It's hard to believe Malbec was once the poor cousin.
In its homeland of France, Malbec often plays third or fourth fiddle in a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux red blend along with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
It took the Argentinians to bring Malbec to its full glory, the star of single-varietal wines that are delicious, affordable and sought after all over the planet.
Therefore, Wines of Argentina -- the organization that promotes the brand and country image of Argentine wine -- declared the first Malbec World Day in 2011.
It continues to celebrate the day on April 17 every year along with red-wine lovers all over the globe.
By the way, April 17 was chosen because that's the day, in 1853, that Argentina's first agronomy school started to study European grape varieties, including the Malbec that would eventually define the country's red wine identity.
Argentina's signature white wine is the lesser-known Torrontes, an aromatic with a refreshing apricot-honey-and-minerality profile.
But, we digress.
Back to Malbec.
Since April 17 this year falls on Monday, you'd be well advised to start your Malbec appreciation this weekend.
To make it easy on you, I'll recommend the baker's dozen of Malbecs from Argentina below.
Most are made of Malbec grapes grown in cooler vineyards at higher elevations, which is important for the grapes, and resulting wine, to develop a pleasing acidity.
As such, Argentine Malbecs are juicy, plush and complex with aromas and flavours ranging from blackberry, plum and pomegranate to vanilla, semi-sweet chocolate and black pepper.
As a fruit-forward red, Malbec can be sipped on its own or paired with any of the traditional red-wine fare from steak, stew, pork and lamb to almost anything with mushrooms and blue, gouda and goat cheeses.
Wineries in Argentina have done such an exceptional job with Malbec that the country now grows 75% of the world output of the grape and Malbec is by far the signature red grape of the country.
These Argentine Malbecs can be found at government and private liquor stores throughout BC and may even be on sale or being poured as samples this weekend to mark Malbec World Day.
- La Mascota 2020 Malbec ($19)
- UKO Old Vines 2018 Malbec ($40)
- UKO Select Malbec 2019 ($18)
- La Linda Old Vines 2019 Malbec ($23)
- PAZ 2020 Malbec ($18)
- Estancia Single Vineyard 2019 Malbec ($23)
- Trapiche Broquel Selected Barrels 2020 Malbec ($19)
- Alamos 2020 Malbec ($18)
- El Esteco Blend de Extremos 2020 Malbec ($17), the 'extremos' refers to the extreme elevation the grapes were grown at, including some of the highest vineyards in the world at 1,700 and 2,000 metres above sea level
- Dona Paula High Altitude 2021 Malbec ($20)
- Dona Paula Seleccio de Bodega 2018 Malbec ($44)
- Santa Julia Reserve 2020 Malbec ($20)
- Zuccardi Q 2019 Malbec ($29)
Several Okanagan wineries also make incredible Malbecs if you want to mark the day with local.
New winemaker at Sandhill
Sydney Valentino is the new lead winemaker at Sandhill Wines in Kelowna.
But, she isn't new to Sandhill.
Let me explain.
Yes, she's just started the top job at Sandhill.
However, for the past decade she worked under previous winemakers and mentors Sandy Leier (who moved on Laughing Stock in Naramata) and Howard Soon (who retired and does some work with Vanessa Vineyard in Cawston).
Valentino most recently was the winemaker for Wayne Gretzky Okanagan (which is part of Andrew Peller Ltd., the same parent company that owns Sandhill, Gretzky, Red Rooster, Tinhorn Creek, Peller, Black Hills, Gray Monk and Good Natured).
"I look forward to continuing to embody Sandhill's terroir-driven philosophy throughout my journey as winemaker," said Valentino.
Valentino will also be front-and-centre at the upcoming launch of Sandhill's eagerly awaited 2022 Terroir-Driven Rose.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
