Finding “Love” in Wine

• Posted on 2 February 2021
• 0

This weekend’s wine tastings, at City Vino, focuses on wines that playfully evoke love.  Whether you share with a spouse, significant other, family member, best friend, or yourself, wine can take you places you’ve never been, provide you with new experiences, make you feel warm all over, and let you taste the winemakers hard work and love in each and every sip.

Our first featured wine is a sparkling Malbec from Tupungato in  the Uco Valley, Argentina.  The non-vintage Gouguenheim Extra Brut Bubbles Rose Malbec Mendoza Argentina is a delicate sparkling wine made from 100% Malbec, with aromas and flavors of cherries and strawberries.  It has small and elegant bubbles to tickle noses and awaken your palate.  This wine is often included in articles on affordable sparkling wines and is listed many sommelier’s bargain favorite.  Pair this wine with great conversation, a good book, a light cheese, or a salad.

If you aren’t a big drinker of bubbly or you prefer something sweeter, you can make a cocktail by mixing one-part Crème de Cassis or Chambord with 4 parts of the Gouguenheim.  The addition of the liqueur will pop the fruity flavors and increase the sweetness.  Drop a berry into your glass as a garnish. 

Cocktails lovers may enjoy this delightful concoction, The Wintry Night, posted by Vinepair.  This recipe blends the Gouguenheim with vermouth, homemade cinnamon simple syrup, and a dash of orange bitters.

Up next in our love tour of wines, we feature a red bland from the Central Coast, California. Our red is Taken Wine Co., Complicated which is part Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Merlot. Partners Carlo Trinchero and Josh Phelps, childhood comrades, grew up with the wine world all around them.  They created Taken Wine Company with the philosophy “to craft great wines to share with friends”. The name was chosen when they were having difficulty finding a moniker for their wines that was not already “Taken”. The first release was in 2010 and the brand expanded to “Complicated” and “Available” which became a way to express oneself on social media as to a relationship status.

Next, we look for love in Portugal to the Douro region by featuring a delicious Port wine.  The wine we’ve chosen for you is the non-vintage Quinta da Pacheca Tawny Port.  This is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cao, and Tinta Barroca.  Aging of these components happens separately, some aged for 3 to 4 years and others 7 to 8 years, before being blended to create the final wine.

The flavors on this Tawny Port include red fruits, dried fruits, spiced toffee, and nuts.  This is a great meal ending sipper along with pecan pie, almond biscotti, apple pie, crème brûlée, and even German chocolate cake.  Even if you are too full, try it with a slice of smoked Cheddar, Pecorino, or aged Manchego cheese.

Last, we have a wine from Verona, Italy, Pasqua Romeo & Juliet's Wall Passimento Rosso Veneto IGT. The Pasqua family has been in the Verona region for almost 100 years. The three generations have embraced the arts and culture of Verona and have incorporated it into their wines. This Romeo & Juliet wine tells the love story that made Verona famous all over the world, that of the sweethearts Romeo and Juliet. A legend, a place, a myth that attracts thousands of tourists every day to visit one of the most romantic places and invites them to leave and exchange messages of love in the courtyard of “Juliet’s house”. The label is an original photograph of the Juliet’s courtyard by photographer Giò Martorana. It has become the only look for these wines, an unmistakable element of their identity.

 Join us this coming weekend and see if you find love in these wines.