Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Zuccardi – bonding family with wine

January 31, 2012 by Radka Slovackova

José Alberto Zuccardi runs his family business in an exemplary fashion. He welcomes visitors with his eternal smile, setting a positive vibe for the upcoming tour through his extensive winery. It must be the combination of his smile and the almost always shining Mendoza’s sun which execute as a guillotine all bad moods, aches and worries one might preoccupy one’s head with.

The family business

Browsing around the winery uplifts one’s spirit even more. Seeing the family at work reminded me of how beautiful it is to see relatives working on a common goal, supporting each other and at the same time respecting the passions and talents of each member individually. That is perhaps why, the eldest son of José Alberto is involved with the wines, the younger son creates unique olive oils and the daughter manages the winery restaurant, first of its kind in Argentina. Their common goal seems to be creating a pleasurable sensual experience for their customers. Whatever your likes or dislikes might be, you will find something appealing to your palate made by Zuccardi family – might it be wine, olive oil or a wonderful meal at the restaurant.

 

A bit of a history

But, how did it all start?

A young engineer, Alberto Zuccardi, the father of José Alberto came to Mendoza’s Maipú province in the 1960s, where he pioneered his own irrigation system. His invention together with other factors incited a massive expansion in wine growing in the region since then.

Irrigation is crucial for majority of agricultural products in the dessert-like climate of Mendoza. The vine plant is not an exemption. Without a sophisticated water management, there would grow perhaps only the prickly cacti, and not vines with their juicy fruits – the grapes. And, without grapes, there is no wine. At least not the real one. I have tasted some strawberry, raspberry and a range of other fruit-based “wines” elsewhere. Argentina though, takes its wine seriously. Perhaps, the dominant Italian immigrants make sure that the grapes rule in their Argentine wines.

Driven by innovation

An experimental spirit is adamant at Zuccardi. The winery has its own premisses dedicated to trying new winemaking techniques, tweaking the old ones and blending locally so far underestimated varieties. The innovative genes came from Alberto Zuccardi, the father of José Alberto, whose credentials I mentioned above.

At Zuccardi today, they have launched a range of wines under the “Innovación” label. As its name reveals, these are not typical wines for Argentina, at last they were not, until Zuccardi brought them to life. They are, surely, interesting to try.

The winery & vineyards 

Today, the Zuccardi family has vineyards in various provinces in Mendoza. The highest, and for many Argentine viticulturists the  most treasured, is in Altamira by the slopes of the Andes mountains. The soils are different in each area. This picture tells it all…

The soils at Familia Zuccardi vineyards

The diversity of soils is embodied in the wines produced. There are four ranges so far:

Santa Julia – named after José Alberto’s only daughter Julia

Fuzion – trendy and contemporary trying to mirror the spirit of Argentine people

Zuccardi – the top line with the first premium-quality Tempranillo in Argentina called “Q”; the tip of the quality-moulded iceberg is “Z” wine

Malamado - a range of fortified wines, popular as a base for various cocktails

The number of wines  produced in the above four lines is so extensive that I would have to dedicate a magazine issue to them. The winery’s website explains the wines well in detail, so for these curious just click. As in many parts of Mendoza though the vines and especially the grapes are threatened by the mighty hail. The hail storms can destroy the entire vintage, therefore many winery owners protect the plants by nets above them. Nothing attractive, but it saves lives … like a helmet worn on a bicycle.

Vineyard protected from hail by nets

Events & art

Every year, the family organises a big tasting event at the winery’s premisses. The Degustación Annual takes place in late November and brings together the wine and food lovers from all corners of Mendoza as well as the lucky foreigners visiting Argentina at the date of the tasting. Performances, local cuisine, and of course tasting of the Santa Julia wines makes for a perfect day in the countryside.

Each year, the event is anchored with artistic placards, unique for each occasion as the topic of the day varies from year to year. Theatre was one of the recent endeavors, so actors were cheering up the wine-loving degustateurs on the day.

The family’s passion for art is evident. An ongoing exhibition of local art-works at the winery is another example of their penchant for creativity. Recently, they even came with “Consecha de Artistas“wine range, with labels, like the legendary Mouton Rotshields, designed by artists.

Restaurant

Set in the middle of the vineyards, the winery restaurant can host a romantic luncheon for a couple, a meditating séance for a nature lover or an exciting meet-up with wine enthusiasts and friends. There is a space for everyone. My favorite is the outside patio. The vine pergolas hanging over my head were enough to keep me there for hours – what an ambiance! The food might exceed ones expectations of a winery lunch. I am not exaggerating when saying that it was the best meal we had in Argentina during our trip. Forget the fancy restaurants in Mendoza city.

