Conquista Malbec

Happy thanksgiving! We are having a wonderful time with our family! Bill and Linda from Wisconsin brought several bottles of wine including this Malbec from Argentina. Smoky chocolate taste with a silky finish. I thought it was the perfect complement to our traditional thanksgiving dinner.

Opi aka Rodolfo Sadler Malbec 2010

We had this very nice Opi aka Rodolfo Sadler Malbec 2010 with pork chops, rice, and broccoli.

(We were going to grill outside but the mosquitoes here are ferocious thanks to recent heavy rains. Melody cooked them inside on a skillet.)

The Opi was nice and big, extremely fruity but dry, and stood up well to the spicy pork chops. Very drinkable, a great food wine.

Melody has been traveling, so this great meal together was an extra treat.

Elsa Bianchi Malbec (2010)

It is a Tuesday night and I wanted to duplicate a delicious meal that my sister- and brother-in-law prepared during our family reunion. We had grilled, marinated salmon with a pasta/tomato/garlic/basil dish. Wow, it was so filling (and yummy)! I could only finish half my salmon so I was able to prepare two separate lunches, which I will enjoy at the office this week.

Although Malbec is not your typical wine to serve with fish, that is what I chose for tonight. (I don’t like white wine. Period.) I am enjoying this Elsa Bianchi 2010 very much. I purchased it on the way home from work tonight, on sale, for $8. I had aimed my  grocery cart for the South American wine section because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money and, sure enough, this is a great value. The quality of this low-priced, entry-level Malbec is similar  in value to $30 California wines. Very plummy on the nose and palate. A long finish with hints of vanilla and thyme. Here’s to you, Bill and Linda!

Finca el Origen Malbec (2009)

We had thick, juicy hamburgers on the grill for dinner tonight with dill pickles, spicy mustard, sliced tomatoes and Vidalia onions on toasted whole wheat hamburger buns. Very yummy. I stopped at the Plum Market on the way home from work tonight and picked up 6 bottles of wine, one of which was this Finca el Origen Malbec 2009. One of the traditional Bordeaux varietals, this wine has similarities to a big Cabernet Sauvignon and a smooth Merlot. The color is very deep. The taste is plummy with ample tannins. I bought this wine on sale for $9, which I believe is a very good value. I should have picked up more than one bottle.

Norton Malbec (2010)

This Norton Malbec 2010 is a delicious Mendoza Malbec that is a very good value. I purchased it on my most recent trip to World Market.  This beats some recent wines that we have had for twice the cost. Lush and full of berries. Gentle tannins but a robust finish.

We are having this tonight with my delicious poor-man soup which is my original recipe. (If you want my vague [no measurements] recipe, let me know.)

Cupcake Malbec (2010)

This Cupcake Malbec 2010 is kind of a fun wine: it has a nice dark-fruit flavor, medium tannins, but with a bit of a sugar or caramel taste.

The dark fruit flavor battles with the hints of sugar and saves it and makes it basically a nice New World table wine.

We wouldn’t want to live on this, but it’s a pleasant quaff and the dark fruit and decent tannins went nicely with our beef stroganoff and green beans.

Tilia Malbec Syrah (2009)

This Tilia Malbec Syrah 2009 is our choice for our Tuesday night. I had a demanding work day so I am reheating soup and baking some rolls for our dinner.

I purchased this wine last weekend at World Market. It is a good buy at $10.99 a bottle. This is rich with coffee and chocolate flavors with a substantial finish. The only thing that I don’t like about this wine is the label, which is kind of amateurish in my opinion. I would not have chosen this based on the label, which shows MY amateurish-ness. . .but the wine rep at World Market told me this was a good one. And it is. It is delicious and I will buy this one again.

Alma Andina Malbec Reserve (2008)

We are enjoying our Sunday evening after a welcome weekend at home. We have had a busy July and this “no obligation” weekend was a happy respite. We worked a lot in and outside the house. We heard from Tony and he arrived safely in Seoul.

So, this post will be quick because Tom is outside on the patio grilling and I need to bring him his glass of wine. I marinated a pork loin for dinner and that will be on the grill for probably 45 minutes or so. I am going to serve this with baked potatoes and sliced cucumbers in vinegar (from my garden), sliced tomatoes with sliced green onions (from my garden).

This wine is delicious. From high in the vineyards in Argentina, this fruity wine is very smooth with ripe fruit and chocolate with a touch of vanilla on the finish. A perfect choice for grilled pork loin and garden-fresh vegetables.

Sterling Vintner’s Collection Meritage (2007)

We are enjoying a lovely, July evening. Strangely, the sun is shining brightly, but it is raining. We are very happy to have the rain because we needed it badly. But it is odd to have the rain while the sky is seemingly clear.

Nonetheless, here we are enjoying the soft rain, windows open with a gentle breeze. I took advantage of the cooler evening to put a chicken casserole in the oven (a basic chicken and rice combo).

While completing our weekly “Wall Street Journal” crossword puzzle, we are enjoying this Sonoma, California blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The nose is subtle and takes awhile to reveal itself but with some decanting it offers chocolate and blackberries. The taste is a deliciously complex mix of fruit, spice, flowers and chocolate. Very yummy. This wine was $13.99 but on sale for 9.99, which is an excellent value. Had I paid the full price, I would have been satisfied but at this price it is a real find.

Cupcake Vineyards Malbec (2008)

Another lovely June evening in Michigan. Tonight is windy and cloudy but so nice for sitting on the patio and feeling the breeze and listening to the birds. We are having a glass of this Argentine Malbec from the Mendoza region. What an interesting wine. I find this to be mellower than what I would expect in a Malbec. I am finding it difficult to find the right words to describe this wine but here is my best shot: The nose is smoked meat — bologna, I think. The taste is robust and predominantly berries. The finish is vanilla.I am enjoying it. This is one reason I enjoy wine; every wine has the potential for  many different tastes, smells and textures. I love the challenge of identifying these sensory experiences with descriptive words.