A First Look at Mexican Wines Including Italian Grapes

As I always say when it comes it comes to wine that the learning path is never ending.  This month our Wine Pairing Weekend crew (#WinePW) is exploring Mexican food and wine pairings.  This was my first experience tasting Mexican wines and was quite thrilled when Max, the owner of Tozi Imports, hand delivered about 9 different Mexican wines to sample.  What was even more exciting was that a few of these bottles were focused on the Italian grape, Nebbiolo.  So you guessed it, that is our feature today!  I look forward to sampling through the rest, especially with Cinco de Mayo right around the corner.   

Mexican Wine History 

Wines have been produced in Mexico since the early 16th century when the Spanish expedition led by Cortes landed in Mexico in 1519.  By 1521 they had defeated the Aztecs and brought cuttings to plant.  From that time until about 1699, Mexico became the hub for all winemaking in the New World.  The King of Spain wanted to protect the Spanish wineries so he banned all commercial winemaking and limited its use only for sacramental purposes.  It wasn’t until the late 1800’s when a social and cultural reform took place and in 1888 the first mission converted to a winery.   

The late 1980’s wine was being mass produced without a focus on quality.  The doors had also opened to imports so about 95% of the wineries shut down and the wine production went from about 4 million gallons of wine produced to under a million.  This gave rise to small, boutique, family-owned wineries that revolutionized the wine scene.  Their focus was on single varietals versus blends, modern winemaking techniques with a focus on quality.  These wineries have a lot of So even though Mexico has a history in the wine industry it wasn’t until recent decades when things have shifted in terms of quality for Mexican wine.

The Wines 

All 3 Nebbiolo wines I’m sharing today come from the winery, Vino del Marques. Nebbiolo is heavily used by the winemaker, Mauricio Rodriguez. The winery was founded in only 2013 and is located in Queretaro, which is about 3 hours north of Mexico City in the heart of the Central Mexican Highlands.  

The Queretaro is the 2nd largest wine region in Mexico with some of the areas being some of the very first plantings of vines in Mexico. It’s an area known for its sparkling wines and wines that aren’t too high in alcohol, including the Nebbiolo today. This area has a very arid climate, but the high elevations of this area allow the grapes to thrive. At Vino del Marques their Nebbiolo grows at 5,905 feet above sea level. Due to the temperatures the grapes are harvested earlier here in the July to August timeframe.

My first up was my sipper prep wine while I made dinner, the 2017 Vinos del Marques Danza de la Marquesa. Made of 65% Nebbiolo and 35% Tempranillo. A beautiful salmon color with a sweet nose of ripe strawberries, roses and citrus. A round mouthfeel with lush strawberry notes, citrus with crisp acidity lingering through until the finish. A refreshing, enjoyable rose! ABV 12% 

The second Nebbiolo wine is the 2016 Vinos del Marques Musica del Marques. This is made from 90% Nebbiolo and 10% Malbec and was actually my preferred wine of the two. This wine spends 9 months in used French oak. It was deeply colored garnet in the glass. A beautiful nose of cherry, violets, spice and some cocoa. It was a smooth, balanced wine with great acidity and I love the way the cherry flavors showed on this wine. Very different than the Nebbiolo of Piedmont, especially when it comes to the tannin characteristics. SRP $22-25 

The third Nebbiolo was a 2014 Vinos del Marques Escultura del Marques Reserva. This wine was made up of 55% Nebbiolo and 45% Syrah. This wine spends 18 months in new French and American oak. Also deeply colored garnet in the glass. Mostly vanilla and cherry notes on the nose with a hint of roses. Juicy acidity up front and integrated tannin. Full-bodied and richly concentrated fruit with more vanilla showing up on the finish with nice length. ABV 13.5% SRP $50-55 

I could have taken the route of pairing these wines with Mexican food, but I wanted to try something different. Plus, we just recently picked up our meat farm share and the short ribs were calling my name. I used my new Instant Pot that makes my life so much easier and paired the two red Nebbiolo wines with succulent short ribs with carrots in a balsamic glazed sauce. For a side I made some risotto with herbs and mushrooms. It was really a great pairing together and everything seemed to complement one another. 

