With the funds raised by our auction, the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation was able to continue making changes in the lives of many in Laos: From a new building for blind children at the Home of Light, to repairing furniture and infrastructure of the flood-damaged Simmano high school, to projects bringing fresh drinking water to villages, and providing remote-area medical care; the funding we all worked to raise are continuing to bear fruit. We encourage you to visit www.laofoundation.org to read more!

Now that we are back in the Netherlands, we have realized that even though we were very lucky in doing the things we loved, we couldn’t let this experience be forgotten! In the end, wasn’t our point to inspire others?

So our realization has been that wine for us is as coffee, bread, art, fashion or anything else can be for someone else; a vehicle to which people can relate.
And traveling (locally or seeing the world) is for us like for many others, an amazing adventure that can open your mind. The support for Laos was our end goal and our drive, like another charity’s mission could be yours. We have concluded that our project’s model can be repeated and many amazing adventures and much good for the world can come out of this! This model, which we have tested ourselves, is the story of the book we are now working on! We will be publishing this book in a new way; on an exciting crowd-funded online platform, so stay tuned for how you can be part of this new page of the project!

We are looking forward to hearing from you! If you have tips or suggestions on the publishing/media/design world, or if you just want to catch up, write us soon!

What we have been doing in the last year:

What’s up with Georges, here and now?
He is a PhD research candidate at the European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing. Working with… you guessed it, yeast!  Maybe you didnt know but yeast not only are used to make great wine, beer, bread, and more, but also have 30-40% genetic similarity to humans!  So they make a great model organism for aging studies.  And it seems that enjoying wine must be something inherent in nature and to life!

And what is new with Anja?:
She is founding the company UrbanSeeds – all about sustainability in our daily lives ; www.UrbanSeeds.nl. And she is working on the Crowd Effect – a crowd sourced project on solving pressing issues in our society by us, the people. During the other hidden hours of the day which she is able to root out, she writes and teaches about everything that has to do with Social Business development! PS: Anja’s summary of the report on data collected during the project is available here and contact her for more info!

Our charity auction just happened in Hong Kong. The results are in and are incredible, we ourselves are left speechless. The bottles collected during the World Wine Tour 2010, all shown on our bottles collected page, raised 500,000 USD FOR CHARITY!!!!!!

We owe so many thanks to everyone participating in the project, from the sponsors who made it possible, to the vintners donating their wines, to all followers reading along with our journey. Especially, we owe many thanks to the Hong Kong and China community, from the tremendous help we received in organizing the event, to the immense generosity given while bidding for the wines. It was an event never to forget, and we will be writing more about it soon, with details! For now, Half a Million dollars collected for charity is all we will say, and thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thanks!

Sneaking into 2011 with our January visit, our ‘2010’ tour of vineyards for charity wine donations proudly ended with the home of ice-wine, the eighth largest wine producer, and the fourth largest consumer in the world for wines: Germany. Our trip was inspired by Manuella Webber-Witt, who upon hearing of our project contacted us by email and (rightly so!) said we could not end a wine tour without visiting such an important player in the wine world as Germany. With the help of the Weingut Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim (Wine Institute of Geisenheim) where Manuella performs her PhD research on wine allergens, and Hilke Nagel from the VDP (the wine association of Germany), we focused our wine collecting on the Rhineland-Palatinate, a region which accounts for about 60% of German wine and where 6 of the 13 regions for top quality German wine are situated.

With the VDP’s help, we were able to receive donations representing some of the best of the Rhineland-Palatinate, including the Rheingau, Palatinate, Franconia, Württemberg, and Mosel regions. Our physical visits however were concentrated in the Rheingau, a small region situated on a bend of the Rhine River, who while accounting for only 3 percent of vineyard area of Germany, houses many of the top icons of German wine. The area has a somewhat higher than average proportion of Riesling, at just over 75%, with the rest being comprised of Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), and Müller-Thurgau. It was quite a charming region, centered around the historic town of Geisenheim.

Manuella Webber-Witt showing her research at the Geisenheim Institute.

Rheingau:

Kloster Eberbach: Founded as a monastery in the 12th century by monks from the nearby French region of Burgundy, Koster Eberbach is today the largest wine producing estate in the region. It has had a history throughout the centuries ranging from at one time being the largest monastery in Germany, to being the burial ground of the man responsible for the first Riesling plantings, Count Johann IV of Katzenelnbogen, to later having its barrels looted to quench the thirst of revolutionaries during the German Peasant War. In more modern days, it’s beautiful monastery architecture served as the backdrop for the film “The Name of the Roses!” We are pictured above with Cornelia Schlepper and the great Riesling Magnum doantion, and with ancient presses stored in the Kloster!

Schloss Johannisberg: This schloss or castle prides itself in bringing the full characteristics out of the fruit by using old barrels. The winemaker perpetuates his favorite yeast strain that he found years ago, by adding it every vintage to start fermentation in the barrels. This adds even more unique personality to the wines. Mr. Philip, onsite encyclopedia and in charge of hospitality, gave us the tour of the underground cellars, which ended in a candlelit tasting, showed above (with Manuella accompanying us for the tour).

Schloss Vollrads: With Christof Cottmann pictures above, we received a tour of the oldest wine estate in the region. Their historic castle grounds which include an abbey often provides the perfect wedding setting to locals and internationals. In the summer their booked every weekend far in advance! In corporation with the Geisenheim institute Schloss Vollrads is experimenting with a fully organic farming practice in one of its vineyard. This organic experiment is a big endeavor because of the difficult climate in Germany, which makes most environmentally conscious winegrowers forced to use an ‘almost’ organic method where rational intervention is allowed to save crops from disease prone conditions. We are hopeful and looking forward to seeing and tasting the result of Schloss Vollrads effort!

Weingut Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim: Started in 1872, this research instute / university / working winery is what the center around which the Rheingau’s innovation occurs, and where most family’s send the next generation to learn winemaking science and continue family wineries. Credited with advances and innovation in German winemaking, the Müller-Thurgau varietal which was mentioned above as being a part of many regional vineyards was invented here in 1882. The institute also boasts one of the largest yeast libraries in the world. As no small feat, Weingut Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim along with all of the above also creates many award winning wines, and we are very happy to feature some of these in our auction! One interesting side note to mention also is that for those readers following our Australia blogs, Prue Henschke from the Henschke winery in the Barossa Valley came here to study winemaking! The institute has a great student community with a very welcoming atmosphere, and we were honored to present to the students and professors our World Wine Tour project!

Friends from the Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim donating wines after our presentation:

Upon presenting our project and our Hong Kong wine auction to benefit charity, several students from the university came to us eagerly, and wanted their family-run wine estates to participate in the charity project as well. We were very honored and touched, and will have our auction feature very unique and prized wines from two special wineries, from the Palatinate: Espenhof and Margarethenhof.

Espenhof: Nico Espenschied studying enology at the Geisenheim University came to us after our presentation, eager to share his family’s wine for our charity auction, and will hopefully be a future torch bearer of the World Wine Tour project some year in the future! For his winery’s donation, he went down into the family cellar and came out with three 0.7L bottles of fantastically preserved 1986 Flonheimer Binger Berg! It is a Spätlese , which means it is sweet, and from Huxelrebe grape, an indigenous varietal vary famous for its bouquet of aromas, only growing in certain places in the Rhineland-Palatinate. It won a gold medal at the administrative office for wines, which was the official wine rankers in those days. We are very happy to feature these three, extremely rare bottles (there are only 28 left in the world!). Nico’s tasting notes: Nose very aromatic, with ripe passion fruit, dried oranges and mandarins, and some spicy eucalyptus notes. On the tongue is has great acidity and structure making it quite fresh! Overall, a fantastic addition for the auction, especially for collectors and rarity-enthusiasts! Thank you!

