TableConversation.com

Where to Get a Big Bowl of Moqueca

The Brazilian restaurant Moqueca is famous for one dish. It's called moqueca, like the restaurant.

What you get is a big clay pot filled with seafood in a tomato sauce brightly flavored with cilantro, coconut milk, limes, onion, garlic, olive oil and urucum.

You may never have heard of urucum, but if you've been to Yucatán, you've tasted it. It's achiote (annatto), a red seasoning also used in Filipino and other cuisines. If you like spicy, you tip in malagueta pepper sauce from a bowl on the side.

In a tasting of two moquecas, the winner was a combination of lobster tails and shrimp. Its sauce seemed more full flavored than a moqueca with seabass. Perhaps imagination, piqued by the costly ingredients ($74 for a large serving, $40 for the small size) was at work.

The handmade black pots get a lot of wear. Owner Gloria Sarcinelli (above) goes to Brazil every year to buy more. The pots, and the dish, are from her homeland, Espírito Santo state. That state is on the coast, and perhaps this is why the restaurant is located by Oxnard's Channel Island Harbor Marina.  

The menu is long, offering much more than moqueca. If I lived nearby, I would drop in regularly for a bowl of caldo verde (above), a thick green soup of collards and potato with smoky tastes of bacon and sausage.

I might add to that quibes (kibbeh), bulgur and beef meatballs from Brazil's Lebanese community (above). These come with a honey mustard dipping sauce. 

Drinks take up two pages of the menu. The obvious choice is a caipirinha, made with cachaça, a sugarcane spirit from Brazil (above). The cocktail comes in a glass provided by Leblon, the cachaça producer. On the side is house-made tapenade. 

Among the desserts is pavê de amendoim, a must if you're addicted to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (above). It tastes so like them--a peanut and chocolate cream layered with cookies.

Moqueca recently opened a second location, in Thousand Oaks. The reason you might still want to head to the Oxnard original is the view. This is what you see while you eat there.

Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine, 3550 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite 201, Oxnard, CA 93035. Tel: (805) 204-0970.

Also at 1610 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA., CA 91360. Tel: (805) 230-3585.

A Turkish Cooking Class in Gaziantep

I'm now making the most delicious Turkish pilaf. It's bulgur pilaf, packed with bright and healthy things such as bell peppers and tomatoes. And it's so easy you could throw it together at the last minute for dinner or to take to a party.  

The recipe is from Kamuran Dover (at the top), a caterer and cooking teacher in Gaziantep, a city in southeastern Turkey that is on UNESCO's list of places with great gastronomy.

As part of a group attending Gaziantep's inaugural bulgur festival, I went to Dover's home for a cooking class. Her spotless apartment was set up not just for the class but for an elegant dinner afterward.

We crowded into the kitchen, taking notes as she prepared more food than we could possibly eat. The pilaf came first, starting with the sautéing of vegetables in olive oil (above). To these she added tomato and red pepper pastes and canned tomatoes. 

Then in went coarse bulgur, water, salt and generous pats of butter (above). The butter came from Ardahan, a province in northeastern Turkey known for agriculture and livestock.

Without the butter, the pilaf becomes an excellent dish for vegans, as bulgur is known for its nutritional richness. 

After boiling, Dover let the pilaf cook over low heat until the liquid was absorbed. Then she turned off the heat and placed a double layer of paper towels under the lid to collect excess moisture. This is how the pilaf looked when she dished it up.   

Next came eggplant cooked with peppers and tomatoes. Dover presented the eggplant two ways, one vegetarian and the other topped with sautéed diced lamb (above).

Both fresh and dried mint went into a salad along with sour cherry molasses that Dover had made herself (above).

I was astonished to learn that she prepares everything she cooks with, even condiments such as red pepper and tomato pastes and dried red pepper flakes that are readily available in local markets. The canned tomatoes she added to the pilaf were homemade too.  

I had never seen anything like her bread salad, made with flakes of a dried bread called yufka ekmek. These she crushed even finer, mixing in peppers, onions, tomatoes, her homemade seasoning pastes, red pepper flakes, olive oil and shredded Antep cheese (above).

Rather than piling the loose mixture into a salad bowl, she formed it into little kebabs (above). 

I had seen purslane (verdolaga) in produce displays in Gaziantep and wondered how it was used. One way is the hearty soup that Dover had made before we came (above).

