3 Malbec Wines from Argentina
Like Tannat finding a home in Uruguay from Europe, Malbec is another transplant from France to South America that is doing exceptionally well there. On April 17 in 1853, Argentina’s wine industry transformed when French soil expert Michel Aimé Pouget showed Argentineans how to adapt French varietals, including Malbec, to Argentina. Wines of Argentina created Malbec World Day on April 17 to celebrate Malbec from Argentina and “to position Argentine Malbec as one of the most prominent in the world.” Every April 17th, and throughout the month of April, look for different activities around the globe about Argentinean Malbec.
Wine has been made in Argentina since the 1500s, and today Argentina is one of the top five producing wine countries in the world. In the past thirty years, winemaking in the region expanded enough for people in the US to discover the high quality wine that is being made there.
In Argentina
- almost 25% of vineyards are planted in Malbec
- almost 116k acres of vineyards planted in Malbec
- nearly 200% increase in 20 years for vineyards planted in Malbec
- nearly 45% of the red wine is Malbec
Argentina really is dedicated to Malbec, and there is a Malbec for every palate, budget, and event as you will see below. And because of the climate, most of it is grown sustainably make it a great choice for Earth Month.
Thank you, Argentina, for resurrecting Malbec, and transforming it with your terroir and techniques into the wine we love today!
Read more about Malbec:
- find more Argentine Malbec articles with pairings here
- read an introduction to Malbec with pairings here
- read “Forlorn in France, Flourishing in the New World? Malbec!”
3 Argentine Malbec + Blue Cheese and Mushroom Smothered Smoked Pork Loin
3 Earth Friendly Malbec for Earth Month and Malbec Day
- 2018 Achaval-Ferrer Sustainable Malbec $25
- 2020 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Organic Malbec $37
- 2021 Argento Single Block Altamira Organic Malbec $55
- samples for my review; no other compensation
Argento cheese board
Menu for Malbec
Malbec works well with rich, strong flavors like blue cheese and mushrooms. Instead of going with a traditional Argentine meal (think grilled beef and chimichurri), we went with a smoked pork tenderloin smothered in mushrooms and blue cheese.
- Cheese Board:
Castello Blue Cheese, Basque Shepherd’s Cheese, Manchego, Iberia, Leek Mushroom Jack, Smoked Provolone, Snowdonia Extra Sharp Cheddar, Salami, Prosciutto - Green Salad with cherry tomatoes and blue cheese
- Roasted Vegetables: Potatoes, Fennel, Carrots
- Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms, Blue Cheese and Smoked Tenderloin (see recipe below; adapted from Gourmetpedia)
2018 Achaval-Ferrer Sustainable Malbec, Mendoza
2018 Achaval-Ferrer Sustainable Malbec, Mendoza
ABV: 14.5%
SRP: $25
Grapes: Malbec
Importer: Stoli Group USA
sample for review
Achaval-Ferrer has been around since 1995 and for over 30 years, Achaval-Ferrer has led efforts to develop high-end winemaking to make Argentina one of the top wine-producing countries.
Malbec grows well in the very high-altitude vineyards of the Andes: Achaval-Ferrer recognized the potential there and resurrected abandoned, un-grafted old vine vineyards with some like their Bella Vista vineyard over 100 years old (when I found a bottle, I purchased it for my cellar!). They farm for low yields and low intervention winemaking. We were first introduced to Achaval-Ferrer 10 years ago through Wine Studio, and we were happy to revisit one of their wines for World Malbec Day.
Appearance: Very dark and dense, looks to be unfiltered,
Aroma: Blueberry, violet, chaparral, gariegue, minerals, mulberry,
Palate: Blueberry, mulberry, tannic yet smooth, nice acidity, liveliness, cocoa on the finish,
Pairing: By far the best with the blue cheese over the other two wines, the leek and mushroom jack was perfect with the wine, the Spanish and Basque cheeses were just a bit too dry with the wine. The salty salami was very nice with the wine, great with the roasted potatoes carrots and fennel, all of them work so well together. Absolutely delicious with the our pork tenderloin, this wine tasted like a high dollar wine with this very special meal.
2020 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Organic Malbec, Gualtallary Single Vineyard
2020 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Organic Malbec, Gualtallary Single Vineyard
ABV: 14.5%
SRP: $37
Grapes: Malbec
Importer: Origins
sample for review
Celebrate Malbec Day, Earth Month, and 25 years with Domaine Bousquet of organic farming. Organic, biodynamic, and regenerative, Domaine Bousquet grows grapes in the 4000′ high altitude, arid area of Gualtallary near Tupungato in Mendoza’s Eco Valley. Domaine Bousquet earned the first Regenerative Organic Certification outside of the US, and the fourth worldwide. In 2022, they achieved B Corp Certification.