Margarethenhof: Yvonne Lucas also came up to us after our Geisenheim Presentation, where she studies viticulture to carry on her family winery’s vineyards. We were very pleased to hear about the small winery of her family, and that she would be very happy to contribute wine to our charity auction! Also coming out of the family cellar, Yvonne found a 1999 Forster Stift Ehrenfelser Eiswein. Forst is the name of the village where the vineyard is planted, Stift is the name of the vineyard itself, Ehrenfelser is the varietal, and Eiswein is german for Icewine! The Ehrenfelser grape is a cross of Riesling and Silvaner, created at the Geisenheim institute in 1929! It is famous for its fine, fruity bouquet, with apples, grapefruit and peach. The 11 year old wine still has its intense golden color characteristic of icewines, and Yvonne even remembers the exact date and time of the grape picking: The 22nd of December 1999 at 2am, with -9 degrees Celcius! At that time and temperature I’m sure everyone would remember, but it’s what is necessary for an icewine to be made! We are very pleased to feature this wine at our charity auction, a wine the Lucas family has been keeping (only around 10 bottles) for only very special occasions, and we are very proud they chose our auction as one of them! Thank you!

As often happened in the countries we came to, we were unable to visit all wineries we would have wished to see. We are very fortunate though to feature donations of some of these, including the internationally known and highly awarded Palatinate wineries of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf and Dr. Deinhard. We also have had a great help from the VDP, German wine association, who has collected contributions to the auction representing icewine from a number of very important regions in the Rhineland-Palatinate, including the following notable wineries (Weinguten): Wirsching ( in the region of Franken), Juliusspital (in the region of Franken), Graf Adelmann (in the region of Württemberg), Haidle (in the region of Württemberg), A. Christmann (in the region of Palatinate), Barth (in the region of Rheingau), and S.A. Prüm (in the region of Mosel). A special thanks to all of these wineries and the VDP for making our wine representation of Germany a very notable and important one at the auction, thank you!

Thanks!

~Anja and Georges, signing off with a photo of our Geisenheim presentation!

Home to some of the absolute oldest wine-producing regions in the world and with over 1 million vineyards under cultivation, we came to Italy, the second largest wine producer in the world (right after France)! Interestingly though, with their title at second largest producer, they happen to rank first as the largest consumer of wine per capita in the world, which to us clearly meant they like to keep what they make (its only just in 2010 that international sales outweighed domestic sales of Italian wine in Italy)! Historically, Romans began producing wine in the 2nd century BC, but the Etruscans and Greeks settling in the regions predated Roman winemaking times by far! We were able to go to two of the top regions of production, Piemonte and Italy, but with so many fabulous wines coming from many unique regions, it would have been possible to have spent the whole year itself just discovering Italy’s viticulture.

Piemonte…

The province of Piedmont (or ‘Piemonte’) lies in the northwestern corner of Italy, and is home to the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines, of the Nebbiolo grape. Literally, the name Piedmont means ‘at the foot of the mountain,’ which can be dramatically understood by seeing the photo above! If we could, we would keep this region a secret, but it wouldn’t be fair to the generous producers who opened their homes welcoming us (and to all of you who we know would really enjoy this)! Our time in the Piemonte was characterized by a warmth of local welcome despite the cold of the winter, beautiful history, amazing food (Piemonte is home to the truffle mushroom!), and some of the best wines in the world to accompany it all. We were guided by the one-and-only world-traveling adventurist and wine consultant Sebastiano Ramello , whom we met once again thanks to the help of Wink Lorch from Wine Travel Guides. Sebastiano, being the avid traveler that he is (in 2010 he had already been around the world 3 times while we were meagerly trying to complete our 1) and always interested in projects to do good in the world, immediately related to our cause and invited us with arms wide open! We owe special thanks to him for putting us in contact with (great) Piemonte wineries, and sharing with us the special and unforgettable culture of the Piemonte.

Castello di Gabiano: We were housed and welcomed at the Castello di Gabiano, the beautiful and historic castle winery. Pictured above is the dramatic view of the imposing Castello, guarding the vines enveloping the surroundings. Until the 1950s, the little town of Gabiano had almost all of its 500 inhabitants working at the Castello. Though the Castello dates back centuries, the winery started officially in 1935 under the guidance of the Marchesi owning the premises, as we learned from marketing director Katia also pictured above. Our tasting of the Castello’s wines was led by Delfina, and were almost awe-struck by the Il Ruvo 2009, a great balance with aromas of juicy strawberries coming from the very difficult to grow Grignolio grape! If this sounds even only remotely intriguing than we highly recommend you to visit and stay at the Castello itself, on your wine tour of the Piemonte!

Roberto Voerzio: Davide, pictured above, and his father Roberto, run the winery together and make all winemaking decisions. Over the years the winery has become a legend of the area, making some of the most highly awarded and sought after wines around. Its surely due to their organic practices and close relationship with their vineyards (including 6 separate plots of Barolo kept for perfect blending), and their signature touch. Despite their extremely high profile name which may make things intimidating for a visit, we felt quite at home and comfortable touring and tasting with Davide, and truly understand why these wines fetch such high prices and have earned such a reputation: its the down-to-earth approach needed to grow great grapes, and age incredible wines!

Ghiomo: We met with Mr. Giuseppino who after welcoming us with a platter of delicious local cheeses, meets, and his favorite wines, took us out to the vineyards for a start-to-finish tasting to understand the origin and journey of his wine (pictured above!). When Giuseppino took over the family winery from his father in 1999, he decided to do things differently and bring forth the style of Piemonte which focuses on high quality wines. With 10 hectares of vineyards to make his dream wine come true, Giuseppino also has 10 hectares of hazelnut plantations which go to make the famous Nutella! This duality of farming ensures he is always able to put the care and quality into his wines, making them live up to his highest standards and producing world-quality wines!

Renato Ratti: Mr. Renato Ratti began the winery in 1961, and now his son, Pietro, continues the family winery. Pietro modernized many aspects of the winery,creating a new cellar and exploring the use of Austrian oak for barrel aging. Frederico Oberto, a well known winemaker from the Piemonte works at Renato Ratti, while making his own wine on the side, and ensures both are always respecting the nature of the Piemonte, and the reputation the region has received!

Tuscany…

We arrived in Florence, the heart of Tuscany, in the largest winter storm of the year, and one probably beating records of years past. With so much snow covering the city streets (see above) we were welcomed with no public transportation, and a backpack bearing blizzard-trek to find shelter! The result though, produced a beautiful blanketing of the Renaissance city, and the picture below can serve as a more accurate representation of a winter-time Florence!:

Tuscany is located in central Italy along the western coast, and is home to some of the world’s most notable wines including ‘Chianti,’ the powerful red coming from the Sangiovese grape. Probably the most notable event to have occurred in modern times with developments of the wine region happened in the 1970s, with the evolution of the ‘Super Tuscan’ wines. Although in 1986 the first ‘Super Tuscan’ wine was made by Azienda Agricola San Felice under the name Vigorello, the popularity and impact of the Super Tuscan wine is largely attributed to Piero Antinori in the early 70s, who decide to promote the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blended wines (thus a wine being declassified and on par with common house table wines) and go against hundreds of years of regional classification. The result, the Super Tuscans, immediately gained fame for their intensity and power balanced with sophistication. They became ‘cult’ wines, highly sought after for collectors, and commanding prices far above the ‘common house wine’ label they were forced to bear. Now, classification laws have changed to allow the Super Tuscan a classification term they deserve, and Piero Antinori went into history for openly and proudly breaking the mold of classifications.

Although the snow storm of December stopped us from visiting the vineyards themselves, as all transportation was blocked, we were invited in Florence by two of the most famous wine families of Italy and the world nonetheless, the Antinoris and Frescobaldis. We also received a donation from the cult winery ‘Ornellaia,’ the epic partnership between the Frescobaldi family of Tuscany and Mondavi family from the Napa Valley, now one of the premier cult wines of the world. We owe special thanks for their very generous donation.

Marchesi de’ Antinori: The Antinori family has been making wine in Tuscany since 1385, and as mentioned in the text above, had a great role in the pivotal success of Tuscan wines in the 70s with the advent of the ‘Super Tuscan,’ by Marchesi Piero Antinori, pictured above. We received a very warm welcome to the Florence based Palasio Antinori, and are very proud to showcase a magnum bottle of their cult wine, Solaia, signed by the Marchesi himself.

Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi: The prominent Florentine family has been involved with winemaking in Tuscany since the 14th century, and played an important role in the development of Florence and Tuscan wines throughout the middle ages and beyond. Recently in 2006, the wine family created the cult wine Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia with the Robert Mondavi family of the Napa Valley. We were very honored to meet with such a prestigious group of Tuscany, in their wine bar and restaurant located in the center of Florence. Tuscan wine mixed with Florentine history as we talked with Frescobaldi family representatives Giuseppe A. Pariani and Karin Mausser, and were very pleased to hear of their donation of a vertical of their top ranking wines Luce and Luce Brunello in a collector’s leather case, to accompany the two bottles of ‘Castel Giocondo’.

