• About
  • Contact
  • Orders / Pedidos
  • Press

One Day Café

~ good eats from a small kitchen

One Day Café

Tag Archives: red wine

Eating (and Drinking) Our Way Through Chile

21 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by Anonymous in antofagasta, chile, san pedro de atacama, travel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

arica, atacama desert, carménère, chile, churrasco, food, fried fish, goat cheese, natural wonders of the world, peru, red wine, restaurants, san pedro de atacama, sandwiches, the beach, travel

La Portada in Antofagasta, Chile

La Portada in Antofagasta, Chile

After arriving in Chile, we worked our way up the coast from Bahía Inglesa to Arica, on the border of Peru. Because we spent so much of our time here camping on the beach, I haven’t done a great job of chronicling our comidas. I’ve been too busy wondering if I will ever get all of the sand off of my person and possessions. (Answer: no, never).

But there have been good eats. Lots of good eats. These are the highlights.

Fried Reineta with Ensalada Chilena

In Juan Lopez, a small beach town just north of Antofagasta and its iconic Portada, we crowded into a roadside stall to devour delicious fried fish with sides of rice and ensalada chilena, a basic salad of sliced tomatoes, white onions, and chopped parsley. The fish, reineta, was a mild white variety fried in a light cumin seasoning. We thoroughly approved.

Clockwise from top left: Laguna Miscanti with Miñiques Volcano in the background; Gaspar in the crystal clear water at the Puritama Hot Springs; floating in Laguna Cejar, a lake in the Atacama salt flat with a high salt concentration; Las Tres Marias in the Valley of the Moon

Atacama highlights clockwise from top left: Laguna Miscanti with Miñiques Volcano in the background; Gaspar in the crystal clear water at the Puritama Hot Springs; me bobbing around in Laguna Cejar, a lake in the Atacama salt flat with a salt concentration that rivals the Dead Sea; and finally the eerie moonscape surrounding Las Tres Marias in the Valley of the Moon

Then we took an inland detour to hit San Pedro de Atacama, a pueblo in the Atacama desert that is surrounded by natural wonders including fields full of bubbling geysers, enormous salt flats, hot springs, and a better view of the stars than I ever imagined possible. In between bouts of grilling and sandwich-making, we hit the pedestrian street Calle Caracoles for dinner and had an excellent goat cheese and tomato appetizer served simmering in olive oil with garlic, onions and thyme from Casa de Piedra.

Goat Cheese & Tomato

Because I’m a big fat fan of big fat sandwiches, I had to try one of the most common sammies being hawked by the corner shops and street vendors: the churrasco completo, loaded with thinly sliced beef, cheese, tomato, mayo, avocado, and chucrut (basically sauerkraut). It’s greasy, it’s messy, it’s everything I demand from a big fat sandwich. Well done, Chilenos!

Chilean Churrasco Sandwich

I definitely embrace the Chilean love of avocado. In addition to being eaten by the slice, puré de palta (pureed avocado) is a go-to condiment that lines the sandwich counters in pump canisters alongside ketchup and mayo, gracing hot dogs, hamburgers and fries alike. I’m pretty sure that when I reflect on Chilean cuisine in the future, the two foodstuffs that will forever come to mind are avocado and mayonnaise. On everything.

And of course, no meal would be complete without trying some new vinos. We discovered carménère, a member of the cabernet family that used to be produced exclusively in Bordeaux, France but now Chile boasts the world’s largest area planted with the variety. It’s a medium-bodied, deep crimson wine often used for blending, but in its pure form has a cherry-like, fruity flavor with spicy undertones that we found really appealing. Salud!

Image from Ciudad Restaurant

Casillero del Diablo carménere image from Ciudad Restaurant

Today we’re heading into Peru, where I’m looking forward to drowning in pisco and ceviche and hopefully avoiding any more bouts of altitude sickness. As I learned in San Pedro de Atacama, 4,500 meters above sea level can make a tummy feel no bueno. Wish me luck!

