wineries in the region will leave you coming across the same names over and over, two of which are Bodega Chacra, and Familia Schroeder.  Bodega Chacra represents the most respected name in the region, with old vines and the reviews to match. (http://www.londonfinewine.co.uk/blog/default/2009/06/09/1244561705947.html) Familia Schroeder is the producer of “Saurus” and will be the most easily found example of a decent Patagonian Pinot Noir in or outside of Argentina.   

During the 1st four months of 2009 Argentine Customs reported US exports of 1.966.955 nine-liter cases totaling $ 64.902.928 at an average price of $ 33 per nine-liter case. US Customs reports that for the same period Argentina exported $ 70.340.285 (including BTW) and 30.006.359 liters, or 3.334.039 nine-liter cases. The difference between the Argentine Customs Report and the US Customs Report is $ 5.437.357 and 1.367.084 nine-liter cases…this is the BTW amount for the first four months of 2009. There is a small variation in the four-month report of the two Customs due to timing issues. Argentine customs reports all shipments leaving its ports as of April 30th, while the US Customs only reports shipments landed at its ports as of April 30th. As we can appreciate 1) a number of the April 09 shipments from Argentina will not arrive on US shores until May 09 and 2) a number of shipments that left the Argentine ports on December 08, will not arrive in the US until January 09. Therefore, the timing issues will cause the two four-month reports to vary slightly. The 1.367.084 nine-liter case equivalents for $ 5.437.357 gives us an average of $ 0.44 per liter of BTW, which is not too far from the 2008 results of $ 0.46 per liter.

Distributors.

I can understand that the point of view of a distributor is that direct to consumer shipping, especially from domestic wineries, will steal market share from their businesses. The flaw in this argument, is that most of the wineries that are truly interested  in making their small business work through D2C shipping are too small to work with many distributors. They simply don’t have the volume. Even if they could afford to supply many different distributors with a pallet per month, they run the risk of running out of inventory for territories where they sell well and being ignored by or buried in the portfolios of bigger distributors.

Wine will never stop being put on shelves. And just as this will always remain the main model for buying wine, the distributor will have his place. It’s just that the precise description of that place needs to be revisited to account for small producers to sell D2C.

That said, if a distributor can pay attention to lower volume wineries and develop their brands with an understanding of their inventory levels and marketing budget, this should actually reinforce business for both the winery selling D2C and the distributor selling on the shelf.

This is not rocket science, people, its just selling wine bottles. The harder we make it for everyone, the more the consumer suffers and the smaller the overall marketplace.

Often people have trouble pinpointing exactly what they are experiencing in a wine. Putting the scents and tastes into words can feel awkward at first. Embarrassed to be wrong or to sound stupid a lot of people hold back when approaching wine.

I suggest finding other ways to describe the wine. While browsing the web to satisfy my inner nerd I often find many a great wine-geek friendly sites.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Chateau Petrogasm puts a fun spin by using images as wine descriptions. http://www.chateaupetrogasm.com/ . For example a 2006, Murphy-Goode Liar’s Dice Zinfandel, Sonoma County, CA. $18 might be a lion chasing a zebra on a moped. So next time you feel at a lost to describe a wine take a stab at expressing your reaction with a photo or drawing. Browse through the site to check out for some inspiration.

How about haiku? Maybe you remember writing them in middle school. These short poems offer a quick impression and leave a lot of room for creativity.   The web site Red Wine Haiku http://redwinehaiku.blogspot.com/ is written by Lane Steinberg who found his own outlet to wine notes.

 The point is be creative and make your own rules. Wine is something everyone can enjoy and doesn’t always need to be coated in technical mumbo-jumbo.

Brettanomyces, better known as“Brett” is a yeast found in many wines. During production wines are at risk for developing “guests”. Brett often invites itself in and grows eagerly inside barrels and all over wineries with less than pristine sanitation.

A horse is a horse but there are 5 different strains of Brett, which run a gamut of aromas, from wet saddle, to medicine, Band-Aids and even hickory BBQ. Some feel that Brett is a flaw and is indicative of poor production. While others feel a little Brett does the body of a wine good.

Caramello Patti’s beloved Cabernet Sauvignon has a bit of that familiar twain. Anyone who has been to visit his winery would imagine Brett is growing in every nook and cranny. But his wine is undeniably one of the best in Argentina.

Traditionally Brett was mistaken for unique terroir in many European wines and has attributed to the styles and flavors of many old world earthy wines. Today the debate is heated.

Tim Watson’s article, When Sanitation Meets Wine Style on BNet http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3488/is_9_85/ai_n6245126/?tag=content;col1 explains the controversy around this pesky little minx.  Wine critics tend to jump to one side or the other.

But regardless of what Robert Parker or any other Tom Dick or Harry have to say, you have the final word. If you try a wine with that old familiar something, it’s probably Brett, you be the judge, wine friend or foe.

The other day for lunch I ate a Chez Pauline in Recoletta. http://www.chezpauline.com.ar/chezpauline.htm  Known for tea and not for wine, was clearly my error and not theirs. All the same I asked what wines I might enjoy with my croque madame and leafy green salad.

I was offered two options; Norton Classico blanco or tinto. http://www.norton.com.ar/  The same internal struggle stirred inside me again. I wanted a glass of wine, and ignored my conscience.

Yes, I have had the displeasure of drinking Norton before. And yes 10 pesos per cup seemed awfully high, possibly more than the cost of a bottle in the supermarket. But, I refused to let myself be snooty and decided to give it another go.

Norton Classico taste like stems and nail polish remover. Not even delicious boxed wine juice. Yet people like me still order it and drink it begrudgingly. I enjoyed my sandwich and after 2 sips left the glass stare me in the face for the rest of the meal.  Filled to the brim and mocking me, “yes you should have ordered beer” I thought about a question someone asked during a tasting.