Zuccardi olive oils

Starting with the fresh bread and the mouth-watering range of single-varietal olive oils developed by Jose Alberto’s youngest son Miguel equals a high-dining experience. I loved the local varietal Arauco with its spicy finish the most. The empanadas (typical Argentine pastry filled either with meat, cheese or vegetables) are delicious and the assado (Argentine style of grilled meet, including their famous beef) made me think of renting a belly from a big person, how great it was! Luckily, we had plenty of wine, especially the fruity and full Malbec and locally second most popular red variety Bonarda, even though austere, it was nice with food.

Scenic winery restaurant

The three generations of effort by Zuccardi family surely bore a variety of fruits. From grapes, through olives to successful restaurant. Moreover, in 2007 Mr. Zuccardi was recognized as one of the five most influential personalities in Argentina from the UK based Decanter magazine. That is a great news – the person with an ever-present smile on his face is the right kind of influence I wish to be affected by.

Posted in Wine tasting & restaurants, Wine by country, Argentina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Bodega Catena Zapata

December 8, 2011 by Radka Slovackova

Visit the Bodega Catena Zapata is a must for any wine lover coming to Mendoza. Its majestic edifice in a shape of a Mayan pyramid keeps mesmerizing thousands of visitors traveling there year after year.

Catena's pyramid winery in Mendoza

The inspiration for this were the Mayan pyramids in Mexico, where Nicolás Catena, the man who put Argentina on the world wine map, and his wife Elena went a couple of years ago. The building itself though is more an architectural wonder and it has nothing to do with a suggestion that the Mayans built wineries and more importantly that they have been drinking wine. About that I would inquire with the archeologists and historians. Laura Catena, the daughter of Nicolás Catena, wrote in her book Vino Argentino what her father wanted to achieve with building the new winery in such style quoting him saying: “The Mayans were the most advanced Indian culture in Americas. They wished to excel in science, art, and culture. Our goals were similar.”

So he decided to build the winery as a symbol of the common aims with the Mayans.

Catena Zapata vineyard in Mendoza

The entrance is impressive. Overlooking the vineyard one might feel like a pilot in an airplane just before landing on the runway. Then, turing to the winery and passing through a giant steel door, one finds oneself in the world of Catena’s dream. The reception hall has a wall lined up with rows of bottles from the extensive range of Catena Zapata’s wines.

Local wine consumption

Interestingly, about a half of these are only for the local market. Like in France and Italy, the Argentines drink mostly their wine and much less of the wines imported from elsewhere. The wines at Catena Zapata are labeled distinctly from the export items as the Argentines are more familiar with them. The wines are about the same as these allocated for the export. As I was assured at the winery “Argentina is not really the New World in terms of wine and people’s relationship with it. Wine was popular drink there for hundreds of years.” That compared to Napa’s last century boom or New Zealand two-decades-long encounter with wine makes Argentina more of a mature adult while the later countries are still babies in nappies.

Nicolás Catena steps in

Winemaking in the country before Nicolás Catena though was more about quantity rather than focusing on quality.

Argentina produces one of the highest volumes of wine on the world with 1,210,000 litres in 2009 it was the fifth country worldwide just after the US. On the other hand, this number used to be much higher. As many winemakers were inspired by Nicolás Catena’s striving for quality over quantity the volume has steadily declined. As recently as in 2006 it was 1,539,600 litres meaning that just in three years it was down by 21,41%.

Carefully researched land, experimenting with new, in Argentina not so common varietals and with single vineyard wines are one of the symptoms of such an effort. In the case of Catena Zapata it was the concerted work of one family and a team of winemakers headed by almost never-sleeping Alejandro Vigil, which brought the fruits of high quality world-class wines.

Wine tasting

Here Mr. Catena’s influence on quality-driven wines is indisputable. And, you can taste it. Since the weather in Mendoza is quite stable year by year, vintages are not so important. Catena’s approach it to embrace the diversity of the vineyards. Therefore, often they blend wines from different altitudes as in the Catena Alta range. From 940m (3080ft) at La Pirámide Vineyard, Agrelo in Luján de Cuyo (around the winery) to 1500m (4921.26ft) at Adrianna Vineyard in Tupungato, Gualtallary District in Uco Valley, further down South from Luján.

Catena Alta wine range

The Catena Alta Chardonnay 2010 is an expression of Tupungato. From two lots in various altitudes, aged in French oak barrels on lees and undergoing malolactic fermentation, the wine has lots of work done to it. On the other hand it will flatter the complexity-demanding palates. Fresh acidity from lemon moves into hints of cloves and vanilla from the oak and malolactic fermentation.

The Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is a blend of three vineyards in various altitudes and districts. Again, the toasted wood on the nose discloses it was aged in mainly (70%) new French oak for 18months. The acidity is again the strength of the wine with typical dark fruits notes one wants from a good Cab.

