From Argentina With Love

Argentine Wine Seminar With Steven Olson aka wine geek

 

Last month, I had the pleasure of being invited to an Argentine Wine Seminar hosted by Steven Olson, aka wine geek.  The seminar was part of a week of events (including a performance by Mary Wilson of the Supremes and a Celebrity Chef Ski Race) touted as "Beaver Creek's Celebration of all things culinary with Bon Appetit Magazine."  The whole thing was hosted by the absolutely spectacular Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Bachelor Gulch with Wolfgang Puck's Spago Restaurant. 

Steven Olson is wine and spirits consultant for Bon Appetit (among others), and his mission is to take the fear out of wine tasting and make it fun.  And the seminar was just that--a fun, down-to-earth tour of Argentina through its wine regions, wine makers and, of course, the wines themselves.  Everyone had a great time, including two ski bunnies at the back of the restaurant who were roaring drunk!

Sean Razee, the sommelier at Spago, accompanied us on our tour.  We tasted 9 divine wines, ranging from a sparkling wine to a husky Malbec, with diverse flavors and from areas as far north as Salta.  Olson and Razee spoke about tasting notes--as you'd expect at a wine tasting--but with Olson's commentary, we really had a couple hours of armchair travel.  He spoke about the history of Argentina--how the first people to plant grapes were missionaries sent soon after the conquistadors, how the country's unique climate makes it the ideal place to grow some grapes but not others, and how after virtually disappearing internationally, Malbec was re-discovered in Argentina.

Passionately, Olson told of his visits to Susana Balbo's winery, Dominio Del Plata, and how her husband/enologist Pedro Marchevsky makes his ownwine, BenMarco.  He spoke of the wine region in Mendoza called Tupungato, and about Trapiche Single Vineyard Malbec being given the name of the grower tending the vines year after year.

Just in case you're curious, the wines we enjoyed were: 

TrapicheSparkling Exta Brut NV, Michel Torino Don David Torrontes 2007, BenMarco Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, LucaSyrah 2006, Mapema Primera Zona 2002, Tikal Patriota 2006, Susana Balbo Malbec 2007, MendelMalbec 2006, and a Trapiche Single Vineyard Malbec Viña Fausto Orellana 2005.  (All available in local liquor stores for around $30 average price!)  We dined on Wolfgang Puck's famous woodfired pizza, and went on a virtual trip to Argentina wine country.

After the tasting, I was able to talk to Olson for a minute--to tell him how happy I was that he spoke with such emotion about Argentina (and its wines!) 

 "My wife's from Argentina!" 

he said, and it all made sense--just like me, he had married into it!  More proof that the passion and beauty of Argentina and its people are just impossible to resist.

Special thanks to Andrea Woroch, Katie Coakley, Parool Shah, and of course, Steven Olson.

More photos of this event are available on my flickr photostream, From Argentina With Love

Soda en Sifon--Seltzer Water in a Siphon Bottle

 

It's been a summer of record-breaking high temperatures in Mendoza this year; seemingly interminable hot day after hot day.  During a heat wave, the line never disappears at Ferruccio Soppelsa, Mendoza's oldest helado (ice cream) chain.

And day after day, I've returned to the shop, in a vain attempt to escape the heat.  I pay the guy behind the counter, who's wearing a white uniform with red and yellow trim.  The shirt has a red 'Ferruccio Soppelsa' embroidered over the right breast pocket, and the uniform is complete with a white Soda Jerk hat.  The whole look is straight out of a 1950s soda fountain.

This day, it's finally a few degrees cooler outside, so in place of my usual 6 peso, 3 flavor gelato tower, I order a cortito--an espresso.  Literally, it means 'a little short one', or 'a little cut'.  I move out to the patio to sit outside and watch the people who walk by.  When the server brings the coffee to the table, it's served with a little plate of bite-sized cookies, and a glass of seltzer water.

In the US, 'sparkling water' is available on menus of nicer restaurants.  Some people drink it at home.  But in Argentina, a cup of coffee at a cafe is always served with a glass of soda.  And what a nice touch.  Until it was served to me, I don't think I ever noticed that after drinking my coffee, a little glass of seltzer was just what I needed for my parched throat.  Plus, it prolongs the cafe experience of sitting and sipping, a great Argentinean pastime.

The selzter, or soda, comes from siphon bottles like the one above.  The  sifon  is a ubiquitous part of the Argentinean cafe.  The soda is mixed with wine or Gancia (an alcoholic apperitif) or served like this, next to a coffee.  (I had to show off the vintage sifon we found at the flea market at Plazoleta Pelligrini.  It's no longer functional, but I fell in love with the deco shape, gem-like color and the cut of the glass. )

These days, the rechargable bottles are made from plastic, with the soda brand logo on the side.   When empty, the bottles are sent away in large crates to be cleaned, refilled and recharged.  Which makes serving it with coffee it the perfect little detail--a gift that keeps on giving.

Find more photos on my flickr photostream, From Argentina With Love.