Have you ever considered moving to what some people think is the 'end of the world?" The landscape in this remote part of Uruguay is somewhat luner, yet it's the special terroir that makes the wines of Alto de la Ballena so good.

The winery was started in 2000 by Paula Pivel, who worked for Citibank, and Alvaro Lorenzo. They bought twenty hectares on the rocky slope of the Sierra de la Ballena. As the winery is located near the trendy resort town of Punta del Este, they have a study source of visitors.

You will find Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Vigonier here along with Tannat. The wines were extremely well balanced and made for the higher end quality market.

The couple and their dog are very charming and the wines, delicious and hand crafted. When you are in the area you must visit.

“What are those curious birds!” I can’t help but ask, as we tour the vineyard of Bodega Bouza in Uruguay. My guides are Eduardo Boido, winemaker and Cristina Santoro, who manages PR and communications.

It is a gorgeous warm day and besides the vineyards of Tannat there is a small flock of beautiful, elegant birds called Tero Tero, which have gorgeous long legs and walk like graceful ballerinas.  According to Cristina they have some sort of “weapon” or “claw” they show when a human approaches their nest.

In any event it is an absolutely fabulous winery, with enough bells and whistles (in addition to great wine) to entertain visitors for hours.

To start, the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous and is a terrific showcase for their wines.  They make many varietals and also have a new property near Punto del Este they are developing. It is currently five hectares and they plan for 15 hectares. They grapes will include Pinot Noir and Riesling. They will be vinified here to start.

This winery is a must visit when you come to Uruguay. You can see this fabulous museum of restored ancient automobiles … you can see an actual train that the winery is considering turning into either a guest house for VIP visitors (yes, please!) or perhaps as a tasting room.

There is also a gorgeous boutique where you can buy fabulous designer earrings with real gems (yes, I bought them!) and a fireplace in the restaurant in case the weather is not as gorgeous as today.

Also you can take a tour of the winery and see the peaceful vineyards and the elegant birds.

Of course, you MUST see the restaurant … it overlooks the vineyards and you can even see female peacocks as you have lunch! The wine list is incredible (and your key opportunity to sample all of Bouza wines). It is most stylish … you will not find a more beautiful restaurant.

Albarino 2011

Crisp and refreshing Albarino … it has many of the same characteristics of the style you would find in Spain, except there is more fruit. The finish is crisp with a certain tang , yet a bit plush full bodied element.

Chardonnay 2011

Barrel fermented with a percentage of new French oak, with forty percent stainless steel. It was a great summer for ripening, so fifty percent malolactic. Absoluely delicious wine, very elegant, redolent of a fine French burgundy. Ripe flavors yet elegant and balanced.  Some ripe peach … the flavors are not overoaked or over-vanilla’d like some California wines.

Tempranillo-Tannat 2011
60% Tempranillo and 40% Tannat. A new release.  Deeply concentrated red wine with rich ripe dark fruit on the nose, a very dark color with a somewhat light violet rim   On the palate, ripe red and black fruit – slightly jammy – some hints of chocolate. Forty percent first use barrels and the oak is EXTREMELY well integrated into this surprising blend. It may be the FIRST blend of this type. Can be enjoyed on its own or with a variety of food, especially something like pasta with mushrooms (with or without meat) – savory food, especially containing mushrooms or earthy flavors.

Merlot 09

Attracting scintillating color … a bit transparent. Spicy on the palate with red fruit such as bright red plums. Oak very well integrated.  Very elegant Merlot.  This comes from another vineyard … one with a lot of calcareous soil. In some harvests more concentration …. 2010 not as concentrated as 2009.

B6 Tannat 2009

Dark color, violet rim, and delicious perfumed nose of blueberries on the palate.  Boysenberry.  On the palate, rich and lush ripe black fruit flavors such as ripe blackberries , ripe caramelized black plum, and notes of chocolate and black licorice.  Very elegant. Delicious actually. Low yields per hectare to obtain necessary good ripening in the seed. This is true of ALL his tannats. When I joked he “tamed tanat” Christina said some journalists have already called him the “tamer of tannats” which by its nature can be astringent and too tanic. All the Tannat wines here are very elegant, like a Chanel suit. Calcarious soil.