The Catena Alta Malbec 2009 is the utmost expression of the various terroirs in Mendoza. Its blend comes from Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, San Carlos and Gualtallary in the Uco Valley. Such an extensive selection resulted in a wine representative of Malbec from Mendoza in its most characteristic fashion. Hints of marmelade and fruits on the nose introduce the fruit-rich palate rounded well with the oak.

My favorite from all wines we have tasted was Nicolás Catena Zapata 2008 blend of carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec from various family vineyards. Aged for 24 months in 100% new french oak its complex tones were composed into a symphony of red and dark fruits with layers of fresh black currant and caraway seeds on the nose. The high acidity balanced the influence of the oak so the wine remained refreshing.

Argentina vs. Europe

A systematic and open-minded approach not enslaved by laws and rules as in Europe has been driving Argentina’s growth at least in one direction – production of quality and diverse wine. And that has been recognized abroad from the leading export markets in the United States, Canada and neighboring Brasil. In the later, currently the Argentine wine is marking a surge of interest as the Brasil’s economy grows.

The family ownership is what makes Catena Zapata different from increasingly ‘corporationised’ European wineries, often bought by large luxury goods and insurance companies and thus disconnected from the families’ hands. Overall, the scale of Latin American wineries though corresponds with the size of land suitable for growing vines in these countries. Most of them are enormous when compared with the more boutique European vineyards and wineries. But, producing great wine is not about the size. Today, with the state of the art technology, making a quality wine is about the expertise and having the right people on board.

Posted in Argentina, Wine by country | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mendel winery in Mendoza

December 5, 2011 by Radka Slovackova

An energetic, youthfully slim and stylish Anabelle Silecki, co-owner of Bodega Mendel in Lujan de Cuyo met us in Mendoza at our hotel’s reception hall and took us to the winery by car. I was advised before my trip to ask locally based people to pick me up since it is challenging for foreigners to drive around. The signs are often very confusing so one can get lost easily. Ms Silecki had just flown into the town from Buenos Aires for a number of meetings so she stayed at our hotel as well. The Park Hyatt in Mendoza is the most popular hotel for anyone from the wine industry to stay in. Perhaps it is because of it’s magnificent wine bar.

The Mendel winery she owns in partnership with her talented winemaker Roberto de La Mota had a soothing effect on our European palates as it was the tiniest winery we have seen so far not only in Mendoza but also in neighbouring Chile.

Stylish Mendel's interior

Set in an old simple building with a traditional character this unpretentious bodega is unpretentiously charming. There are rows of vines planted around the winery, mostly Malbec, some olive trees, roses and less locally common vine varietals such as Mugrón to show visitors. The oldest Malbec was planted in 1928 meaning that these plants are over 80 years old.


Mendel has also other vineyards, all spreead across the vast region. Most of the winemaking is done by hand and both Roberto De La Mota, one of the most respected winemakers in Argentina, and the winery’s second winemaker Santiago Mayorga are not afraid of experiments. Recently they have planted some Semillion and Petit Verdot with aim to explore the potential of these varietals in the Mendel’s vineyards. In a fresh, eclectic, yet rustic tasting room we have tasted the white Semillion, a common partner in sweet wines. This time though in it’s fresh, zesty and aromatic coat in a dry single varietal wine. It was excellent! Disappointing though was Ms Silecki’s assurance that there are no bottles left for sales, that is how popular this wine is.

Mendel's wines

Moving to reds our palates were more than compensated for not having the opportunity to buy one bottle and take it with us. The fresh and fruit driven Malbec and to a similar extent fruit – faithful Cabernet Sauvignon were delicious. There, the stereotypical difference between the New and Old world approach to winemaking was tangible. Many of the New World wineries let the fruit speak and the oak is dormant. Of course, it differs from winery to winery. I am open to both approaches and in the case of the Mendel’s wines I was grateful for some exuberant fruit in my glass.

Old vine

The Argentines are magnificent hosts so if some, like Ms Silecki did apologise for offering us only a small and simple lunch, then you will eat like a king by most of people’s standards. In a minute, we savoured the crispy, freshly baked beef meat filled empanadas, perfect with the fruity Malbec. The empanadas are in Argentina typical dough turnovers filled with meat, cheese, onion, olives or other ingredients depending on the region. In Mendoza they are mostly beef and olives-based. But, you can find exceptions such as cheese and other vegetarian options such as filled with juicy onions as at Familia Zuccardi’s winery restaurant in Lujan.

Savoring the empanadas

At Mendel we were further treated to a delicious homemade olive oil with fresh bread, the oil having a wonderful vegetal notes on the palate. Later came a plate of rice with grilled vegetables and, a fresh mixed salad, which is also the part of almost every meal with an exception of a breakfast. Pan (bread) with dulce de leche sweet spread arriving to Argentina with the Spanish immigrants is a typical morning meal.

