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Wines of Argentina

October 17, 2011 in wine by traveleatlove | 5 comments

A dreary Boston Wednesday is always made better by a mid-day wine tasting. Hosted by warm and welcoming people in a stellar location for tasting wine (or any other event), the Wines of Argentina: Meet the Experts Roadshow, held last week at the JFK Presidential Library, was definitely one of the most well organized and informative wine events I have attended. I was lucky to be invited as part of Red, White, Boston, and one perk to having a slowing-down work schedule is the ability to attend such trade events. Now to get me some Marketing work in the wine industry, and we will be all set.

Let’s start with the location of the event, shall we?

I had a meeting in downtown Boston, so I took the T back to JFK UMass, and despite the pouring rain, decided to forego the UMass shuttle and walked to the library. Being out in the rain by the sea actually lifts my spirits, and it definitely worked. It felt like Ireland. I snapped a shot of one of the few remaining island roses from the summer, bright against a green, vibrant background. The sea, at times was so cloaked by fog that it was almost invisible. I thought these trees looked a little eerie.

Even the dead leaves in the grass looked pretty. I love the UMass Boston campus; what a beautiful, serene location!

When it was time for the event to get started, I checked in and met up with Cathy from Red, White, Boston and then took a look around the room which was split into two parts, one for the sit-down tasting program and another for the reception. The room was actually the same room that Senator Kennedy’s public wake was held in, and I won’t lie, being there again made me a little emotional. The organizers of the event also found the venue to be very special, bringing Argentine wine and culture to a place built after a President that was beloved by so many and a family that has been so important in American history.

Making the event even more special was the lineup of wines available for tasting during the reception and the gorgeous display of food. All sorts of cheeses, vegetables, sauces, breads, and even a pan of tortilla was displayed in the center of the reception, with items like beef empanadas being passed around the room. I grabbed a quick triangle of the tortilla and a taste of sparkling wine before heading off with Cathy and a group of wine writers for a very special interview.

We had the very exciting opportunity of sitting down in a small group with two of the special guests of the day, Tomas Hughes (left), Agricultural Manager at Bodegas Nieto Senetiner and Edgardo Del Popolo, winemaking and viticulture director at Doña Paula. They spoke about what makes Malbec special, how it came to Argentina in the 1850’s from Cahors, France and for a long time was blended in with many other reds. Malbec adapted well to the soils and altitude of Argentina, and it was when growers started to notice this that they started to work with it and realize that not only could it be grown in various conditions, but it would also be made in various styles that are flexible and food friendly, pairing well with anything from an Argentine steak or beef empanada (their favorite) to an Italian pasta or even a meaty, fatty fish. Our time with Mr. Hughes and Mr. Del Popolo was short, but they were so interesting and engaging and happy to speak with all of us.

When it was time for the program to begin, I sat down with some other Red White Tasting Crew members to learn more about Malbec as well as to taste Malbec and other wines from Argentina.

Each short information session included a tasting of 2-3 wines. You’ll notice red spit cups; it was the middle of the day, and this was a trade event! I did not spit the sparkling wine I had at the reception or the Weinert Malbec from 1977, but I did spit all the others. Sniffle.

The tasting started with a session on Malbec: When the Planets Aligned. This session shared with us more information on Malbec and how it came to be popular as well as how Argentine winemakers are being careful not to make the same mistake Australia made with Shiraz. Shiraz (Syrah) became very popular, and Australia started to grow it everywhere, producing a glut of wine that was not all good (hello, Yellow Tail), and that really cheapened the appeal of the variety. In the opposite way, Argentina is focusing on the sense of place, where they grow Malbec, and some of the nuances between the flavors and noses of the wines grown at different altitudes and different types of soil. The second session, The DNA of Malbec expanded on information on the different styles as well as the different growing areas. In the first two sessions we tasted all Malbec:

Mendel Malbec 2008

Doña Paula Seleccion De Bodega Malbec 2007

Colome Malbec 2009

Nieto Senetiner Terroir Blend Malbec 2009

NQN Universo Malbec 2009

I didn’t take great tasting notes, but the Doña Paula was one of my favorites, with nice, spicy notes in addition to the dark fruit. I definitely left this event with purple teeth!

The third session was Malbec for Collectors and was done via a video of winemaker Robert de la Mota. The tasting, from a first bottling of the 1977 Weinert Malbec, was done at the end of the event.

We also had the opportunity to learn about other wines being made in Argentina and tasted the following:

Michel Torino Don David Torrontes 2011 (Beautiful white, perfect for Indian food, I am in love with this wine!)

