Surpresas de países e regiões incomuns

Em 17 de julho de 2014, para 18 (!!!) confrades, foram oferecidos pelo associado Jorge Ducati uma seleção de vinhos menos conhecidos, trazidos de diversas viagens. Na ocasião, foi distribuído o seguinte texto
Sempre Maipo, Tupungato, Campanha, Bordeaux! Às vezes ansiamos por algo diferente. Outros horizontes vinícolas, outras uvas. Bem, hoje é o dia! Os vinhos:

1. Domaine Sainte Michelle, Luxe 2005; Columbia Valley sparkling wine, Paterson, Washington State, USA, blanc de blancs, méthode champenoise, 11°, R$ 60.
2. Unicorn Winery, Traminette 2012, Amissville, Virginia State, USA, 11,9°, R$ 35. Traminette is a cross of the French American hybrid Joannes Seyve 23.416 and the German Vitis vinifera cultivar Gewürztraminer made by Herb C. Barrett ca. 1965 at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. His intention was to produce a large clustered table grape with the flavor of Gewürztraminer. He sent the cross to the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station grape breeding program at Cornell for development when he departed from Illinois. Traminette was found to have excellent wine quality, combined with good productivity, partial resistance to several fungal diseases, and cold hardiness superior to its acclaimed parent, Gewürztraminer, while retaining a similar character.
3. Bodega Tajinaste, Tajinaste 2008, Valle de La Orotava, Tenerife, Ilhas Canarias, Espanha, casta Listán Negro, 13°, R$ 32. A palavra “Tajinaste” designa uma planta típica das altitudes áridas das ilhas, muito peculiar. A casta é aparentada com a Mission das Américas. Cultivos em áreas cobertas por lavas de erupções recentes.
4. Lulu Island Winery, Meritage 2010, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canadá; uvas tintas incluindo Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot; 14,6°, R$ 97. “The Meritage Association was formed in 1988 by a small group of Napa Valley, California vintners increasingly frustrated by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regulations stipulating wines must contain at least 75% of a specific grape to be labeled as that varietal. As interest grew in creating Bordeaux-style wines, which by their blended nature fail to qualify for varietal status, members sought to create a recognizable name for their high-quality blended wines. In 1988, the association hosted a contest to conceive a proprietary name for these wines, receiving over 6,000 submissions. “Meritage”, —a combination of merit and heritage, was selected and its coiner awarded two bottles of the first ten vintages of every wine licensed to use the brand.”
5. Gimenez Mendez, Puzzle 2008, Canelones, Uruguay, 13°, R$ 65. Corte de: Tannat, Chenin, Cabernet Franc, Marselan, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Arinarnoa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, Merlot, Syrah, Alicante Bouchet, Pinot Meunier.
6. Chateau Sainte Michele, Ethos 2008, Cabernet Sauvignon 94%, Syrah 6%; Columbia Valley, Paterson, Washington State, USA, 15°, R$ 120. “Our goal with the Ethos Cabernet is to showcase the power and richness of Washington fruit combined with Old World elegance. Majority of the fruit comes from our iconic 40-year-old Cold Creek Vineyard. The 2010 Ethos Cab offers layers of ripe blackberry fruit, dark chocolate notes and silky tannins.”
7. Bodegas Mozaga, Moscatel dulce, Lanzarote D.O., Ilhas Canarias, Espanha, 13°, 36. Este vinho de sobremesa vem da mais árida das sete ilhas do arquipélago.

Bem, vinhos extraordinários! destacaram-se os produtos americanos: o espumante Luxe é um dos melhores degustados nos últimos tempos, enquanto o Ethos é um clássico Cabernet Sauvignon, perfeito. A casta Traminette, nesta garrafa, apresentou mais aroma que gosto, mas é de qualquer modo um ótimo vinho.
Finalmente, grande destaque para o Moscatel…repetindo, um dos melhores vinhos de sobremesa dos últimos anos.