Barbecue Wine

If it’s true that a region’s wine can develop a certain synergy with its food, then it makes sense to consider certain country’s wine and perhaps exclude others when you are looking for the classic barbecue red.

Think about it. Italy and barbecue — not really. France and charcoal grilled beef — no way. Spain, I believe, has more outdoor ovens than barbecues. German barbecues — who has ever been to one?

No, when it comes to barbecue, I believe Australia, Argentina, South Africa and North America are the spots with the most back-
yard chefs.

We further refine our search by settling on a single country, Argentina, and a single-varietal wine, malbec. The Argentines are masters of the tasty technique asado — a way of cooking cuts of meat, usually consisting of beef alongside other varieties, on a grill or open fire. For whatever reason, the smoke and char of the fire seems to work perfectly with the un-marinated, salted-only, grilled meat, and both blend equally well with the savoury licorice, black fruit flavours of malbec.

In fact, wherever you go these days, malbec is on everyone’s lips and, with more than 20,000 hectares of vines, 22 different clones and a myriad of different growing zones at all altitudes, the future for this fleshy Argentine red certainly seems bright. Its voluptuous black fruit and strong, earthy, savoury flavours have created a special bond with consumers.

The good news in Calgary is the numerous malbec choices available in retail wine stores, especially at the affordable end of the price spectrum, where malbec’s price/quality ratio is as good as it gets. Add that to the city’s love for grilled beef and you have the perfect match and one that can follow from a late-summer, early fall backyard barbecue into kitchens at home or in a restaurant.

This month, we look at 10 such labels that are priced to please and satisfy everyone’s notion of a barbecue red. My advice: bring the wine and let someone else do the cooking.  

Anthony Gismondi is a globetrotting wine writer who is the editor-in-chief of Calgary-based Wine Access magazine. For more wine picks, visit wineaccess.ca.

Jean Bousquet Malbec 2005, $17
Tupungato, Mendoza
Bousquet’s organic grapes, grown at 1,200 metres above sea level, produce a tasty ripe malbec with hints of toast, savoury black fruit and mocha notes. Try this with ribs.

Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Vineyard Selection Reserva, $25
2008, Mendoza
Always dense, the sweet fruit is flecked with wild cherries, anise and bits of nutmeg. Roast beef, anyone?

Clos de los Siete 2008, $25
Uco Valley, Mendoza
Michel Rolland crafts this malbec blend using fruit from all seven sites at the Vista Flores property. Dense, glossy, juicy red that is easy to like. 

Viña Cobos Felino Malbec 2008, $30
Mendoza, Argentina
Cobos is a joint venture between California’s Paul Hobbs, Argentine viticulturalist Andrea Marchiori and winemaker Luis Barraud. Old vines are the secret to this complex, rich, savoury red
that over delivers. 

Kaiken Ultra Malbec 2007, $25
Mendoza
Chilean Aurelio Montes regularly flies between Chile and Argentina (like the Kaiken bird) to make this blockbuster red. A dense, glossy red with flecks of black fruit, chocolate and spice that can tame a steak in seconds.

Bodega Renacer Punto Final Malbec 2008, $24 
Mendoza
Consistent archetypal Mendoza malbec with juicy black fruit flavours, with bits of licorice and mineral throughout. A T-bone steak is the ticket here with fresh chimichurri sauce. 

Saurus Patagonia Malbec 2006, $20
Patagonia
Cooler styling is the word from Patagonia. Look for wild black fruit nose with bits of red licorice, spice and blueberry fruit. Ready to go with a medium-rare rib-eye.

Doña Paula Malbec Selección de Bodega 2006, $40
Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
The best from Doña Paula takes fruit from the Uco Valley and Ugarteche. Spice vanilla, smoky garrigue and black plums and mineral flavours make it a natural with prime rib.