She combined the greens with lentils, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, bulgur, garlic and vegetables, adding cherry molasses and sumac molasses and finishing with a drizzle of red pepper flakes heated in oil. The soup alone would have been enough for dinner.

Then we went to the dining table, which was beautifully set with fine linens and china. 

Dinner ended with fresh fruit and Turkish tea (you can see us taking photos in the mirror behind the table).

Dover wanted to know which dishes we liked best. Well, everything. But I singled out the bread salad omac. I couldn't stop eating it.

The dishes she taught were practical and easy to make back home. Markets that stock Middle Eastern ingredients have everything needed, including tomato and red pepper pastes from Turkey, breads that could be substituted for yufka ekmek in the salad omac,  Turkish cheeses and pomegranate molasses, which could replace Dover's sour cherry molasses. 

After dinner, we settled into plushy gold-upholstered chairs in the parlor (above) and talked like old friends. Dover was married at the age of 14, lost her husband in a traffic accident (his photograph is above the mirror behind the dining table) and developed the catering business to support herself. She showed us a huge freezer packed with food for her clients. 

As we left, we retrieved our shoes. Turkish custom is to remove them before entering a home, and we were given slippers so that we would be comfortable during the evening. 

Dover welcomes tourists to her classes. She doesn't speak English, but a translator will be provided. It's a unique opportunity to see genuine Turkish home cooking and then enjoy a superb meal.

To inquire about her classes, contact Filiz Hosukoglu, who works with her and speaks excellent English. Her email is [email protected]. 

TURKISH BULGUR PILAF
From Kamuran Dover of Gaziantep

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced small
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 medium onion, diced small
1 medium tomato, diced small
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Turkish red pepper paste
1/2 cup canned tomatoes
1 1/2 cups coarse bulgur
3 cups hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the green and red peppers and the onion and cook until they start to soften. Add the tomato and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper paste, then add the canned tomatoes and stir until blended.

Add the bulgur, hot water and salt, then add the butter and let melt.

Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until the liquid is absorbed but the bulgur is still soft and not dry. Turn off the heat. Place a double layer of paper towels until the lid to absorb steam and let the pilaf stand for half an hour.  Reheat if necessary.

Makes 8 servings.

Good Buys in South American Wines

It's hard to understand why Torrontés isn't a front-runner among white wines. It's good with so much that we like to eat--spicy Thai food, Indian curries and seafood dishes such as ceviche and sashimi, for starters. 

Yet Torrontés is a hard sell, says Michael J. Barlett of Blends, who represented one of only three poured at Wine LA's "Tasting South America" at the Peninsula in Beverly Hills (above)."There is not a lot of demand. We don't sell a lot of it. People like it, but we can't get anybody to buy it," he said. 

Bartlett poured the 2014 Torrontés from Tomero in the Uco Valley in Mendoza (at the right in the photo). Fermented 100% in stainless steel, it offered lovely fresh fruit flavors. The winery also exhibited a Malbec and a Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Even more of a hard sell is the white wine Albariño. People just don't know the grape, said Bartlett (above) as he poured the 2014 Albariño from Bodega Garzón in Uruguay. There, Albariño is a premier grape, and this wine, with its pleasing minerality, is a very good example. 

The most typical Urguayan red wine is Tannat, and the 2013 from Garzón is peppery, spicy and excellent with hearty meats and sauces. Garzón ferments its Tannats in stainless steel or unlined concrete and ages them 12 to 15 months in new French oak. The good news is that both of these Uruguayan wines are available here (BevMo, Whole Foods).

The only Uruguayan winery at the tasting, Bodega Garzón is a working farm that produces olive oil and other crops. The vineyards enjoy pleasant ocean breezes, as they are only 11 miles from the Atlantic. 

I also tasted a Tannat from Vinícola Perini, a Brazilian winery. Founded by Italian immigrants, it has vineyards in Farroupilha, where the Tannat was produced, and Garibaldi.

The Macaw Tannat 2012, from Valle Trentino in Farroupilha, is very different from the Uruguayan Tannat, deeply colored but lighter, with an impression of sweetness. It would make a very good sangria. 

The Perini wines, which include a sparking Moscato and a Merlot poured at the tasting, arrived in the United States about four weeks ago and have acquired representation here.  

