Wine
An Optimized Wine
Dad Pairing Guide
for Fathers Day
D
ear old Dad. The
man who’s put up
with you all these
years (especially
the teenage ones)
truly deserves the best. You
owe it to him to celebrate
his fatherhood by painting
the town red, or at the very
least buying him a nice
bottle of it.
A modern story of
father and son
bonding over wine is
one of Aurelio
Montes Sr. and Jr.,
of Montes and
Kaiken wineries,
respectively.
Aurelio Sr., one of
the most respected
winemakers in South
America, helms
Montes winery in
Chile; while his son,
Aurelio Jr. runs
Kaiken across the
Andes in Argentina.
The father-son team
work together, often
collaborating on new
experiments—such
as dry-farming and
biodynamics—in
each other’s
vineyards to keep
their wines as close
to nature as possible.
Just as there are
many different styles of
wine made, so too are
there different kinds of
fathers. Here’s an
optimized guide for wine
and Dad pairing:
For the “cool Dads:” go for
the Montes Alpha M
($85). What makes a
Dad cool? Your cool
Dad may have
poured you your
first drink or
didn’t get too
mad when you
got into that
fender bender.
Not all of us have
a cool Dad.
Thankfully, you
have the
opportunity to
make your Dad a
little bit cooler
with the gift of
this Chilean first
growth. A blend
of traditional
Bordeaux
varieties, its
intense rouge
color, smooth
tannins, and
notes of cassis
and wild berry are
sure to stimulate
the senses.
Connect the
thrill-seeking
father with adventurous winemaker
Aurelio Montes, Jr. Papa
of three and avid skydiver, one of
the winemaker’s favorites is his
Kaiken Mai ($60). Mai means “first”
in the language of the native
Argentine Pehuenches. Remind Dad
you’re his favorite with this 100%
Malbec. Grapes are hand-selected
from 80-year-old vines to make a
unique and elegant wine with aromas
of spice on the nose and juicy dark
fruit with ripe tannins on the palate.
According to the winemaker, it is
best enjoyed after a rousing round
of boxing.
If Dad’s a wine aficionado, invest
in his happiness with a bottle of
Montes Taita ($300). In Chilean
families, the word “taita” is an
affectionate term for a father: a
gentle, wise, and loving patriarchal
figure. Taita is a complex, limited
production Cabernet Sauvignonbased wine. Intense ruby-red in color,
this elegant yet powerful wine is
endowed with soft tannins and
delicious notes of cedar and
bitter chocolate.
The man only gets honored this
one day each year—so make the
celebration the most meaningful you
can with a solid bottle of wine made
with the same kind of affection you
want to show Dad on Father’s Day.
Happy Father’s Day!
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