An interesting tidbit about how the wines are taxed when sold within Mexico that I learned from the virtual tasting with Max. There is an extra charge of 48% tax on the cost of the bottle when sold within Mexico versus those that are exported where the price drops to 16%. You would think that the country would want to export, but also promote products within their home country, but at a 48% tax it definitely allows wineries to lean towards a preference of exportation.  

Join the rest of our Wine Pairing Weekend friends as they share more Mexican wines with their suggested pairings. Catch us live on Twitter this Saturday @ 11am EST at #WinePW. Have a great weekend! 

• Wendy from a A Day in the Life on the Farm will share “Mexican Foods and Wines always provide for a Perfect Fiesta”
• Susannah from Avvinare is “Discovering Mexican Wine”
• Carlos from Carlos’ Food & Wine is serving up “Mexican wines featuring sparkling wine risotto & grilled hanger steak with mushroom-red wine sauce”
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla is sharing “Outside the Pigeon-Hole: Pairing Mexican Wine with Thai Cuisine“
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator Gwendolyn Alley features Sparkling Wine from Mexico For #TacoTuesday”
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Mexican Wines – 2 wines from the central Mexican highlands of Querétaro #WinePW“
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass is “Saying ‘hola’ to Mexican Tempranillo and sparkling wine”
• Martin from ENOFLZ Wine Blog will share “Exploring Mexican Wine Beyond Baja”
• Nicole from Somm’s Table is “Sipping Mexican Wines with a Bowl of Birria“
• Liz at What’s in that Bottle posted “Salud a Los Vinos de Mexico!”
• Terri from Our Good Life pairs “Grassfed Ribeye with Steak Butter and Grilled Oyster Mushrooms Paired with Monte Xanic Cabernet Sauvignon“
• David on Cooking Chat we paired “Roasted Beet Pesto Pasta with Mexican Merlot”

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.  Importer is Tozi Imports.

Eye Openers to the Wines of Moldova #WorldWineTravel

I recently tried my first wines from Moldova back in July of this year.  I was excited to get a second opportunity to taste more when our newly established group of familiar faces at #WorldWineTravel will be venturing off to explore wine from all over the world.  I have a feeling there will many more firsts to come for myself and I look forward to taking you with me on this journey.  

If you're like I was a couple months ago you may have been scratching your head wondering where exactly Moldova is.  It is after all the smallest country in Europe so it's no surprise that you probably can't pinpoint it's location.  It's landlocked in South Eastern Europe between Romania and the Ukraine with close proximity to the Black Sea.

It's a wonder many of us aren't familiar with wines from Moldova as their wine history dates as far back as 3000 B.C. The Republic of Moldova actually has the highest density of vineyards in the world.  Seventy three percent of the wine produced in Moldova are from international grapes like the Bordeaux blend I'm sharing below from Purcari, but they do produce about 10% of their own indigenous grapes that you will see later like Viorico and Feteasca Alba.  

Moldova continues to invest in its wine industry so it will be interesting to continue to watch them develop.  In 2018 they received a large investment of $20 million to put towards vineyard plantings, modernizing their wineries and for market development.  Let's see what the future holds for Moldova, but so far the wines have been eye opening for myself.

The Wines

2015 Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari - A Bordeaux blend made of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 15% Malbec.  This winery has a long history established in 1827.  Their wines have been served to the Royal Courts of Europe for 150+ years.  The grapes are hand harvested and this wine spends 18 months in French oak.  Deep ruby in color with garnet hues.  The nose is rich in prunes and blueberries with vanilla nuances.  A full-bodied wine with good acidity, juicy blackberries and blueberries with a velvety finish.  ABV 13.5% SRP $40

I paired the Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari with beef pot pie.  I had actually never prepared a pot pie with beef and had always used chicken.  This was a nice change with some added diced up celery and carrots.   During the height of the COVID pandemic we bought a 1/4 of a cow from a local farm and had lots of stewed meat so it was the perfect choice for this wine.  The Radacini I had tried in July and you can read from my previous post.