Thanks!

~Anja and Georges, signing off with a photo of Sebastiano Ramello and Giuseppino from Ghiomo!

A 13th century press, from Laroche in Burgundy, a testament to the ancient and traditional practice of winemaking in France. Winemaking is thought to have come to France in the Roman times, over 120 years BC!

Finally we had arrived, to the land which gave birth to so many concepts we had heard spoken and praised throughout the wine world before. From the idea of ‘Terroir,’ to the grapes themselves of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and others, France is the birthplace of so many things now globally considered to be central to wine. It probably seems right then that the country is the largest producer of wine in the world. We were lucky to discover and share for charity auction several of the most world renowned wine regions in France, notably Bordeaux, Champagne, and Burgundy. After an atypical winter spell shortened our visits of Bordeaux, we moved on and had the great help of Wink Lorch from WineTravelGuides throughout most of Champagne and Burgundy. After our trip, we received many more beautiful wine donations from Chateaus in Bordeaux, and wine houses in Champagne and Rhône who joined us in our cause, but whom we unfortunately were unable to visit.

Bordeaux…

And so we entered one of the most expensive and prestigious wine regions of the world, which many places in the world would often draw comparisons to. ‘Bordeaux’ though is not as simple as that, and has 60 different appellations within it. It has become so famous due to its great ‘terroir’ for producing wine, with well drained gravel, sandy stone, and clay soils around the Gironde river. That might be why the Romans where thought to have started viticulture here, in as early as 48 AD. The popularity of Bordeaux wine though is arguably thanks to the British, who after a marriage in the 12th century gained control of the area as an English territory, with most wine then being exported (the English control ended though in the 15th century after the 100 years war). Today Bordeaux has definitely become an icon in the world of wine, a place not unlikely to soon be taken away!

Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste: Located in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux, the winery came under its present owner, the family of Emiline with whom we are pictured above, in 1979. Emiline had just happened to have also performed a wine course involving visiting wineries of the world, so we were in good company reminiscing on her past travels and the course of our trip!

Chateau Beychevelle: A beautiful Chateau located in the St.Julien appellation of Bordeaux, Beychevelle started in 1855. Like most grande-chateau of Bordeaux they sell their wines before bottling, while they are still in barrel, and on opening day they sell about 95% of their wines in the first 1 hour! (the wines though are delivered to the buyer after bottling and cellar aging, so it’s a great system for the buyers, called ‘en Primeur’. Luckily they have some reserves and were able to donate to the auction too!

Chateau Branaire-Ducru: Also in the St. Julien appellation of Bordeaux, Branaire-Ducru came under its present owner in 1988. We had a great tasting, and learned that something quite unusual was happening in the wines this year, as they seemed to have almost 15% alcohol! Usually Bordeaux wines are between 12 and 13%, and the 15% is only seen coming from Californian and Australian sun-drenched landscapes.

Chateau Mendoce: With the oldest tower dating back to the 15th century, Chateau Mendoce is a beautiful representation of a historic French domain. 14 hectares of microclimate well drained soils are perfect for their production which focuses on Merlot. We are very happy to feature a unique one-of-a-kind hand-painted bottle from the winery! Thank you!

More Chateaux of Bordeaux: We have had the great fortune to be able to showcase much more of the best of Bordeaux at the auction, and have acquired wines from the following wineries to accompany the auction as well: Chateau Haut-Brion (Pessac Leognan), Grand Vin de Chateau Latour (Pauillac), Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac), Chateau Carbonnieux (Pessac-Leognan), Château Fontenil (Fronsac), Château Le Bon Pasteur (Pomerol), Chateau Bertineau St Vincent (Pomerol), Chateau Rolland-Maillet (Saint Emilion), Chateau La Grande Clotte (Lussac Saint Emilion), Chateau les Ormes Sorbet (Medoc). Please view our wine list for details on all donations! Thank you!

Champagne…

From Bordeaux we traveled North-East to another region associated with prestige, Champagne. We had the great support of Wink Lorch from Wine Travel Guides during this time, our companion and organizer of most of the visits. We also owe a special debt of gratitude to Philippe Wibrotte from the CIVC, the organization representing and overseeing all Champagne houses, as he helped us with visits and the bottle logistics (see photo above of Wink, Philipe, and us).

Popular culture says that the Benedictine Monk, Dom Perignon (see his statue below), invented the Champagne we know of today. Research on the subject though says that the first reported sparkling wine originated by other Benedictine Monks in the Abbey of Saint Hilaire in 1531, over a century before Dom Perignon. It is also claimed that an English scientist and physician, Christopher Merret, documented adding sugar to a finished wine to create a second fermentation, or sparkling wine, 40 years before Dom Perignon had. Nonetheless, Dom Perignon made many advances towards creating the modern day Champagne which we know of, including adding the wire to the cork to avoid random bottle firings!

Subsequently, in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries royalty from throughout Europe would ask for the unique wine for ceremonies and special events, which would add to the association of Champagne with prestige, luxury, and power. Since then and into the 19th and 20th centuries, Champagne production and demand would increase significantly, and today the same ideas of festivities are associated with the drink!

Krug: Mylene Soulas took us through one of the most prestigious Champagne houses in existence, and we are pictured above with Mr. Olivier Krug! Founded in 1843 by a man named Joseph Krug from Germany, their famous Grand Cuvee label, accounting for 85% of the production, is left to age 6 years before being released. This extra care and the use of the best vineyards (which Olivier is showing to us above) has made Krug a legend in premium Champagne since Joseph’s founding of the Champagne-house!

Taittinger: A world class Champagne house, where with no exceptions all riddling occurs by hand, ensuring quality will uphold its name. Bottles are stored to age in cellars such as the one pictured above, which during World War I served as a hospital for the injured!

Vilmart: We are pictured above with M. Laurent Champs, the 5th generation of the family business! Putting much manual energy into ensuring quality, 100% of riddling is done by hand (riddling is the process, which when done by hand takes months, of slowly accumulating the yeast sediments in a Champagne bottle to the top, for freezing and removal, the ‘traditional method’). An extra special feature though of Vilmart is that 45-50 year old vines form 50% of the total volume produced!

J. Dumangin Fils: Also in the 5th generation of the family, we met with Gilles Dumangin, pictured above. Only the 1st and 2nd volumes coming from the pressing of the grapes is used, an extra precaution taken to uphold the highest standards. Gilles is very involved in new social media, so follow his site too!

Bollinger: We had a tour of the Champagne house with Sonia, pictured above. The champagne house has 5km of cellars underground to facilitate their champagne aging! Bollinger uses barrels for their Champagne production, something not as common in the region and which gives the wine a more unique twist. The barrels used are always old (about 5 years old, from Burgundy), to ensure no oak taste comes into to the wine.

Chassenay d’Arce: The castle of Chassenay has been an Icon in the Arce valley since the 11th century, and it’s in this very monument that the Chassenay d’Arce Champagne house began, in 1956! A past globe-trotter who completed a world wine charity tour in 2004 now works as export manager, ErwanThill, and though we were unfortunately unable to visitdue to time constraints, has donated a beautiful 3L bottle. Luckily though for people interested in more about this Champagne house, Erwan will be present at VINEXPO in Bordeaux this coming June! He will be looking forward to giving you a nice crisp tasting of Chassenay d’Arce, so be sure to visit and learn more about this wonderful Champagne house and their export potential!

Moet and Chandon: Another past wine-collecting-charity-organizer from 2004 now works here, Stanislas. Moet and Chandon has been associated with prestige since its start, with Napoleon and the Russian Tsars being fans alongside Stanislas, and things have continued since then. The name came to be when the daughter of a Moet married a Chandon, which solidified the family partnership. 28km of tunnels in 3 levels going 30 meters deep ensures enough room for their production!

