Malbec Sunday!… Here we Come!

It’s Malbec World Day on Sunday! I’ll be honest, on 17^th April 2016 I don’t need an excuse to open a decent bottle of this luscious red wine. We’ve got some gorgeous sirloin steaks in and intend to celebrate with a sip or two. In order to celebrate the grape apparently there are over 70 events in 70 + cites spanning 54 countries across the globe. But if, like me you intend to simply celebrate by sharing a bottle with a juicy steak then I’ve got a couple of corkers for you.

Although Malbec is known to most of us as a robust and fruity red from Argentina, traditionally the grape is known as one of the six grapes which can make up the blend of red wine from Bordeaux. These days, French plantations of Malbec are now found predominantly in Cahors in South West France. The grape is also popping in other areas in the southern hemisphere too.

So, for a change I thought I’d steer clear of the usual Argentinian suspects (even though many are delicious) and focus on a couple of beauties from other countries. A fantastic old school French number is L’instant Truffier Malbec 2014 which is available in Majestic Wine Warehouse. The wine is made by one of the best producers in Cahors, the Rigal family. The region has fantastic sun exposure, and is great for growing Malbec. When you open the wine, the nose is like ripe red fruit and fresh red meat. The fruity aroma gets riper with time and intensifies into a peppery, tobaccoey cherry like fragrance. This bottle has French class all over it with a delicate cherry and prune like flavour with a mellow middle and a spicey, peppery finish. This lovely drop will only set you back £8.99 or £6.49 on the mix 6 deal. But don’t just stop there, Majestic have nearly 30 Malbecs on their list so ask in store to taste some of their best.

My second choice is from a region that makes incredible Chenin Blanc and I didn’t know until recently that Malbec was being grown here too. The area is Swartland in South Africa. It’s 30 miles or so north of Cape Town and is clearly a great place for Malbec. Tesco have sourced their Finest Swartland Malbec from this part of the Western Cape and I’m really glad they did because at only £5.50 you can get a bottle of ripe juiciness that you will love. It has a plummy nose with hints of spice and black pepper. The wine is mouthwatering and juicy with a rich tobacco and plummy red fruit which is great with red meat whether a roast or barbecued. And while you’re in store, don’t forget to check out the Finest Swartland Chenin Blanc. Tesco have found a gem of a wine here and it’s truly delicious!