2018 Castel Mimi Feteasca Alba - Feteasca Alba is an indigenous grape to Moldova.  This wine is from the Codru appellation.  Pale straw colored in the glass with mostly citrus notes on the nose.  This wine is light, crisp and refreshing with mostly citrus and a hint of peach.  ABV 13% SRP $19

2018 Suvorov Viorica -  Suvorov was established in 1998 and the winery is named after a historical monument, the hill of Suvorov, from the Russo Turkish War.  This wine is made of 100% Viorica in the Stefan Voda appellation.  Viorica is a popular female name.  These grapes are also hand harvested.  Pale straw in color with a very aromatic nose, florally with notes of peach and a little grassiness.  Very light in body with a refreshing acidity and peach lingering on the palette.  ABV 13% SRP $18    

I paired both of these indigenous whites of Moldova with lobster ravioli with some added shrimp.  Both served as a nice compliment to the dish and I kept the sauce simple with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and butter.  

Join my fellow food and wine lovers as they deepen your discovery into the wines of Moldova.  We will be chatting live this Sunday at 11am EST on Twitter at #WorldWineTravel.  Please join in!  This weekend Moldova is also hosting their 18th National Wine Day October 3rd and 4thth at their capital in Chisinau.  It's an opportunity to taste wines from over 60 producers and learn more about the culture and traditions of Moldova.  Although many of us are still not traveling it may be something to keep in mind for future years, but they are also hosting virtual events if you can't make it in person. 

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Two Indigenous Moldovan Grapes – Fetească Albă and Fetească Neagră – Paired With Colțunași Harnici (Hard-Working Dumplings)” 
• Wendy from A Day In The Life On The Farm is “Celebrating the Food and Wine of Moldova” 
• David from CookingChat has “Food Pairings for Moldavan Wines” 
• Lori from Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Sitting Down with Master of Wine Caroline Gilby to Discuss Moldovan Wine” 
• Terri from Our Good Life shares “Moldova Wine Day Celebration!” 
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass is “Celebrating ‘My Wine Day’ and the little country that could” 
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Moldovan Wine – moving forward while not losing track of the authentic grapes of their past” #WorldWineTravel 
• Susannah from Avvinare writes “You say Feteasca and I’ll Say Moldova” 
• Melanie from Wining With Mel is “Exploring new territory with Moldovan wines” 
• Jeff from foodwineclick asks the question “Are Local Grapes the Future of Moldovan Wines?” 
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Moldovan Native Wine Grape Discoveries” #WorldWineTravel 
• Jill from L’Occasion discusses “Wines of Moldova: Worth the Adventure” 
• Payal from Keep the Peas pairs “Kashmiri Yakhni Pulao and Moldovan Wine” 
• Nicole from Somms Table is “Celebrating Moldova National Wine Day with More Food and Wine Explorations” 
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Celebrate Moldova National Wine Day – Exploring Native Varieties” 
•  Liz Barrett from What’s In That Bottle shares “Moldova National Wine Day is Here!” 
• Pinny from Chinese Food And Wine Pairings tells us about “Celebrating Moldova National Wine Day with Chinese Food” 
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator shares "Meet Moldova: 2018 Purcari 1827 Rara Negra de Purcari Vin Sec Rosu Paired with Pizza #WorldWineTravel " 
• Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen tells us about "Meatless Moldovan Food and Wine" #WorldWineTravel

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Argentina Wines with Familia Zuccardi

Our destination this month with our Wine Pairing Weekend friends is Argentina, definitely one of the top countries on my bucket list of places to visit one day.  Plus, it holds a special place in my heart as the only pets I've owned throughout my life are chinchillas that originate from the Andes Mountains nearby.

When I first became exposed to the world of wine many years ago, Argentina was one of the countries that offered great value.  Malbec wines were some of the first red wines that I really enjoyed.  My tastes have changed since then, but I appreciate all wines for the character that they lend to each glass.

