A South American Adventure

I finally downloaded the pictures from October's wine club ... which means it's time to share. October was all about Chile and Argentina - and I happened to be hosting the little venture this month. I have to admit, it was a little harder to pull together a course menu, but thanks to Bon Appétit and Food & Wine, it was still possible!

The first course was banana black bean empañadas paired with a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.  

The empañadas were delicious - the tiny hint of banana provided just the right amount of sweetness and the dry Sauvignon Blanc was the perfect compliment. This was a very dry Sauvignon Blanc and definitely had a hint of citrus common to most other Sauvignon Blancs that I've enjoyed. While it wasn't my favorite, it will do in a pinch and was actually a decent white for a cool fall evening.

Our second course was a bean, corn and squash stew paired with a Chilean Chardonnay.

This was a fantastic fall stew. A very hefty stew, but also a very healthy treat. The layering of flavors will make any fan of squash soups very happy. The Casa Chardonnay was, however, my least favorite wine of the evening. To be fair, I'm not a big fan of Chardonnay in general ... but this one really did disappoint. I found it heavy on the lime notes, and just a little too oaky for my tastes.

The third course delivered a surprise for the evening and introduced me to a whole new wine.  We enjoyed a



quinoa, artichoke and hearts of palm salad paired with a Torrontes from Argentina.

The crisp, clean flavors of the grain salad were just what we needed to cleanse our palates halfway through the meal ... and the Torrontes! It was like the perfect blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier - spicy, fruity, floral goodness. It was new and definitely one I will return to again and again. It is a perfect wine to sip if you just want to unwind and relax. My favorite of the entire evening.

Our fourth course was a lovely, but very rich spinach cannelloni with bacon and walnuts paired with a Malbec.

Both were rich and hearty and definitely signaled the meal was coming to an end. The cannelloni was so delicious, that I will have to keep it in my arsenal for a cold evening meal - because it definitely warmed you to the bone and was really satisfying. The Malbec paired very nicely with the dish. Overall, it was a decent malbec that definitely represented its blackberry profiles, but the food elevated its flavors making it more memorable.

We finished the evening with a red wine merengue and custard sauce made and paired with a Carménère.

The merengue melted in your mouth and making it with the Carménère was the best idea. It was such a good ending to the whole affair. The dessert was light and airy and made you feel a little less heavy from the four earlier courses. This Chilean wine is a perfect spicy fall wine, when the air is crisp and you need something to take the edge of the cold off. I highly recommend it as a stand in for a Zin during tailgating!