spaswinefood: Just ask a #winelover to find a top Buenos Aires wine bar

On Valentines Day as #winelover friends celebrated the 5th #Winelover Anniversary in Greece, Romania and at other locals around the world we celebrated at Pain et Vin, a Buenos Aires wine bar. Yes, summer in the Southern Hemisphere is the perfect time for an Argentine vine-inspired escape. Naturally, once the opportunity arose for Spaswinefood to return to Argentina we decided to spend a week in Buenos Aires. We stayed this time in Palermo Soho, a hip neighborhood where you will find some of the best restaurants and wine bars in Buenos Aires.

Spaswinefood, Pain et Vin Wine Bar, Buenos Aires © Spaswinefood

After a little research on wine bars off we went unannounced on February 14th to begin our impromptu #Winelover 5th Anniversary celebrations. Yes, just let this #winelover loose in Buenos Aires and she will find the perfect spot. Such was the case earlier in Athens, Greece when I visited Cinque Wine Bar. During our wine country travels I just love finding those special places. In this case is just happened to be Pain et Vin, the first wine bar we visited.

Spaswinefood, Pain et Vin, Buenos Aires © Spaswinefood

Just a warning where you find one #winelover you will most likely find more.

#Winelover, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Besides it was the perfect way to spend a rainy summer's day in Buenos Aires.

Pain et Vin, Calle Goritti, Buenos Aires © Spaswinefood

Pain et Vin (Bread and Wine) Wine Bar

Pain et Vin Wine Bar is known for its excellence in breads and wines. This is what happened when an Israeli cook and his Argentine sommelier wife brought their talents to creating a wine bar. What follows are vignettes from the visit which was filled with tempting wines, and great breads and service.

Welcome, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Menu, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

We decided to order a flight of white and red wines to taste.

Wine Flights, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

The white and rose flight was delightful.

1st Flight, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Now for a close look at what was in the glasses, starting on the left.

Bodega Mendel, Semillon 2015
Bodega Mendel, Semillon 2015 is a barrel fermented wine produced from grapes grown in 60+ year vineyard in Mendoza's Uco Valley, Roberto de la Mota, winemaker.

Very Blanc 2016
Very Blanc 2016 wine is part of a new wine series called Very Wine produced by Bodega Los Toneles, Mendoza. These wines are aged in concrete eggs.

Bodega Diamandes, L'Argentin Malartic Rosé 2016
Bodega Diamandes, L'Argentin Malartic Rosé 2016 is produced from Malbec grapes grown in Mendoza's Uco Valley. Yes, these wines were all wines from Mendoza.

1st Flight Wines, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Did say I loved the Very Blanc wine label?

Very Blanc 2016 © Spaswinefood

1st Flight Wines © Spaswinefood

Then the red wines were added to the mix.

Wine Flights, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

The red wine lineup included more Mendoza wines.

Red Wine Flight, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Let's take a closer look at the red wines (right to left this time).

Desquichiado Wines, Malbec 2015
Desquichiado Wines, Malbec 2015 is sourced from Malbec grapes grown in a 10 year old vineyard at Gualtallary, Tunpungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza. Gazalo Tamagnini is the winemaker.

Desquichiado Malbec 2015 © Spaswinefood

El Relator Wine, Cabernet Franc 2015
The second red wine El Relator Wine, Cabernet Franc 2015 from Uco Valley, Mendoza.

Relator Cabernet Franc 2015 © Spaswinefood

Bodega Tapezio, Petit BoBo 2013
The third red wine was Bodega Tapezio, Petit BoBo (Bourgeois + Bohemian) 2013. A red wine blend of Malbec and Cabernet Franc produced from grapes grown at Finca La Promesa in Agrelo, Luyan de Cuyo, Mendoza.

Tapezio Petit BoBo 2013 © Spaswinefood

Now did I say a #winelover's life is a tough life. Yes, but someone has to do it.

Wine Tasting 101, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Wine Flights, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

While all of the wines were from Mendoza it was exciting for me to be introduced to wines from some of Mendoza's smaller producers.

Now for the food, yes there was bread (Bread and Cheese).

Bread & Wine, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Besides bread and cheese we ordered sandwiches for lunch. These were no ordinary sandwiches.

BLT Sandwich, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Eggplant Sandwich, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Needless to say we enjoyed the wine tasting over lunch. Before I left I asked the waitress what was her favorite wine. She said Bonarda. This response definitively triggered memories.

Time to Taste Bonarda

Given our first visit to Pain et Vin turned out so well we returned once more. This time we selected a bottle of Bonarda for lunch. While my Argentine wine affair began with Malbec it grew quickly to an appreciation for other wines, like Bonarda and Torrontés, Argentina's emblematic white wine. It was at Bodega La Guardia, San Juan that I first discovered Bonarda, Argentina's other red wine. Bonarda is definitely not well known outside Argentina but I think that is about to change.

That day from the Bonarda's available for purchase I selected a Cara Sur from San Juan. Perhaps I wanted to re-visit my memory of the first San Juan Bonarda that I tasted.

We also ordered sandwiches to enjoy with the wine. This Bonarda was quite different than the first one I tasted years old. Of course I tasted other Argentine Bonarda's since but my first tasting I still remember.

I have since learned that Cara Sur (South Face) is a special project of winemaker Sebastian Zuccardi of the Zuccardi family in Barreal, San Juan Province. The vineyard at 1,500 meters elevation has 50 year old vines. Yes, these old vines growing at high altitude, produce fabulous wines. But of course, I still need to taste a Zuccardi's Emma Bonarda. Since Zuccardi is well distributed in North America that I should easily be able do. That day reconnecting with a San Juan Bonarda just hit a high note. I left Pain et Vin feeling that my wine memories were fulfilled. Wine is after all about making those special connections/re-connections with people and places. It is hard to forget those hot summer days in San Juan when I first tasted Bonarda, a smooth, fruity wine. The complexity that I am picking up on my palate these days for Bonarda is a hint of a great things to come, as winemakers experiment with this red Argentine gem.

Travelers looking for a casual place for food and Argentine wine in Buenos Aires Pain et Vin would be a great place to begin your explorations. They do offer classes for those wanting to know more about their wines. In our case we had just returned from visiting wineries in Cafayate and Mendoza and it was the perfect opportunity to taste a few more wines.

It was because of earlier Argentine wine country travels that my spas-wine-food passion was sparked. Indeed it is because of this we chose to say in Palermo Soho, a fun neighborhood to explore wine bars and restaurants. In fact on the same street (Calle Jose Ignacio Gorriti) you will find other places to try like, Il Matterello. We had planned on giving it a try but was closed on the day we dropped by. More on some of the top places to dine later. Other posts will focus on more food and wine discoveries in Buenos Aires, like Aramburu.

Clearly Pain et Vin Wine Bar is a perfect spot for #winelovers visiting Buenos Aires. Anyone looking to find some of the best wine scenes in Buenos Aires my overall suggestion is by doing a little research you can improve your odds of having a great experience. Beyond checking out the usual sources, like Tripadvisor, and Yelp you will find other helpful online resources. For example Eater listed Pain et Vin as one of 38 Essential Restaurants in Buenos Aires. That is given Buenos Aires has so many great restaurants a little research is a must. I invite you to join me in my travels in Argentina and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.

Sharon

February 2017

Palermo Soho

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

Pages

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Just ask a #winelover to find a top Buenos Aires wine bar

No comments:

Post a Comment