Wine Club: Wines from Central and South America

Every year the wines from this region get better, more adventurous and more enjoyable and the prices have thankfully remained at a reasonable level. We’re introducing a few unique picks throughout the month, so I strongly suggest you try them all as soon as possible. Cheers!

This month’s 6 for 70

These wines have a retail value of $12 to $18. Total retail value averages $90. Many wines have been well rated by critics for many years, and all have been endorsed by Zack and Stacey! The wines are:

Wapisa Sauvignon Blanc Argentina

Revolutionary is the word Patricia Ortiz, owner of Wapisa, uses to describe the winery. Not only is Wapisa the only coastal winery in Patagonia, but it is also the only winery in Argentina to age wines under the sea. Inspired by coastal influences, Patricia decided to incorporate the ocean into the aging process .

The pressurized atmosphere with its constant temperature provides perfect conditions for the aging of wines. With its distinctive, crisp aromas and saline acidity, Wapisa Sauvignon Blanc expresses the complexity of the soil and sea breezes of the Atlantic Patagonia region.

Fabre Montmayou Cabernet Franc Argentina

Decanter 95 Points

Intense red color. Elegant nose, with aromas of red and black fruits and hints of mint. Fresh and well balanced, with a long finish. Serve with lamb stew, pork, game and chocolate desserts.

Ripe nose with fresh red fruits and lively greens and bell pepper notes. Fairly solid palate with pleasant fruit and juiciness, peppery and spicy.

Terrapura Carmenere Chile

Matetic Wine Group, a family winery known for organic and biodynamic farming, purchased the Terrapura winery in 2016.

This wine displays a brilliant ruby ​​red color with intense and expressive aromas of strawberry, blueberry and a little black pepper. The palate is smooth with soft tannins and a long, pleasant finish with an elegant touch of oak.

TerraPura Carmenere goes well with a wide range of dishes such as spicy dishes, pasta with red sauce and red or white meats.

Tabernero Vittoria Chardonnay Peru

It has a yellow color of light intensity with greenish reflections. Its fragrance has intense aromas of green pepper, green olive and freshly cut grass. Just in the mouth, it is tasty and fresh, slightly acidic and it presents a remarkable minerality to then give way to a long and pleasant finish.

Vina Marty Mariposa Alegre Cabernet Sauvignon

James Suckling 91 points

It’s creamy and spicy, polished and elegant, with less spice and more fruit, but produced in a similarly approachable way to its Carmenere counterpart. “Very fresh and floral with aromas and flavors of violets and dark berries. Medium body. Fine tannins. Juicy blackberries and a nice hint of nuts and chocolate at the end.

Gaia Red Blend Argentina

Intense red color with purplish reflections. Aromas of black fruits and spices. Juicy and fruity with a tannic structure. Medium to full bodied. Polished and pretty. A spicy red with dried herbs, cassis and black plums.

The finely chiselled palate is medium to full-bodied and rolls over layers of blue fruit, intermingled with crisp acidity.

Pairs well with grilled meats, cheese and chocolate. Blend: 50% Malbec, 45% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

This month 3 for 70

These wines are chosen for their fine quality and are valued at $25-33. Average total retail value over $90. The wines are:

Alma Negra M Blend Argentina
James Suckling 94 points

This shows a compressed palate of blackberries and licorice with hints of cassis. Corsica. Slender. So delicious to drink now, but will improve with age.

Cabernet frank, bonarda and malbec. To be enjoyed now or kept in your cellar. Founded by Ernesto Catena, a fourth generation winemaker of Italian origin, Alma Negra means Black Soul due to the deep and intense color of the wines made from the Bonarda grape variety.

The first wines made, all red, had a real “black soul” when you saw them in the glass. Ernesto also wanted to create a wine of which little was known about the composition or the technical details, so that the wine would be judged solely on how the taster perceived it.

Domaine Bousquet Ameri Argentine Blend

Bearing the name of Labid al Ameri, co-owner of Domaine Bousquet, the flagship wine of Domaine Bousquet is a predominantly Malbec blend. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot add the complex dimensions that elevate this wine from “expected” to “exciting”. Rich aromas of berries, coffee and roasted dark fruits. Fruity and complex on the palate, with flavors of black cherry, cassis, black pepper and herbs.

Silver Drop Sauvignon Blanc

Unique wines in the world in its style, fermented with Japanese sake yeast n°7. Only members of the federation of sake producers are authorized to use the yeast. We are then honored to be the only non-Japanese member.

These yeasts are a real treasure of Japanese culture and allow us to vinify at much lower temperatures than ordinary wine yeast, which has always been a dream of winegrowers.

The wine is quite sober and shy, with white pear and some floral aromas. It’s not very varietal, at least it doesn’t have the pungent herbal aromas of many Sauvignon Blancs in Chile. The palate is soft and smooth with integrated and clean acidity the flavours. A fresh nose, lime and pastry mango with a fluid and slightly creamy mouthfeel. Fresh and balanced.

The wines will be available for pick-up May 15-31.