Posted in Wine by country | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The House of Roosevelt in Shanghai – the ultimate stop for wine lovers

October 9, 2011 by Radka Slovackova

The Roosevelts are known as a prominent US presidential family which shaped  America. What is not in the common consciousness is that the family had quite strong ties with China through its Roosevelt China Investments Corporation. This investment body is involved in a wide range of activities in China from funding the Tsinghua university, pharmaceutical and software companies to a more recent endeavor – the House of Roosevelt at Shanghai’s Bund.

Its location at perhaps the most prestigious area in Shanghai might have guaranteed the popularity of this restaurant, private club, roof lounge and wine cellar in one. However, it is the cellar which is the most wonderous attraction of otherwise a very fancy and quite elitist hangout.

The cellar at The House of Roosevelt

The cellar at The House of Roosevelt

Do not be discouraged by the ostentatious Rolex shop right by the entrance to the House of Roosevelt or by the inquisitive man on the door asking about your whereabouts. Just say you are going to the wine cellar, take a lift to the second floor and once the doors open you will enter a world of bottles, shelves, wood and glass. You will be amazed by its scale. It is honestly huge as everything  in China.

The cellar room

The atmosphere is almost magic. Surrounded by wooden shelves; immersed in charming tones of old blues, soul and jazz music; pampered by stunning views of  the miracle of modern architecture – Pudong; one finds oneself on the crossroads between the past and the presence. This an ideal situation to savor wine. As with wine – its past evokes melancholy, but it is its presence that impresses us.

Your table at the cellar

The wine cellar could see the world in its present scale only thanks to the collective effort of the management working closely with a wide range of wine importers to China. From Bordeaux to Washington, the selection is impressive. Do not expect very old and rare vintages though.

The treasures

There are some special wines stored in a sophisticatedly covered cellar hidden behind one of the sections of the library along the wall. These wines surely will cost a fortune. Chateau Margaux 1982 vintage or pricey Screaming Eagle from Napa are not for everyday drinking, but you will not stare at a bottle of a centenary wine there.

The white wines ready to drink in the chilling cellars

The kitchen sparkling with energy

Chinese wine

In the main cellar, there is something for everyone. My curiosity about Chinese wines beyond the almost undrinkable Great Wall (one of the first commercial wineries in China; fans of this wine, please excuse my European palette, I believe some locals enjoy Great Wall a lot) guided me to select a bottle of a Bordeaux Blend from Silver Hights 2009. This promising wine is made by a female winemaker Emma Gao and after savoring it I and the other three people who drunk it with me had to admit that it was not bad at all. It was soft with palatable tannins and ripe fruit aromas. The winery is owned by the winemaker’s family and located in Helan Mountain region of Ningxia province, which is currently the hottest area for wine growing in China. To compare the Chinese Bordeaux blend with a real French wine from Bordeaux, I selected a Pomerol based Chateau Laborde of an older 2004 vintage and only slightly more expensive than Silver Hights (about 500RMB or 78 US$) selling for about 800 RMB (125 US$). The real Bordeaux was more complex, yet comparably enjoyable to its Chinese version when it came to drinking it with food.

The two Bordeaux blends - left Pomerol, right the Chinese version

Two hardly pronounceable wines-left Gewurtztraminer & right Gruner Veltliner

Food

The tapas selection a the cellar is mouthwatering. The dishes are organised by their suitability for sparkling, white or red wine. With the reds we got Australian beef carpacio with truffles and even more delicious German country sandwich with sauerkraut and pork. Cheese board followed the suit. I would have it with with either a deep red or an intensely flavoured white wine.

Sucullent oysters from across the world

Before the two reds we had also two white wines. I selected a bottle of Gewurztraminer from Alsace and Gruner Veltliner from Austria. Both are difficult grape varieties for foreigners to pronounce, therefore they are often overlooked by consumers. I was pleasantly surprised seeing them in China. Again the selection of producers as well as vintages was quite good. The Gewurztraminer from Domaine Schlumberger, Kessler, Grand Cru 2004 was off-dry so its slightly honeyed profile called for a foie gras terine, which was a perfect match. The Gruner Veltliner from Nigl was more zesty and grassy, therefore a goat cheese enveloped in crunchy nuts  with grilled vegetables and oysters played interestingly together on the palette.

Overall, the Cellar at The Roosevelt House is a wonderful place to savor wines from across the world with plenty of special tasting events taking place every week. The only weak point is  the insuficcient knowledge of the wine staff. It is better if you know what you like and what you want to drink. The food was excellent at the dinner I went there. I am sure that for me this is a must go every time  I visit the ever evolving city of Shanghai.

The House of Roosevelt
No. 27 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road
Shanghai, China
200002
Tel: (86) 21-2322-0800

The food menu can be found online at The House of Roosevelt’s website.

Currency exchange rate as for October 8, 2011 from xe.com.

 

 

Posted in Wine by country, Wine tasting & restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 107 other followers