InterWined is not a huge fan of white wines that are not dry at all.
There is something unsettling about drinking white wine without a bit of pucker.
Torrontes is a white wine grape that is considered 100% Argentinean. It is widely grown in the Calchaquies Valleys, as is the 2007 La Esperanza new to Marks & […]

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Wine book author and well-known potty mouth, Eric Arnold, (who now serves as Deputy Editor of Forbes.com) once described the wine grape Tannat to InterWined with one single word: “Ick.”
True, the grape is a sturdy one. Grown through SouthWest France, Argentina and widely across Uruguay, Tannat can only make “well-structured” wines, which is all too […]

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At a recent lunch with colleagues in London’s financial fun zone, Canary Wharf, InterWined.com decided to put a single varietal bottle of Bonarda to the test. The way we saw it, Argentina’s popular wine should pair well with a sampling of Argentina’s popular steaks.
So we settled in to a table at Gaucho Grill, an Argentina-themed […]

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Each Friday, InterWined.com pairs one great wine with one great meal and publishes the results along with the recipe in a little feature it likes to call ‘Blow the Bank’.

This week, ‘Blow the Bank’ brings you InterWined’s Own Black Cherry Chocolate Palmiers.

The great European palmier might be the most simple little snack imaginable — given what little effort and time they require. They might also be one of the most versatile. They can easily accommodate most sweet and savoury fillings from jams and preserves to cheeses and thinly-sliced cuts of meat.

Many traditionalists consider palmiers simple coffee candy, something meant to help you kick start the day on this long-run February. Yet, why limit it to pairing with a simple morning cup of java? Why not let it help end your day, or month, too? In this case, with a brilliant wine.

A truly delectable match for the cherry, chocolate flavours found within the folds of puff pastry that make up InterWined’s Own Black Cherry Chocolate Palmiers is the 2007 Torrontes Tardio from Familia Zuccardi in the Medoza Valley of Argentina.

This late harvest dessert wine (85% Torrontes/15% Viognier) available for £6.99 from Oddbins and in California via Mission Liquor & Wines (as Santa Julia Torrontes) is oft-proclaimed to be pure nectar. And, it’s an apt description. There’s a honeyed-fruit sweetness that starts on the nose and lingers on the palate that ably matches the cherry-fruit and chocolate palmier filling.

A winner: 9 pts. or something equally ridiculous.

Click on the post to view and download the recipe

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At Oddbins wine retail, there is an OK selection of Bonarda wines for under £10. It’s not that the Oddbins guys picked poorly, but more that the overall selection of Bonarda worldwide is, well, kind of lackluster. The 2006 Familia Zuccardi Reserva is an exception. It’s light in body. Lighter than you’d think given the dark color this grape exudes. There is some violet and red current and aromatic India spice, but it’s still too young to drink, since the swallow is kind of harsh. But at £8, this is a ‘drink me now’ wine. Not one for the cellar. InterWined.com doesn’t like drink-me-nows that aren’t ready: 8.4 today, 8.7 in two years — if anyone cares to cellar a £8 Bonarda for that long.

In InterWined’s opinion, Bonarda is better as a blending grape, especially with its Argentine brother-in-law Malbec. Bonarda helps smooth out the wrinkles, especially with the 2006 Trivento Amado Sur also £8. Last year the wine had more Bonarda and less Syrah, but the 2006 is broken down like so — 75% Malbec, 15% Syrah, 10% Bonarda. Trivento is pretty good at nailing its market, so expect a smooth number with vanilla and oak. The wine is plumy, of course, thanks to the Malbec; but the Bonarda also adds some plumpiness and the Syrah gracefully lends some plushiness (both ‘p’ adjectives my computer claims aren’t actually real words). A dry nice finish, but some more tannin would be nice. 8.6 points.

So the Bonarda seems to still suffer in the single-bottling category, years down the line. Hopefully in another three, the real Bonarda will finally stand up.

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Following the comment, InterWined gulped some 2005 Vida Organico Chenin Blanc (£7) from Argentina and can write a book about this one wine.

Atypical for a Chenin Blanc, found in white wines from the Loire Valley in France (red wines from Loire are usually 100% Cabernet Franc), the Vida Organico does not have that dry, neutral zip of a Loire, nor the chalk-like structure. Instead, it’s fatter and greasier — a bit of dry melon and kinda sweet. Best on its own: 8.4.

InterWined also sprung for a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape. It cost £13; but, hey, it can have up to thirteen different grapes by law, so that helps catch InterWined up in its new quest to try every wine grape.

These wines — from the Rhone in France — are usually about 80 to 90 percent Grenache, which has many spellings, so the editor noted.

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Ruinart is a Champagne house that appeals both in taste and in price. In fact, their lower priced bottlings are tremendously delicious. Unfortunately, the Blanc de Blancs (only Chardonnay) is not worth the £45 price tag. (It was a celebration.)

Other positives are the Lanson Black Label which frequents the cheapside London party scene. Not sure of the price, but it’s nice.

But, it’s the Bollinger NV that takes the cake: minerality, mainly flint, a nice, crisp profile with a touch of tarty green apple. Not to mention a decent weight and enjoyable finish: 8.8. Bollinger also continues to bubble for FOUR days after being opened. Now that’s gas.

The cabbie did add that he felt Argentina trumps Chile with its block-buster Malbec and that 2005 Ribera del Duero was going to be a very promising vintage(!).

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Bonterra 2004 Merlot and Zinfandel, ruby and peppery, respectively. Both full-bodied, but somewhat sweet. Well-priced and easy to drink. The lower blend of Shiraz-Carignan, whatever, cost around £5, and is about as tasty an Organic table can get.

2005 Vida Organica Sangiovese Bonarda blend, from Argentina. This nice little wine sells for £6 at one of London’s more impressive wine shops Planet of the Grapes. It’s peppery and smooth, very ripe with aromas of vine fruits. The label says red current, but InterWined tastes it as raspberry. Fun: 8.5.

2002 Williamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Pommard: Aromas of blackberry with a hint of vanilla. Tastes of grape lollipop and smoky oak. There’s something floral and vivacious, that is muted out by the folds of jasmine perfume that come and go: 9.1.

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