Argentina’s Malbec Tasting at VPIWF
April 30, 2010 by Sheila Whittaker · 2 Comments
Argentina’s been in the wine-making biz since the 1500′s, and Malbec was introduced in the mid-1850′s. On Friday morning, bright and early, 14 Argentinean producers proved that they know what it takes to make a great Malbec — in any price range.
First up in the tasting was Bodegas Etchart‘s Etchart Cafayate Reserve Malbec 2008 from Salta ($16.96), a dark, juicy, inviting wine that is drinking well now yet able to age for five or six more years.
Valle de la Puerta S.A. offered La Puerta Reserva Malbec 2007 from La Rioja ($17.95). There was a sort of minty freshness in the mouth and good acidity. It was simple, yet well balanced.
Continuing on the great value train, Graffigna‘s Grand Reserve Malbec 2006 from San Juan ($18.95) was a food-friendly, well-balanced wine with cherry-plum fruitiness and a leafy note accompanying the vanilla notes from 12 months in French oak.
Xumek poured its juicy and fun 2008 Malbec ($21.99) from Zonda Valley in San Juan. It had plum, red fruit, dark fruit, and a slight green herbacious note.
From the windy flats of Patagonia, Familia Schroeder‘s Saurus Patagonia Select Malbec 2006 ($22.99) offered the tartest wine in the morning’s line up. It had very mouthwatering acid, but drank fairly smoothly.
From Humberto Canale, also hailing from Patagonia, we sipped the Gran Reserva Malbec 
2008 ($32.99). It offered a stark contrast to the wine before it. It is an interesting, rich wine with balancing acidity. In addition to the usual Malbec plum flavours, this wine had sweet baking spices all over the nose, and finished on a spicy note.
Bodegas Santa Ana brought La Mascota Malbec 2007 from Maipu, Mendoza ($23.99). There was plum, green pepper and a slight sweet spice on the nose, but the acid was a bit high for me, leaving a bite on the finish.
Bodegas Salentein‘s Malbec Reserva 2007 from Uco Valley, Mendoza was made for a big, fat, T-Bone steak. Sweet spices, violets, freshness, smooth yet intense … all for just $22.99.
From Mendoza, O. Fournier brought the elegant power of its Alfa Curx Malbec 2006 ($54.99). It’s such a smooth wine, but it has acidity, almost a saltiness, oak, plum, cherry, and vanilla that all give way to a long finish.
The Afincado Malbec Las Compuertas Malbec Vineyard 2006 from Terrazas de los Andes ($63.99) was delicious, complex and packed with all the things you want in a wine: fruit, acid, tannin, alcohol, and colour. It comes from Lujan de Cuyo, a place that only sees 10 to 12 rainy days per 
year. Dry weather is good for Malbec grapes, and few chemicals are needed for the wine to be successful there.
In Perdriel, Mendoza the people at Viña Cobos call their Bramare Marchiori Vineyard Malbec 2007 the “Arnold Schwarzenegger” wine — powerful and masculine. Blackberry, violets, rich, heavy, spicy — wow. It has a lot going on, and it should for $88.99.
Pascual Toso named Magdalena 2006 after his mother, a woman who cried every day when she moved to Argentina because she missed her home in Italy. So Pascual took her back to Italy and she cried every day when she was there because she missed Argentina. Women! They both ended up in Argentina and he named this blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon after is Ma. It is the winery’s “grand slam wine” because it consistently earns 90+ points from the three big U.S. wine magazines. A fruit bomb nose of ripe plum and cherry is followed up on the palate with a good backbone of acids and tannins. Well-balanced, juicy, elegant, and packed with all the elements of a top shelf wine. $88.99.
Laura Catena, president of Bodega Catena Zapata literally wrote the book on Argentinian wine — look for it in bookstores this fall. Her father, Nicolás Catena, was Decanter’s Man of the Year in 2009. Need any more reason to try their Malbec Argentino 2006? OK. Here are a few: elegance, complexity, and quality. $99.00
The tasting wrapped up with a structured wine that proved Argentinian Malbec is not just for dinner tonight. Bodegas Trapiche showed that its Malbec Manos 2004 has the potential to age. Half of the grapes are hand-destemmed and hand-crushed (hence the name “Manos”), and the wine is given a longer fermentation with a higher percentage of skins in the fermentation. After two years in 75% new French oak and 25% used French oak, this $80 bottle is packed with intense, sweet juice, floral notes and a structure to allow 10-30 of age. It’s already six years old and still very young and dark in the glass. Cellar addition, perhaps?
Preparing for the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
April 22, 2010 by Sheila Whittaker · 2 Comments
Wine frenzy has hit the city. Here’s a quick list of some of the articles you should check out before you brave the busy tasting room at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. The key is to have a plan — there are just too many possibilities and you won’t be able to try them all!