Altos Las Hormigas Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda 2009 (very dry with lots of stewed dark fruit flavors)

Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (rich, chocolate-y Cab, absolutely gorgeous)

The event wrapped up with Sandy Block, Legal Seafoods VP of Beverage Operations (and one of my wine instructors), talking about Argentina’s emerging classics, icon wines that will reach a world class stature.

It was such an educational way to spend an afternoon, and I left with two thoughts.

1) I definitely need to taste more Malbec and to pay attention to the differences in wines grown in different parts of Argentina as well as different parts of the world.

2) I need to visit Argentina ASAP. It is at the very top of my travel list; now I just need the time and money to make it happen!

That was a long post! Whew. . .

How was your weekend?

Tags: Argentina, Boston, events, JFK Library, Malbec, Red White Boston, wine, wines of Argentina

Wine Stories

September 20, 2011 in wine by traveleatlove | 7 comments

Last Thursday night, the Red White Boston Tasting Crew collided with the Future M Marketing conference for a tasting at Central Bottle Wine & Provisions. Future M was a Marketing conference happening all over Boston, with sessions and events sprinkled around the city with some of the best minds in Marketing focusing on everything from brand strategy and experience architecture to next generation communities and emerging platforms. I was sad to miss it; when you work for yourself, there is not a professional development budget, at least in the beginning. One of the many things to think about when leaving the safety net of a big company (You also have to remember to order your own printer ink.)

Luckily, I was able to attend one Future M event as part of Red White Boston, and being that it was an event that involved wine, cheese, and tasting crew friends, well that made it even better.

I arrived at Central Bottle a little early to take photos. I hadn’t been to this beautiful wine and gourmet food store since their opening day. It had definitely changed a bit!

Central Bottle is a clean and modern space with great light from walls of windows that face out on to Mass Ave. Everywhere you look there is something delectable, cheese, bread, chocolate, wine, or beer.

And then more wine.

The large flat screen at Central Bottle was set up with two Twitter feeds, one for Future M and one for Red White Tasting Crew. I may have tweeted a few times just to see myself on the big screen. Winking smile

I caught up with tasting crew members I hadn’t seen in months and chatted with some Future M participants before the tasting got started. This tasting was all about stories, starting with the fun story of how Central Bottle came to be. It’s a great story, one that it is easy to feel a part of, especially when Nick and Maureen started leading us through our tasting.

Red White Boston’s founder, Cathy Huyghe, who usually has wine open and waiting for us when we arrive for an event, structured this tasting a bit differently. Instead of diving right into the wine, we learned its story first.

The tasting lineup:

Dry Riesling from Ravines Wine Cellar in the Finger Lakes of New York

Cilegiolo Rosato from Bisson in the Liguria region of Italy

Le Poivre et Sel from Les Vin Contes in the Loire region of France

Enrico Cialdini Lambrusco from Cleto Chiarli in Italy

In addition to the usual wine info, the tasting sheet also included all of our Twitter handles and those of the wineries on Twitter. The sheet also included some key words and phrases that were part of each wine’s story.

The Ravines Riesling was a beautiful wine, both in its flavor and its story. Jason had visited the tasting room in the Finger Lakes just days earlier, and his description of the property made me want to go there immediately. His blog post and photos are beautiful; be sure to check it out.

The cool climate of the Finger Lakes lends this wine a nice acidity which made it a pleasure to drink and also makes it an ideal pairing with food, including cheese.

The next wine, a rosato from Liguria, was, as we discussed, a perfect wine for this time of year. It is light enough for summer, but has enough body to be a rosé that you drink in winter. It had an herbal quality in the nose, and I also got a bit of rose petal before tasting its deep strawberry flavors.

Somehow I failed to photograph the third wine, my favorite of the evening. True to its name Le Poivre et Sel, this wine exhibited salty and peppery characteristics. I bought two bottles, and while I noticed more the marked spiciness on the palate, my husband commented more on the salinity. This is definitely an interesting wine and one that took him some getting used to. I loved it right off the bat, and it will definitely be making repeat appearances on our table.

While we tasted, we were treated to more food, this time salumi from Central Bottle’s case. Thin slices of salty, melt-in-your-mouth meats REALLY went well with this wine.

The final wine was a deep red, sparkling Lambrusco. Frothy and fruity, this wine would be perfect for sipping in very small pours but was a little too sweet for me. It was a nice way to wrap up the evening though, and another interesting choice from the folks at Central Bottle.

