Tag: Wine Enthusiast

Wine Enthusiast Sip of Italy

Published on by Bruno DonaggioLeave a comment

On September 10, Wine Enthusiast magazine held another in their “Sip” series of wine tastings. The last one was Sip of South America and this time around it was Sip of Italy.

The event was an opportunity to sample Italian wines from 50 wineries from all the geographic Italian wine regions.

Coming on the heels of Suckling’s great wines of Italy tasting the previous week, the start of the month of September was full of Italian wines. I attended the trade tasting in the afternoon and there was a tasting open to the public that evening.

The event was held at City Winery located at 25 11th Avenue on the west side Manhattan.

I wanted to sample as many Amarone as possible before moving on to the other regions.

Some of what I sampled:

2021 La Collina dei Ciliegi “Prea” (Veneto): Clear medium gold, spicy cinnamon on the nose, full juicy fruit with floral notes, good balance.

2022 Bozen Sauvignon Blanc “Mock” (Alto Adige): Clear light gold, peachy grass on the nose, moderate fruit with good acidity and balance.

2015 Pasqua Amarone “Mai Dire Mai” (Veneto): Medium opaque brick, tar and mint on the nose, juicy red fruit, firm finish.

2017 Santi Amarone (Veneto): Clear light brick with a tarry nose, chewy and tarry, ripe fruit, long finish.

2018 La Collina dei Ciliegi Amarone “Ciliego” (Veneto): Opaque dark brick, smoke, tar and ripe prunes on the nose, firm, chewy leather fruit with a smokey grip at the end.

2018 Zenato Amarone (Veneto): Opaque medium brick, crushed black fruit on the nose, chewy ripe fruit with a good grip and nice balance.

2018 Bolla Amarone (Veneto): Clear light brick, smokey black cherry on the nose, dusty, chunky black fruit ending with silky tannins.

2018 Covalli Amarone (Veneto): Clear light red, closed nose of woody tar, bright red fruit with bitter almonds on the finish.

2018 Santi Amarone (Veneto): Clear light brick, roasted nuts on the nose, juicy bright red fruit, nice balance.

2019 Cesari Amarone (Veneto): Clear medium red, smokey tar on the nose, big fruit with leather notes and good structure.

2019 Sartori Amarone “Reius” (Veneto): Clear light brick, sweet spices and roasted nuts on the nose, juicy, silky with slate notes, firm tannins.

2019 Ruffino “Modus Primo” (Tuscany): Opaque medium red with a brick rim, toasty pickle juice on the nose, chewy black leather fruit with firm, silky tannins.

2022 Gaddo Bolgheri Rosso (Tuscany): Clear medium brick, smoky black cherry on the nose, chewy, dusty black cherry fruit, good grip.

2022 Cascina Gilli Freisa “Il Forno” (Piedmont): An obscure grape varietal, clear medium brick, raspberry and red leather on the nose, bright red fruit, firm finish.

An Afternoon of Global Flavors

Published on by Bruno DonaggioLeave a comment

On the afternoon of September 5th, I attended a wine luncheon sponsored by Wine Enthusiast magazine and Ventsiquero Wine Estates.

Wine Enthusiast is a wine magazine that focuses on wine and spirits related topics with the requisite wine and spirit product reviews. They run a series of “Sip” tastings for the trade and the consumer, the last tasting covered the wines of South America, and an upcoming tasting will feature the wines of Italy.

Ventisquero Wine Estates is a Chilean wine company with vineyards throughout the country including the Atacama Desert.

The luncheon was held at Naro restaurant located at 610 5th Avenue in Rockefeller Center. The restaurant specializes in the “subtle and delicate flavors” of Korean cuisine.

It was a sit-down lunch with wines paired with each course. Ventisquero wine maker, Felipe Tosso was on hand to explain the wines and the wine making philosophy of the winery.

Very often when I attend a mega tasting, I have to say that I usually bypass the Chilean wine tables, so I was looking forward to having a sit-down tasting of Chilean wines from a quality producer.

Menu & Wines

Summer Tomato: Summer Squash, Chopi Leaf, Tomato Eung-i

2021 Tara Chardonnay (Huasco Valley): Unfiltered, slightly cloudy light gold, barnyard, roasted hazelnuts and peaches on the nose, moderate fruit with nice acidity and balance.

Potato Jeon: Koreon Melon, Peanut White Wood Ear

2019 Herú Pinot Noir (Casablanca Valley): Clear medium red with a brick rim, perfume of stone and barnyard, silky fruit with crushed rock notes with bitter almonds on the long finish. Nice balance and acidity.