Burgundy…

Just a bit south from Champagne we came to our final region of our visits of France, Burgundy. Pictured above we are with Wink Lorch, who also helped us throughout Burgundy as our guide, and François Desperriers, from ‘Burgundy Live’ who covered our project with an interview. We are pictured above at the ‘Hospices de Beaune,’ founded in 1443 as a charitable hospital. The original building is now a museum, but wines coming from vineyards belonging to the charity-hospital are auctioned in November of each year while still in barrel, and funds raised go to buying equipment and serving the sick at the local hospitals. Wineries which buy the barrels can label their wine for that year as coming from the Hospice’s prized vineyards, something which is highly regarded.

Burgundy wines are generally made of Pinot Noir if red, and Chardonnay if white, but a variety of other grapes are sometimes used, such as Gamay and Aligoté. Burgundy has the largest number of appellations in France, and a very extensive system of classification, with even single vineyards being delineated as a region, a practice going back to medieval times when monasteries played a large role in developing the Burgundy wine industry. The climate is continental, which means very cold winters and hot summers, and with unpredictable rains which make vintages highly variable. This year seemed to be a good one though, and we owe special thanks to the wineries which participated!:

Domaine de la Vougeraie: Located in the Nuits St Georges appellation of Burgundy, one of the most famous, Domaine de la Vougeraie is a fully biodynamic winery. We had a tour and tasting with Blondine, pictured above, who explained this philosophy of the harmonizing with nature, which has been present since the start of the Domaine.

Daniel-Etienne Defaix: Started in 1610, we arrived in the year of its celebration of 400 years of existence, and 13 generations of descendants present to care after the land! Located in Chablis (Milly), we learned how the Monks were most concerned with the land that is now considered the Premier Cru, as it produced higher acidity in the wines which resulted in a longer aging potential.

Laroche: Located in Chablis, we are pictured above with owners Gwenaël and Michel Laroche who invited us into their home for a delicious and traditional lunch. A leader in the region and pushing the industry forward in many respects, Laroche had become highly respected for their quality and ingenuity in the field. In 2001 they were the first in France to use screw caps, a monumental and epic feat for the traditionalist country, resulting in considerably fewer corked wines.

Simmonet Febvre: Located in Chablis, this winery was started in 1840 and is now owned by the famous Beaune négociant Louis Latour. A modernization of the winery is the intended future plan, all while keeping its old tradition! We had a great tour and tasting with Emanuella, pictured above between Wink Lorch and Georges.

Chateau de Meursault: Part of Patriarche (see below), we arrived just in time for the pruning which takes place every year. The house is of the 16th century, and the wines are very strong internationally, with still a 75% domestic market presence.

Patriarche: Located in Beaune, we had a great tour and lunch with Julien, pictured above with the monk symbol of the winery. In 1940 the concept of the winery changed along with the owner, with a new mission to provide high quality wine not just for the rich and elite of France, but for everyone. This new and belevolent owner was a great devotee of the Hospice de Beaune auction (see above), and so in 2010 Patriarche bought a barrel in his memory!

Louis Jadot: Also in the Beaune appellation of Burgundy, we had a tour from Marc Dupin who described many processes to us on the cellar floor. The winery is biodynamic, and only uses one barrel cooper to ensure a proper taste-visualization of the differences in terroir!

Maison Deux Montille: Located in the Volnay appellation of Burgundy, we had a tasting with Alix, the daughter of this family-owned and charming winery. Started with passion in 1947 by her father, Alix is responsible for the white wines while her brother makes the reds! Fully organic with biodynamic vineyards as well, Maison Deux Montille is a great culmination of the representation of terroir and experience!

Rhône…

Though we visited arguably three of the most famous regions in France, there are (nearly) countless more, all producing great and distinct wines. Our auction will also feature a donated wine coming from Rhône, a 6 L bottle of Louis Bernard fromthe Chateauneuf-du Pape region! The Rhône is generally known to produce Syrah in the north, and Viognier in the south, though an array of other grapes are also sometimes used. We are especially happy to have this large format wine representing the region!

Thanks!

~Anja and Georges, signing off with Champagne’s celebration of 2010! What a year!

Continuing with the help of Catavino, the Iberian Peninsula experts, we entered the realm of the most widely planted wine producing nation in the world: Spain. Though low yields and wide spacing rows for dry-climate vine survival results in Spain being the 3rd largest producer of wine in the world from its vineyards. Sounds like quality production to us, or as the Spanish say, ‘elaboration’ (‘production’ sounds quite unromantic to the Spanish when talking about their wine, so the use of the word elaboration is as important as Tapas are when entertaining thoughts ‘enologico!’).

Gabriella Opaz from Catavino set us up once more with a team uncovering for us four of the most interesting wine regions of the country. Starting in Jerez in the south we discovered the home of the fortified wine ‘Sherry.’ Continuing on eastward bound we explored two wine regions in Catalonia. We started off with the help of Nico James (from nicojames.es), an upbeat wineblogger and wine importer who knows everything about his nearby Penedès, and the Sparkling Cavas they have grown world famous for! We then continued to Priorat, or the ‘Parker Points Promised Land,’ as we like to call it, for we never seemed to see such a concentrated aggregate of high-scoring, chart-rocking wineries as here. We were guided by Rachel Ritchie (from rachelritchie.com), an English Priorat guide whose second nature is history and languages. Having lived there many years with her husband Gerard (who also helped us immensely and shared with us the just-as-important olive-oil elaboration of the region), she knew the Priorat like the back of her hand, and we must advise everyone worldwide to discover this pristine gem of a wine-land with Rachel, just read more below! Moving North we then came to our last stop elaborating arguably the most famous wine of Spain: Rioja. With the help of Virginia Borges from Exquisiteando.com which offers a new style of wine tours, we discovered what ‘La Rioja’ was all about. We were lucky to discover Rioja through her, as she shared with us her love of Riojan wine and culture, her curious mind offering her unique Rioja experience, with clear passion passion passion!

As we rounded off our visits of the regions of Spain we began understanding just what it was Gabriella and her husband Ryan had worked so hard with Catavino to have people see. They came to Spain finding the most incredible and diverse wines in the world, but couldn’t seem to find the resources to educate themselves on it. With Catavino they created a comprehensive, educational website on Spanish and Portuguese wines, food, culture, and travel. Our trip had the benefit of their back road experience, and we were able to discover some of the best and most delicious wines to showcase for our charity auction! Thank you! And as the auction moves forward, we are happy to say that a fifth wine region of Spain will be shared, the Somontano!

Jerez…

Jerez is the home of Sherry, that world famous fortified wine. Made predominantly from the Palomino grape, the wine is left to age in barrel in the presence of a native yeast known as ‘flor,’ causing a distinct taste of Sherry. Aging for 10, 20, 30, 40, years and beyond, older Sherries can attain a distinct nut flavor with highlights of caramel, which has made the drink so popular!

Gonzalez Byass: Started in 1845 by two families and now in the 5th generation, the winery is a small town in-of-itself, complete with a cooperage, distillation facility, vineyard blocks and beautiful Spanish avenues. Sherry’s have a bit different winemaking process than normal wine, with older barrels being the best. Gonzalez Byass happens to have some over 300 years old! The icon of the winery is ‘TioPepe,’ which the world has grown to see as a symbol of Sherry. Making many other wines though we are happy to have one of their most special, the ‘Noe,’ a 40 year old Sherry made from Pedro Ximener grapes!

Penedèz (also known as the ‘Cavas’)…

Named after the underground cellars where the wines undergo a second fermentation in bottle, ‘Cavas’ are made with the same traditional method as Champagne from France, and in fact, used to be known as ‘Champaña.’ The primary grapes used are the white grapes of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel•lo, and with the warm climate of the region, the sparkling wines are characterized as being less acidic and more fruity than Champagne, ready to be enjoyed at a younger age. Though the word ‘Cava’ can be used by several other regions in Spain to denote their sparkling wines, about 95% of Cavas come from Catalonia, with the largest producers housed there!

Freixenet: Founded in 1920 and now in its 3rd generation of the family, Freixenet has become one of the most widely known Cavas worldwide, accounting for 80% of Spain’s Cavas export! They are one step ahead of the rest by growing and sustaining their own yeast cultures, ensuring the same quality in each bottle! While visiting we noticed a tour of children also viewing part of the winery, a school outing of little Catalans learning about their heritage and culture! We had a great tour ourselves and were left with a wonderful feeling and newfound understanding and appreciation of Cavas! Thank you!