Other wines I liked--I tasted only 20 out of more than 70--included a Chilean Carmenere, the 2012 Gran Reserva from Carmen winery. Bright and fresh, the wine blends 94% Carmenere with Carignan and Tempranillo.

Viña Cremaschi Furlotti, from Chile, produced the only Nebbiolo poured at the tasting. Its 2011 limited edition Nebiollo exhibited good acidity and good fruit. 

I liked everything I tasted from Susana Balbo in Argentina (above). The barrel-fermented Signature Torrontés 2014 was excellent, a wine with character. The 2010 Nosotros Malbec, from Agrelo, was gorgeous. The BenMarco Expresivo 2013, a mostly Malbec blend, was rich and exciting, as was the 2012 Brioso, composed of half Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

My last stop was at a table of wines without representation. This is sure to change, judging by the two poured by Valsecchi Wines from the Calchaqui Valley in Salta province in northwestern Argentina. Salta is known for white wines--it's the center of Torrontés--but these were reds, both of them powerful and memorable.

One was the 2008 Altoandino, a blend of 55% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Tannat, aged 22 months in new oak. The other was the 2007 Desafío, which is 95% Malbec and 5% Tannat. Valsecchi's 2008 Ukumar Tannat, from high altitude vines, didn't make it to the tasting.

Valsecchi is a young winery. Its first vintage was the 2004 Desafío. The first Altoandino was 2007. Production is limited, from a high of 600 cases annually of the Altoandino blend to 350 cases of Desafio and only 100 a year of Ukumar Tannat. Such notable wines are not cheap. The retail price for the Altoandino is $65, the table rep said, not excessive for something that good. 

A Malbec to Fall in Love With

I fell in love this week--with a wine, a gorgeous red wine from Argentina.

It was the 2012 La Pampa Malbec from Bodegas Salentein (at the top). Round, full and soft, it felt so substantial in my mouth that I could almost chew it.

This is a single vineyard Malbec, from grapes that grow at high elevation--4,300 feet--in the Uco Valley. Uco is a premium growing area in Argentina's main wine region, Mendoza.

"Malbec loves the sun.  All the aromatic properties of Malbec develop in the sun," said José Galante, Salentein's head winemaker (above), at a tasting and lunch at Larsen's Steak House in Encino. Mendoza is a desert, so grapes there get plenty of sun. They're watered by melted snow from the Andes.

Aged in oak for 16 months, La Pampa is one of the single vineyard Salentein wines that are being launched in the United States in Los Angeles. That was one reason for his stop here on a nationwide tour.  The price is $50 (worth it, in my opinion).

Other Salentein Malbecs fit tighter budgets, like the 2013 Killka Collection Malbec, $14.95 (above), and the 2013 Reserve, $18.99.

The Reserve (above) spent 12 months in French barrels. It blends grapes from different altitudes--Salentein is  researching the relationship of terroir to altitude, as its estate vineyards range from 3400 to 5500 feet high.

I would be happy with either of these Malbecs, even though La Pampa is my first love. My second love would be the 2012 single vineyard Chardonnay from Salentein's highest vineyard, San Pablo (above).

It's a hugely rich, golden wine and worth $50, if you can spend that much on wine. "For me, it's my favorite Chardonnay. "It's incredible," Galante said. What looks like the back label is the front label, packed with information.

And then there's the 2014 Killka Torrontes (above), a heart stealer as well. Killka means "entry" in the local indigenous language. The wines in this line are entry level only in the sense that they are lower priced, $14.95. Each label features a painting by an Argentine artist. The one on the Torrontes label is "Looking for Love in the City," and you're sure to find it with this wine. 

Salta province in northwestern Argentina is the capital of Torrontes, so it was interesting to taste one from another region, specifically from the higher altitudes of Salentein's Uco vineyards.

"Torrontes from a cool climate is more delicado (delicate) and with more acidity than those from Salta," Galante said. "With a cool climate, you have more acidity."

Galante was one of those who retooled Argentine wines from low quality, mass produced wines consumed within the country to wines that could meet international standards.

The line includes a red blend, Numina, at the right of the Malbecs in the photo above. The blend changes each year. The 2012 in the photo is 62% Malbec and 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller amounts of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. In front is a steak sandwich--you can't taste Argentine wines without steak, the most popular meat there. 

