I’ve been known to describe myself a ” Wine writer with latent foodie tendencies” It is those latent foodie tendencies that piqued by curiosity when Camilla of Culinary Adventures shared an opportunity to read Sobremesa: a Memoir of Food and Love in Thirteen Courses by Josephine Caminos Oria. The offer included two bottles of wine from Argentina. How could I resist?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of author Josephine Caminos Oría, publisher Scribe Publishing, and Kobrand Wine and Spirits. A complimentary book and wines were provided for this post though. No other compensation was received. Opinions are my own

“Sobremesa” literally means ‘over the table’, but it’s deeper than that. It’s about time spent being present at the table, lingering over a meal in conversation about family, politics, love, etc., well after the food is gone.

If food is the universal language of love, sobremesa is the romance. Gather around the table with C-level career woman turned foodpreneur, Josephine Caminos Oría, as she cooks up a magical tale, told morsel by morsel, of some of her most memorable tableside chats—sobremesas—that provided the first-generation Argentine-American the courage to leave the safe life she knew and start over from scratch…. This other worldly, multigenerational story of a daughter’s love and familial culinary legacy serves up, in 13 courses, the timeless traditions that help Josephine navigate transformational love and loss. It’s a reminder that that home really is anywhere the heart is. Sobremesa invites you to linger at the table, reveal your own hidden truths and savor the healing embrace of time honored food and the wisdom it espouses states the foreword by Sofía Pescarmona, CEO and Owner, Lagarde Winery

The author was born in Argentina, but was raised in Pittsburg, PA (or for my fellow football fans, a.k.a. Blitzburg) . Her memoir speaks to the many challenges of growing up at the child of bi-cultural emigrant parents. It also speaks to love and loss in a poignant way that I could relate to.

Book reviews are not my forte, but I can tell you I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! So much so, that I found myself grabbing it and reading it during any spare time I had.

The book most definitely inspired me to dig into Argentinian food. I made a couple of recipes including the chicken version of Milanese, and Pickled Eggplant (my wife is an eggplant lover and she also loves picked foods, but she’d never had picked eggplant, so I made it for her) Both were delicious recipes I’ll make again. I didn’t take any photos of the Pickled Eggplant, but it was a great accompaniment to Grilled Spatchcock Chicken.

2019 Bodega Norton Reserva Chardonnay

Fruit for this wine was sourced from from vineyards between 30 and 50 years old. It was aged in French oak for 6 months followed by 3 months of bottle aging.

Tasting Note: It’s a pale lemon yellow color with a greenish tint with buttered toast, pear, apricot, vanilla and a just of hint of chalk aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with medium-acidity, with baked pear, green apple, lemon curd, vanilla, and a touch of oak with an appealing hint of chalky minerality. 13.5% abv|SRP~ $18 per Winesearcher.com.

It paired very well with the Chicken Milanese and Mushroom Parsley Salad with Shaved Parmesan.

I’d hoped to make a couple of other recipes from the book (especially the Empanadas al cuchillo (knife cut beef handheld empanadas)) , but found myself running short on time, so I did the next best thing.

I looked for an Argentinian restaurant. Fortunately, I found one close to home – Pampas Empanadas and Coffee.

I knew I found a legit Argentinian eatery. Not only are the owners from Argentina, when I saw the ingredients for their Beef Empanadas included “Ground beef, onions, green olives, raisins, hard boiled eggs”. Since the author specifically mentioned olive, raisins and boiled eggs in her recipe for Empanadas al cuchillo, I knew Pampas was legit.

I got so excited, I ordered a dozen empanadas – two each of Beef, Chorizo, Mushroom, Spinach, Sweet Potato and Humita (fresh corn, butternut squash, red bell pepper, onion, basil, ají, mozzarella).

2016 Bodega Norton Privada Family Blend 

The name “Privada” refers to the Langes-Swarovski family’s private reserve, originally enjoyed with only our closest friends. The grapes come from our oldest vineyards, from 50 to 90 years old, located in Luján de Cuyo. Now, we have reserved some of this harmonious blend of malbec, cabernet sauvignon and merlot to share with you explains the back label.

Tasting Note: The wine is opaque purple color with aromatic black plum, bramble, black cherry and red currant, and a hint of matchstick aromas. On the palate, it’s between medium and full-bodied with lively acidity and velvety tannins. It shows black plum, black cherry, red currant, and cacao flavors with a very satisfying finish. Blend of 40% Malbec, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. 14.5% avb|SRP – $22

I thought both of the Bodega Norton wines offered very good value.

More Argentinian Treats!

Pampas also sells Alfajores from a local Argentinian bakery (Wooden Table Baking Co., whose head baker grew up outside of Buenos Aires and learned to cook from their grandmother.)

Alfajores are an Argentinian treat mentioned in the book. They are two shortbread cookies joined with dulce de leche (thick caramel-like deliciousness that the author and her husband Gaston mastered and founded their company on) So, I also ordered tradicional and dark chocolate Alfajores.

When I went to pick up my order, I also order a Mate Latte (Mate is national drink of Argentina made of caffeine-rich infused drink is made from dried leaves called yerba mate mixed with hot water.

Did I mention the book was a call to action to try Argentinian food? A delicious and fun call to action at that…Well, at least it was for me!

About Bodega Norton

Founded in 1895, Bodega Norton is one of the most awarded Argentine wine brands in the US. Bodega Norton combines a modern, state-of-the-art facility with rich heritage and old world charm. The estate is one of the largest in Mendoza with over 3,000 acres of land and over 1,750 acres under vine allowing Bodega Norton to control quality from the vineyard to the bottle.

It has been owned by Austrian businessman and entrepreneur Gernot Langes Swarovski, of the Swarovski Crystal company, since 1989.

Situated in the foothills of the Andes mountain range, the estate boasts an average vine age between 30-80 years old across its five vineyards. These old vines help to drive richness and depth across the entire portfolio.

Bodega Norton has also looked to focus on the environment. With long-term sustainability-focused initiatives, the winery has established itself as a guardian of nature. From reducing the winery’s carbon emissions to pioneering eco-friendly bottles and minimizing energy and water consumption, Bodega Norton continues to take action today to preserve the environment for tomorrow.

Many Thanks…To the Publisher, Scribe Publishing, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram; To author: Josephine Caminos Oría on the Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram

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