Esteemed journalist Eric Asimov is the hallowed wine expert at the New York Times and even he has come around to Malbec. In a recent article he says that “Argentina opens the tap for Malbec” (click for the full article)
They tasted 25 Malbecs under $50 and the verdict is that there is no greater value in the market with the same fruit flavors and consistency as Malbec.
Here are a few of the highlights:
“It’s the right sort of wine at the right kind of price.”
Argentina is pumping out a river of malbec, and it has been flying off the shelves at an astounding rate. Since 2005, shipments of Argentine malbec to the United States have quintupled, to nearly 3.15 million cases in 2009 from about 628,000 cases in 2005, according to figures from Wines of Argentina, a trade group.
“As the outdoor cooking season gets under way in earnest, with its plethora of grilled and roasted meats, malbecs would make fine choices. I tend to think of them the way I did of zinfandels, before so many zinfandels became top-heavy with alcohol. They are likable and powerful enough in their own right. And if you served them slightly cool, as Florence suggested, well, then you have a fine summer party wine.”
So there you have it- The NYT just told you to go out and throw a party!
