In case you haven´t already heard through the grapevine, every year Mendoza, Argentina hosts one very special extended homage to the tiny fruit that everyone loves. In simple terms, Vendimia is the celebration of the grape harvest. It takes place over several months, as each of the 18 departments in Mendoza province host fiestas and select their beauty queens who will later compete for...
In the Tupungato region of Uco Valley, along the popular Ruta 98 sits a boutique winery, so humbly nestled into the landscape that you´d miss it if you weren´t paying attention. In a neighborhood of giants – Andeluna Winery, Salentein, and Jean Bousquet – La Azul is the David to their Goliath. With a cement-walled winery roughly the size of a spacious garage, it...
When it comes to wine looks, it´s usually the label that gets all the glory. But what about the bottle itself? Slender, tall, short, round – wine bottle shape is the culmination of many things: Culture, function & fashion. Most food packaging strategy comes down to a few simple principles: keep it safe, cost-effective and efficient to pack & ship. Wine bottles fail in...
The Thanksgiving table is often laden with everything from turkey and cranberry sauce to wild rice and pumpkin pie, which makes choosing the proper wine pairing a tricky feat. Wine is rarely one-size-fits all, but there are some guidelines you can follow when planning the beverage side of your Thanksgiving menu. With the Turkey taking center stage, looking for fruit-forward wines laced with juicy...
After working in some of Mendoza´s finest restaurants, including La Bourgogne and Azafrán, Pablo Ranea has a new project: Pirca Food & Wine, a pop-up, closed-door, traveling food & wine experience. That may sound like a lot to handle, but to Pablo is the kind of Chef who prefers to stay on his toes. As with most of life´s winding roads, experiences only connect...
As the year dips into Autumn temperatures (that is, in the Northern Hemisphere), there is nothing more soul-soothing than a warm bowl of something delicous. This recipe, a roustic rendition of a classic soup, is full of smokey warmth, toasted pumpkin seeds and creaminess. If you´re feeling frisky, Chefs Martin & Martin of Los Chocos closed-door restaurant encourage you to play with garnishes –...
Once a big-city chef navigating the hustle of Buenos Aires, Chef Mun Kim came to Mendoza to offer a unique food & wine experience based on the fusion of flavors from the East & West. Today Chef Mun, along with his business partner Cary Gilbert, manage Mun Restaurant at Casarena Winery, a culinary fusion of Asian & Argentine food & wine. Along with a...
Visitors to Pulenta Estate winery find different things to praise. Some are enchanted by the dramatic, glass-walled tasting room overlooking towering stacks of oak barrels, and others swoon for the outdoor patio with panoramic Andean views. But the image that will surface in my mind when I shuffle through my memories of Pulenta Estate, is a small dark room, tucked away on the basement...
Winter and summer months are high season for vineyard workers: they prune extra shoots that have long since turned brittle, tie canes to support wires, and prevent the luscious green canopy from turning into full-blown jungle madness. During these months hours of neck-kinking, meticulous labor are invested in grooming the plants. But springtime is another story. As the winter chill dissipates, the vine reawakens. ...
A few weeks ago I celebrated my first anniversary – with wine. Now, certainly wine has been in the background of my life for a good while longer: a sip from an uncle´s glass at Christmas dinner, a vinegary red blend at a college bar etc. But this anniversary marks not only the beginning of my career in the industry, but my beginning to...
Run by a duo of two men named Martin, each meal is a dinner party. And though that may seem confusing at first, their system worked quite flawlessly: Martin 1 in the kitchen, Martin 2 in the dining room. Because seating is limited at the home-style dining table, dinner guests begin as strangers and by third course have forged unlikely friendships. The Martins believe...
Depending on your prior travels, Argentina can seem like a Travel in Argentina is full of beauty and adventure, but things are done a little differently in our part of the Southern Hempisphere. Entry into a different culture can be a little disorienting – is that a horse on the highway? But it can also be one of the most delicious elements of your...