Argentinian Malbec wine is the perfect table wine — with fewer tannins than French red wine and its strong fruit notes, it pairs well with a wide variety of food. It pairs best with food that complements the fruit and spice notes of the wine, making it an excellent pairing fruit-glazed lean meat or spicy curries. This allows you to serve healthier fare at a dinner party instead of relying on red meat to cut the harsh tannins of other red wines. Here are three great food pairings that showcase the versatility and flavor of Argentinian Malbec.
1. Grilled Salmon With a Sweet Citrus Glaze
Argentinian Malbec has fewer tannins than its French counterpart, making it a good pairing for lean meat and fish. The heavy tannins of French Malbec call for a fatty meat to pair with, as these wines have a very aggressive, astringent mouthfeel that needs to be tamed with fat. Grilled salmon showcases the versatility of Argentinian Malbec — the velvety texture and strong fruit notes of Malbec combine well with the taste of salmon.
To further accentuate the Malbec pairing, glaze your salmon with a sweet citrus fruit. An orange glaze is a traditional choice for grilled salmon and pairs well with Malbec. However, clementines are a better choice for a glaze — they're difficult to find due to the short growing season, but they're sweeter than oranges and nicely with the blueberry and plum flavors present in Malbec.
2. Carne Asada Topped With Chimichurri
Finally, the quintessential pairing for Argentinian Malbec wine is carne asada. All you need for this dish is a skirt steak (sometimes called a London Broil) and a grill. Season the steak with salt and pepper and grill it to your desired level of doneness — rare and medium rare tend to work best, as skirt steak can become tough if it's allowed to overcook.
Slice the steak against the grain and serve it with a glass of Malbec. Carne asada is often served with chimichurri, a vinaigrette that contains parsley, garlic, and cilantro. Chimichurri also pairs very well with Malbec, as the spiciness of the garlic meshes well with the slightly spicy notes typical of Malbec wines.
3. A Cheese Platter Filled With Flavored Cheddar or Blue Cheese
Wine and cheese pairings are a staple of upscale dinner parties, and Malbec pairs nicely with sharp cheese — cheddar and Malbec make for a particularly good pairing. The wide variety of cheddar cheese available in grocery stores or cheese shops offers you an excellent selection. Cheddar cheese containing fruit or hot peppers accentuate the natural flavors of Malbec. Since Malbec is a strong, dry wine, it pairs best with strongly-flavored cheese. If you don't like cheddar, you can try pairing Malbec with blue cheese varieties such as Stilton or Gorgonzola. The notes of fruit in the Malbec act as a counter to the strong flavor of blue cheese.
As you can see, Malbec is a versatile wine that pairs well with many foods. It's an excellent table wine to have on hand no matter what you feel like cooking — as a bonus, excellent Argentinian Malbec wines are also very inexpensive compared to European wines. The versatility and low cost make Argentinian Malbec a great wine to keep in your kitchen to serve when you're entertaining or hosting dinner parties.
For more information, contact a company like JJ Buckley Fine Wines.
Share28 April 2018
After I was diagnosed with a slow metabolism, my doctor told me that I needed to pay closer attention to what I was eating and how I was cooking. I started reading more and more about different cooking methods, and I was even able to take a local cooking class to help me to learn how to cook better. It was amazing to see the difference that proper eating made in my life. I found myself happier, healthier, and more energetic. This blog is dedicated to helping people to eat a little healthier at home, so that you can enjoy the lifestyle you deserve.