This year, Galante is celebrating his 40th vintage, 34 of those with Bodega Catena Zapata in Mendoza. A Mendoza native, he joined Salentein in 2010. This is a good year for him to celebrate. The harvest is over (harvest in Argentina begins in February), and it was "very nice," he said.

Tasting Kaiken Wines from Argentina

A hot summer day, a pretty garden and a frosty glass of bubbly. What a cool way to start lunch.

The place was Primitivo Wine Bar in Venice, and the sparkler was from Kaiken in  Mendoza, Argentina. If you've never had sparkling wine from Argentina, this classy Brut is a good first choice. It's made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, following traditional champagne-making procedures, and was aged two years in the bottle before release.

The lunch that followed was a framework for a tasting of Kaiken wines led by Aurelio Montes Jr. (above), son of legendary Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes Sr.

The name Kaiken comes from an indigenous word for a wild goose that flies across the Andes. This describes how the Montes empire has expanded from Chile to Argentina."It's a "magical place," said Montes Jr., Kaiken's chief winemaker. "Argentina is crazy. They have passion. They really take care about life." No wonder he enjoys living in Mendoza.

Of course, Kaiken makes an inexpensive Malbec, the sort of wine Argentinians would drink with barbecue. The Kaiken Reserva Malbec 2011, poured at the lunch, sells for about $12.

Then there is Mai, Kaiken's first icon wine, which gets its name from an indigenous word for "first."  You'd have to pay $80 for a bottle of this Malbec. The 2007 spent 18 months in new French oak and two years in the bottle. Most of the grapes came from a 104-year-old vineyard in Vistalba. Only 500 cases were made.

Too rich for your pocketbook? Then drop down to the Kaiken Terroir Series Malbec 2012 for about $16 (it's elegant, dry) and the Kaiken Ultra Malbec 2011, made from hand-picked, hand-selected grapes, a luscious bargain for about $20. 

The deep purple-red Terroir wine blends 80% Malbec with 12% Bonarda and 8% Petit Verdot. There's 4% Cabernet Sauvignon in the Ultra Malbec.  They're both in the photo above, along with the Kaiken Ultra Cabernet 2011.

"Eighty percent of wine sales in Argentina is Malbec," Montes said, sounding a bit too modest when he added, "Malbec is for lazy winemakers. You can be the laziest winemaker in the world and still make good Malbec. Cabernet Sauvignon takes more work."

Montes is obviously not lazy. He poured two of his Cabs at the lunch and is working on a Bonarda, which is not yet in the bottle. Bonarda is the second most common grape variety in Argentina after Malbec, grown mainly for bulk wine, he said. 

He's also working on Petit Verdot, "one of the most amazing wines you can produce in Argentina, but for conocedores [connoisseurs] only," he said. 

Chardonnay in Argentine is also "amazing," but very little is produced. Instead of the Kaiken Chardonnay, Montes poured the Terroir Series Torrontes 2012, the winery's first bottling of this varietal (above left).

Dry and not overly spicy, it reflects Montes personal taste. Not fond of the average Torrontes, he changed the winemaking style, going for an early harvest and producing a fresh, easy drinking wine.

While Montes talked, Primitivo Wine Bar sent out food pairings that reflected Argentine taste. Pizza is basic there, and a crisp slice was on one of the plates (above), along with potatoes.

The quintessential Argentine dish is beef, though, and that showed up with the icon wine Mai. The thick, juicy, tender steak had a chimichurri style sauce with oregano on top and thin, crisp French fries on the side (above). This is what Montes is eating in the photo farther up, and it was every bit as good as what you would get in a top level parrilllada restaurant in Argentina. 

Finally Meeting Francis Mallmann

It took years before I crossed paths with Francis Mallman, although I had eaten at two of his restaurants in Argentina: Francis Mallman 1884 in Mendoza and Patagonia Sur in Buenos Aires (Mallmann is at right in the photo above).

We didn't meet down there but in Hollywood, where this superstar chef from South America cooked a spectacular barbecue dinner. You can read about it at Squid Ink, LA Weekly's food blog. 

Helping out at the party were The Gauchos, an Argentinian catering group that stages barbecues around town, including one at San Antonio Winery's recent 95th anniversary party.

The food at Mallmann's event was delicious. The meats were unseasoned to show off how good they were. Then you could add condiments at the table.

As a teaser, look at skirt steak, hot off the grill, cut into appetizer pieces and topped with chimichurri. It was fabulous.  

