
Having written about different white wines in August, it’s time to recognize the changing of the seasons, lower temperatures and break out a bottle (or two) of hearty, or delicate, red wine. We’re all still in an adventurous mood, right? And we’re all ready to branch out from the best known red varietals, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.
Let’s start with Malbec. This was little known in the Northern Hemisphere until some excellent Malbec based wines from Argentina became available in the USA around 25 years ago. But it’s not originally from Argentina, it’s from Western France where it’s known as Côt.
The vines in France were largely wiped out by the phylloxera louse around 1870, but Argentina was spared, since the climate there is so dry. The growing conditions are very different too. Argentina’s vineyards are in high desert with long sunny days while France is more temperate and a lower elevation. We like Argentinian Malbec that has been blended with other grapes; a little Cab Sauvignon or Cab Franc go a long way towards balancing the weight of the straight Malbec. If you can find any, look for wines from the Cafayete region of Argentina. Piattelli and El Esteco are a couple of the producers to look for.
Continue reading “WineLines: Time to Try Some Different Red Wines”
























