I was invited by Crave Local to participate in their online Twitter Party called #BevChat that took place on Tuesday, April 22. The #BevChat featured wines from the Argentinean winery Piattelli Vineyards. Crave Local wanted to insure I had samples of four Piattelli wines to participate in the Twitter party but at the time my blog had not launched; therefore, Crave Local invited me to write a review of the Piattelli wines to post on their web site.
In honor of both Crave Local and Piattelli Vineyards trusting me with samples before my blog was ready to launch, I am publishing my first official blog post in their honors.

The Crave Local #BevChat featuring Piattelli Wines was a success! Because Crave Local gave away prizes participants were encouraged to register online for the party. The numbers, according to Crave Local co-founder and editor-in-chief Cassandra Brown, were 108 RSVP’d, 235 contributed on #BevChat during the hour party, with the hour generating 2800 tweets and 47 million impressions. It was one of the busiest Twitter chats I have participated in so far and it was a blast! The prizes given away included a Harry & David gift basket valued at $90, Harry & David mini rose bush, a family box of local and sustainable Bee Hive cheese and a pair of Bottega del Vino’s Rosso Burgunder wine glasses.

Piattelli Vineyards produce exceptional wines in a consciously eco-friendly, sustainable environment. Wine maker Valeria Antolin participated in #BevChat to share with us some of Piattelli’s wine making techniques. Piattelli begins by using three growing regions in Argentina: Cafayeta Valley, Salta; Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza; Tupungato, West Valley de Uco, Mendoza. Antolin tirelessly emphasizes sustainability and producing great wine.

To maintain a high level of sustainability, Piattelli utilizes a variety of techniques:
• Gravity flow vinification system
• Water sourced from Andes mountain snow run off and utilized into a drip irrigation system for the vines
• Avoid the use harsh chemicals by fertilizing with organic compost using the pumice of the grapes and stems
• Harvest grapes by hand, using people and lots of scissors, in cool early morning hours to use less electricity and because hand harvesting produces higher quality grapes
• All Mendoza grapes are USDA certified organic, culminating into the world best malbec grapes

The care Piattelli uses in the winemaking process not only contributes to sustainable practices, but they result in exceptional quality wine!

Piattelli 2013 Premium Reserve Rose of Malbec: The Rose of Malbec is comprised of 91% Premium Malbec and 9% Torrontes grapes. Piattelli says the Rose of Malbec is where elegance meets fun; this is an excellent description of this delightful wine. The Rose of Malbec meets the nose with a fragrant bouquet of flowers. It smells fresh and crisp like a spring day. On the palate the flowers are accompanied by fresh tart cherries and a soft expression of citrus. This is not a sweet wine: it opens slightly dry in the mouth with a balance of acidity that hugs the glass.
We paired the Piattelli Premium Reserve Rose of Malbec with a grilled pancetta and goat cheese BLT for lunch. When the wine met the saltiness of the pancetta and creaminess of the goat cheese it exploded on the palate. The combination was perfect. Later, we paired the Rose of Malbec with Hawaiian style pulled pork sliders; another winning combination! This wine is so refreshing it is perfectly enjoyable on its own outside on a beautiful spring or summer day; however, it will also pair great with barbeque, chicken, cedar plank salmon and quiche. We thoroughly enjoyed this wine and highly recommend it.

Piattelli 2012 Premium Reserve Torrontes: The Torrontes is made in Piattelli’s Cafayate vineyard, which peacefully rests at 5,522 feet above sea level. It is straw-like in color and opens with a lovely bouquet of peaches and citrus that come together beautifully on the palate. The acidity is well balanced with medium tannins and a mild oakiness that develop into a slight dryness on the palate; begging for another sip.
The Torrontes paired well with Panko covered chicken stuffed with goat cheese and spinach, covered in a fresh marinara sauce and spaghetti squash with asparagus, roasted garlic and tomatoes, olive oil and parmesan cheese. This refreshing wine will pair with most light spring dishes, especially chicken, pork, salad, frittatas and grilled vegetables. We thoroughly enjoyed this wine and highly recommend it. $17.00

Piattelli 2010 Premium Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine is made in the Agrelo vineyards; nestled in the Andes Mountains, Agrelo sits 4,000 feet above sea level. The higher elevation coupled with warm dry days and cool nights offers the perfect condition for Piattelli to produce Grand Reserve Cabernet, Premium Cabernet and Premium Chardonnay. The Premium Cabernet meets the nose with a bouquet of berries and chocolate that delivers on the palate. The Premium Cabernet is the color of beautiful red rose. It couples the berry flavors with hints of vanilla mixed with oak in a smooth, medium-low tannin, elegant wine.
We paired this wine with Korean style short ribs, the perfect combination. The fat in the beef met harmoniously with the Piattelli Premium Cabernet. This is a medium body Cabernet that would pair great with burgers, spaghetti with meat sauce, brisket tacos and a roast beef sandwich. This is a very good wine and we recommend it. $17.00

Piatelli 2009 Grand Reserve Malbec: Piattelli’s main winery is located about 45 minutes outside Mendoza. It is here Piattelli produces their Grand Reserve Malbec, Premium Malbec and Rose of Malbec.
This wine stands on its own. It was well enjoyed without food but offered the perfect accompaniment to pizza with sausage, pepperoni and ground beef. It would also pair well with ox tail soup, braised beef, roasted lamb shank and steak. The Piattelli Grand Reserve Malbec is a full body wine that deserves a full body meal! It is an exceptional wine and is highly recommended. $22.00

Piattelli wines are not widely available in the US yet. However, you can find them! I encourage you to ask your local wine store to carry the entire selection of Piattelli wines. I thoroughly enjoyed each of them and recommend all four; furthermore, I look forward to drinking them again soon. For more information or to order direct please visit http://www.piattellivineyards.com. Additionally, I recommend you subscribe to the Crave Local emails, read the articles on their web site and participate in the many fun events they offer. Visit http://www.cravelocal.com.

My Song Selection: Since my wine blog is themed with music, but I am limited to space in an already longer than usual blog post, I sought to find one song to represent all four of these very distinguished wines. In honor of Earth Day and Piattelli’s tireless commitment to sustainability the song for these four Piattelli wines is Michael Jackson’s Earth Song. http://www.michaeljackson.com. To watch the original music video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAi3VTSdTxU&feature=kp.
Get your own Piattelli wines and let me know what song you would pair with it! Cheers!

A special thank you to both Crave Local and Piattelli Vineyards! Salud!