South American wine and Argentine Food River Cruise

A full river boat on a hot evening turned into a cool event.   Local Argentine Caterer “La Mendocina Catering” (http://www.lamendocina.com/) provided flavorful food including grilled vegetables, antipasto and owner Monica Aveni-Ranii’s signature (awesome in my opinion) Argentine Empanadas.  The attendees were all passionate about wine and gave great feedback, splitting their favorites evenly between the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay, then nearly even between the Chilean Cabernet blend and Argentine Malbec.  Overall the Cono Sur Cabernet/Carmenere seemed the most polarizing wine of the evening, as some people were truly turned off by it, while many chose it as their favorite of the evening.  I look forward to meeting everyone again at a future event!

Terranoble Sauvignon Blanc Classic Chile 2009   This Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is light yellow color with aromas of tropical fruits and an undercurrent of lime and grapefruit.  Due to complete stainless steel fermenting and ageing the wine stays fresh and crisp through the bottling.   The result is a very fresh wine that includes flavors of citrus and lime with herbal notes lead to a crisp, clean finish.

Gouguenheim Chardonnay Mendoza Argentina 2009   Argentina is known for making super-heavy chardonnays, and this Gouguenheim Chardonnay is not short on flavor.  However, the flavors are well integrated and not over-the-top.  This high-altitude (3,600ft) chardonnay starts with aromas of citrus, butter and oak, with balanced flavors blending apple, tropical fruits and oak, followed by a clean finish.

Cono Sur Cabernet Carmenere Organic Colchagua Chile 2008   Made completely organically and transported to international markets maintaining a, claimed, 100% carbon net zero status, this wine is earthy and dark, with dry fruit flavors with notes of black cherry and plums.   The mouth feel of this wine is concentrated and earthy, with fleshiness owing to the minority component of Carmenere in the blend.  The finish includes some herbal and spicy notes integrated nicely with the light oak flavors.

Graffigna Centenario Malbec Reserva San Juan Argentina 2008   Malbec, originally from France, but generally rare in its homeland, has become the signature grape of Argentina.  This dark grape thrives in the stressful, desert-like Argentine conditions, producing lush, fruity, full-bodied wines the wine world has discovered and loved.  This dark wine has a spicy nose with generous, round fruit flavors finishing off with a slight tannin and oak nuance.