MAKING THE CASE Heading South

By TOM FIRTH

Fed up with winter? I was recently reminded that it was ten years ago (thanks Facebook!) that I was in Argentina as one of the international judges for their national wine competition – so much malbec! I am also frequently reminded that my birthday is the very same day as World Malbec Day (but no need to buy me anything).

So, with all these things considered, it seemed like a good month to showcase some Argentine wines, but since one can’t live on malbec alone even in beef-centric Alberta, I’ve found a few additional southern hemisphere wines to help us start thinking of the summer months.

Find these wines by searching the CSPC code at Liquorconnect.com; your local liquor store can also use this code to order it for you. Prices are approximate.

Lawson’s Dry Hills 2020 Sauvignon

Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand

Completely unapologetic New Zealand style sauvignon with gooseberry and grapefruit, but also melon, sour candy, and fresh cut grass on the nose. Zesty and bright with true to form flavours, fresh cut apples on the mid-palate and a fine, zingy finish, this is beautiful, classic, and yummy too. Don’t serve too cold, and try with lighter seafoods with a lemon garnish.

CSPC 849590 $21-24

Faber Vineyards 2021 Verdelho

Swan Valley, Western Australia

Not a very common grape for us to find from Australia, but it does find a good home there in the right spot. From Swan Valley (near Perth), this is a real stand out. Big and full with rich textures, salinity, and some complex fruit structure. It’s mid weight on the palate with no oak to muddy things. Really, really good, and would be fine at the table with a wide variety of foods.

CSPC 849499 $28-32

Amalaya 2020 Malbec, Salta, Argentina

We don’t see too many malbecs from Argentina’s northern Salta region, but hopefully this will change as the region becomes better known to us. Dense berry fruits lead off on the nose with a mild jamminess, but also a fine-edged floral character that is very welcome. Big, chewy tannins and a mouth-filling flavour profile, this is an all-star for the next barbecue.

CSPC 742414 $22-24

Tom has been waxing on (and on) about wine, beer, and spirits for more than 25 years and freelances, consults, and judges on beverages all year long. He is the Managing Editor for Culinaire Magazine, and the Competition Director for the Alberta Beverage Awards.

Bodegas Salentein 2020 Portillo

Malbec, Uco Valley, Argentina

Brand new to me, the Portillo from Salentein is also Argentina’s first certified reduced carbon footprint wine. Not bad at all! Classic malbec characters, but leading off with some fine spiciness and peppery character giving some good complexity, while in the mouth, a fruit-driven, very quaffable malbec with clean, round fruits. A match made in protein heaven, I’d likely pour this with homemade burgers.

CSPC 760419 $17-20

Amalaya 2021 Torrontés Salta, Argentina

Very much the flagship white of Argentina (or should be), torrontés –here blended with 15 percent riesling, is best as a dry wine and usually shows off apricot style fruits. The blend here is quite dry with near honey like flavours, but apricots and a delicate spiciness too. Clean, easy, and refreshing, it pairs quite well with Vietnamese cuisine, and grilled pork.

CSPC 170860 $19-22

UKO 2019 Select Vineyards Reserva Malbec, Uco Valley, Argentina

Another great malbec to think about for your next barbecue or smoker session. Fruit driven without being jammy, but with plenty of spice and violets on the nose. Palate-wise, big and full-boned as it should be, with rather rounded tannins and some notable acids. A barbecue wine for sure, but this might work very well with sausages, or homemade bacon cheeseburgers.

CSPC 811330 $21-24

It’s a shame we don’t see that much syrah from Argentina, as the grape is very well suited to the growing conditions that make malbec so great on the slopes of the Andes. A beautiful syrah with generous fruits, a savoury, smokiness, and expressive spice notes. My feeling would be to pair this with slow cooked meat dishes like stews or briskets, but anything from the smoker too.

CSPC 744532 $20-24

Undurraga 2020 Sibaris Gran Reserva

Pinot Noir, Leyda, Chile

Honestly? I still can’t get over the price of this pinot for the quality. A fairly bold pinot noir with a wide range of berry fruits on the nose and palate, but also a deep smokiness and woodsy/herbal depth. The smokiness is a little more apparent on the palate along with some fairly serious tannins lending some weight. I’d gladly match this up with good, beefy dishes, or some hard cheese.

CSPC 761205 $18-22

Tread Softly 2021 Pinot Noir South

Australia

A lighter, but still serious take on treading softly, this pinot noir is sustainable, vegan, and such, but also a little lower in alcohol with 12 percent rather than most pinots around 14 percent. Great presentation of aromas and flavours with cherry leanings and a fine, slight herbal/vegetable undercurrent. Light, even for pinot, this would work well with dishes in the warmer months even slightly chilled.

CSPC 837589 $18-22

Luigi Bosca 2020 La Linda Old Vines Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Old vines, for those that are curious, generally make fewer, but higher quality grapes with increased complexity, and malbec is a grape that really typifies this. Showing off floral notes, black plum fruits and abundant spice and garrigue herbaciousness throughout, but also silky tannins and a graceful finish. Enjoy with a steak if you can swing it, but this would be a treat with some great brisket too.

