Grapevine 2.5 February 28, 2017
Greetings! Our Italian Friday nights have come to an end – and on a high note! We completely sold out of tasting wines last Friday night – and – by 7:20!!! Thanks to everyone who came out during the last 5 weeks.
This Wednesday – March 1 – Dennis O’Brien from Cutting Edge will be doing a seminar on Italian grapes grown in the Piedmont area. For those of you that have attended a ‘Dennis’ seminar – you know it will be fun and informational! It is $30/person. Call us to let us know you’re coming – you won’t want to miss these awesome wines. We will taste the following:
2012 Elvio Cogno ‘ANAS-CETTA’ $24.99
2011 Elvio Cogno Barbera d’Alba DOC ‘Bricco dei Meril’ $29.99
2013 Sandrone Docetto d’Alba $25.99
2011 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco DOCG ‘Rabaja’ $63.99
2008 Domenico Clerico ‘Ciabot Mentin’ Barolo DOCG $59.99
Thanks to all that came out to the Blind Tasting on the 18th. Everyone had a great time – and learned that blind tasting is lots of fun – but not as easy as it sounds!! Paul was the big winner with guessing 15 out of the 20 questions.
Meet the Winemaker!! Village Wines will be hosting winemaker Dino Altomare from Terrazas de los Andes – Mendoza Argentina on March 15th. These vineyards are located in the heart of Mendoza in the Lujan de Cuyo and Uco Valley regions. The high altitude climate, with its low rainfall, rocky soil, and lack of organic elements in the ground, forces vines to work hard for hydration and nutrients. As a result, the grapes develop vivid and intense flavors. He will be discussing and we will taste his Reservas and single vineyard wines. We will start at 7 pm. Stay tuned for the list of wines. The following is a story on the Malbec grape from Terrazas website.
The Malbec Adventure
Exploring the amazing odyssey of one of the most iconic Argentinian grapes.
It is a saga that can be traced back almost 2,000 years, a bond running between the Roman Empire and the high-altitude terraces of the Andes. Facing extinction in Europe, the Malbec grape variety found its new homeland in Argentina, where it rose from the ashes to become one of the flagships of the Argentina’s wine identity.
As it has been the case for centuries in France, today, it is considered among the 18 most noble grapes, its unique taste helping it to conquer the world once again.
So, allow us to walk you through the fascinating story of Malbec!
A key witness to European history
Sometimes called Côt or Auxerrois, Malbec’s spiritual home is located around the city of Cahors in southwest France.
During the Roman period, the region was already renowned for the quality of its wines. As their fame was growing and overshadowing Italian wines, in 92 AD, the Emperor Domitian ordered the destruction of the vines. The command was never followed for reasons every wine lover can imagine.
In the Middle Ages, Malbec spread across Europe. In the 12th century, Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II, King of England and helped extend the wine’s fame throughout the kingdom, henceforth recognized as the “Black Wine of Cahors” for its deep plum-ebony tint.
The grape’s most glorious period coincided with the zenith of French influence over Europe during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV. It spread to Northern European markets and Russia – Tsar Peter the Great was particularly smitten by it – to finally reach North-American shores in the 18th century.
At the turn of the turbulent 19th century, Malbec started to decline due to the Franco-British competition limiting commercial exchanges. Despite all the historical turmoil, it was a microscopic pest – the infamous Phylloxera – that struck the “coup de grace”, destroying almost 100,000 acres of vineyards and putting a temporary end to the Malbec’s European odyssey.
The story would soon resume in Argentina.
Rebirth in Argentina: a wine revolution
Malbec loves the sun that provides its fruitiness, as well as the dryness of the soil. In Argentina, it was reborn and thrived on the high-altitude mountainside of the Andes.
In the mid-19st century, French botanist Michel-Aimé Pouget travelled to South America with the intention of transforming the local wine industry by calling on French techniques and varieties.
He arrived in Mendoza in 1852 with “strains of various types, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir; one of them was the Malbec grape”. At the time, he could never have imagined that the so-called “French grape” would find such a harmonious haven and go on to become the country’s emblem in less than a century.
After the massive arrival of thousands of Italian, Spanish and French immigrants, Malbec production gradually gained in value and recognition; reaching 58,600 hectares (144,803 acres) in 1962 out of the country’s total of 259,800 hectares (641,979 acres).
Today, Argentina dominates the world in Malbec production, with about 74,131 acres of vineyards and roughly 75% of global production.
Every April 17th, we celebrate this glorious past during Malbec World Day and together raise our glasses to an even brighter future.
Intrigued? What a fascinating story – We will miss Malbec World Day by a month – but come out and celebrate with us on March 15th!
Chef Nick is doing a Chef demo tonight at Piccolo – starting at 6:30 pm. He will be demonstrating how to make mushroom ravioli. His next demo will be on March 28th – and he will demonstrate how to make Vietnamese Salad Roll. $5/person .
Saturday March 11 – a tasting of ‘Cali Cool kids’ wines from Au Bon Climat – with Katie Schoeny. 2-5 pm. Check the website and FB for more information.
Our Roses are starting to trickle in! For those of you who had it last year – the Rustenberg Petit Verdot Rose is back in stock – and limited this year. $13.99/bottle – get yours while it lasts.
A new dessert menu begins March 9th at Piccolo. I hear that it will be amazing!! Come and see for yourself. Served Thursday through Saturday – we have Port on the menu also!
Music Trivia is March 8th! Lots of fun – and we will be rolling out some new menu items that day!
Our Wine of the Month continues to offer interesting selections. We pick the wines – so join today and see where we’re going next!!
Don’t forget Village Wines when it comes to gift planning. We can make custom gift baskets, and have gift certificates available in any denomination.
Future Friday Nights:
3/3/17 – Staff Tasting
3/10/17 – Becki Ison – D&E
3/17/17 – Staff Tasting
3/24/17 – Cathy Spatt
3/31/17 – Tara Grimes
4/7/17 – Dennis O’Brien
4/14/17 – Staff Tasting
Thanks for your continued support of Village Wines of Glendale! Like us on Facebook – Village Wines of Glendale and Piccolo Wine Room! And follow us on Instagram!!!
Cheers, Kate
