Click here to view the magazine article on pages 22-23. "Wine Musings with Carlos and Sophia" by David Pereda
This month I have an eclectic selection of wines for you.After the frenetic intensity of the holiday season, with all our overindulging and its associated feelings of guilt and the consequent resolution -- for two or three weeks, anyway – to exercise more self-restraint the coming year, I felt we needed a change of pace. So I have selected four bottles for you that are easy all around in important areas -- taste, stomach and pocketbook.Of course, my main objective continues to be to recommend excellent wines to you within the $10 to $25 range – and tell you where you can get them at a discount.
For today, Carlos, Sophia and I have selected a grab-bag of outstanding – and widely different -- wines from various countries, one white and three reds.All of them, in my opinion, are exceptional bargains.
Our white wine is a Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Branco produced by Quinta da Aveleda.This popular wine in many parts of the world is largely unknown in the United States and can be purchased for just a few dollars at your corner liquor store. Founded in 1870, Quinta da Aveleda is the world’s leading bottler of Vinho Verde and exports to over fifty countries. The Casal Garcia is a medium-dry, fruity and delicate wine with a citrine color and slightly effervescent finish. This fresh, young wine is the perfect complement to bolinhos de bacalhau (codfish balls) and all other Portuguese seafood dishes, as well as to oriental foods and light appetizers. Wine Enthusiast: 85 points. Retail Price: $5.99.
Our first red wine comes from California, the Beringer Founder’s Estate Pinot Noir 2005. This delightful and medium-bodied wine is subtle and complex with black cherry and plum flavors and hints of toasted oak and spice.This Beringer Founder’s Estate is classically-styled, structured and well balanced and has a lingering finish. Its smooth and silky texture is a great complement to rich and savory dishes, such as creamy risotto and wild salmon.Retail Price: $11.
The second red wine we have selected for you comes from Mendoza, Argentina, a country that produces a steady stream of remarkable Malbecs. This 2004 Navarro Correas Malbec is a full-bodied wine that conjures up the breezes of the Argentine Pampas in the starry nights and the smoke of the open fires cooking the favorite meal of the gauchos, grilled beef.This wine has a deep burgundy color and has raspberry, spice and smoky aromas that explode in the mouth and blend with ripe flavors of plum and cherry. The Navarro Correas Malbec -- like the gauchos themselves -- is manly and nonsensical with muscular tannins and a long, flavorful finish.Its best pairing is with asaditos – Argentinean barbecues – and grilled meats of any kind.Retail Price: $10.99.
For a change of scenery, the third red wine we have chosen comes from France, and is as elegant and convoluted as the previous wine was powerful and direct.This 2001 Haut-Medoc Grand Vin du Chateau Bernadotte is medium-bodied with sweet tannins and a soft and silky palate.It has been crafted carefully from a unique blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, which provide a myriad sensory experiences that mutate in the mouth as the wine oxygenates, encompassing herb-tinged cherry, black currant, cassis, and muted spice tones. If the Argentine Malbec made me think of the pampas, this Haut-Medoc brought to my mind the Champs Elysee.It’s no wonder.The name Bernadotte was given to this growth by the owner of the Chateau, the Countess of Lalande, in honor of Marsha Bernadotte, who was appointed Princess by Napoleon I. What else can I say about this wine other than WOW?Wine Spectator: 91.Retail Price: $25 (Rush to the store and buy it while the wine is available at this price.It will not last).
All the wines described in this column are available at Miami Tobacco Traders at 2920 Ponce de Leon in Coral Gables; Phone (305) 445 0100.Ask for Carlos and mention this column and you will get a 10% on anything you buy.
And that’s it for today.For next column, we’ll be sampling the wines of Spain -- from where I just returned from visiting my relatives and sampling untold bottles of classic Rioja, Ribera del Duero and the hottest Spanish wine around right now, Priorat.Read my column next month for our results of our trek to Spain. You won’t be disappointed.
Meantime, enjoy your travels with Aeropostal…and your wine everywhere.
David Pereda is an award-winning author and college writing instructor based in Asheville, N.C., USA. He is the regional director of the Florida Wrtiers Association's Western North Carolina division and founder of the Asheville Writing Enthusiasts (AWE). Pereda also is a member of MENSA, an accomplished international equestrian competitor and track athlete. Pereda has won numerous awards for his writing, which has been praied for its intriguing plots and sharp dialogue. Agents, publishers and movie producers are invited to contact: davidpereda@aol.com.. Copyright 2006 David Pereda. All rights reserved.
