As I've been wrapped up in writing my book about the history and boom of Argentine wine, I've been (happily) spending large amounts of time in Mendoza, Salta and their wineries. The only downside, if there has been one besides liver damage, is that I've been spending almost all my time at the larger wineries because they tend to have longer histories in the Argentine wine scene. Not much of a downside, but a minor complaint. And so, when GoodAirs friend Daniel Karlin asked if I'd check out one of his Anuva Wines tastings and give my read on it, I took him up on the opportunity. Anuva specializes in promoting, exporting and selling boutique Argentine wines, which are often incredibly hard to find otherwise (oddly, because of the efforts of people like Daniel, they're often easier to find in the U.S. than down here).

The tasting took me to the Rendez Vous Hotel in Palermo Hollywood, a sleek sort of post-Philippe Starck hotel whose only superficial downside was its reliance on the safety-cone orange color. Besides Daniel and his assistant there were six of us tasters and we went through six wines, ranging from a Hom sparkling wine to a Mairena Bonarda and a Cavagnaro Malbec Reserve. Each was paired with a complementary hors d'oeuvre and explanations from Daniel. It was an enjoyable experience, not only because it exposed us to relatively unknown wines, but also because it got things right that wine tastings often miss. Daniel himself proved to be an able guide, explaining the peculiarities of Argentina's Andean wine zone--its aridity, altitude, etc--in ways that made sense both to the neophytes and the knowledgeable (we were a mixed group), and mixing pre-planned commentary with free form Q&A. This was pleasant, as I find a lot of wine tastings a bit too rigid, either newbee "How They Make Wine 101" workshops or pretentious master classes of trivia one-upsmanship. Also, the food was varied and excellent (from empanadas to chocolate); considering none of us were professional tasters and matching wine with food is important, this was a vast improvement on water crackers. And of course you have to mention the wine--the Hom sparkling was fabulous, all apple tingles and fine bubbles, and the raspberry and chocolate Don Juan Reserva from Las Perdices was supple and rich. Really a lovely tasting.