Every week in this column I share wines I hope youll like. Of course, theres the odd misfire which leads me to get a second or third opinion. Recently, I had 12 Argentinian wines to assess while trying to come up with the next theme in my ongoing series of East Van Wine Academy events at the Waldorf Hotel. I combined all of these elements, resulting in the concept of crowd-sourced wine reviews, having the 16 attendees of this weeks event write their thoughts on 12 Argentinian wines following a short seminar, casual sips and discussion on each. All proceeds from the event went to a local charity, the BC Hospitality Foundation. The following are the results of our efforts, the collaborative notes and opinions of 16 various palates.
Santa Ana Torrontes Reserva 2011 | Mendoza | +814996 | $14.99
A nice summery dry wine perfect for the patio with pineapple, orange blossom and citrusy flavours. Like lemon meringue pie. A good seafood wine.
Crios Torrontes 2011 | Cafayate, Salta | +769125 | $15.99
Tropical fruit like guava and papaya with butterscotch. A wine version of a Piña Colada that would go well with spot prawns.
Lurton Pinot Gris 2011 | Mendoza | +556746 | $13.99
Fairly neutral or simple with clean apple or pear. A wine anyone could like, though some found it kinda uninspiring.
Alamos Chardonnay 2011 | Mendoza | +467969 | $13.99
Holy oak! Honeyed and spicy with smoked peaches and good richness with lots of stonefruit. Perfect for drinking in the park.
Pascual Toso Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 | Mendoza | +238329 | $17.99
Warm and round with cherries, pepper, cardamom, Junior Mints and ripe strawberries. A little leathery. Yum! Great with lambchops!
Las Moras Tannat 2008 | San Juan | +104018 | $12.99
Fresh tobacco and warm vanilla aromas with black olives, stewed figs and so much black fruit. Woo! Gimme a cheese plate!
Michel Torino Don David Syrah 2010 | Cafayate | +786020 | $15.99
Spicy with licorice, coffee aromas and flavours of smoked meat, making it not a good wine for vegetarians. Serve with a peppercorn steak. LOVE.
Jean Bousquet Organic Malbec Reserva 2010 | Tupungato, Mendoza | +24455 | $19.99
Lighter than many Malbecs but the small percentage of Cabernet and Merlot gives good complexity. Strawberry, fig, prune and earth with oak, fruit and sweetness all in harmony.
Luis Segundo Correas Valle Las Acequias 2007 | Medrano, Mendoza | +466722 | $21.99
Balanced and berry-flavoured with hazelnut and chocolate, like a Purdys Hedgehog. Pretty grand, and full of blueberries.
Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec 2008 | Lujan de Cuyo | 1669 | $22.99
Like a Fruit & Nut chocolate bar, warm and inviting with big tannins, currants, and smoked paprika. Like the best kind of drunken Christmas party.
Catena Zapata Winery Malbec 2010 | Mendoza | +478727 | $20.99
Good acidity and red fruit with plums and coffee. Boldness with tobacco character. Favourite of all of these reds.
Clos de Los Siete 2009 | Canton de Tunuyan | +128710 | $22.99
Deee-licious! Black currant and chocolate, impressive and a bit jammy, but not too much. Spicy, bold and a really good value.
All of these wines are available at BC Liquor Stores. For more information on the BC Hospitality Foundation, visit BCHospitalityFoundation.com.
Thanks to this columns contributors: Kevin Lee, Melissa Mowat, Jason Rouleau, Tony Jones, Stephen Cameron, Wendy Underwood, Loree Cameron, Anne Cottingham, Rainier Wolfcastle, Rose Sinnot, Liz Mosier, Dan Basinet, Jen MacCormack, Graham Case, Amanda Schweers and Alex Patrick Wilson.
