Sunday 17 April is celebrated as International Malbec Day. Pre Covid there were several large public celebrations - Tangos and tastings, Argentinian themed food Malbec of course. But now things seem to be more subdued.
So this year you might have to organise your own event!
Why not get some friends around and have feed them an Asado - that’s Argentinian for BBQ, especially if it’s a large scale affair and done over coals. You’ll need plenty of different meat cuts and sausages. And it wouldn’t be a proper Asado without Chimichurri Sauce. You’ll find the recipe for Darby’s Version here.
After all that dancing and cooking you might need something to drink - Malbec of course.
The Argentinians have adopted Malbec as their favourite variety, but they really don’t own it. It is originally a French variety. Perhaps the best Malbec wines from its home country are those of Cahors in SW France. They are soft and velvety but pack a powerful flavour punch.
Malbec has had an up and down history in Australia. It gradually lost popularity in the late 1900s. It was mainly used in blends, but there were plenty of varietal examples around. From around the turn of the current century a few Aussie winemakers became interested in the variety and a revival of interest started. The rise of popularity of Argentinian Malbec helped to arouse consumer interest.
Now there are about 180 Australian wineries using Malbec and most of them are using it as a varietal.
One way to get a survey of the range of Australian Malbecs is to order this mixed dozen from Vinodiversity’s wine merchant partner.
Two bottles each of six different Malbec wines - different producers, different regions.
Order soon this offer won’t last
Cheers, Darby
PS. Malbec is one of the varieties described in my What Varietal is That? book available in paperback and digital format.