Although the American-owned Artesana Winery is in Uruguay, the export director for her family’s business, Leslie Fellows, lives locally.
Artesana is a small-production winery specializing in single-vineyard, terroir-driven Tannat and Tannat blends. The 2015 Tannat-Merlot-Zinfandel blend is particularly interesting as Artesana is the only Zinfandel producer in Uruguay. And Fellows says that Uruguay is one of the greenest countries in the world and has the purest vineyard environment on the continent.
“Our 20-acre vineyard is completely hand-farmed using sustainable practices—and our wines are handcrafted with minimal intervention,” says Fellows. “And Tannat has been found to be the healthiest of red wines with three-to-four times more antioxidants,” she adds.
If you have never tried Tannat, then I’m sure you’ll love this rich, full-bodied wine with ripe fruit flavors and exotic spiciness. It’s traditionally paired with beef and grilled meat, but it goes well with a variety of foods. The good news is that Artesana wines can be found downtown Santa Cruz at Soif for only $20, so it would be an opportunity to dine on Soif’s delicious cuisine and pair it with some Tannat.
Uruguayan wines are attracting the attention of both sommeliers and consumers in the U.S., and Artesana’s wines have received accolades from numerous publications, including the Washington Post, and Wine Enthusiast.
Visit artesanawinery.com for more information, or head to Soif and choose some Tannat from their excellent selection of wines from all over the world. I think you’ll exit this wonderful wine store with more than one bottle. Visit soifwine.com for more info.
Summer Craftbar Marini’s chocolate-dipped strawberries will be paired with the wines of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard at the next Annieglass Craftbar. The event is noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 29 at the Annieglass Studio, 310 Harvest Drive, Watsonville, 761-2041 ext. 21. Visit annieglass.com for more info. And mark your calendars for another wine tasting with Idle Hour Winery from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6 with winemaker Anne Marie dos Remedios. A small wine-tasting fee is refundable when purchasing wine.