What a great tasting space and fun group of people to spend an evening with! The wines were diverse and ones I might never have had the chance to try if not for this tasting. I loved how everything came together in this event. I am excited for more Red White Tasting Crew events and also to return to Central Bottle, a great store with a great staff and selection.

Have you tasted any interesting wines lately, that you loved or didn’t love?

If you live in Boston, I would love to see you at the next Red White Boston tasting crew event! Lots of wine and networking with fun people. Let me know if you have questions.

Tags: cambridge, cheese, events, Red White Boston, wine

Taste of Puglia

May 18, 2011 in wine by traveleatlove | 6 comments

On Monday night, I opened the door to the WGBH studios event space in Brighton, leaving the gray, rainy day behind in favor of an evening in Puglia with WGBH and Red White Boston.

The event was centered around the arrival of four Puglian winemakers visiting Boston pouring wines that had never before been tasted in Massachusetts. In addition to the wine, the event featured a burratta pulling demonstration from an Italian cheese maker who now works for Maplebrook Farm in Vermont.

I wasn’t sure what I was most excited about, trying these new-to-me wines or seeing burratta, a Puglian specialty and favorite cheese of mine, being made. Oh, and of course getting to eat some!

First, a word about Burratta from my friends at Wikipedia:

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. The name "burrata" means "buttered" in Italian.

Burratta is stuffed with many things, including, as we learned, Greek yogurt, but the traditional cheese is made with Stracciatella, spaghetti-like strands of mozzarella in cream.

First, we got to sample some of the mozzarella by itself. It was slightly chewy and salty, as fresh as it gets.

Then we watched the process of making burratta. It looked like a ton of fun! Our cheesemaker, Domenico, kneaded the mozzarella curds together, adding hot water to them at one point.

Then he started to pull the cheese. It was amazing how it started out as curds and came together as a sort of rubbery mass.

Burratta making is a two person process; one needs to hold the stretched mozzarella while the other fills it with a scoop of the cream. Domenico then pinched the ball of burratta closed and placed it in a container of water to set.

Watching the burratta made was mesmerizing. While it looked like hard work, it also looked really fun. I want to visit Maplebrook Farm now!

In addition to the fresh cheese from Maplebrook, Whole Foods River Street provided antipasti plates for snacking while we tasted Puglian wine.

The four wine Puglian wine producers sharing their wine were Masseria Celentano, Casaltrinita, Cantine Teanum, and Botromagno. Throughout the course of the event, each of the winemakers spoke, allowing us to learn a little about Puglian wine while walking around the room tasting. These producers are using indigenous grapes that have come to thrive in Puglia, though some have origins that can be traced back to ancient times and other places like Greece and Asia Minor. You may or may not have heard of some of these grapes before, Greco, Fiano, Aglianico, Primitivo, Moscato, Malvasia bianca, Nero di troia, and Montepulciano, but I would urge you to try them if you can!

I have been in a white wine mood lately; I suppose my palate is thinking it must be spring or something, so as I always do, I started tasting some of the whites, along with Brian and Jason.

The crowds were a little difficult to navigate, but I tried the following wines:

Masseria Celentano La Preta: This wine, a blend of Muscato and Sauvignon Blanc, was floral, almost too much for me on its own. However, as I often enjoy many wines more with food, I could see this being a great oyster pairing, the briny oysters balancing the flavors of the wine.

Casaltrinita Greco: I found this also to have a floral, perfume-y nose, but it had delicate fruit flavors. It would be a great summer sipper.

Botromagno Gravina: A blend of Greco and Malvasia bianca, this was my favorite wine of the evening. I have enjoyed Malvasia in the past. The wine was dry and more flavorful than the other two. It had a nice acidity, flavors of honeysuckle and lemon, and was simply delightful.

After awhile, the crowds got to me, and since I needed to get home to let my locked out husband in (my fault, I took his keys!), I only tried two of the reds.

Casaltrinita Coppa Malva: I loved this wine. A blend of Nero di Troia and Cabernet, this wine offered the full body and spice I love.

Maseria Celentano Querciagrande: 100% Nero di troia, this was another great pick, hearty, deep red, and as the notes said, would hold up well with meat dishes and strong, aged cheeses.

Trying wines that had never been poured in Massachusetts and some that hadn’t been poured outside Puglia was quite the treat. It made me long for trips to Italy, for sun, great wine and food, and to visit my nephews there. I swear, any time I hear someone speaking Italian, I miss them a little more!

Have you tried Puglian wines or wines from another region that is not as represented in the US?

Tags: Boston, cheese, events, Puglia, Red White Boston, wine

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