New Years Eve Wine in Argentina: Taste, Taste, Taste drive New Years Eve in Buenos Aires Wine Choices

I love to read the wine blog Vintrospective and follow Vintrospective on Twitter because Joel's earthy advice about the art of wine tasting and enjoying the grapes translates nicely to the art of living well too.

Wine, life, people, relationships, food, culture - important stuff integral to the art of living well that may be as complicated or as simple as we mere mortals choose to make them. I like to cut through the clutter to find simple truths.

Joel's wine blog today struck a cord with me because as we turn the new year my wife and I will continue our resolve to simplify all things that life is, including our wine choices. I consider it a sin to not have a glass of wine with every meal. Some may sense this a very complex feeling. But actually its not, even when we have 15 FAMILY members coming for New Years dinner all with their own opinions about the best wine, best tango, best parilla, best pasta, even where to buy the best fresh vegetables.

How do I, an in-law, survive choosing the wine for what for many son-in-laws, nephew-in-laws, cousin-in-laws may find such an intimidating task better to just exit the vintner's store through the back door, hop a plane, and go back home? Well, actually, it's easy if you follow, to quote Joel's Vintrospective blog, "taste, taste, taste."

Tonight we're in Buenos Aires entertaining 15 aunts, uncles, & cousins. When I bought the wine this morning I decided to go with what I know I enjoy, if not love, rather than worry about what my wife's uncle, wife's father, wife's aunt, wife's mother, wife's cousin may think of my choices.

The wines I picked taste great because they are wonderful wines that all include qualities inherent to great wine. To quote Joel's blog today, "Taste Taste Taste also quietly implies a triplet of perspectives. Let’s look at it another way with word cues to highlight the point:

Taste: local tradition, culture, people, food, history, community
Taste: earth (place), soil, varietal, microclimate, altitude, exposure
Taste: actual taste, i.e., aroma, color, touch, finish or aftertaste"

Bang - it's all there. And when it is it can be tasted. Nice work Joel.

So tonight we'll be savoring Alamos Pinot Noir, Naverra Correas Pinot Noir, and my favorite Trapiche Roble collection Malbec. I love the roble because there is no question in my mind wood is the best tradition in wine making. Its history goes back to the Etruscans.

All three wines come from fabulous rich earth, a microclimate within Argentina that will remind the Italy traveler of Montalcino in Tuscany.

Finally, even if you know nothing about the first two of Joel's tastes upon seeing, smelling, tasting, savoring and contemplating these wines you'll know there are great wines.

Thanks Joel for simplfiying once again the art of great wine and the art of living la dolce vita - simply. Buon Capodanno!

La Parolaccia - Buenos Aires Classic Italian Restaurant

La Parolaccia is an authentic Buenos Aires Italian restaurant that is a no brainer. La Parolaccia is an Italian restaurant institution in and around Buenos Aires many fashionable neighborhoods so should you find yourself hungry in Puerto Madero, Barrio Norte, Belgrano, Palermo, or San Isidrio needing an authentic Italian food fix but do not want to take a chance with an unknown tratorria, which by the way would probably be just fine, you may head to a close by La Parolaccia for what surely will be a comfortably scrumptious Italian meal.

La Parolaccia is a classic Buenos Aires Italian restaurant decorated in old world charm style with dark wooded walls adorned with detailed moldings and punctuated by authentic Buenos Aires art work. Our favortie part of the decoration is the plush leather chair-couch to sit back in to relax while preparing for service in style.

The waiters in tuxedos should not intimidate, even a corner coffee shop in Buenos Aires includes professional waiters dressed in tuxedos prepared to serve you in style. The traveler should know, however, that in Buenos Aires the portions are big so order appropriately. For me, on this night, that meant a stater of a penne arrabiata half order followed by a steak pizziola. But for my wife it was lasagna Mamma Mia, which has kept her smiling to this day with just the thought of it, and a salad for good ediquette, while my father in-law decided to take it easy with a full order of spinach gnocchi with tasters of both my wife's and my order.

I am not going to get into the finer details of the penne as everyone knows an excellent penne arrabiata means the pasta was cooked just right meaning aldente while the arrabiata was not too angry, but not too soft either. Further, for me, a fine Italian meal is capped by the company and on this night is was just right, which heightened the taste of this fine food to beyond tasteful to inexplicably delicious.

The steak pizziola was a perfect piece of lomo, otherwise known as beef tenderloin in the United States, cooked in a tomato, olive and red pepper sauce served with patata espanola - potatoes spanish style. For those of who think one cannot eat pasta and potatoes in the same sitting, well La Parolaccia will lay that old myth to rest.

My wife's Lasagna Mamma Mia was describer by her as [insert description here]














With dinner we enjoyed a Callia wine from San Juan. Although Mendoza is widely known around the world for its wine, San Juan's wines are sleepers Los Portenos are tightly holding close to the vest.

Whatever wine and accompanying food you choose at La Parolaccia, it is sure to be delicious served with a smiling style at this fine Buenos Aires Italian restaurant.

Justin Del Sesto is the co-founder of WebVisionItaly.com, the largest distributor of television programming about Italy travel, Italian culture, and Italian food. He is also the founder of WebVisionTravel.com and WebVisionArgentina.com, coming soon, and Buenos-Aires-Travel.blogspot.com. You may reach Justin at motorino@webvisionitaly.com.

Buenos Aires Fireworks TONIGHT!! - Map to BAires Fireworks

The Beautiful women of Buenos Aires are always dressed to the nines in sexy fashionable clothes. The traveler in Buenos Aires will notice immediately in the bustle of Buenos Aires' fashionable streets that Los Portenos take shopping seriously. Buenos Aires streets are full of boutiques which clothes attract even the worst shoppers inside for a browse. And what better way for the modern shopping malls in Buenos Aires to thank the shoppers that love to browse, buy and promote clothes from el suello di Argentina and celebrate the Holidays in Buenos Aires than with a Christmas Fireworks celebration from six locations in Buenos Aires.

The shopping malls of Buenos Aires inviting everyone to “Buenos Aires se Ilumina“, a show of fireworks and music, tonight, Sunday December 20th, at 9:30 pm. The events will take place simultaneously at 6 points in the city:

Buenos Aires Fireworks TONIGHT!! - Map to BAires Fireworks


Ver Buenos Aires Fireworks - December 20, 2009 en un mapa más grande

Los Portenos love firworks too - as it is noted that the Christmas in Buenos Aires is like a war with fireworks bursting from the city's high rise condominiums in every neighborhood. Look at above for falling fireworks is certainly a Christmas hazard in Buenos AIres.

But tonight is a more controlled display from six location accompanied by music. After the portenos will fill the shopping malls whoch will be open late right through Christmas Eve day.

Visit the Buenos Aires to the fireworks closest to you!

* Parque Thays (Terrazas Buenos Aires Design Center)
* Dot Baires Shopping (Panamericana and Gral.Paz)
* Alto Avellaneda
* Paseo Alcorta Shopping Mall
* Caballito (Avenida Avellaneda and Fta Sarmiento)
* Puerto Madero(Darsena Norte)