You may be asking yourself why are we featuring Argentinian wines, but as always I believe a more well-rounded educated wine consumer is important.  Plus, I always try to find the Italian twist in many of these tastings.  If you're ever seen the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" it's like the father always trying to find how every word stems from a Greek meaning; )  The Zuccardi family also have a Santa Rose vineyard that experiments with nontraditional grapes including Italian grapes aglianico and falaghina as well as many others.  Unfortunately I haven't had these wines to share with you my thoughts.

The Zuccardi family first planted its roots in the wine industry when Alberto Zuccardi planted his first vineyard in the region of Maipu, just outside of Mendoza, Argentina in 1963.  His great grandparents had transplanted themselves from Avellino, Italy in Campania into the town of Tucuman.  Little did he know his passion would grow into the wine industry.  His son, Jose Alberto Zuccardi, became General Director of the winery in 1990.  Today the third generation of the family, Sebastian Zuccardi, has advanced the winery further developing a research and development department to study the terroir that affects production of their wines and opened a new winery in the Uco Valley in 2016.  For those always seeking out organic wines they achieved their organic certification in 2004.

Even though I'm not presenting all these today I will be updating my post once I do.

2016 Zuccardi Q Chardonnay: This wine is made from 100% chardonnay and if fermented in concrete and oak barrels with indigenous yeasts.  It aged "sur lie" meaning on the lees or the dead yeast cells that add complexity to the wine.  This wine is sourced from vineyards in Tupungato in the Uco Valley.  A brilliant straw yellow with notes of vanilla and tropical on the nose.  Even though this is a wine partially aged in oak barrels the notes of vanilla and toastiness of the wine wasn't overpowering as it can be with other barrel aged chardonnay.  A dry, medium-bodied wine showing pineapple flavors.  Rather balanced with nice crisp acidity and citrus flavors on a lengthy finish. 13.5% ABV SRP $20

Wine Pairing: I paired thsi wine with garlic butter shrimp over brown rice and mixed vegetables.  It was a perfect complement to the shrimp and even my oldest (2.5 years old) requested "more shrimp please".  Warms my soul a future foodie in the making. 

2017 Santa Julia Mountain Blend Reserva: The Santa Julia brand is part of the Zuccardi family portfolio named after one of the family members Julia.  This wine is made of 70% malbec and 30% cabernet franc.  Aged 10 months in French oak.  Deep ruby in color and really ripe, rich berries on the nose.  Dark fruits with some spice on the palate and rather full-bodied.  Nice acid and well integrated tannins.  An enjoyable wine and especially at this price point.  13% ABV SRP $13

Wine Pairing: Yes I'm a mom of 2 little ones so some nights I do what I have to do to feed the family, but no chicken nuggets being served here.  I paired this wine with beef tenderloins, a baked smashed potato and stuffed portabello with sauteed red peppers topped with monterey cheese.  The little ones did not participate in the wine tasting part though.  They still have some years to go. ; )

Join our wine pairing weekend group posts and discussion on Saturday Jan. 12 at 11am EST. You can find us on Twitter at the #WinePW hashtag.

• Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen presents”Easy Thai Basil Chicken + Torrontes”
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “A Taste of Argentina”
• Jill from L’Occasion presents “All The Range: Not Just Malbec From Argentina“
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Carbonada Criolla + Zuccardi Q 2013 Tempranillo”
• David at Cooking Chat presents “Roasted Chimichurri Steak and Wines from Argentina”
• Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Wine and Dine with Bodega Trivento Winemaker German di Cesare”
• Sarah at Curious Cuisiniere presents “Ñoqui con Tuco (Potato Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce) paired with Argentinian Wine”
• Michelle at Rockin Red Blog shares “Exploring Argentinian Wine with the Zuccardi Family”
• Jane at Always Ravenous presents “How to Pair Vegetarian Food with Argentine Wines”
• Kat at Bacchus Travel and Tours presents “Exploring Argentina: Warm Wines for Cold Nights”
• Nicole at Somms Table shares “Catena Lunlunta Malbec and Steak with Chimichurri for Two“
• Nancy at Pull That Cork presents “Domaine Bousquet Reserve Wines & Savory Tray Bake“
• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares “A Cross Cultural Food And Wine Pairing with Amado Sur”
• Rupal at Syrah Queen presents “Wines of Zuccardi – Malbec and Beyond”
• Steve at Steven’s Wine and Food Blog shares “Argentine Torrontes and Romesco Sauce”
• Gwen at Wine Predator shares “Go Organic in 2019 With Argentina’s Domaine Bousquet and Santa Julia“
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! presents “Party Guaranteed: Pulled Pork and Argentine Wine”

