How to Pick the Perfect Malbec

Argento is a relatively young winery located in the gem of Argentina’s wine region, Mendoza. Silvia Corti, the winemaker there, grew up in Mendoza and was introduced to winemaking at a young age by her grandparents. “When I was young, I used to help them make our family wine in our Agrelo vineyards by helping the grape pickers and filling the bottles when the wine was ready,” she says. “I loved it and knew I wanted to be winemaker. I have been making wine for the last 15 years and  every day I continue to choose to be a winemaker – it’s part of my DNA, my blood.” Silvia’s passion shines through in Argento‘s superb Malbec ($12.99) and equally pleasing Reserva Malbec ($15.99), both great bargains that pair well with meat dishes. Below, Silvia shares her tips for picking a Malbec regardless of your price range. 

Silvia Corti’s Top Tips for Picking a Malbec:

Chose a Malbec from the Mendoza region in Argentina – it’s Argentina’s most important wine region and is the best place to grow Malbec. We have a very dry climate, with extremely low rainfall and our vineyards are at exceptionally high altitudes (from 2,000-4,500 feet above sea level) so we are able produce very high quality grapes full of fruit flavor and intensity with palate-cleansing freshness. Also, because of Mendoza’s unique desert climate and resulting lack of unwanted pests and moisture, there is little need for pesticides or fungicides.

When looking at the color of the wine, a good Malbec should be deep dark purple in color with violet hues.

On the nose, you should look for aromatic intensity with blackcurrant and violet notes – the violet notes are attributed to grapes sourced from the higher altitude vineyards found in the Uco Valley in Mendoza.

On the palate, a good Malbec should have ripe and fresh fruit flavors of plum and blackberry, a touch of red cherry.

Look  for soft silky tannins – a good Malbec should have good integrated oak that compliments the fruit flavors and doesn’t overpower the fruit flavors.

Malbec from Mendoza is a very versatile grape variety – it is great glass of wine on its own or pairs really well with red meat dishes or Italian pasta dishes with tomato-based sauces.

Once you’ve found a Malbec you love, have a glass every night – it might help you live longer, really! A team of scientists at GlaxoSmithKline, led by Harvard geneticist David Sinclair, have found that synthetic versions of resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine, may effectively slow the aging process. In fact, more than 100 drug trials have shown the chemical can slow illness, muscle wasting, cataracts, and skin conditions. Sinclair even said that because of resveratrol, “some of us could live to 150.” Now, there’s something to cheers.

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