WineLife365 » Argentina http://www.winelife365.com Enjoying Life with Wine 365 Days a Year Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:43:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Party Down This 4th of July Weekend http://www.winelife365.com/ampakama-syrah-2007/ http://www.winelife365.com/ampakama-syrah-2007/#comments Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:29:38 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=7358 The 4th of July Holiday happens to fall on a Sunday this year, which for many means a much deserved 3-day break (Woo Hoo!).  This long Independence Day Weekend also means heaps of charcoal, an avalanche of meat being charred on the grill, ice-cold beer, smoking funny things and drinking copious amounts of cheap wine in the backyard with your favorite people in the whole wide world!

When it comes to cheap wine these days, the choices are endless:  One can choose from boxes, jugs, magnums – heck, there’s even wine that comes in a one-gallon paint can!?  And it’s all right there in aisle 10, waiting to be picked for one long and twisted weekend with some good friends.

One of my most recent and pleasant discoveries in this aisle of broken dreams was the 2007 Ampakama Syrah from San Juan, Argentina.  For those who wouldn’t dare drink wine from a box or touch a wine bottle with a screw cap, fear not, it comes packaged in a 1.5L glass bottle with a real cork closure!  It sells in most parts of the US for less than 10 bucks, and the best part – it actually tastes pretty darn good!

The 2007 Ampakama Syrah is a bottle rocket of juicy red-berry flavors fueled with a respectable amount of black pepper and herbal spices.  My only complaint is that it comes up a tad short before the expected big finish.  Nonetheless, the 2007 Ampakama Syrah is far from being a dud and should rise to the occasion with anything off the grill, or whatever else you’ve got cooking in your backyard this weekend.

3 Stars out 4.  For what works out to be less than $5 per 750ml, this juice ain’t half bad!  BTW – the 2008 is also a safe bet.

So…What inexpensive wines are you bringing to the BBQ this 4th of July weekend?

Cheers!

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/ampakama-syrah-2007/feed/ 0 Just the Facts http://www.winelife365.com/luigi-bosca-reserva-malbec-2007/ http://www.winelife365.com/luigi-bosca-reserva-malbec-2007/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 02:24:13 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=6873 The Wine:  2007 Luigi Bosca Reserva Malbec.

Birth place:  La Linda Estate (Vistalba vineyard) in Luján de Cuyo, an area of Mendoza, Argentina.

The Altitude:  960m above sea-level.

Inside the Bottle:  Estate grown and bottled, 100% Malbec grapes from low-yielding vines. 

Time spent in the Barrel:  12 months in French oak.

Aging Potential:  Up to 10 years from its born-on-date is what they say.

How does it taste?:  Off the charts delicious!  Want to bathe in it good!  Humongous dark fruit and peppery spices that tantalize and seem to last, and last, and last!

WineLife365 Rating:  4 Stars out of 4.  One of the tastiest reds I’ve tried so far in 2010.

Price:  16.99.

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/luigi-bosca-reserva-malbec-2007/feed/ 8 Oh Baby…What a Terrible Fall! http://www.winelife365.com/san-telmo-esencia-torrontes-2009/ http://www.winelife365.com/san-telmo-esencia-torrontes-2009/#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:36:42 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=6687 In the immortal words of ABC’s Wide World of Sports announcer Jim McKay,

Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat…

 

Was I so naïve to think that it was impossible to have a bad Argentinian Torrontes wine?  I know it must have been foolish thinking on my part, but it almost seemed automatic that whether it cost 8, 10, or even 20 dollars – I knew I was going to have a beautifully floral, fresh and electrifyingly acidic bottle of wine.  I believed this because I’ve been batting nearly a thousand with this fantastic type of wine for over a year.  With this in mind, I was really looking forward to opening the 2009 San Telmo Esencia Torrontes. 

As the saying goes, “there’s a first for everything” and inevitably I would have to taste the agony of defeat with my beloved white wine.  The 2009 San Telmo Esencia Torrontes really let me down.  It’s odd, uneven, lacks mile-high acidity and possesses tropical banana and coconut flavors that reminded me more of Tropical Flavored LifeSavers (in a bad way).  Incidentally, it also didn’t possess the signature floral bouquet of Torrontes wine.  Crash!

