Latin America

Aborigen Ácrata Portada 2018 (Valle de Gualalupe, Mexico)

  • 50% Grenache, 44% Carignan, 6% Durif
  • Family-owned winery, founded in 2000 in Baja California
  • Baja California, Mexico’s primary wine region, is experiencing rapid growth. It lies just south of California and enjoys a Mediterranean climate, similar to Napa and the Southern Rhone.
  • Valle de Guadalupe, the northernmost subregion, is home to the vast majority of Baja’s wineries.
  • Tasting Notes: Blackberries and plums, with a bit of green bramble thrown into the mix
  • Pairing Suggestions: Beef tacos, flautas, mole enchiladas, or other bold and savory Mexican dishes
  • You’ll love this if you also love: Chateauneuf du Pape or Priorat

Pedro Parra Pencopolitano 2018 (Itata, Chile)

  • 67% Cinsault, 33% País
  • Winemaker Pedro Parra has a PhD in terroir. He has spent 15 years working in vineyards around the world and now works in his native Chile to elevate lesser-known regions
  • Itata is a cool-climate region in the south of Chile’s winemaking zone traditionally producing wine mostly for domestic consumption
  • País is a grape originally planted by Spanish missionaries (in California it’s called “Mission”), and is now enjoying a huge comeback among natural wine producers
  • Tasting Notes: Smoky, earthly, and deeply savory, with a some tart cherry and raspberry
  • Pairing Suggestions: Empanadas, grilled kebabs, or pizza
  • You’ll love this if you also love: Beaujolais, rustic Italian reds

Garzón Tannat Reserva 2019 – (Maldonado Coast, Uruguay)

  • 100% Tannat—a French grape that today has been adopted as the signature red variety of Uruguay
  • Uruguay’s wine industry was established in the late 19th century by Basque and Italian immigrants
  • Made by the first sustainable, LEED-certified winery located outside of North America
  • Whereas most Uruguayan wineries are found closer to Montevideo, Garzón was the first to pioneer winegrowing on the Maldonado Coast—“the Hamptons of South America”
  • Founded by Argentine billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni, who has become a respected winery proprietor with projects across several continents
  • Tasting Notes: A powerful, inky red wine, the wine leads with liqueur-like blueberry, blackberry, and plum notes, nuanced by notes of leather and earth.
  • Pairing Suggestions: This rich wine can stand up to heavier meat dishes. Drink like the Uruguayans would—with beef empanadas or asado—typical South American barbeque.
  • You’ll love this if you also love: Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, and Napa Valley Cabernet