A6 Tannat  2010

Color is a scintillating purple with some transparency. Delicious ripe perfumed black fruit aromas on the nose. Absolutely exquisite palate of elegant ripe perfumed black fruit, and on the palate, yummy ripe yet still elegant and structured black fruit with notes of vanilla.  Fabulous balance.  My favorite even though the B6 is good. Eduardo thinks that the difference is between both the plots and the year. The soil is granite. The water drains well in this plot because the water drains well here and there are also stones on top for ripening.

Monte Video EU 09

Tannat  (50) Merlot (30) Tempranillo (20)

Full bodied blend with luscious ripe fruit. Lots of ripe black fruit such as caramelized plums. Some vanilla accent. A good wine for meat.

Unoaked Tannat 2011

It is difficult for winemakers to make an unoaked Tannat yet Eduared succeeded here! It is a best selling wine and quite balanced! Ripe black fruit flavors.

Entering Warwick Estate is like entering a reception for an elegant garden party. Before a guest even tastes the wine in the gorgeously designed tasting room, or in one of the many outdoor venues for a picnic, the stage is set for an afternoon experience.

A bit early for our appointment with winemaker Nic van Aarde, we settle into chairs around a garden-themed tasting table and take in the scene. Two very attractive young servers, apparently just hired for the busy summer season, are being trained in the various brands.

Norma Radcliffe, one of the first female winemakers in S. Africa and daughter of Warwick founder Stan Radcliffe, is the force behind the famous Bordeaux blend, Trilogy, popularized Cabernet Franc, and was instrumental in launchng the Pinotage society so it is natural that these wines are consistent award winners (though there are other award winning red blends, and Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc as well). Norma’s son Mike Radcliffe, Managing Director, had been instrumental in narrowing the offerings as well as seeing placement in China through various partnerships.

“Welcome,” says winemaker Nic van Aarde upon arrival, bringing us wines to taste. The whites are refreshing and crisp, and the reds … especially the Trilogy, has the kind of elegance and finesse one doesn’t usually find in new world wines. The Estate Reserve (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc) is aged 24 months in French oak, giving it incredible richness. But then again, Stan Ratcliffe purchased the farm in 1964 after an extensive search for the best ‘terroir’ in the Cape and soon discovered that the Cabernet Sauvignon vines produced high quality grapes. The Ratcliffe’s also have fun with some of the names of the brands … think Professor Black, The Black Lady and the notorious Three Cape Ladies.

Beyond the pleasures of the tasting room there is much to do here – one has a choice of several picnic areas, each with different theme, and one can also take a “Big 5 Wine Safari” – an opportunity to take a vineyard tour in our dedicated Land Rover Safari vehicles. This is a genuine 4x4 experience and is not for the faint hearted.
 

Warwick Winery

See all visits to S. Africa producers

"So what's the story with these gorgeous horses?" I ask Charles Hopkins, cellar master at De Grendel wines in Cape Town. It is a gorgeous day, and I am sitting in the bright white tasting room with Charles and Richard Theron, Sales & Marketing Manager looking out at sleek Arab horses, meandering sheep, and some healthy looking vines.

De Grendel means “the latch” in Dutch – this farm was historically the gateway on the route to the inland settlements of Durbanville and Stellenbosch which had to be opened to traverse the Tygerberg.

Charles explains that this winery (they are called farms in S. Africa, possibly because so many wineries started out as farms) has been in the Graaff family for three generations.

Today Baronet, Sir David Graaff, retired politician and leading wine farmer, continues the legacy left by his father and grandfather before him. Originally used for the breeding of Arab horses, the Graaffs also breed award-winning cattle and sheep as well as growing wines. The commitment to the wine program is such that now, after just a few years, De Grendel is a firmly established key player in the South African wine industry with a number of accolades to their name.

Before I discuss the wine, I really need to discuss this property which is only twenty minutes away from the "civilization" of Cape Town sitting high on Tygerberg Hill, with 270 degrees panoramics that include imposing Table Mountain, the city of Cape Town and the seaboard all in one landscape.

It is the only vineyard in the country that is 350m above sea level and only 7 km from the sea. This elevated position forms an integral part of the micro-climate that shapes the elegance of the wines (note: balance is often hard to achieve with the intensely hot weather. Here the vines benefit from the western-facing aspect and the close moderating effects of the ocean. According to Charles, the goal is the expression of the character of this distinctive position.

In the photo above, Charles is showing an aerial view of the vineyard - a satellite view showing where the vineyard needs more nutrition. It is an expensive process but one which is responsible for the elegance and balance of the wine. We try several wines, two Sauvignon Blancs, their signature Bordeaux blend called Rubaivat, a Merlot, a Pinot Noir, and all are incredibly delicious.

