Diseño Malbec `09 $12.49 (Not TJ's) ***

As I am just digging out from a big snowstorm and thought that today would be a fitting day to open one of the bottles I bought while I was at home for Thanksgiving. Holly and I were shopping for a party and I went to check out the wine aisle @ Hannaford Supermarket in Belfast, Maine. After a while perusing, I came back to the cart with this Malbec in hand.

I have to say that I am always impressed by the variety of wine that I find when I am mid-coast. (hmm, could that be an indicator of per capita high consumption?)  After opening this bottle, I was impressed by the quality as well. (High consumption & good taste - that is why I am proud to call Waldo County home - I'll add London & NY to that mix too. I belong to any place that has good wine and unconditional love).

Malbec:  A week of  tasting -  Review One
I chose Malbec to drink for a week because I want to get to know the varietal better.  I have a whole range of Malbec as far as price goes and was given one just off the plane from Argentina last week to add to the line up.

This was a great wine to start the week with.  On first pour, it was good.  Smooth, robust, slightly fruity (blackberries) with a hint of sweetness of chocolate in the finish. Very subtle tannins, I like it a lot. After the Vinturi:  don't do it.  This wine does not need to be aerated.  It made it bitter, still drinkable, but with a bite.  Just pour and swirl in you glass a bit and there you have it. 

This is a good sipping wine and a good dinner wine - for a flavorful dinner that is -  a wine like this could easily overpower something subtle, so serve it with burgers or steak or something substantial.  I keep reading that you should pair wine with food from the country of origin, so I guess that steak and chorizo are on the menu for this week.  Since the dog, cat and I are snowed in, I had to adapt some recipes for what ingredients I had on hand.  I Googleed to see if I could serve a Malbec with a cream sauce and I stumbled across an excellent food and wine pairing post by www.vinovixenz.com.  I made sausage and mushrooms in cream sauce, polenta and spinach with pine nuts for dinner.  It was great warming comfort food for a day of fighting with the snow-blower and shoveling.

Meanwhile, back to Diseño Malbec:
As I was researching this wine.  (yes, I research after I drink - I use the word research as a pretentious form of "Googled") I came across this review of the wine in the Memphis Review.  This is a production wine.  Not from any one vineyard, simply a producer that bought some grapes from two vineyards and made a good, cheap table wine.Well done Argentinian winemaker, buying your bottle in Belfast, Maine and then driving it down to Long Island made the final consumption even better.  (Sorry global warming, I owe you one!)

Here is the 12/26/10 Snowstorm, 

Before and After