Raventos I Blanc: Founded in 1986, Raventos I Blanc has gained renown as a quality Cava producer, with great vineyards! Pictured above are such vineyards, as old as they are thick, and we had a great tour from the winemaker. Here we learned that aging the wine longer with the yeast in the bottle results in smoother taste and smaller bubbles!

Juvey Camps: Started in 1796 Juvey Camps has been a long standing wine ‘elaborator’ of Spain! With the corks of the Cavas sealed with a special clamp giving a signature bottle top look, their bottles are not mistakable! As you can see we had a great tasting!

Priorat…

Priorat sits snugly alongside Rioja as one of the only two wine regions of Spain qualifying for the DOCa, the highest level from a wine region according to Spanish wine regulations. Geographically though, the two are quite distinct. Priorat is characterized by its slate rock soils, with slate rock slabs often used as vine row ends to hold up the trellising! It also doesn’t support much water accumulation, with vine roots having to search quite deep for water, nutrition, and minerals. This helps though in anchoring the plants during the strong winds and storms which are common in the area. The ‘Clos’-led quality revolution of the 1990s in Priorat, focusing on much smaller wineries with very high quality, has resulted in an expansion of vineyard surface and a world-famous notoriety. All older vineyards though are made of Garnacha Tinta (AKA Grenache), the traditional grape growing varietal of the region, with newer varieties including Garnacha Peluda, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. Yields are low, quality high, and it’s become a Catalan wine niche force to be reckoned with!

Clos Figueres: Pictured above with winemaker Jaume Pujol Boixens and Eduard, the son of Rachel Ritchie from Priorat Wine Guides. The winery’s vines were planted on a region previously unused, ensuring a un-spoilt wine!

Mas Roig: We had a great tour with Inka, who took us around the cooperative winery. Made by a group of dedicated growers who united together, the facilities also deal with nuts grown in the region, and olive oil, creating an all-in-one Catalan culture hub!

Venus la Universal: We are pictured above with Rene on their beautiful property, who with his wife also own and operate Mas Martinet winery (see below). Together, the couple are known for their experimental spirit, and true belief and passion for their wines!

Nit de Nin: Pictured above with the master-mind of Nit-de-Nin winery, which is a small Biodynamic practice started in 2003, which produces only 1200 bottles! This winery also happed to win some of the most prestigious awards (including 100 points from Robert Parker), clearly things only possible with the tender-love-and-care given to small quantity production!

Cellar Burgos Porta: Organic certified, come here to find what true belief is for the preservation of the Natural. Mr. Burgos (pictured above) was born in the area and always pushed the region towards greener agriculture. His newest vine plantings are to be cultivated with horses! Even while starting his business he went to the Triodos Bank for a loan, because of their sustainable practices! A great winery with great passion, all reflected in every drop, this is the quintessential of what a passionate, small winery is all about!

Capafons-Osso: A Father-and-Son business, who also believes in organic practice and natural wine tastes. Climb up to their hill-top vineyards and you will find natural wild Asparagus, Vanilla, Thyme, and Rosemary growing everywhere, aromas the team claim are imparted in the wine, adding to their unique terroir!

Vinyes Dominich: We joined owner Juan right after his winemaker and he were blending their wines. We had the great fortune of tasting the many blends they had created, looking for the best one! Garnache from three different vineyards and Carinira, the outcome will be fantastic. Started in 2002, the vineyards are also organically managed!

Mas Martinet: Started in 2000, they have been organic since the start, claiming that ‘even bugs, birds, and bees fall in love.’ To ensure native yeasts start the fermenting, half barrels are placed in the vineyard when the time is right to start. Pictured above is the fantastic view of 600m high vineyards overlooking the Priorat region!

Rioja…

Perhaps one of the most famous wine regions in the world, the Rioja wine district encompasses the regions of Rioja, with parts of Basque, Navarre, and Álva. The wines are characterized by a distinct effect of oak aging, infusing the wines with soft vanilla flavors. Most wines are required to stay 2 years in barrel, ensuring wines labeled Riojan will have this similar characteristic. The wines are also aged in bottle several years before release, between 4 to 8 years, to ensure a proper harmonizing of the components of the wine. In the past, it was even common to age for 15 to 20 years before releasing! The most common grape grown is Tempranillo, perhaps the symbolic grape varietal of Spain, and international tourism is starting to rise, though still 80% is Spanish. Our Guides Exquisideando worked to prepare the wineries for international visitors, and to increase the welcome of those from abroad!

Muga: Started in 1932, a cooper on-sight produces 70% of their barrels! They are currently experimenting with Russian, Hungarian, and Armenian oaks! Of Spain’s 8 most famous barrel makers, one is working for Muga, ensuring that the perhaps most critical component of a Riojan wine, the barrel, is carefully looked after!

Heredad Ugarte: Here we saw what wine tourism could be in the Rioja, with a restaurant and view-catching hotel suite available at the winery. Also focused on quality, their wine is made by fermenting the grape whole, without crushing!

Marques de Vargas: Started in 1989, Marques de Vargas now owns three different wineries. They ‘elaborate’ a wine made completely of Russian oak, and with surveys of the same wine aged in Russian vs American/French oak, they found that women seemed to prefer the Russian oak aged wines! They also make their wine without filters, which they believe keeps wines healthy properties there.

Dinastia Vivanco: We met here with the most friendly and entertaining Rioja PR personality, Robert, pictured above. The winery itself houses a large and one of the most complete museums of winemaking which we have ever seen, dedicated to spreading the knowledge of winemaking. It’s even Unesco awarded as the best wine museum of the world! On the premises you can also find ‘Baccus’s Garden, harboring 222 varietals from around the world!

Roda: We met with winemaker Bega, and had a fantastic tour. Founded in 1987, the winery has been producing top wines of Rioja, thanks to a team including three women winemakers. A great photo exhibition awaits the visitor who comes to Roda!

Cune: Pictured above with Beatrice, Cune winery was founded in 1878 and is now in the 5th generation of the family! We had a great tour and tasting and are very grateful for the fantastic donation!

Somontano…

Somontano translates from Latin to ‘beneath the mountain,’ which might perfectly describe the geographical area these wines come from, nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains which separate Spain from France. We were contacted by Irius winery after our trip and unfortunately were unable to visit the region, but Irius kindly offered a magnificent donation of wines ranking top in many wine guides. Irius itself is a special winery knowing that good wines come from a good start, and have focused on the vines quality, with low yields, tall trellises, larger foliating surfaces of the leaves, and nighttime harvests in line with their philosophies! We owe many thanks to Somontano for their generous contribution and enthusiasm for the project!

Thanks!

~Anja and Georges

Porto, as viewed from the Yeatman Hotel

We had just spent 9 and a half months traveling through the length and breadth of the New World of Wine, and Portugal would become our first step back into the realm of the ‘Old World.’ Who we had helping us though would define the nature of our visits, and we happened to have some of the friendliest and most open minded crowed on our side: the wine bloggers.

Our trip through Portugal owes special thanks to Catavino, who did everything to put us in touch with the best people in the region and organized visits to the most outstanding and interesting wineries. We were able to discover one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world, the Douro in the north Portugal, thanks to our companion guide wine-blogger Filipe José Carvalho. We were also able to discover the Alentejo of the south of Portugal, with our inspirational friends André Ribeirinho from the Adegga project (an innovative and utterly important initiative to internationally catalog wines by ‘AVINs’, while creating a social-media outlet for everyone to give their reviews) and Carrie and Hans Jorgensen from the Cortes de Cima Winery. Our step back into Europe to discover its Old Wine World after the New World was in the best of hands possible.

The Douro…

We almost couldn’t believe our eyes as we passed through the windy hills of the Douro, gazing into gorgeous river valleys and looked across at cliff-growing vineyards sometimes being not more than just 1 or 2 rows wide, terraced into the landscape. Centered on the Douro River, the region is located upstream from the famous city of Porto. It’s history is irrevocably tied to the production of Port wine, where most Douro wines would be fortified and travel down the river to be aged in Porto, and because of this the region is the first in the world to have been formally demarcated (in 1756). The region though has recently begun realizing the potential of its grapes to produce amazing non-fortified normal wines, and an explosion of discovery has begun to occur.

