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Wine from the Land of Fire

I cannot believe I’m writing about a Malbec, what with it being all that and a bag of chips these days, but this one caught my eye. The 2008 Humberto Canale Estate Malbec is not your typical Argentine grape juice. This one comes from Patagonia. Why does that matter? Well, for starters, Patagonia is a pretty inhospitable region. After all, there is a line of cold-weather outerwear named after the place. It’s not really where one would expect to find good land for vineyards. Upon further reflection, maybe that’s the point. Malbec always carries the risk of becoming too fruity, even to the point of reminding me of a Dolly Madison blueberry pie. The Humberto Canale, though, is a touch more French. It’s got nice fruit, but there is some tannic structure woven into the fabric, too. The acidity is well integrated, keeping the heavier nature of this wine in balance. I had it with a pot roast last night and it was quite suitable. It probably would have been even better with a juicy steak. The point being: This is a food wine, so be advised. This is NOT your all-too-typical fruity concoction shoved into a bottle with the ‘MALBEC’ epithet emblazoned in big, friendly letters on the front. Salud! – Rick

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