 

1 Star out of 4.  Shaken by the experience, but not deterred.
(Price: $8.99)

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/san-telmo-esencia-torrontes-2009/feed/ 4 Blah, Blah, Blah http://www.winelife365.com/alamos-cabernet-sauvignon-2008/ http://www.winelife365.com/alamos-cabernet-sauvignon-2008/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:47:53 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=6336 You know exactly what I’m talking about people: Wines that are, well…just ok, but you’ll drink them ‘cause there’s nothing offensive or bad about them, or maybe there’s nothing better in your house at the moment.  As you’re drinking it, you’re fantasizing about your taste buds being curled up nice and cozy with something other than what’s been planted squarely in front of you.  Such was case with my experience with the 2008 Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza, Argentina.  This Cab retails in most places for about $10.  Let me first say, if you’re interested in trying a solid Argentinean Torrontes for under $10, the peeps at Alamos make a pretty good one!  This was the very reason why I decided to give their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon a whirl.  Unfortunately, nothing really popped out of the glass to give my palate a workout.  Although it was not offensive, it just tasted a bit tired and dull.  It was just OK.

On that note, I give the 2008 Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon 2 Stars out 4.  Do yourself a favor and grab a bottle of their Torrontes – It’s much better than “OK”!

]]> http://www.winelife365.com/alamos-cabernet-sauvignon-2008/feed/ 17 A Few Winners of Our Own http://www.winelife365.com/finca-la-linda-torrontes-la-corte-solyss-negroamaro-review/ http://www.winelife365.com/finca-la-linda-torrontes-la-corte-solyss-negroamaro-review/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:35:48 +0000 Mark http://www.winelife365.com/?p=6218 Like a lot of other people this past Sunday night, we were glued to the TV set sayin’, “Man, she looks terrible!” or “Wow, she looks really great!”  We were also wondering if James Cameron and Jon Landau’s 10 year project, “Avatar”, would runaway with all of the Oscar trophies.  But just like so many other past Oscar nights, there was that dark horse in the bunch that surprised everyone.  This year, it was a night to remember for the folks involved with the film “The Hurt Locker”, which won six Academy Awards including “Best Picture”.

As we watched “The Hurt Locker” put a hurtin’ on fellow nominees, we were putting a hurtin’ on a couple great bottles of wine!

The first of the evening was the 2009 Finca La Linda Torrontes bottled by Luigi Bosca.  This wine was produced in Argentina and consists of 100% Torrontes grape.  Torrontes is the wonderful and distinctively aromatic signature white grape of Argentina.  If you’ve never tried a Torrontes before, this one will certainly make a great first impression on you!  There’s a lot of interesting layers of flavors swirling around in this wine.  It’s a bombshell of racy, crisp acidity, packed full of tropical flavors, that reminded me of a Pina Colada.  The 2009 Finca La Linda Torrontes was a big winner and left us wanting more.  Costing less than $10, it secures a lofty 4 star WineLife365 taste rating and also earned itself many repeat visits as the weather in our neck of the woods continues to warm up.

Next up was the 2006 La Corte Solyss Negroamaro.  This red wine is from the South of Italy in the Puglia (Apulia) region.  Negroamaro, also known as Negro amaro, is one of the most widely planted native red grapes grown in the Southern regions of Italy.  It’s grown almost exclusively in Puglia (Apulia) and also in Salento, which is located at the “heel” of Italy.  The Negroamaro grape and the winemakers in this region tend to allow these wines to express rustic, earthy, and natural tasting characteristics.  This particular Old World red showcases some really interesting mineral, herbaceous and cherry twists that will undoubtedly make you question whether you’re a fan of it or not.  We were fans of 2006 La Corte Solyss Negroamaro and give it 3 stars out of 4 on our taste scale.  One final note on this wine – I paid $12 for it at a local retailer, but I’ve seen it as high as $25 online.  I’m not sure whether or not I’d be willing to fork over 25 bones for it, but if you can find it for less than $20, it’s certainly worth a shot!

With the 2010 Oscars behind us, I can’t say that there were many moments that will replay in my mind for any length of time.  However, I did find some winners that will have repeat performances in my glass.

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