My Favorite Argentine Wine: Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc

14 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Anonymous in argentina, mendoza, tips & how to's, travel

≈ Comments Off on My Favorite Argentine Wine: Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc

Tags

Argentina, argentine wine, Cabernet Franc, favorites, Mendoza, red wine, tourist attraction, travel, wine, wine tasting

With our precious case of vino at Pulenta Estate winery in Mendoza.

With our precious case of vino at Pulenta Estate winery in Mendoza.

Malbec is typically Argentine wine’s claim to fame. But my favorite is a varietal I’d never even heard of before: Cabernet Franc. Although I’ve “tasted” (drank) a lot of wine over the years, I certainly wouldn’t consider myself a wine connoisseur or snob; I’m way too cheap for that. But I know enough that when I feel the need to remark on the deliciousness of every sip, it’s something special.

We discovered this red gem on a wine tasting tour in Mendoza last year, where one of the stops was Pulenta Estate. From the moment we were introduced to the Gran Cabernet Franc, both Gaspar and I were obsessed. So much so that we stopped by the winery on our way from Buenos Aires to the Chilean coast, just to pick up a case. What strikes you from the start is the fragrance of red pepper, which seems so odd but is actually really subtle and delicious. The taste is smooth, spicy and buttery. It’s a wine that demands to be savored.

Pulenta Estate Collage

According to the tasting notes on Pulenta Estate’s website, “This wine offers a deep red-purple colour, with an intense aroma of red pepper, eucalyptus and spices. Once in the mouth, it is sweet and pleasant due to the presence of round, ripe and soft tannins. Its 12 month aging in new French oak barrels grants it an elegant and long finish.”

You know, if that means anything to you. My tasting notes simply read: delicious!

If you’re in Buenos Aires, you can order Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc 2009 from Grand Cru. In other cities/countries, check their website for locations/distributors. I’ve already emailed the USA distributors to determine how I can get my hands on some once we’re back! If you’re lucky enough to be traveling to Mendoza, definitely check it out in person, plunk down the cash for a case…and give it to me.

Photo from Pulenta Estate website.

Photo from Pulenta Estate website.

PULENTA ESTATE WINERY – Ruta Provincial 86. Km 6,5. Alto Agrelo. Luján de Cuyo. Mendoza. Argentina.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,479 other subscribers

One Day Cafe on Facebook

One Day Cafe on Facebook

algarrobo antofagasta appetizers and sides argentina brazil breakfast and brunch buenos aires chile desserts drinks ecuador entrees etiquette food trends france lima los órganos mendoza north carolina peru pittsburgh recipes restaurants san pedro de atacama tips & how to's travel Uncategorized uruguay

katrina’s twitter feed

  • RT @EliManning: Verizon is giving away Super Bowl tickets, and obviously I’d love to be your +1. Head to Verizon and enter for a chance to… 3 days ago
  • RT @rgay: We’re hanging with my niece while she does homework and ummm homework has changed since I was a kid fr. It’s so intense! Like wha… 4 weeks ago
  • RT @DrewBledsoe: As you gear up for your Fantasy Football playoffs, reliability is imperative. Check out this week’s Most Reliable Players… 1 month ago
  • RT @Verizon: 🎉🎊🏆 Verizon Small Business Digital Ready just won GOLD for “Best New Service” at this year’s North American Best in Biz Awards… 1 month ago
  • RT @ScottHanson: Reliability is a top priority for your fantasy lineup, so be sure to check out the Most Reliable Players list this week, p… 1 month ago
Follow @katrinacabrera

Blogroll

  • David Lebovitz
  • Gringo in Buenos Aires
  • Homesick Texan
  • Kelly Poindexter – Pastelera
  • La Panza Porteña
  • My Beautiful Air
  • NOLAchef
  • Pick Up the Fork
  • San Telmo Loft
  • Smitten Kitchen

On Bloglovin’? Follow Me Here!

Follow on Bloglovin

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • One Day Café
    • Join 118 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • One Day Café
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...