As a winery, De Grandel is taking what what Charles calls a "30 year approach" and building their brand with quality. The wines are in many top restaurants as a way of building the brand, and the winery has many exciting events for visitors. The events change with the seasons, and you can see them all at the website below!

http://www.degrendel.co.za/
 

... so on the trip, our group will also be stopping at the winery of Weingut Markus Schneider.

According to the web site (a rather creative and loose Google translation) Schneider likes to make fresh, concentrated wine with more mineral than fruit and works on the principle ("less is more.)

Red wine - which is the focus of this trip - is mascerated for long hours and aged with oak. The soil includes loamy earth, clay, crushed stone, gravel, sand, loess, sandstone, limestone, and rock and has deep, diverse geological formations. Weather consists of warm days and cool nights, which is great for ripeness and high acidity.

Very excited to meet him and taste through his wines!
 

"Now all we need are sun umbrellas!" said a friend recently at Brasserie Beaumarchais, a very fun restaurant with a lively club-style brunch.

The restaurant scene in St. Tropez is fairly wild and decadent with wealthy patrons spraying expensive champagne at one another and bikini-clad patrons dancing to loud disco music. The scene was more subdued at Beaumarchais, and decidedly more elegant with the gorgeous chandeliers, elegant red velvet curtains, and cool, clean style of the place. One visitor described it this way: imagine the most elegant restaurant your parents would take you to for a graduation lunch, only to see it turn into a club at the strike of three pm." 

If you are in the right mood  (and who wouldn't be?) it's impossible to imagine a more fun experience on a Sunday afternoon in New York. The champagne list is quite extensive, rose wine is served by the magnum, and you will find some excellent choice Bordeaux on the list.

What's most surprising about Beaumarchais, beyond the fine wine and champagne list, is how good the cuisine really is. With throbbing music and people dancing on chairs, excellent cuisine is a surprise. Executive Chef Nicolas Cantrel worked under the famed Alain Ducasse in Paris as well as one of my all-time favorite chefs, Daniel Boulud, here in New York. The space was most recently Bagatelle (reviewed here) which had the same Sunday party theme.

Beyond the great food and wine, you will find your usual club scene, including bikini-clad house dancers, a male dancer dressed as some sort of lizard-like creature, and lots of sparklers and commotion when patrons celebrating birthdays ordered expensive bottles of champagne.Fans of Club 55, one of the longest-lived and most popular of St. Tropez's beach cafes, will enjoy the shared platters, especially the fresh vegetable plate. Fun!

409 West 13th Street, (212) 675-2400.

Naked Wine by Alice Feiring
Reviewed by Marisa D'Vari

In this colorful narrative vaguely similar to Kermit Lynch’s Adventures on the Wine Route, Alice Feiring tackles “natural wine,” currently one of the hottest subjects in the wine world. Most people think that like buying the freshest produce in a greenmarket, the more natural the wine, the better. Yet many respected wine critics are against natural wine, and even some winemakers famed for their natural winemaking practices agree there may be limits to how “natural” a wine should go.

So what is natural wine, anyway? Basically, it refers to any wine made with natural yeast and a minimum of outside chemicals, including sulfur. Sulfur is a naturally occurring byproduct of the fermentation process. The problem is that in the past, producers across the globe have been too liberal in its use, adding a surplus of sulfur to keep oxygen and bacteria from spoiling the wine. Today – outside of large-scale commercial wineries, this is changing slowly due to the ‘natural wine’ movement.

Naked Wine centers on Alice Feiring’s journey to discover for herself and her audience the viability of a truly natural wine. Beyond prohibiting (or lessening) the use of sulfur, ‘natural wine’ to Feiring means letting grapes ‘do what comes naturally.’ This means no additions of any kind, even water to lower the potential alcohol of a wine grown in a hot region.

This narrative dramatizes Feiring’s quest to see, through her own winemaking experiments and in conversations with other winemakers, it is possible to make a natural wine. In the end, she ultimately discovers that the natural wine issue is not truly black or white.

The story opens as Feiring is presented with the opportunity of making her own natural wine in California, as in the past she had blasted the state for wine that is “overripe, over-manipulated, and overblown.” She is to make her own wine, in its own tank, from the tannic Sagrantino grape in Sonoma County under the guidance of a seasoned winemaking friend.