Pork Jowl: Pinecone Ssamjang Cilantro Salad, Gamchil Paste

2021 Vertice La Robleria Vineyard Carmenere, Syrah (Apalta/Colchagua Valley): Opaque dark red with a brick rim, crushed black fruit, mint, chalk and stewed fruit notes on the nose, juicy and concentrated with red leather and crushed rocks on the finish.

2018 Pangea Syrah (Apalta/Colchagua Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, barnyard, crushed red fruit, mint and stewed fruit on the nose, tight with dusty and firm tannins, crisp acids.

Lemon Verbena Hwachae: Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew

Wines served with the hors d’oeuvres:

2023 Grey Single Block Sauvignon Blanc (Huasco Valley): Clear light gold, mowed grass, stone and kiwi on the nose, moderate fruit with slate notes, good acidity, easy drinking.

2021 Tara Pinot Noir (Huasco Valley): Opaque medium red with a brick rim, perfume of black tar and red leather, concentrated black fruit with crushed rock and tart notes on the finish.

Wine Enthusiast Sip of South America 2024

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Wine Enthusiast magazine is a lifestyle magazine focusing on travel, food, wine and spirits. A good portion of the magazine is dedicated to wine reviews.

On Monday, May 6, they held a Sip of South America wine tasting that explored the current state of South American wines in the United States. Not surprisingly, they focused on the wines of South America, particularly from Chile, Argentina and Uruguay that have the magazines 90+ point rating or their Best Buy designation.

The event was held at City Winery, a restaurant/winery located at 25 11th Avenue, overlooking the Hudson River, next to the Meatpacking District on the West side of Manhattan.

Each country poured wines made with the signature grape of each country, Carmenere in Chile, Malbec in Argentina and Tannat in Uruguay, but the other French varietals were represented as well, I tried some nice Pinot Noir.

They poured a solid lineup though I would have liked to have sampled more wines with additional bottle age.

They also had a Pisco Lounge that served cocktails made with Chilean Pisco, which is a brandy like spirit made from grape must.

Some of my highlights:

White

2021 Zuccardi Poligonos Semillon (Uco Valley): Medium gold, white flowers and lemon curd on the nose, medium citrusy fruit with nice acidity.

2023 Catena High Mountain Semillon-Chenin (Mendoza): Light gold, floral and earthy nose, with moderate fruit and good balance.

Red

2015 Vinas Luis Felipe Edwards Pater Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley): Clear medium brick, tar and leather on the nose with those tar and leather notes on the silky fruit, good balance.

2017 Matetic Syrah (San Antonio Valley): Opaque dark red with a purple rim, smoky bacon on the nose, tight and concentrated ending with silky red tannins.

2018 La Celia La Consulta Cabernet Franc (Uco Valley): Clear medium red with a brick rim, perfume of bell pepper with tight green herbs and spicy fruit.

2018 Salentein La Pampa 1997 Vineyard Malbec (Uco Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, tar on the nose, silky black fruit with a nice grip on the long finish.

2019 Clos de los Siete C7 Red Blend (Uco Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, crushed black fruit on the nose with chunky black fruit ending with firm, silky tannins.

2020 Luca “Beso de Dante” Red Blend (Uco Valley): Black with a purple rim, sweet cigar smoke on the nose, tight silky fruit with a smoky finish.

2020 Montes “Wings” Carmenere (Apalta, Colchagua Valley): Opaque dark red with a purple rim, crushed dark fruit and steel notes on the nose, concentrated and toasty with good grip on the smokey finish.

2021 Valle Secreto Private Red Blend (Cachapoal Andes): Opaque dark red with a purple rim, toasty roast meat on the nose, chewy, steely fruit with a long, firm finish.

2021 Escudo Rojo Baron Phllippe de Rothschild Cabernet Sauvignon (Maipo Valley): Opaque dark brick, smoke and bell pepper on the nose, silky, smoky fruit, nice balance.

2021 Ventisquero Tara Pinot Noir (Atacama): Clear medium brick, barnyard nose, silky, earthy and stinky fruit, good balance.

2021 Ventisquero Grey Cabernet Sauvignon (Maipo Valley): From a single block, clear dark purple, sweet tar and cigarette smoke on the nose, silky, graphite fruit ending with a good grip.

2021 Antigal UNO Estate Malbec (Mendoza): Black with a purple rim, tar and slate on the nose, chewy dark chocolate fruit with nice structure.

2021 Argento Single Block Malbec (Uco Valley): Opaque black with a purple rim, sweet violets and cigarette smoke on the nose, bright red fruit ending with crisp acids.

2022 Viu Manent Vibo Punta del Viento GSM (Colchagua Valley): Clear medium purple, smoky nose with bright red fruit with a good grip.