Chimichurri--the Basics

Chimichurri, the Argentine sauce that goes with grilled meats, is a free-for-all. 

Aside from the requisite basics, you can put in what you like, so no two chimichurris may taste quite the same.

The recipe below is from Ana Rodriguez Armisén, sous-chef at Santa Julia's Casa del Visitantes (guest house) in Mendoza, Argentina. Santa Julia is a line of wines produced by the Familia Zuccardi and named for Julia Zuccardi, who runs the winery's hospitality program.

Julia and Ana (Julia is at left in the photo) joined forces for a promotional tour that included a stop in Los Angeles.

At a lunch and wine tasting at Rivera restaurant, Julia talked about the wines and Ana prepared such Argentine appetizers as grilled beef, sliced and served with chimichurri, and empanadas accompanied by chimichurri (at top).

Later, for lunch, she made a Malbec reduction to go with grilled lamb, crisped mashed potatoes and salsa criolla

While guests tasted the appetizer wines, a Santa Julia Brut Rosé made from Pinot Noir grapes, an Organica Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon and a Malbec, Ana set out dishes of ingredients for chimichurri.

The basics, she said, are fresh garlic and parsley, oregano and paprika, mixed with some hot chile, oil and white vinegar.

She added thyme and a dash of Santa Julia Torrontés--this was a wine tasting after all--and used one of the Familia Zuccardi's estate-produced varietal olive oils. Vintage dated, they are not exported.

In some provinces of Argentina, brine is added to keep the chimichurri fresh, she said. This is not done in Buenos Aires. But you can prepare chimichurri in advance, if you cover it with a layer of oil and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to a month.

Different types of oil are used in Argentina, where olive oil is a new taste. The vinegar should be white, and the paprika should be Spanish. "It is the best," Ana said.

Chimichurri is good with grilled meats, sausages, roast turkey, pork loin, even grilled vegetables and as a dip for bread, she said. 

The Torrontés that she added was from a new line of Santa Julia wines with a plus symbol attached to the varietal name. The plus indicates that the wine was made from estate-grown grapes following sustainable practices.

The Santa Julia wines served at the lunch included a reserve Malbec and Cabernet (they're in the photo at right with the grilled lamb) and a late harvest Torrontés.

They sell for $10 to $13, and, unlike the olive oils, they are available in the United States.

ANA'S CHIMICHURRI
From Santa Julia's Casa del Visitante

1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Generous dash dried thyme
Dash dried rosemary
Dash dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried red chile flakes 
Dash freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar 
1 teaspoon Torrontés, optional

Combine the garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, paprika, chile flakes and black pepper in a small bowl.  

Add the olive oil, vinegar and the wine, if available. Mix well. The sauce will be fluid. 

Makes about 2/3 cup.

 

12 Winners from Argentina

Don't cry for me, Argentina, because I'm having a great time drinking your wines.

How good, and how reasonably priced, Argentine wines are today became clear when hundreds were lined up for a trade tasting at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. 

Their retail prices ranged from $6.49 (Orfila Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon)  to $115 (Magdalena Toso). But very few soared so high. Most were under $20, and really good bottles were priced $9 to $12.

This means Argentine wines should do very well in today's troubled economy. And there will be more to choose from, because new areas are being planted to vineyards, pointed out Nora Z. Favelukes, president of QW Wine Experts, who represents the industry.

Look for wines from Catamarca in the north, Neuquén in Patagonia and the province of San Juan, which is located between Mendoza and La Rioja.

Mendoza is still the best known wine region, producing 80% of Argentina's wines--"the California of Argentina,"  Favelukes calls it. 

And look beyond Malbec. This may be Argentina's signature grape, but it's responsible for just 14% of Argentine wines, Favelukes says.

Instead, try Syrahs and Viogniers from San Juan, elegantly nuanced Bonardas, Tannats, Merlots, Sangioveses, Sauvignon Blancs, rosés and, what's really on the horizon, red blends.

If I had tasted all the wines that were poured, I would not be writing this now, but here are a dozen that I found notable. This is not a "best of tasting" list. Regard it as an indicator of the variety of good Argentine wines out there now.

1. Crios de Susana Balbo Rosé of Malbec 2009, from Dominio del Plata Winery in Mendoza. This was a surprise, a big-bodied, full-flavored rosé with beautiful color, spiciness and elegance. It sells for around $12.