CSPC 869685 $20-24

As an aside, seeing a majestic condor flying over the Andes is a pretty spectacular sight, and a well-suited vision of Argentina’s high elevation vineyards. A wine that punches well above its price, this is a well-balanced but very expressive wine that tastes like a much more expensive bottle of malbec. Nicely fruity and those great tannins would be a good dinner companion with stews or grilled portobellos.

CSPC 836550 $19-22

I’m a long-time enthusiast of the wines from the Ben Marco lineup, and I do think they’ve knocked it out of the park with this vintage. Plums and blueberries, but also a bright floral tone evoking lilacs and clean herbal characters open things up, but on the palate steely, firm tannins, a brooding sort of fruit, and yet very smooth and full. This is exactly what would work with great cuts of beef from the barbecue.

CSPC 719758 $31-34

Widely available, and worth looking for, the classic offering from Luigi Bosca is absolutely consistent and top-shelf malbec. Abundant, classic fruits with clean, dried chaparral herbal characters on the nose, but on the palate is where it really comes together with vibrant fruits, towering tannins and a little acid zip. A friend to protein, but also a little fat, this is a fine match with prime rib, grilled sausage, or hard cheese.

CSPC 418038 $23-27

Zwilling Sorrento Glassware

Zwilling’s Sorrento Glassware line are all double-walled, and our current faves! By Italian designer Matteo Thun, they are mouth-blown from borosilicate glass (which means they won’t crack under extreme temperature changes) so they’re not only lovely to look at, they’re functional too, insulating hot or cold drinks to maintain the temperature, and stay cool to touch. Zwilling say these are ideal for coffee or a special dessert - I say they’re ideal for my hot whisky toddies! 2 x 355 mL glasses, widely available $62.

Cuisipro Deluxe Decorating Pen

For anyone that has fooled around with a piping bag at home trying to make pro-level cake and cupcake decorations (and maybe failed), this is for you. Less hassle than a piping bag (and top rack dishwasher safe), it’s effectively a comfortable in the hand baster with a plunger. With a smidgeon of practice you’ll quite happy with your newfound ability to decorate all manner of treats and impress (or annoy) your loved ones. About $20

The Unofficial Big Lebowski Cocktail Book

Did you know that the “Big Lebowski” was released in March…. 1998? Meaning it’s been over 25 years since “The Dude’s” carpet really tied a room together. From author André Darlington, comes this completely unauthorized compendium of Lebowski-inspired cocktails, like “The Dude” (White Russian p.132), the perhaps fashionable “Chinstrap” (p.83), or celebrate with “Donny’s Ashes” (p.99). A fun book but, “that’s just like uh, your opinion man.” Epic Ink, $26.

New Flavours from Kellogg’s Kellogg’s were the people that perfected the breakfast cereal and they recently launched two new flavours we had to try. Vector has a new flavour in High Protein Apple Cinnamon Crunch which is fine for breakfast, but nails the trail mix, or healthy snack category with ease. While Special K has come out with their latest special release of Cinnamon Pecan with a fine balance of nuttiness and yes that cinnamon, you might find this a better –and heathier treat than cinnamon buns. Widely available.

Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart Machine

Love your Keurig or still Keurig-curious? For many, there is simply no other way to get a quick, convenient cup of coffee without the hassle of a larger pot. The pods are widely available, and there are reusable and waste free pods to reduce the impact. This model also adjusts the temperature and strength of the drink for use in iced coffees or other specialty blends – but more exciting is the option (via the app) to get your coffee the way YOU want it, and others in the house can get it how they want it – how handy is that? About $250-275

Clif Thins

Clif Bars are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Originally the energy bars were only found in bike shops and outdoor stores, but they’ve grown over the years and available as minis, nut butter bars, duos, and Clif cereal – and our favourite versions, the new Clif Thins. They’re plantbased, organic, and non-GMO, and we really like how crispy and crunchy they are. Bonus, the two-bar packs of Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Brownie, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut are only 100 calories!

Once Upon a Rind in Hollywood

… 50 movie-themed cheese platters and snack boards for film fanatics. Not quite arriving in time for the Oscars last month, this book is for all cheese-loving armchair critics and Netflix bingers with ideas for savoury and sweet, bite-size snacks and munchies – and lovers of cheesy puns! We can’t stop laughing at ‘Roquefort Horror Picture Show’ and ‘You’ve Goat Mail’, and wincing at ‘The Goudafather’ and ‘Pulp Stilton’! By Rachel Riederman, Ulysses Press, $27.

RX bars

Pre-packaged snacks often have unrecognizable ingredients, and we like how easy it is to see what we’re eating in RXBar’s “No B.S.” protein bars, featuring the few ingredients on the front. The new Vanilla Almond flavour wrapper front says, “3 egg whites, 7 almonds, 4 cashews, 2 dates” and to those only vanilla bean and sea salt are added – we approve! They’re minimally processed and really tasty too. 52 g bar around $3.

While we’re talking sustainability for Earth Day this month, Toronto’s womenowned, Pluck Tea sources only ethical and sustainable ingredients for their handblended, small-batch teas, and many of them local and upcycled, like the orange peel for their Citrus Ginger blend from a local juicer, and grape skins for their Southbrook Berry Blend from a Niagara vineyard. There’s a very wide selection of beautiful loose and bagged teas to choose from in jars, tins, and pouches. pluckteas.com for stockists and to order.