For a quick fix, check out Vanmag’s three top picks and a pair of Argentinian Malbecs. If you’d like more detail, Anthony Gismondi offers a top 50. There is an expert’s guide from the Globe and Mail that offers great Q&A’s with different personalities in the wine industry.
In the Straight, Jurgen Gothe offers some advice on Argentinian Malbec and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Meanwhile, the “Hired Belly” Tim Pawsey dares you not to swallow these 30 Kiwi SBs, and offers more info on New Zealand in Vancouver. Judith Lane gives readers a heads up with wines to watch for.
The Wine Diva (Daenna Van Mulligen) has put together a rather extensive cheat sheet for festival-goers. Blogger Tiny Bites (Karen Hamilton) offers a primer on Argentinean wine and Mendoza bodegas. Blogger Wine Barbarian (Bill Tieleman) also chimes in with plenty of tips.
Rosé is the international theme, and Joanne Sasvari will help you to think pink.
Some people to check out while you’re in the tasting room:
Sam Neill – You may remember him as paleontologist Dr. Alan Gran in Jurassic Park. Now he runs Two Paddocks winery in New Zealand’s Central Otago and he will be at the festival.
Bill Spence – in 1974 he, along with his brother Ross, made the first Sauvignon Blanc to come out of New Zealand. Make sure to taste his wines from Matua Valley — a pioneer of the New Zealand wine industry.
Enjoy Wine Fest and tell me, what did you like in the tasting room? You’re welcome to add a comment!
Naramata Bench Wineries Spring Release
April 20, 2010 by Sheila Whittaker · Leave a Comment
The wonderful wineries of the Naramata Bench hit Vancouver April 12th (and Victoria on April 14th) to show off their latest releases to the city’s curious oenophiles.
In case you are not familiar with the Naramata Bench, it enjoys a breathtaking vista overlooking Okanagan Lake and Penticton and is home to over 20 wineries. Here are the stars that were in attendance: Nichol Vineyard & Estate Winery; Kettle Valley Winery; Elephant Island Orchard Wines; Black Widow Winery; Poplar Grove Winery; Red Rooster Winery; Township 7 Vineyards & Winery; La Frenz Winery; D’Angelo Estate Winery; Hillside Estate Winery; Howling Bluff Estate Winery; Lake Breeze Vineyards; Therapy Vineyards; and Van Westen Vineyards.
With all those options, it was, as you can imagine, a very difficult time deciding where to start tasting! But I persevered and here is my short list of highlights.
For whites, Lake Breeze Vineyards delivered. The 2009 Pinot Gris had great acidity which made for a lively wine. The ever-popular Pinot Blanc had more orchard fruit (apricot, apple) and a rounder mouthfeel. But it was the 2009 Seven Poplars Sauvignon Blanc that really impressed me. It had a very aromatic nose of citrus and the flavour just exploded in your mouth, leaving it watering for more. (Another S.Blanc that got people talking was made by Township 7.)
The Reserve Gewurztraminer from Red Rooster Winery was crisp and tasty, but what stood out was that it had a tingle on the tongue — a slight effervescence. Another unique, aromatic white was Oasis from Black Widow Winery. It’s a blend of Schonburger, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris and although it’s sweet, it’s well-balanced and cries for a hot day on the patio. Lovers of blends such as Wild Goose Autumn Gold, Joie Noble Blend and Blasted Church Hatfield’s Fuse should give this one a try.
Nichol Vineyard & Estate Winery is such a solid producer, so I knew I wanted to take a run through its wines. The reds really stood out. The Cabernet Franc had such a great nose that you almost forgot to take a sip. There’s so many different elements: earth, red fruit, dark fruit, chocolate, even a green note. And when you finally sip you get the full benefit of acid and tannins in balance. (Another Cab Franc that was getting a lot of buzz was from Poplar Grove.) Nichol’s Syrah is, by comparison, a darker, meatier wine with more spice, but it drinks just as smooth.
Van Westen Vineyards offered a stellar line up and I’d recommend everything they were pouring. I have set their Vivacious (Pinot Blanc with a splash of Pinot Gris) up on a blind date with scallops, and it was a match that ended in a beautiful marriage. If you love a big, red wine, the Voluptuous (a blend of Merlot and Cab Franc) should be on your shopping list. It’s full-bodied, complex, has great texture and does its name justice — it’s full of delight or pleasure to the senses!
You have to end things on a sweet note, so I headed back to Kettle Valley Winery for its Starboard port-style wine. The bottle is a conveniently-sized 375 mls, and I strongly recommend that chocolate lovers always carry a bottle with them in their purse (or satchel). Elephant Island Orchard Wines was on hand offering their delicious Framboise — raspberry dessert heaven.
For more tasting notes from the Naramata Bench Release, check out what other bloggers had to say:
Icon Wines – Naramata Bench Spring Release Part 1 and Part 2.