2. Bodegas Santa Ana Bonarda Reserva 2008, Mendoza. The vine stock for Bonarda was brought to Argentina by Italian immigrants, and the varietal has caught on so well that you'll be seeing more and more Argentine Bonardas.

This one is strongly aromatic, with powerful, sweet tannins and hints of raspberry. The color is an intense, dark, purple-red. The price wasn't available, but whatever it may be, this wine is well worth buying.

3. Andeluna Malbec 2009, Mendoza. Described as an entry level Malbec, Andeluna's wine would be good at any level. Aged six months in French and American oak, then six months in bottles, it costs only $10.99.

4. Domingo Molina Tannat-Malbec 2007, Salta.  Tannat is mostly identified with Uruguay, but this one is a high altitude Tannat and has more minerality and higher acidity than the wines produced in Uruguay.  It's 95 % Tannat, with 5 % Malbec added to temper the acidity.  The price is $22.

5. Finca Quara Viña Cabra Corral Malbec 2008, Salta.  Finca Quara is located in Salta's Cafayate Valley, and so this delectable single-vineyard Malbec is another high altitude wine. It was not included in the tasting catalog, but a Quara reserve Malbec 2007 was listed at $28, so I am guessing the price would be similar.

6. Filus Torrontes 2010. The Filus winery is located in Mendoza, but its Torrontes is from Cafayate. A lovely example of this aromatic white wine, it has pleasing minerality. The price: $12.99.

7. Bodega del Fin del Mundo Cabernet Franc 2007, Patagonia.  This is the first release of a varietal that is new to the winery, and it's worth trying just to see that Argentina isn't only about Malbec. $35.

8. Pascual Toso Alta Reserva Syrah 2007, Mendoza. Another worthy departure from Malbec, this wine shows how well Argentina can handle Syrah.  The price is $35.

9. Finca Eugenio Bustos Altivo Malbec Rosé, Mendoza. Here is Malbec in a new form, a sparkling wine (right). 

It's so new that it hasn't arrived yet in the United States. Due in December, the Altivo rosé will be available for Valentine's Day.

Slightly sweet and a gorgeous strawberry pink, it's ideal for a romantic celebration. $13.99.

10.  Zorzal Climax Malbec 2008, Mendoza. Want a high end, premium Malbec? This one was produced from hand-harvested grapes and aged in new French oak for two years. It's worth the price, $45 to $50.

11. Finca Flichman Misterio Shiraz 2008, Mendoza. If you can't afford high-end wines, you'll be happy with this one and delighted with the price. It's only $9.

12. Bodegas Santa Ana's new line of organic wines, Mendoza. There are three, an Eco Torrontes, Eco Malbec and Eco Cabernet Sauvignon. They're all from the 2009 vintage, which is the first release, and they sell for $12. Good wine at a bargain price. 

 

Ikal Wine: New from Argentina

It's been a double-barreled Argentine week--a wine tasting one day and an Argentine lunch the next.

The tasting introduced the first wines of Bodega Ikal, a new, higher elevation winery in Mendoza.

Ikal is owned by a team that includes Sandra Beltran and Jerry Ward, Houston residents who came to Los Angeles for an introductory tasting at Lou wine bar.

Ikal released its first wines in 2009. Production is tiny, just 2,000 cases. Of these, 700 are Malbec, the remainder divided among Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Torrontes.

The 125 acres of newly planted vines aren't ready for wine-making, but the property includes 18 acres of older vines. Grapes for Pinot Noir and Torrontes are purchased from neighboring vineyards.

The high, dry location near the Andes eliminates the need for pesticides and fungicides, Jerry Ward says. The number 1150 on the labels indicates the altitude in meters (almost 3800 feet). Each vine is drip-irrigated, necessary because average annual rainfall is only 4 inches.

The ambitious project will one day include a 12-room boutique hotel and residences where buyers can raise their own grapes.

How are the wines? Selling for $16 to $19, they match the price with higher quality than bargain-priced South American wines in markets here.

The 2009 Chardonnay is crisp and tropical, with a touch of minerality from the rocky Andean soil. It is fermented in 50% neutral French oak and 50% stainless steel to preserve the fresh flavors.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is deeply colored (as far as I could tell in Lou, which is too dark to observe wine colors and clarity, as you can see in the photo at right).