“Our DNA is to be organic — it was a path we took naturally,” says Anne Bousquet, co-founder and CEO of Domaine Bousquet. “We can always be more sustainable, not only in terms of the environment but also in socioeconomic terms.”
Domaine Bousquet can easily grow organically and biodynamically because of the aridness of the area, its phylloxera-resistant sandy soil offers good drainage, and the heat is mitigated by cool breezes from the Andes. While it only rains about 8″ a year making it a desert, there’s plenty of ground water coming down from snow.
Domaine Bousquet produces a range of Malbec in various price points and including no sulfites. In 2019, Domaine Bousquet winemaker Rodrigo Serrano saw the potential for an Ameri Malbec.
Appearance: Ruby violet, fushia rim, looks unfiltered
Aroma: Blueberry, cherry, boysenberry, damp clay, muddy clay,
Palate: Rich juicy fruit, more acidity than tannins, yet has grippy tannins, clean finish, citrus oil, fairly simple finish,
Pairing: The wine brings out a peppery spice in the salami, would be great with a peppered steak, perfect with the sharp snowdonia cheese, the flavor of the leek mushroom jack has great flavors together but the wine leaves the cheese a bit gummy, the procuitto becomes salty and sweet at the same time when paired with this wine which we found very interesting, was not great with the Spanish or Basque cheese, so nice with the caramelized sweet earthy roasted root vegetables, perfect pairing with our pork medallions.
2021 Argento Single Block Altamira Organic Malbec, Mendoza
2021 Argento Single Block Altamira Organic Malbec, Mendoza
ABV: Unable to find
SRP: $55
Grapes: Malbec
Importer Pacific Highway Wines and Spirits
sample for review
If sustainability is a love letter to the future, they say Argento has been writing for over 10 years.
With their commitment to sustainability, we’re surprised by the choice of such a big heavy bottle for this beautiful wine.
Stay tuned for an upcoming article about more Argento wines and what it means to be Fairtrade certified.
Appearance: Very dense, super opaque, looks unfined and unfiltered, violet ruby, ruby rim, sticks to the glass.
Aroma: Fruits and florals, sweet blueberry, roses, mulberry, rose geranium.
Palate: Very tart, tannic and acidic, this bottle is meant to lay down just a bit, or set it up for success and pair it with a rich meal, very intense, mulberry, boysenberry, eucalyptus, mint.
Pairing: Very nice with the leek mushroom jack, the saltiness of the Ibirico and the Manchego works well with the wine, the aged Manchego works best, very nice with the creaminess and interesting flavor of the Basque cheese, it likes the smokey quality of the smoked provolone but left the cheese a bit gummy, fantastic with the sharp snowdonia cheese, loves the cured meat on the cheese plate, food completely changes this tart tannic acidic wine. So good with the crispy caramelization of the root vegetables, the pork dish brings out lovely fruit in the wine, while I would rather have a rib eye steak and something a bit bigger and bolder with this wine, it was actually a really good dish with the wine.
Recipe: Blue Cheese and Mushroom Smothered Smoked Pork Loin
Recipe: Blue Cheese and Mushroom Smothered Smoked Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 9 oz Crumbled Blue Cheese
- 1 pork tenderloin
- 1 pound white mushrooms
- 2 T. flat leaf parsley
- 4 T. butter
- 2 T. Creme fraiche
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Brown in a pan over medium heat in 20 g (4 tsp.) butter for about 10 minutes, turning regularly. Let cool. NOTE: We marinated it in pear, garlic, and shallots, seared on the grill, then smoked it with a pear sauce. On the following day, we prepared the medallions.
- Wash the mushrooms and thinly slice half of them; set aside. Finely chop the rest.
- Peel and chop the shallots.
- Melt 3 T butter in a saucepan; add the shallots and sweat for 3 minutes over medium heat without browning. Add the chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper, and sweat for approximately 15 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon. The mushrooms will exude their liquid, which will gradually evaporate ending up with an almost dry mixture or “duxelles.”
- Turn off the heat, add the parsley, and half the blue cheese. Mix well and correct the seasoning. Cool.
- Sauté the sliced mushrooms in 2 T butter until browned, then spread them over the bottom of a small baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 150° C (300° F).
Plating
- Cut the pork tenderloin into medallions.
- Cover with blue cheese and mushrooms duxelles mixture and carefully reassemble the tenderloin.
- Place the meat in the baking dish on top of the sautéed mushrooms.
- Spoon on the cream and place the blue cheese on top.
- Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until well gratinéed.
3 Wines from Argentina Paired with Blue Cheese and Mushroom Smothered Smoked Pork Loin
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 