The vineyards, which traditionally were planted to produce fortified wines, have been found to contain over 30 to 40 different vine varietals! This firstly creates beautiful orange, yellow, and red dotted vineyards in the autumn, which is when we went, but also creates a rich complexity in the wines, which essentially become blends of all of these varietals. Of these, the most common tend to be Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, and Tinta Roriz (the same as Spain’s Tempranillo), but many more exist and many more continue to be classified and discovered even today. Portugal seems to contain and cultivate one of the most diverse groups of grape varietals in the world!

Villar d’Allen Estate (Porto): Port wine blenders and traders, Villar d’Allen searches yearly for the top aged ports and creates their unique blends signature for the family. Recently Resurrected as Port merchants, the family has had a centuries old history with wine and port! We toured their 1785 house and the first ‘Romantic Garden’ of Portugal with the d’Allen family, Tomas, his father (pictured above) and mother, and even got to see their private port wine cellar which has bottles dating as old as 1805!

Quinta da Gaivosa: At the top of world overlooking Douro vineyards from Quinta da Gaivosa, with over 100 year old vines below us. Here we are visiting with Alves de Sousa, the 4th generation continuing the tradition. This amazing vineyard leading down into a valley of the Douro shows perfectly the determination the Douro Portuguese had to hard-carve vineyard terraces into the hill faces!

Aneto: Here we are pictured with Francisco Montenegro, winemaker who conceived of ‘Aneto’. A small cult winery concept launched in 2004, Francisco consults for many wineries around the Douro while making his dream a reality. While creating great blends of the traditional Touriga National and other Portuguese grapes, he also has been focusing on Pinot Noir, as one of the few in the region to do so!

Quinta dos Aciprestes: Here pictured above with Viticulturist Alberto from the Quinta dos Aciprestes (Velha Royal Group). We learned that the secret to great wines is to plant in regions of poor soil (it’s even biblically quoted), and that the Douro’s tendency to have many varietals in one vineyard comes from the need to resist against weather fluctuations, when one vine might suffer another could still thrive. Alberto might very well be the most enthusiastic viticulturist we have met on our project, running up and down Douro valley vineyard cliffs to grab grape clusters to show us the different varietal characteristics!

Wine and Soul: With Rita Mendes we were able to visit another cult-wine idea based winery. Started in 2001, the idea is to have the best grapes in the region, and crush with their feet! The winery makes 3 different wines in this style which isn’t seen too often anymore!

Quinta de San Jose: Again at the top of the world, the Douro River sits below us as we stand with Joao Brito e Cunha discussing the concept of his winery. The grandson of a very insightful woman who decided to purchase vineyard land while the phyloxera vineyard pandemic was reaching Douro and sweeping through Europe, and when winery’s everywhere were selling their lands which were then considered lost. Joao is now creating his wine label with these majestically sitting vines!

Quinta do Crasto: The 3rd largest and certainly one of the most awarded wineries in the Region, Quinta do Crasto began with port making in 1645. Part of the exclusive ‘Douro Boys’ group of pioneering wineries, the winery began entering the realm of table, or ‘traditional’ (not fortified), winemaking in 1994. Their vineyards and wines are a splendid representation of the Douro, with almost 40% of their vineyards consisted of old vines, of randomly distributed varietals. They have begun to characterize their vineyards, finding already over 35 different varietals contributing to their characteristically complex wines.

Quinta de Napoles: Here with the winemaker at Quinta de Napoles better known as Niepoort, we had the privilege to visit this outstanding winery of the Douro creating some of the most premium and highly regarded wines of the region. Centuries ago a Dutch family by the name of Niepoort came as merchants to the region, and today the descendents continue to carry on the name and tradition of this Portuguese wine! We owe many special thanks to Verona and Dirk Niepoort whose gracious contribution to our project will be an incredible showpiece for the auction!

Quinta do Seixo: Part of the Sogrape group but best known for their port wine ‘Sandeman,’ we had the honor to meet with head winemaker Luis Sattomayor, pictured above. In 1790 George Sandeman came from Scotland establishing a Port lodge (where the fortified Douro wine is aged in casks to transform into Port wine), and the symbol of the Don is now a worldwide recognizable image!

Quinta Vale de Maria: Another emerging small cult wine mentality winery, Quinta Vale De Maria produces its wines knowing exactly from which each vineyard the wines are from in Barrel, and of the 30+ varietals present therein! We are pictured above discussing the 2010 vintage, which was a harsh year, but the wine seems to recover and release itself!

Oscar Quevedo: Perhaps the most forward thinking winery of the Douro, we met with Oscar (whose father is also Oscar) pictured above (left), the 5th generation of the family winemaking business which started in 1883! Coming back to the family business, Oscar has quickly become a legend in the Douro, blogging everything about the wine, tweeting, an early promoter of the Adegga project, and is all-around bringing a fresh new viewpoint to the region! Oscar made the Douro feel like home, as we enjoyed dinner with the Quevedo family!

Graham’s: Also known as Symington’s, as this winery/port-lodge was created by the Graham and Symington families, Graham’s has been established in Portugal for nearly 200 years. They claim their success in the world, as most people associate Port to the name, comes from their family run business attitude. We had a great tour viewing the Port-Lodge where their wine is aged, awaiting the final blending and/or bottling and to bear the ‘Graham’s’ name!

The Alentejo…

We left the Douro traveling down south from Porto towards Lisbon, and thanks to Adegga’s founder André Ribeirinho we were able to reach the heart of the Alentejo. The Alentejo itself covers about 30% of the whole of Portugal, being reputed for its world-famous (and needed!) cork production, and now too for its wines. Thanks to Adegga and Cortes de Cima winery, we were able to visit some great producers of the region (including Cortes de Cima!)!

Cortes de Cima: Standing out above the crowd is Cortes de Cima, not afraid to be the tree which catches the wind. The first to bring Syrah to the region – before it was even legal to grow it due to appellation restrictions, Cortes de Cima knew the potential of the grape in their homeland and deemed their wine ‘Incognito.’ It has won many awards and today the region allows and even encourages Syrah to be planted, as it thrives in the area. Started by Danish – American couple Hans and Carrie Jorgensen, they chose the spot after living 24 years in Malasia and sailing the world looking for the best location. This happened to be it, for them, and the Syrah. With Carrie and Hans the winery continues to experiment and refine, using Smart-Dyson trellising, having solar panels built to reflect heat and cool the winery, using lighter than normal bottles, and many micro-tanks are just a small example of what they have going on, always geared towards efficiency, the environment, and making great wine!

Quinta do Quetzal: Started in 2001 and owned by Sis de Buin from the Netherlands, the winery is another highlight of the Alentejo. It was interesting to see them grafting white varietals on red rootstocks which might be better suited for the soil, and with many award-winning wines their donation will be a great contribution to the auction!

Herdade Malhadinha: A great hotel and restaurant awaits the wine tourist who comes to this winery. 2003 was their first vintage and they haven’t stopped rising in popularity. And what’s more, their several young children are already involved in the family business, drawing the labels!

Herdade de Rocim: Started in 2007, this magnificent winery is new on the scene of Alentejo and stirring things up. Also having a great little restaurant for those coming here as a destination, the wines will perfectly complement a beautiful day in the Alentejo made with care and dedication by the family.

And beyond…

Vini Portugal: We had a special visit to Vini Portugal, who collected several wines of top producers to donate to the auction, and set up tastings and an educative program for us. Vini Portugal works on special projects to promote export, and is the binding force uniting Portuguese wineries. We were very happy to have wines added to our auction coming from the Dão (Casa de Santar, and Quinta das Marias) and Peninsula Setúbal (Horacio Simoes) regions to provide a broader understanding to bidders of Portugal’s diversity! The Peninsula Setúbal lies across the estuary of the River Tagus directly south of Lisbon, and the Dão is a mountainous region where Touriga National originates (The most popular grape of the Douro, see above, and a common one in all of Portugal!).

Thanks!

~Anja and Georges, signing off with the largest cork in the world, from the Yeatman Hotel!

