WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s almost Friday again, and you know what that means! It’s the Friday Tasting Announcement for Carpe Vinum’s Friday Tasting! (Just to be redundant.) And this week, what a week it is! It’s South American Wines! And by South America, really, I mean Chile and Argentina. Yes, there are other countries in South America, and a good number of them produce wine. In fact, Peru has the second-oldest vine plantings in the New World, just behind Mexico. There is also a burgeoning wine industry in Brazil and Uruguay, as South America’s 3rd and 4th largest wine producers, respectively. These guys, however they haven’t jumped on the exporting business quite yet. So, should these wines ever make an appearance up here, you know I’ll jump all over it, considering my love of weird and rare wines.

And speaking of weird, have you ever heard of Bonarda? In Argentina, the grape Bonarda is the widest planted grape in the country, just ahead of Malbec. So why haven’t we seen many of these Bonardas while there’s Malbec around every corner?

In three simple words: I don’t know.

In sixteen additional words: It probably has something to do with the marketability of Malbec, considering its origins in Bordeaux.

Bonarda, on the other hand, is a relatively unknown grape with origins in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is still planted in scant quantities in three different regions there, but is pretty hard to find elsewhere. Which brings up another point of interest on South American wines: Many different plantings in South America are varieties that were initially planted widely in Europe and imported to the New World. Over the years, however, the varieties in Europe had since fallen from favor in lieu of more popular varieties, or vineyards destroyed by disease. For example Carmenere and Malbec were both dominant in France’s Bordeaux region, but while the common vineyard pest Phylloxera destroyed the vineyards all over France, Chile remained untouched, and Argentina wasn’t touched much.

So what we end up with is wines in a different hemisphere that vaguely mirror the wine regions that gave them their birth. However, wine regions half a world away from each other certainly don’t have the same results. And that’s the fun part. I’ve selected, here, a handful of the different varietals and blends that have roots in the European wine legacy, but now over time, have become treasures of their own, as well as a partial vision into the past.

And see how I didn’t badmouth Chilean wines this time? Either I’ve been improving or the Chilean wines have been improving. I’d bet my money on the wines!

So Friday, September 30th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

South America! Well. . .Chile and Argentina, anyway!
Buena Ventura 2003 Syrah, Lontue Valley, Chile *Organic*
Mil Piedras 2003 Tempranillo, Mendoza, Argentina
De Martino 2003 Legado Carmenere, Maipo Valley, Chile
Joffre e Hijas 2003 Grand Malbec, Valle de Uco, Argentina
Vina Maquis 2003 Lien (Syrah, Carmenere, Petit Verdot, Malbec), Rapel & Maipo Valleys, Chile

A Couple More!!
Alvaro Espinosa 2003 Kuyen (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon), Alta Jahuel, Chile
Tikal 2003 Patriota (Bonarda, Malbec), Mendoza, Argentina

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Cabernet Franc!

M