Wednesday, 23rd March, 7 PM — Our March Winetasters@Home event is a tasting of Mature Argentine Malbec. We have a terrific selection of eight wines, including wines by Catena Zapata, Alta Vista, and top cuvées from Trapiche; and vintages ranging from 2006 to 2013. Of course, there will also be a mystery wine for a bit of fun. You can skip directly to sign up by clicking here or reading on for more information (and then sign up!).

The Tasting

Malbec has a long history in South-West France. However, in the late fifties and sixties other varieties began to be planted; today it still persists in Cahors and some of the satellites of Bordeaux.

It is Argentina, however, where Malbec has really shone, in both quantity and quality. Transplanted from France in the late nineteenth century it became the dominant red grape. Then in the nineteen-eighties, there was a move to replant with varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, in an attempt to elevate the region’s perceived quality.

Notwithstanding, Malbec can indeed make excellent wine in Argentina. As Jancis Robinson puts it:

“Good Argentine Malbec, and there is a great deal of it for Argentina is one of the world’s most prolific wine producers, is deeply colored, spicily rich with an exuberant juiciness and has as a trademark an almost velvety texture. Some Malbecs are made for long ageing but generally, the wines have much softer tannins than Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. With its high levels of alcohol and fruit, Argentine Malbec is not difficult to like. “

Our tasting features eight wines from six leading producers that showcase the range of styles. Some are one hundred percent Malbec and others are blended with ‘Bordeaux’ grapes and/or some local varieties, such as Bonarda; with the Malbec anywhere from 60% to 90% of the cuvée.

This tasting is an excellent opportunity to see the best of Malbec, transcending the tide of industrial $20 wine awash on the shelves of the LCBO.

The Complete Flight of Wines

• Vistalba Corte – 2006
• Malbec ‘Adrianna’ – Catena Zapata – 2007
• Malbec ‘Nicasia’ – Catena Zapata – 2007
• Malbec, Adolfo Ahumada – Trapiche – 2007
• Malbec, Fausto Orellana de Escobar – Trapiche – 2007
• Quimera – Achaval Ferrer – 2007
• Mendel Unus Malbec-Cabernet – 2008
• Alta Vista Alto – 2013
  and the mystery ….

Logistics

This will be another Winetasters@Home event, following our Google Meet semi-blind tasting format. We will follow the usual logistics with two pick-up locations, downtown (Queen & Church or Avenue Rd and 401. You will get a box with 2 oz bottles of the nine wines, which will allow two people to taste if they pour carefully, or one person to make a ‘more thorough evaluation’.

The cost of this outstanding tasting package is $125 (HST Included) for members (remember this can be shared between two people, so that’s equivalent to $62.50 each) and $180 for non-members (HST Included) – this includes free membership for a year.

Add-On

While this is a tasting, not a dinner event, for those who do not wish to cook that night, we have arranged a dinner option from Vintage Conservatory that can be picked up with the wine. The menu comprises three dishes that Chef Nick designed to pair with these wines:

• 1st – Phyllo wrapped salmon fillet, sun-dried tomato pesto, beurre blanc, roasted broccolini
• 2nd – Rigatoni alla vodka, gianciale and pancetta, tomato cream, house made rigatoni, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3rd – BBQ baby back ribs, 36 hour braised, house rib and BBQ sauce, apple fennel slaw with maple gojuchang dressing

The cost of the meal is $50 including gratuity, plus HST. So $56.50 all in.

Calendar Details

Date:   Wed March 23
Time:   7 pm
Cost (including HST):    $125 members;   $180 non-members (Meal $56.50)
Pick-up:  After 2 pm at either Avenue Road & 401, or Lombard St (Queen & Church)
Where: Your home.

So, mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 23rd, at 7 pm.  Oh, and sign up, click here!