With enthusiasm, Feiring hand picks the grapes, drives the forklift that takes the grapes to the de-stemming machine, and begins to stomp the grapes with her bare feet over several days to start the fermentation process. The work is harder than anticipated, yet the wine ultimately begins to ferment. The only glitch is that Feiring wanted to make a low alcohol wine like the French wine she prefers, and the brix (sugar level) is so high her winemaking friend advises her to add 10 gallons of water to reduce the potential alcohol.

The very idea of ‘altering’ her hard-won natural wine with something as simple as water is deeply disturbing to Feiring, and drama ensues when she discovers that her friend performed this necessary task for her. The California experience seems to demonstrate that as much as one tries to be completely natural, winemakers are faced with situations like this (high alcohol) that force them to weigh the benefits of intervention.

Feiring then goes on an adventure in search of natural winemakers, both famous and those just starting out, to discuss the natural wine movement. First she travels to France to meet with pioneer Nicolas Joly, whom she calls the ‘Deepak Chopra” of wine dynamics. Joly made a name for himself in the 80’s by returning to his family’s winery after working a banker, and being one of the first to embrace biodynamics (winemakers treating the farm as a cohesive, interconnected living system).

Feiring is with Joly to judge wine for Joly’s Renaissance group, which awards stars to wines they accept in their traveling show. The basic entry requirements include no synthetic chemicals allowed in the vineyard, and no allowance for genetically modified or aromatic yeasts.

During the tasting, Feiring felt many producers misunderstood the requirements, as many wines from Germany reeked of what seemed to be factory-created yeast (versys indigenous) and excess sulfur, and some of the California Pinots tasted out of balance and overripe. When one California winemaker learned he did not make the cut, he retorted: “I had not known the group was looking for bacteria-ridden wines that were so natural six bottles out of twelve had to be thrown out. I don’t make that kind of wine. I have a business to run!”

And with that statement, the California winemaker reveals the crux of the natural wine controversy. In the course of this book, one discovers that it does seem possible to make natural wine, without any additions, in a perfect vintage with excellent terroir. The challenge is that few winemakers have the luxury of producing wine only in perfect vintages, and face tumultuous economic risks unless they can take some preventative measures (using a little sulfur, adding water, etc) to save the wine from heat, rain, rot, etc. In the course of Feiring’s many interviews with small ‘natural’ winemakers, many whispered in apologetic tones about how they had to add sulfur or risk losing the vintage … clearly feeling some shame in doing so.

Feiring’s colorful story introduces the reader to vibrant, real-life characters such as famed winemakers Nicolas Joly and Eric Texier, as well as the small, dedicated, winemakers we may never meet or even hear of, such as American Matt Kling and Amy Lillard, who moved to the Rhone Valley after meeting at Kermit Lynch’s wine store in Berkeley. Definitely recommended for readers who enjoy learning more about winemakers, the art of making wine, and the intricacies of the natural wine movement.

Naked Wine: Letting Grapes do What Comes Naturally, by Alice Feiring
Da Capo Press $24
ISBN 978-0-306 81953-7

"Help! Need the PERFECT picnic wines to suit many foods and many guests this July 4th. What to buy!?"

Pairing a wine to match a holiday theme, various 'outdoor' style dishes, and the tastes of guests who may be new to wine or have discerning preferences, can be a challenge.

Yet if you stick with a "red, white, and blue" theme you will please every guest and have an appropriate pairing for every Independence day holiday dish.

When it comes to holidays, parties of eight or more guests, and lighter, more casual cuisine typically served family style, variety is the spice of life. Just as Independence Day cuisine is usually fun, light, and casual, the wine should also follow this mode. The wines listed below are under $20, widely available, and delicious.

First, though, you will want to have an American sparkling wine on hand to welcome guests and to celebrate the day we won independence from the British. To this end, try NV Domaine Chandon Brut Classic. With its youthful freshness and aromas of toasted bread, ginger, and vanilla, this is a mouth-watering sparkler with medium body and a crisp finish guests will welcome as an aperitif.

The Whites

Warm, sunny days call for easy sipping wines that reflect the heightened perfumed scents of the season. Try these guest-pleasing aromatic whites:

Torrentes 2009 Michel Torino Torrontes Don David

This deliciously perfumed white wine has a lovely floral aroma of very ripe yellow fruit such as apricot and peach on the palate. This wine is an excellent to serve to guests as they arrive, and can also be paired with dishes like grilled shrimp or an entrée of flakey white fish.

