Malbec Archives - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Flying Back to Mendoza & Visiting Bodega Catena Zapata

Catena Zapata Winery in Mendoza, Argentina (March 20 – 21, 2014) – The next day was devoted to travel, in that we left Cafayate at 9:30 and to arrive at the Salta Airport around noon. Our 2:30 flight was delayed until 3:30 so we didn’t arrive back at the Mendoza Sheraton until around 6pm. That evening was a quiet one of hitting the gym and having a light meal. At 11am the next morning, a driver and car from Bodega Catena Zapata arrived to escort me to their winery in Lujan de Cuyo, about a 25 minute drive south of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:21:08-08:00July 8, 2014|

Driving from Salta to Bodega Piattelli in Cafayate, Argentina

Cafes in Salta Along the Plaza (March 2014) We had flown into Salta the evening before, and after checking into our hotel walked several blocks to the main plaza. The sun was just sinking behind the green mountains and cast lovely light on the beautiful pink cathedral that dominated the square. We quickly found a sidewalk café, and enjoyed a bottle of cold Torrontes with a platter of empanadas. We watched people stroll around the plaza, and enjoyed the balmy evening as a few musicians played for us. The next morning, we left early to drive the 2.5 hours south [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:23:10-08:00June 5, 2014|

Visiting Southern Oregon Wineries – Rogue and Applegate Valley AVAs

August 2012 – This week I’m visiting Southern Oregon to participate as a judge in their World of Wine Festival. Though most people think of “pinot noir” when asked about Oregon wine, here in the much sunnier and hotter region of Southern Oregon I encountered some big and muscular reds, and was especially impressed with the tempranillo and malbec wines. Southern Oregon (www.sorwa.org) is home to 70 – 80 wineries including virtual wine brands. The area includes the 3 AVA’s of Umqua Valley in the northern region near the town of Roseburg, the Rogue Valley near Medford, and the Applegate [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T18:57:48-08:00August 21, 2012|

Visiting Cahors Malbec Wineries – The Black Wine of the Middle Ages

June 14, 2011 –We took the back roads from Le Bugue to Cahors arriving in the city via D9 through the little towns of Espere and Mercues. On the way out of Le Bugue we were sidetracked for an hour when we ran into the weekly open air market on Tuesday mornings. It was a wonderful market with plenty of food – olives, foie gras, cheeses, truffles, wine, etc – as well as clothes, jewelry and household items. When we finally got back on the road it took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to drive to Cahors, passing through [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T20:48:36-08:00June 29, 2011|