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Club toasts wine
By REBECCA PLEVIN / Vida En El Valle
(Published Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 08:49AM)
FRESNO -- Pablo Antinao Álvarez holds up an empty wine glass and tilts it slightly as he demonstrates how to visually examine the color and age of a wine.
Then he puts the glass down and swirls it, demonstrating how to discern the specific flavors and aromas of a wine.
"You have to focus with all of your senses in what you're doing to get the aromas," Antinao explains. He added that if wine drinkers focus closely on the beverage they are tasting, they will enjoy it even more.
Antinao, a certified wine professional and sommelier, will be sharing his deep knowledge of wine, wine tasting, and food pairing during a South American wine tasting workshop on Saturday (Sept. 12) at Arte Américas.
The event, which will also include food and live Chilean and Argentine music, is a fundraiser for the new organization United Cultures.
Through this course and others to come, Antinao hopes to share his passion for wine, and help others develop an educated appreciation for some of South America's most popular varieties.
Antinao, who was born and raised in Los Ángeles, Chile, credits his father with first introducing him to wine and food.
He recalls his father making chicha -- a traditional beverage of fermented grapes -- from the grapes grown on vines in their backyard, and remembers his father preparing cooked meats and fancy salads for the family on the weekends.
Antinao began his own foray into food and beverages in 1998, when he became a bartender at a restaurant. He developed his skills, and later bartended at five-star hotels.
At that point, though, bartending was just a hobby and a way for him to pay for his degree in social work.
He moved to California in 2004. In 2008, he took an intensive, two-month course to become a certified wine professional at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa and later that year, he studied at the Spanish Academy of Sommeliers in Barcelona and earned his sommelier certification.
He is currently doing bilingual social work in Visalia, but he dreams of bringing wine culture to the Central Valley.
He has visions of opening a wine bar in Fresno with affordable glasses of wine, small plates of food, and a great ambience, but said he could also use his wine expertise to open a wine shop, teach wine classes, or work in a restaurant.
During the weekend wine workshop, Antinao will pour Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, and Torrontes, all popular varieties from Chile and Argentina.
They are also varieties that Antinao himself might drink on any given evening. He said he drinks wine almost every night, and enjoys sampling different types of wine from around the world.
He said he buys wines from Spain, Italy, France, Argentina or Chile -- all of which are affordable and excellent quality -- at stores like Trader Joe's or Beverages & More.
United Cultures' South American Wine Tasting is from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 12.) at Arte Américas, 1630 Van Ness. Tickets are $20 per person and are available at Arte Américas.
