Paula Maia's Wine blog

It’s been a year since I finished Culinary School. It seems so long ago- I guess years in the kitchen is like years in Hollywood. In my case without the Walk of Fame…

My first gig as a chef was a wedding in a penthouse overlooking the Hudson River.  As the bride and the groom tied the knot at sunset, I was sweating my @$#& off in the kitchen, nervous as hell, but determined to execute the dinner with the best of my ability. In the end it paid off and we got raving feedback. What a feeling!

The next big event was an annual Gala for 190 people.  A daunting task, but the challenge was the adrenaline that kept me going. Of course, having the super special talented crew to help deliver the job made it all possible. Without them I wouldn’t know where to start. Probably with the Prosecco… Two days of crazy hard work, the Gala was a success and the Prosecco tasted better than ever and I felt grand!

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Francisco Carrau from Bodegas Carrau- one of the oldest wineries in Uruguay- presented his wines in an intimate four course dinner at Oak Wine Bar. The weather was beautiful, being the warmest day thus far in the year. A good thing after such a long, wet and freezing winter.

Mr.Carrau started off with his Sauvignon Blanc which he leaves fermenting on its lees for six months. The result is a creamy and yet crisp citrus wine with notes of guava and grapefruit. Perfectly matched with a meat plate was the Tannat Reserva, made from 100% Tannat grapes from Las Violetas region, in the south of Uruguay.

The highlight of the evening was Amat, an intense wine made with 100% hand-picked Tannat grapes from a 30 years old single vineyard. Located in Cerro Chapeu, Amat is the highest site in the northeast, at over 1000 feet above sea level with sandy soils and very little yields. This elegant and luscious wine is featured in the book ’1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die’

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