Anuva Wine Tastings

Anuva is a wine importing company based in both the US and Argentina.   In Buenos Aires, they offer gourmet wine tastings where they serve a selection of mid to high-end Argentine wines. If there was one word you could use to describe an Anuva wine tasting, it would be unique.

To start with, the wines served are not ones you will find at your local vinoteca, nor will you find them in wine shops back home.   They are all limited production wines from small boutique wineries throughout Argentina, carefully selected through a very scientific procedure – a small group of wine experts doing blind tastings of thousands of wines, and the wines that receive the highest marks overall, are the ones that make it into Anuva’s inventory.

Based on the wines I tried, this method is a great success – all five were excellent.   Here is the list, with the current prices in USD.

Hom Sparkling Wine 2007 (Extra Brut) - $11.99

Serrera Torrontes 2009 –  $11.99

San Gimignano Malbec 2007 Roble – $17.99

Cavagnaro Malbec Reserve 2004 – $38.49

Don Juan Reserve – Las Perdices 2006 Blend  $28.99

Although I was impressed by all of them, the Homn and the San Gimignano Malbec really stood out in terms of price quality ratio, and the Cavagnaro was a superb wine.

The tasting was done one wine at a time, with a small shpeel about each wine as it was served.  I did feel that we went through the tasting of the wines too quickly, though once the event was finished, we were able to try whichever of the wines we wanted to for a second time. The host, Sarah Bons, was very knowledgeable and did a nice job reading her audience.   For the most part, the guests were not interested in in-depth or technical information about Argentine Wine.  However, when asked difficult questions, she was up to the task.

Another aspect that makes Anuva unique is the atmosphere.  The tastings take place in an apartment in Las Cañitas, and although nothing special aesthetically, the intimate atmosphere more than makes up for it.  The tasting is performed at the living room table, which makes you feel as though you´re at a friend’s wine and cheese party.

Like any good wine tasting, small finger foods are offered.  What I liked about this tasting, was that each wine had its own food pairing.  On this particular night, we had crackers with an apple/celery topping, 2 types of sorbet, a selection of cheese and salamis, a meat empanada, and dark chocolate.  The pairings were well done, with my two favorites being the crackers, which were paired with the sparkling wine, and the dark chocolate, paired with the Malbec.

Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects regarding Anuva, if you live in the United States, is that you can order these wines from Anuva´s warehouse in the US.   All you have to pay is shipping.  That means no import fees, and much lower shipping fees than you would pay if shipping wine from Argentina.

All in all, this wine tasting was well worth it.  You’ll have many opportunities to try wines from the large wineries when eating in restaurants, not to mention that most of those wines are now being exported.  This tasting gives you a chance to try some of the finest Argentine wines from boutique wineries, that you won’t easily find anywhere else.

For more information on wine tastings including bookings, visit Anuva Wine Tastings.

If you are interested in purchasing Anuva wines and having them shipped to you, you can find a list of their products here:  Anuva Wines.  They also offer a wine club, which allows you to have their wines shipped to you at different intervals throughout the year.