Savignon Blanc 2010 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin

Sauvignon Blanc, with its crisp nature and high acidity, is always a good go-to wine to serve as an aperitif or for salads and first courses. Villa Maria has lovely grapefrul, citrus, and lemon flavors with racy acidity and a great concentration of fruit.

The Reds

Gamay 2009 Louis Jadot Beaujolas-Village

Incredible richness of fruit and flavors of black mission fig that will pair well with ribs, steak, and other meats for the grill. Though light in weight, the  tannins pair with hamburgers and other grilled meats.

Syrah 2007 Dierberg Syrah Estate Grown Santa Ynez Valley (USA)

Syrah is the wine that offers the “blue” element of our national flag with its nose of blueberries, blackberries, and black dcurrant. There is a purple floral quality to this wine, as well as a spice element. An elegant wine for steaks on the girll.

"I strive for the perfect blend of art and science," says Jim Collins, who is the 'official' ambassador of Frei Brothers wines, and also holds the more illustrious title of Coastal Viticulture operations for Gallo wines in the region. As you may know, coastal regions in California are considered 'cool climate,' and 'cool climate' wines are premium quality.

Today Mr. Collins was visiting NYC and we had a chance to meet and taste some 08s and 09s, which are currently now in supermarkets, wine stores, and restaurants throughout the country.

The 2009 Russian River Valley Chardonnay was very Meursault-like with its aroma of melted butter, a touch of sweet oak, and very textured mouthfeel .... lush palate with sumptuous yellow-fleshed fruit infused with vanilla.

Equally fabulous was the 2009 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc, with its exotic flavors of passion fruit and guava. The aroma was so intense it was hard to believe it had some oak maturation, yet it was older oak to give the wine more texture on the palate and could not be detected on the nose.

The reds were all fabulous, yet my personal fav ws the 2008 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which is heavily influenced by sun drenched days which gives the wine its ripeness. Care was taken during vinification, with the grapes destemmed yet not crushed, leaving a significant portion of whole berries for fermentation -- yet another 'extra step'  which leads to quality in the wine.

From the Dry Creek Valley comes the Merlot 08, a wine with many exciting layers of flavor such as black fig, plum, and vanilla, then some cocoa and strawberry jam on the palate. Then from Dry Creek (its spiritual home) the 09 Zinfandel, with its rich flavors of xmas spice and dark berry fruit.

It was exciting to taste the new vintage, and to discover more about the importance of coastal climates in terms of the production of quality wine.The proximity to the ocean brings the cool nights and the fog that are so crucial for the production of quality wine.

And it was also fun to meet Jim Collins himself, as he is so excited about bringing the terroir to winelovers around the world, both in terms of "his bottles" and also wine education. Mr. Collins speaks to consumers coast to coast about his wines, and also (and perhaps, more importantly) to his staff.

For example, hourly workers in the vineyard may not care about the nuances of wine, yet when Mr. Collins gives a lecture/tasting and explains why it is important to pick only the ripest fruit, the hourly workers can taste the difference between wine with improper canopy management (leaf arrangement) and wines with proper canopy management. The hope and reality is that these lectures make a difference in how the workers prune the vines, and that this translates to how the wine tastes.

Frei Brothers are truly fabulous wines in the $20 and under range. Salute!

Cristobal Undurraga Marimon is a member of the family known in the Chilean wine industry as “the pioneers,” who were among the first in the 1980s to bring the country’s fine, value-priced wines to the attention of the world. Recently I met him in New York to discuss the Undurraga family’s new wine label, Koyle, a Chilean Indian name of the beautiful purple native plant that grows next to oak forests and blossoms with a much-demanded fruit.

What's interesting about Christobal is that the family sold their original holdings in 1986. Free, Christobal (a trained enologist)   left his homeland to learn about winemaking in some of the most famousvineyards in the world, including Bordeaux, France (at Chateau Margaux in 2002),Barossa Valley, Australia (Rosemont Estates, also in 2002) and Napa Valley, California(Franciscan Estates in 2001).

In 2007his father, two brothers and sister asked him to return to Chile to oversee the vineyards and winemaking for  the Koyle project. 

You can find these wines, delicious and affordable, now in the US market.

Koyle Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Kolye Reserve Syrah
Koyle Reserve Carmenere
Koyle Royale Cabernet Sauvignon
Koyle Royale Syrah