Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Hand Of God 2012 Fingerprint Series White, Mendoza

Hand Of God 2012 Finger Print Series WhiteBored with ho-hum white wines? Try this white, touched by the “hand of God.”

The Winning Hand

Hand of God is a boutique winery from acclaimed Argentine winemaker Santiago Achával and Seattle Entrepreneur Jon Staenberg. They both share a passion for unique wines of premium quality and – we suspect – a love of soccer.

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Diego Maradona is the most famed soccer player from Argentina. In the 1986 World Cup, he scored a goal that undoubtedly should have been called a hand-ball. He ended up scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over England. He later said he scored the goal “a little with his head, and a little with the hand of God.”

I met Jon Staenberg a number of years ago at a Wine Bloggers Conference and was dazzled by his wines. So when I had a chance to purchase this Fingerprint White, a grabbed it.

Wine Pairing With Vegan Fondue

Perhaps we are throwbacks, but we love fondue. During the pandemic, having a fondue party is pretty much out of the question. Or is it. When our daughter and boyfriend came in for a visit, she decided to whip up some vegan fondue. We each had our own bowls, to avoid dipping in a communal swimming pool of cheese.

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In addition to the melted vegan cheese mixture (which tasted delightfully like Gruyere) we had air-fried potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, toasted rye bread, "sausage", and fruit. A side of warm lentil salad accompanied the meal.

I’m called upon to do quite a bit of food and wine pairing, but this is the first time I’ve had to come up with a wine for vegan fondue! Reviewing the wine collection, I decided on the beautiful bottle of 2012 Hand of God Fingerprint Series White Blend, Mendoza.

The wine first grabs you by the eyeball. It has a luxurious golden-tone.

It is a Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne blend. This isn’t listed on the bottle, because the Argentine government doesn’t yet recognize these varieties. So, this is a rare bottle indeed. The wine undergoes 10-month aging in seasoned oak.

Opening the bottle was a bit of a challenge. The cork wouldn't budge and then tore apart. To avoid serving chunks of cork, we used an aerator with a strainer to enjoy this robust white. I’m a fan of Rhone whites and this VRM wine displayed rustic flavors of peach, apple and oak. It’s a substantial, not whimpy, white wine. It’s available on the winery website for $35. This was truly a spectacular wine and game-winning meal.

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