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Cozy Up with Vino
Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: March 2024
Let’s raise a glass to the unexpected delights embedded within March.
Is March the best month ever to drink wine?
As we navigate the chill of a fifth month of lowering temperatures, and blowing winds, we seek solace in cozying up against the cold, reveling in the pleasure of long simmering stews and hearty soups. In these moments, there is nothing so comforting as soulful glass of wine.
Might it be then that cold weather is the magician of wine?
The deep, savory flavors that come from the blends of herbs and spices, and those long braises, and meats and birds roasted on the bone call for wine.
Enter the Malbec. While those yearning for a white wine, should consider the winter-friendly Chenin Blanc.
While the roots of the Malbec grape go deep in France and its origins might be traced to ancient Rome, the grape has become identified with Argentina. And it’s no coincidence that the dusty-tannined Malbec grape is king in Argentina, the land of great swaths of cattle herds, because it so aptly pairs with beef.
Here are three commendable choices:
Altos Las Hormigas Uco Valley Terroir Malbec: One of the most dependable producers in the Mendoza region, consistently delivering well-balanced wines that are balanced and tapered rather than sweetly fruity.
Altos Las Hormigas Mendoza Malbec Classico: A superb value, violet-scented, and untarnished by clumsy oak treatments.
Matias Michelinig Uco valley Esperando a los Barberos Malbec: Michelini farms biodynamically and these wines grown in granite and limestone are focused and balanced and tempered by fine tannins.
Venturing to the southwest of France, worth seeking out is the Clos La Coutale’s Cahors – a deep and inky Malbec blended with supple and juicy berry-fruited Merlot, giving us a versatile and food-friendly red.
For aficionados of white wine, Chenin Blanc is capable not only of transparently expressing the qualities of different terroirs but of making bone-dry wines, succulently sweet wines, and a whole range in between.
The greatest examples come from France’s Loire Valley, but the grape also yields impressive results in South Africa. Here are two options to consider:
Lena Filliatreau Saumur: A crisp, vibrant Chenin, meticulously crafted from a blend of both estate and purchased fruit from Loire, France
A.A. Badenhorst Swartland Chenin Blanc Secateur: A perfect example of the sweet-and-dry paradox of Chenin Blanc; infused with lemony notes, but with an earthy element and a final bright, floral, honeyed impression.