If you've been to Argentina I'd love to hear all about it as well as your experience and opinions with wines from this country. Plus, my survey is still active and I'd love to receive your thoughts on Vino Travels for improvements to be made in 2019.

*These wines were offered for me to try as samples, but I only share those that I recommend to readers and I was not compensated for this posting.  Opinions are always my own.

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The success of Argentinian Susana Balbo & her value wines Crios

Venturing outside of Italy today I've always enjoyed the wines of Argentina and today's particular focus I was intrigued by when presented with some samples as the owner and winemaker of these wines is a very successful woman in the wine industry, which we all know is a male dominated industry. Her name is Susana Balbo and she is owner of the Susana Balbo Winery, which was established in 2002 in the town of Agrelo in the Lujan de Cuyo province of Mendoza at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Susana's son and daughter later joined her at the winery in 2011-2012.

Susana is the first female enologist in Argentina whom graduated from the Don Bosco University in Mendoza, Argentina. She began her wine career working in the wine area of Salta where her workings with the torrontes grape are what grasped the attention of others with her 1^st vintage in 1983. Torrontes is an aromatic grape that does particularly well in the higher elevations of Salta and is typically used as a blending grape and Susana was working wonders with it as a single varietal.

Susana is well respected and highly praised wine figure in the Argentinian wine industry. She is known for her innovative spirit working with a variety of barrel sizes during fermentation as well as egg shaped concrete tanks for her premium wines. She also works with wild yeasts for fermentation. Her motto best states it all, “where there's a will, there's a wine”.

She has received a list of awards including being named Woman of the Year in 2015 by the Drinks Business. Luis Gutierrez of the Wine Advocate named her barrel-fermented Torrontés as one of the “10 Argentine Wines to Drink Before You Die”. She has also been elected three times as President of the Wines of Argentina association.

I sampled 5 of the value wines that Susana Balbo creates called Crios that are very fruit driven wines. The Crios line of wines was named by Wine & Spirits 3 times as the value brand of the year. You can't beat the price. Have you tried them yet?

• 2016 Crios Torrontes Argentina - Pale yellow, almost clear in the glass with a slight green tinge. aromatics of peaches and green apples. Medium bodied, crisp and delicate on the palate with nice acidity and flavors of guava and pineapples.  A tingly touch on the finish. (SRP $15)

• 2017 Crios Rose' of Malbec Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina Deep pink in color. A dry wine with good body full of ripe raspberries and strawberries and a hint of spice.  Make sure to drink in its youth.  (SRP $15)

• 2015 Crios Red Blend Mendoza Argentina - Comprised of 40% cabernet sauvignon, 30% malbec, 20% cabernet franc and 10% merlot.  It's aged 8 months in French oak. Juicy, dark and red fruits with some complexities.  A little earthiness and a great price point.  (SRP $15).

• 2015 Crios Cabernet Sauvignon Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza Argentina - Dominated by cabernet sauvignonn with an addition of 5% cabernet franc. Herbal notes on the palate balanced with fresh fruit and spice creating a wine with elegance. (SRP $15)

• 2015 Crios Malbec Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina - Ruby with purple tinges. Toasty and blackberries on the nose.  On the palate there are fresh and juicy berries combined with bright acid and firm tannins ending with a nice finish.  (SRP $15)

  *Wines were received as samples, but opinions are my own.  Pictures copyright of Susana Balbo Winery.

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