Big, soft and round, it is very good if you're looking for pleasant drinkability right now.  "A lot of people who don't like Cabs like the high altitude Cabs from Argentina," Ward says.

The 2007 Pinot Noir sat 1 1/2 years in lined concrete tanks for natural settling. It's light and elegant, with cola and cherry tones, made, as Ward says, with "one foot in the New World and one in the old."

Winemaker Luis Martinez grew up in the cellars of Mendoza and has studied in California and the Haut Medoc in France.   "We strive for old world wines with a gravelly, minerally, river stone character," Ward says.

The 2008 Torrontes, fermented  in stainless steel, is lightly floral, balancing slight sweetness with strong minerality.  

Ikal will make Malbec its signature wine. The 2007 is clean, lean and balanced, not dripping with fruit. A sommelier attending the tasting chose it as a personal favorite. 

The name Ikal is Mayan for poetry. Mendoza is obviously not a Mayan community. The name was taken from a previous enterprise of Ikal's owners, a hotel in Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya. 

At Lou, the wines were accompanied by the wine bar's famous pig candy (bacon caramelized with brown sugar), olives and cheeses, but nothing Argentinian.

For that I went the next day to Malbec in Pasadena. Ikal wines aren't on the list there, because they haven't arrived in Los Angeles yet. However, Bodega Ikal's Ward had said that Argentinians drink chilled Bonarda with barbecue. And so I chose a Bonarda (unchilled) to go with that quintessential Argentine dish--grilled steak.

Malbec's entraña (skirt steak) was juicy and delicious, accompanied by what Ward says is rare in Argentina, a salad.

In restaurants there, chimichurri sauce is usually served on the side, but Malbec spoons it right onto the meat, and also serves it with bread. 

Lou might do well to copy this garlicky herb and olive oil mixture for the next time an Argentinian winemaker comes to town.

Lou Wine Bar, 724 Vine S., Los Angeles, CA 90038. Tel: (323) 962-6369.

Malbec, 1001 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91106. Tel: (626) 683-0550.

An Odd Couple: Malbec, Tacos

I would only eat Mexican food in Argentina out of curiosity. Nevertheless, I ate it Sunday paired with Argentine wines. An odd coupling, but fun to try something different.

Really spicy salsas kill the taste of a good wine, I noticed, but tacos, burritos and quesadillas work as well as bread and cheese, as long as they are salsa-free.

The tasting was Silverlake Wine's first of 2010. Tastings take place there every month, and the place buzzes as people get to know each other. Most of those I met live in Silver Lake, and the wine shop is a handy place to meet.

But the tastings are serious, and so commentary on Argentina's wine industry accompanied the five tastes. What I like about the tastings is that wines are brought to you, so you don't have to line up at the counter. And each taste comes in a fresh glass.

Sunday's five wines started with a sparkler, an extra brut 2007 that blended Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The name alone makes you want to buy it, that is, if you have a taste for the exotic. It is Siesta en el Tahuantinsuyu, and it's from Ernesto Catena.

Next came Tahuan Malbec Ernesto Catena Selection 2006, a deep, pink-toned red, dry and elegant with restrained fruit.

We tried a Malbec blend, Ca' de Calle Reserva 2008, composed of 75% Malbec, 20% Tempranillo and 5% Syrah. This too was from Ernesto Catena, whose wines dominated the tasting. 

The priciest wine poured ($29.50) was his Siesta en el Tahuantinsuyu Malbec 2005, another elegant, restrained wine.

But my favorite was a Malbec more like those I am accustomed to drinking in Buenos Aires, the sort of wine you might have in a cafe or a parrilla restaurant, or that Portenos would serve with  really good barbecue at home. It was Altocedro "Ano Cero" Malbec 2008.

Full of fruit and easy to drink but classy and well made, it was the least expensive wine of the tasting ($16.50). Ano Cero means the year zero, but this wine rates many more points than that.

Its place of origin was La Consulta in the Valle (Valley) de Uco, Mendoza. The winemaker was Karim Mussi Saffie, who blended 15 % Tempranillo with 75 % Malbec.  

The food rated high points too. It came from Taco Zone, which parked a van-drawn kitchen outside the wine shop. Malbec is everywhere in Argentina. But mobile tacos-- I have yet to see anything like that down there.

Silverlake Wine Company,  2395 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90039. Tel: (323) 662-9024.