All Saturday Tastings are from 2 to 6pm
We have been in business at this location since 1985, providing the best selection of wine in the western suburbs. Our store has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, and has been a past “Wine Store of the Year” selection. We pride ourselves on friendly and knowledgeable service, whether you are selecting an inexpensive wine for a simple dinner, purchasing select wine as an investment, or choosing wines for a special event.
I recently had the opportunity to travel to Mendoza, Argentina and was amazed by this land of extremes. Extreme temperatures, extreme altitude, and extreme kindness. Getting there was an adventure, but after four airports and 22 hours of travel time, I excitedly landed in Mendoza.
This land with high altitudes, bring elegance, silky smooth fruit in the glass and they produce more than just Malbec! 5,000-7,500 feet elevation, diverse soil compositions, 330 days of sunlight, desert area, low intervention wines, and cool nighttime temperatures. All these factors make for plump, deep-colored wines and aromatic whites. (Torrontés) Beyond Malbec, many other grapes are grown. Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir grown in the highest elevations. Mostly blends but single-varietal wines must contain at least 85% of the listed variety and wines labeled ‘Reserva’ must be aged for at least 12 months for red wines and 6 months for white and rosé wines. Some of the highest elevation vineyards in Mendoza are found in the Uco Valley. The elevation adds more savory flavors, dusty tannins and layers of black fruit. While the Lujån de Cuyo area produces Malbec wines with more black fruit flavors in a lush style. Malbecs from the Maipú region, produce more elegant wines with lighter red fruit and a hint of tobacco and earthy cedar characteristics.
I visited many wineries but fell in love with the wines that were produced at The Zolo and Tapiz wineries. Zolo, which means Solo, was created in 2003 by one of Argentina’s leading women in wine. Patricia Ortiz, stays true to her vision of creating wines with elegance and identity, reflective of their terroir and respectful to the environment. I had the opportunity to meet this humble yet rockstar in the wine industry, as she explained these attributes of all her wines.
I was most impressed with the Cabernet Franc that are often blended with Malbec but is increasingly being made into single-varietal wines in and around Mendoza. Cab Franc's flavor profile of blackberry, chocolate, green peppercorn and plums all pair well with every kind of meat-and boy do they eat a lot of meat! Asado translated, simply means “grilled meat” but low, slow grilling is what it’s all about. Usually done on a Sunday afternoon meal as families gather around the table. We were served every cut of grilled cow, lamb, and goat, all served with a chimichurri sauce that is based on fresh herbs mostly oregano along with their delectable versions of olive oil. No asado is complete without a glass (or two) of fine Argentine wine. As the 5th largest wine producing country in the world, Argentina produces many choices to pair with all that meat. Once the meat is grilled and the salads are assembled, it’s time to sit down and enjoy a heaping plate of food and more wine! So the next time you decide to grill some meat, pick up a wine from Argentina, you will be pleasantly surprised at the complexity but easy to drink, value driven wines, that pair with anything that you can throw on the grill!
When wine is involved, nothing is difficult!