If you keep eastwards and trace a line from the popular viticultural areas of Chile and Argentina, you will inevitably come across the latitude where Uruguay‘s vines also thrive. Bounded by the River Plate in the south, Brazil in the north, Argentina on the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Uruguay is home to a mild climate, endless rolling hills, and perfect terroir for many different grape varietals. Particularly, the Tannat from this little country has been catching the attention of the world, a varietal introduced from France/Basque in the late 1800s. What marked us the most though while in Uruguay was the relaxed and friendly atmosphere that seemed to await us at every winery and in the cities. Most owners of the wineries came to receive us themselves, and most wineries we visited were family run, something we did not have much opportunity to encounter in other wineries of the world, where you might become lost in their size and enterprise. Here we were visiting families of viticulturists, with deep traditions of wine, who humbly set themselves out to make a business of their passions.

The capital of the country is named after the first words of the Portuguese discoverers of the area (‘Monte-vide-eo,’ or, ‘I see a mountain!’), and lies in close proximity to most of the wineries, just a few hours’ drive inland from the port-city. A perfect base for discovering the wineries and wine regions, it seems inevitable that Uruguay, the so-called land of the river of painted birds (in native dialect), will soon become an Enotourism hotspot. We owe many thanks to Wines of Uruguay for sharing this with us and helping during this portion of our project, and to the wineries who joined our cause!

Gimenez Mendez: Like most of the charming Uruguayan wineries, Gimenez Mendez is fully owned and managed by the family, and we can be seen standing in the vineyards with winemaker Mauro to the right, a son of the family. Since his father passed away, Mauro is now working with his 2 other siblings and his Mother, who was president of the Wines of Uruguay association, and they continue to create the Gimenez Mendez wine expressing quality, Uruguayan terroir and innovation. One such thing which caught our eye was the ‘Puzzle’ wine, a blend of 15 varietals of which 10 were red and 5 white!

Bouza: We are seen here on a veggie picking day with the owner of Bouza, Eliza, out in the garden which is used to cook all fresh meals for the onsite restaurant. The gardens and vineyards are definitely worth the walk through, as green grass and blue skies are the backdrop for an invitation. The building that the Bouza winery sits in is a marvel in of itself too. Built in 1942 as a church, it is now used as this family run winery’s cellars, lab, and fermentation area, and has water from the nearby reservoir running through its walls to naturally cool and humidify the building. And if visitors didn’t have enough, there also happens to be a collection of classic cars set up as a museum at the entrance of the dining area which belong to the Bouza family. It showcases more than 30 cars representing Uruguayan life of the 1920s and 1930s!

Bodegas Carrau: The leader in innovation throughout Uruguay’s winemaking history is hands down the Carrau family. In 1930 they were the first to export wine, and in 1973 they are credited as being the first to introduce the idea of having Tannat be the country’s main top reserve style red wine grape. Today they continue their innovation and leadership of the Uruguayan wine industry, as Carrau’s winemaker Dr. Francisco Carrau runs a vineyard-based research and development plan, one goal of which is to rejuvenating old vineyards with clonal selection. Anja is pictured above with Francisco’s sister, Margarita, with a backdrop of what is perhaps the most colorfully calming winery to work in! The Carrau family winery is continuing its family traditions, and soon the 10th generation will begin taking part in the winemaking decisions!

Marichal: The Marichal family, descendents of immigrants coming from the Canary Islands to Uruguay, began planting vineyards of Tannat in the 1910s. In the 1980s the family converted and reinvested in its winemaking techniques and began producing higher quality wines. Today, the family is still running the vineyards and winery, and we were very happy to receive a very personal tour. If you are lucky enough to enjoy a tasting at the winery, be sure to try the traditional mini Empanadas cooked by Lidia Santos, pictured above and the mother in the family! Her two sons Juan Andrés and Alejandro are now in charge of the winery, ensuring the family tradition lives on! The Tannats were amazing, but if you ask them their opinion, you will hear that they are convinced Pinot Noir is secretly the perfect grape for Uruguay, it just has to be picked at the right time! Not surprisingly, Marichal also makes a great Pinot Noir!

Pisano: The Pisano family is definitely one of the most charismatic winemaking families in Uruguay, just look at some of their advertisements to see why. The three brothers running the show, Daniel (pictured with Georges above), Eduardo, and Gustavo have successfully made the little winery become the most exported wine in Uruguay, and have been the reason for its progress and innovation. Their great grandfather came to Uruguay as an immigrant from Italy, and their grandfather settled the Progreso region that they now live in. It was in 1924 that the Pisano family would first make wine, and the tradition has been kept up ever since. Now with 8 boys in the family (promoting Daniel’s theory that Tannat’s strong tannins result in a predisposition for more male births), the tradition is continuing onward in time. Everyone lends a hand, and one of Daniel’s nephews is even starting his own wine label on the side, Vina Progresso. The concept of this one is open barrel fermentation, a foot powered crush, and very limited production (with a charity bottle for our auction!)! We could go on and on with the Pisano family’s stories, such as with Daniel’s wife who makes illustrations for their labels, reflecting dreams she has at night, or about their first-ever sparkling tannat wine. Or perhaps we could mention the story of their smuggling rootstock vines from Argentina for planting, or perhaps recount a story about one row of their grandfather’s vines which have been kept planted just for sentimental reasons (the vines are pictured above). Without a doubt, we would also mention the amazing steak that Daniel can cook… in all cases, the stories and good times go on!

Familia Deicas: This winery, also known as Establecimiento Juanico for historic reasons as it was the first in the Juanico region, established by Mr. Francisco Juanicó, is now in its 3rd generation of the Deicas family running the business. Interestingly, before 1979 when the Deicas family took it over, the facilities were made primarily to make Cognac. Because of Uruguay’s help to France during World War II, France showed its thanks by sharing the secrets to making Cognac, and granting Establecimiento Juanico the only license outside of France to name its product ‘Cognac.’ Today, Familia Deicas is focused on high quality Uruguayan wines, and along with the other wineries on this page, is top of its class. Nicolas, export manager of Familia Deicas and pictured above with Anja, received us with a large plate of cheeses, meats, empanadas and wines to taste, and made sure the family style feeling of Uruguay was prominently felt during our visit of the premises!

Thanks!

~Anja and Georges, signing off with a delicious Uruguayan steak meal, Pisano-style!

A typical Mendoza style irrigation (here seen at Viña Cobos)

Just a simple bus crossing over from Santiago the Capital of Chile brought us to Argentina’s capital of wine: Mendoza. Located in the eastern foothills of the Andes and producing about 65% of Argentina’s wine, it has its roots tied deep in history. We visited the first winery constructed there, Norton winery, which was started in 1895 by an English railway engineer who settled the area after his contract ended working to unite the continent by rail. This region of Mendoza, ‘Cuyo,’ is largely seen as one of the top wine production areas of Mendoza. Like much of Mendoza, Cuyo is characterized by a great climate for grape production, particularly Malbec, which has grown famous here. We were told that there are over 300 Sunny days per year, perfect for grape ripening, and the desert like conditions stress the plants while irrigation systems coming from Snowmelt from the Andes gives the vines just what they need. This region though can also be plagued by hail storms as is common in dry mountainous regions, but clever thinking in early vineyard management planted olive trees between vines to protect the fruit, as we saw and learned at Achaval Ferrer, a winery started in 1996 with old vineyards.

Achaval Ferrer

Norton, and their heart donated by the local Hospital in recognition of their help to purchase heart surgery equipment.

The true benefit of Mendoza’s topography can perhaps best be described by Terrazza’s motto, another winery from Cuyo, who claim that each grape varietal requires its particular altitude for best maturation. With vineyard areas that can vary in altitude from 900 meters to 1,200 meters above sea level, matching grape varietals to altitudes is something especially possible in Mendoza’s terraced plateaus leading up to the Andes. Our last winery in Cuyo, Viña Cobos, showed us just how this area gathered international recognition as Napa Valley winemaker Paul Hobbes teamed with Argentinean winemaking partners Andrea Marchiori and Luis Barraud, who use the climate not just for making outstanding wines but also to produce biodynamic ones. Though the conditions as compared to Chile are somewhat different, the potential also exists to have a pest-free area and use organic or biodynamic practices.

Viña Cobos, with winemaker/co-owner Luis Barraud, at a secret restaurant-resort just near the winery that is an absolute must-visit.