When ordering wine in a restaurant when is it acceptable to send it back?

Only if the wine is flawed.

If you chose a wine and did not like it, it is best to drink it but not order it again. Like my Norton which may be the worst wine in Argentina, shame on me for falling back into it’s tannic acidic trap. Each wine is an experience, and you won’t love everyone you try.

However if you suspect your wine is flawed consult your waiter or sommelier.

What do I mean by flawed or “corked”?

If a wine tastes “off” or damp, funky, moldy like wet socks, you probably received a corked bottle. It is not often that this occurs, but it does happen for many numbers of reasons; oxidation, sulphur, sediments etc.  Check out this article on the Wine Doctors website for more information http://www.thewinedoctor.com/advisory/tastefaulty.shtml

In proper conduct the restaurant should take the bottle back and bring you another bottle of the same wine. Chances are the second bottle will not have the same error.

This goes for wine shops as well. Don’t pour that bottle down the drain. Take it back to the store you purchased it at and asked for a new bottle. Imagine going home like a carton of milk. Ready to enjoy cereal your pour and find sour curdled revulsion. Anyone would have just cause to return and ask for a replacement.

As I finished my meal and signaled for the check I saluted sir Norton for having tricked me again. He knew complaining about his corner cutting charms would only bring disappointment in another inherently disturbing glass.

Now Malbec from Salta has a great reputation although I find it to be quite medicinal at times. Bodegas Tacuil would have to be among my favorites from the region because of their adherence to little or no oak policies and an ability to preserve the fruit of this high desert red.

So what else can you get from Salta? Well besides minerals and llama clothing you can get Tannat. The originally French varietal derives its name from the word tannin and can sometimes can be a brutal as a Mike Tyson uppercut (from the pre Buster Douglas era of course). With time though, some goregous thorny blackberry can show through in Tannat and really be quite a nice change of pace.

Lourdes, my wife and integral part of the Anuva team is currently in Salta sourcing from many wineries. New additions to come…

I never realized how many people are in Buenos Aires until a main subway line breaks down and 30,000 people emerge from the depths.

Around 6 pm on my way to a tasting, subway line D from Catedral to Palermo broke. I wound up stranded in the city center packed in with everyone else and their moms. There was no way out. You couldn’t move.

Throngs of people lined every block waiting for buses and traffic slowed to a snails pace.  If you felt like a yell now was the time .I was surrounded by people screaming Spanish into their cell phones.

I called to let everyone know I might be a tad late. And thus began my taxi hunt. After 45 minutes of no luck I became aggressive stood my ground when woman tried to jump in front of me and steal my ride. I won and got in. Quickly afterwards I realized I may have  been better off walking to the other side of the city.

Fortunately my tardiness gave the wine time to breath and I arrive just before 8. We sampled 38 wines. I got to thinking how a person’s mood might alter their reception of wine. I was nervous the transit ordeal would make swill taste like a vintage reserve.

Thankfully the tasting was mixed as always. Some you hate, some you’ll forget, and some you say “ooo I’ll have a glass of that later please.”

We had some definite winners including a Finca la Serrera 2008 Torrontes, a Naiara 2006 Icono Malbec, Finca la Serrera 2005 Gran Guarda and a Carinae 2007 Gran Reserva Syrah.

When we got to round II, wines 8-14 I noticed a curious light colored wine, later revealed as a gift from Spanglish’s Maya May. This boxed liquid “vino tinto” Crespi got some laughs, sort of like my old friend from Europe “Don Simon” Sangria.

 But in earnest this wine could hold it’s own against other boxed competitors and reminded me of a funny site, Bum Wine http://www.bumwine.com/ . I’ll let their header draw you in “this page explores the top five.
So curl up on a heating duct and enjoy… “

Our host, ex New Yorker Christina Wiseman runs a city tour service known as BAlocal, www.BAlocal.com   which provides an insider’s look into Buenos Aires. Christina’s most recent venture has expanded the exclusive experience into private gourmet meals in her home.

Christina utilizes her many years of experience in NYC’s restaurant scene to blend Thai, Korean and Vietnamese influences into thoughtfully prepared dishes. Last’s night’s menu featured a spicy Pla Lard Prik and home made green tea ice cream. For drinks we enjoyed a refreshing cucumber sake cocktails and two wines from Anuva’s www.anuvawines.com collection.

16 people guests attended the premier, mostly from NY and LA. The meal was relaxing and a great way to get to know some of the other expat businesses in Buenos Aires like Spanglish http://www.spanglishba.com/ , a language exchange service and BA’s popular magazine Time Out. http://www.timeout.com/buenos-aires/

Rather than making several simple table wines for domestic consumption Uruguay aims to cultivate a boutique movement and plow its way into the wine international scene.

According to a recent article by Paola Singer  http://www.thestreet.com/author/1119526/all.html in the NY Times Uruguay wines are ready to take off. http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/travel/19next-1.html  

A few people may have tried Uruguay’s signature grape, Tannat. This hearty wine when done right offers a rich luxurious red perfect for grilled lamb. Other produces are experimenting with Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot.

Uruguay less than 300 wineries and promotes wine tourism on their wine trail, Los Caminos del Vino. www.uruguaywinetours.com My next trip across the border might be to explore the flourishing wine scene.

A focus on limited production boutique wine sounds familiar….

 That’s right! And yeah, Anuva already has a few bottles lined up for our next in company tasting. For those interested in try Uruguay’s signature grape check out the Channarmuyo Estate Tannat in our collection. https://www.anuvawines.com/wine/tannat/chanarmuyo-estate-tannat-2006/