Matching wine from Mendoza

At a recent wine tasting, I asked the producer a standard question about his wine: "What would you pair it with?"

His vineyards are in Mendoza, Argentina and I thought he would point out the best known food match for Argentinian reds - steak - as well as hopefully some personal favourites.

His response was that wine is to be paired with a place, a time, company and music.  His wines are full-bodied and bursting with flavour but most notably, they are also elegant, rounded and refreshing.  He explained that they go well with food but that their raison d'être is simply to be savoured and enjoyed.  It's not just for your palate that you can look for a match but for all of your senses.  Music can be the perfect single accompaniment, as can a beautiful scene.

His explanation brought me back to my first vineyard visit, which was what initially sparked my interest in learning about wine.

At nineteen, I travelled around Argentina with one of my best friends.  One of the places we stayed was Mendoza, the principal red wine producing region.  Here, we cycled around the vineyards and saw first hand for the first time the skill and care that it takes - both in the vineyards and afterwards in the wineries - to produce, what I previously only knew to be alcoholic grape juice.

After learning about wine production, we were shown how to sample wine: observe the colour, then get your nose in the glass and take a good sniff.  Finally, swirl the glass around, take a sip and, whilst the wine is still in your mouth, breath in through your teeth and then swallow or spit.

Malbec is the main grape variety grown in Mendoza and is the same varietal as Cot, produced in the south west of France.

Well-known Bordeaux varietals are also grown in Mendoza, such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, where Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc are sometimes even included in the blends.

Malbec from Mendoza tends to be big and fruity as well as smooth and soft with ripe tannin.  It has notes of plum, cherry and often also rich chocolate.

The classic food match for an Argentinian Malbec is steak and you could even make a dark chocolate sauce for the steak to go the whole hog with the pairing: Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary, Chocolate and Wine Sauce

Otherwise, KISS (keep it simple stupid) and serve the steak rare with it's own juice for sauce and some fresh vegetables (and/or chips), as demonstrated above right and below at El Boliche de Alberto in San Carlos de Bariloche:

Of course, as recommended above, Argentine wine can also be partnered with other experiences.  What better way than pairing it with a sunny vineyard in Argentina and friends, whilst listening to guitar... before digging into a juicy steak!