Terrazas de los Andes

In fact, it’s not just Cuyo who gathered international attention, Uco, another region in Mendoza, has caught the eye of quite a few international winemaking legends. Particularly, Michel Rolland settled himself there with a group of 6 other renowned Bordeaux chateaux owners creating the ‘Clos de los Siete’. Together, the group has made 5 wineries owned each by one or two of the group, and all wineries contribute a portion of their best wine which becomes blended by Michel Rolland to create the ‘Clos de los Siete’ icon wine. In the Clos, we had fortune to visit several of the wineries. At Flecha de los Andes we spent much time with assistant winemaker Gastón Sepúlveda, who showed us Uco wine and life highlights, while at DiamAndes we had a specially made tour and tasting since the facilities aren’t yet open, and saw where the future giant Diamond sculpture will blend into the backdrop of the Andes. Monteviejo winery was still undergoing construction when we arrived so we were unable to visit, but we are very grateful for their contribution to the auction!

Clos de los Siete, a union of renowned French wine producers, in Argentina.

With assistant winemaker Gastón Sepúlveda At Flecha de los Andes from the Clos de los Siete

Monteviejo from the Clos de los Siete

Diamandes from the Clos de los Siete (at the site of the future Diamond sculpture)

It’s not just the Clos de los Siete who came from France recognizing Mendoza’s potential, Cheval des Andes was created by Terrazas from Cuyo (itself started by Moet and Chandon from France), and Cheval Blanc, a Bordeaux (Saint Emilion) first growth. We met with chief winemaker from France Nicolas Audebert, who wouldn’t trade anything for the freedom found in Argentina, Mendoza wine, and the country’s tradition with horses. Indeed, Cheval des Andes houses horse polo teams and it’s not uncommon to see them holding wine glasses too while playing the sport!

Cheval de los Andes

In Uco we were happy to receive great donations and be able to visit two other wineries, Salentein, and O. Fournier. Salentein was one of the only wineries we saw on our visit through wine regions of the world that was started by a Dutch family, who upon discovering Argentina fell in love with its culture and wine potential. Their first vintage was in 1999 and they have been making great wines since then, but perhaps the most alluring reason to visit is the enchanting cellar room inspired by ancient temple architecture, and their museum of contemporary, modern, and historic Dutch art. The museum is a venture which is seemingly as large as the winery itself and which shows the Salentein family’s attention for the aesthetic over all other, something reflected in the wine as well!

Salentein and their mystical cellar room

O. Fournier from Uco is perhaps the best winery to end with in this blog, to make full circle back to the origin of the lands. The symbol they use on their label for the winery is of the local Rhea (a flightless bird similar to an Ostrich), which represented the joining of the earth and sky to the Argentinean Mocavi Natives. The names of their wines ‘Alfa Crux’ and ‘B Crux,’ are based on the stars of the Southern Cross, a constellation hanging only above the Austral Hemisphere, the southern portion of the earth.

O. Fournier and the ‘Southern Cross’ of their cellar.

Thanks!

~Anja and Georges, signing off with a view of the Andes from the Clos de los Siete:

We continue now again in the Central Valley, in Curico and Cachapoal, and then travel to the Aconcagua greater region by visiting Casa Blanca, San Anthonio, and the Aconcagua sub region itself! We have many thanks to owe again to Wines of Chile and the producer’s generosity, and share with you their stories below!:

Cachapoal Wine Region

Altair: Here we saw the quintessential of what a Chilean winery feels like: Locked away in a magnificent valley surrounded by the drama of imposing mountains, with serenity blanketing the vineyards and valley, accompanied by horses ready to walk you through a peaceful Andean-like trek. And indeed, we did just that with Maria Jose (pictured above), and must admit that it is one of the best exclusive enotourism spots to discover! But don’t tell anyone! As for the wines, it’s normal if you see them sitting next to the best of the world, the winery was conceived sparing no detail towards this end: The vineyards are small, the yields low, and world-renowned experts have been brought in to oversee excellence in production and bring the newest oenological techniques to this already picture perfect winemaking paradise.

Curico Wine Region

Miguel Torres: The winemaking activities of this ancient Spanish family began in 1800s in Spain with horse-drawn carriages transporting their wines in wooden barrels. With pioneering foresight they created a winery in Chile in 1979, being the first foreign company to back Chilean vineyard production, and bring modern oenological technology such as steel fermentation tanks. Now over 30 years later, their initial property of 100 hectares has grown to over 445, and they have plans to be fully organic very soon! Miguel Torres Maczassek is winemaker, 5th generation of the Torres family, and recently moved to oversee the vision of the winery. After the earthquake of 2010, the winery mobilized fast to rebuild employee and community houses, a symbol of their commitment to the local region. We are seen above with Caroline Margues, communication manager who gave us a great tour of the property and an even greater tasting!

Aresti: The ‘Aresti Wine of Chile’ winery is a 100% family owned winery founded in 1951. After subsequent further investments in vineyards and technology, they began the ‘Aresti’ label that is distributed throughout the world today. The image above is of a stone sculpture in the cellar, itself a representation of the wine’s label, from a historic painting depicting the family’s history. The painting won a gold medal in an exhibition in the Belle Arts Museum in Santiago during Chile’s centennial celebration, and is titled “Harvest at the Bellavista Hacienda.” The family is now in its third generation working in the winery, and make up most of the board of directors, along with international experts, working to ensure the carried on tradition of the Aresti name and label!

Aconcagua Wine Region

Errázuriz: 100 kms North of Santiago, Viña Errázuriz was founded over 100 years ago, in 1870 by Don Maximiano Errázuriz. Don Maximiano Errázuriz’s 6th generation descendent, Eduardo Chadwick, oversees the winemaking and production, and is credited for bringing the Shiraz grape to Chile. But the Errázuriz family has much more history tied to Chile than just this. The Errázuriz family has given Chile four presidents of the Republic, two Archbishops of Santiago, and several more diplomats, writers and industrialists! With such impact on the country, it’s normal that the wine industry sees it too! When you enter the wine estates grounds its clear history is bounding too, with three different wineries kept side by side symbolizing the different eras of the family empire, it’s almost an architectural park. A modern building captures the eye with is gleaming water fountain (designed to reflect light and heat to the winery in the winter, while cooling it in the summer), while an old 1800s style colonial winery sits by its side, kept pristine by its wisdom!

Seña: Created in 1995, Seña is known to be the first Icon Wine from Chile. The name itself implied a distinguishing mark or personal signature, and the winery stands for just that, as it was created by a cooperation between two of the greats in the wine world. Robert Mondavi visited Chile in 1990, and while recognizing the potential of the land for producing incredible wines, teamed with winemaker Eduardo Charwick, whose winery, Vina Errazuriz (see above) was over 100 years old and had been always recognized as a top quality producer from Chile. The two winemaking families teamed together to create Seña, searching for 4 years throughout Chile to find the perfect terroir. 41km from the Pacific Ocean, in the western end of the Aconcagua Valley, they found just what they were looking for. Fully farmed under biodynamic principles, even with plans to develop a school for biodynamic practices, the winery is led by Eduardo Chadwick to achieve their original goal of representing the terroir in its complete honesty, as an Icon Wine of Chile!

Casa Blanca Wine Region

Casas del Bosque: Located just 70km west of Santiago, and 30km from one of the principal ports of Chile, Valparaiso, and the old capital of the country, Casas del Bosque, was founded in 1993. Located in an area of ancient pine and Olive forests, the name means, ‘Houses of the Woods.’ The idea was to have it be a family boutique winery working only on high quality wines. It is one of the few wineries in Chile recognized for specializing in Sauvignon Blanc. It is also the region it is located in, Casa Blanca, which has reached international reputation abroad for producing fantastic Sauvignon Blancs. One of the first family wineries in the area and the dream of an Italian immigrant’s son, Casas del Bosque continues today to emphasize its focus on quality in the production of its wines.

San Anthonio Wine Region

Matetic: Located in the Rosario Valley of the San Anthonio region, Matetic began in 1999 when the Matetic family, originally from Croatia and 3rd generation Chilean, recognized the great potential of Chile’s climate and soil! The winery itself was designed by Lawrence Odfjell, the same architect who created the Odfjell winery of our last blog visit. It has been created state-of-the-art, with gravity flow design, and blends seamlessly into the regional landscape. The winery also offers great enotourism destinations with their own restaurant and resort haciendas, pushing this aspect of Chile and wine forward. The wines too are fully organic, producing natural wines.

Thanks!

~Anja and Georges, signing off with the Chilean Wine Bottle Donations, with a backdrop of Santiago City!