With Thanksgiving just around the corner, its time to work out which type of wine you are so you know which one to enjoy on the day! Are you a full bodied and complicated malbec that has subtleties of dark fruits and oaky vanilla? Or perhaps you’re a much drier naturally sparkling wine – Find out by reading on.
In Argentina, we have four predominant different varietals of wine. We have the classic grape of Argentina, the malbec. We also have bonarda, a traditionally Italian grape that is known as the hidden red grape of Argentina, sparkling wine and Torrontes, the iconic authentic Argentine white wine. In order to work out which wine suits you best, lets match some characteristics and personality traits between you and some different wines.
Right, would you ever describe yourself as somebody who is bold, assertive and intense? Malbecs are traditionally very fruit forward and are therefore ripe with juicy dark berries. Their slightly earthy nature gives them the more full-bodied feel, which creates this notion of malbecs being perhaps slightly richer and deeper in flavour. If you can associate yourself with any of these qualities, or perhaps consider yourself even to be an intellectual of some sort then you could well be a malbec. However the differences between a smooth and light San Gimignano malbec for example, and a punchier CarinaE Harmonie illustrate the contrasting complexities within the malbec range. To sum malbecs up – a real mix bag of powerful and sophisticated full-bodied flavours.
Bonarda, smooth and easy. If you like to put your feet up, perhaps listen to some easy-going music and soak up some lazy afternoon sun, then this maybe for you. It’s a wine that fits all walks of life, its ideal to accompany a typical hearty Argentine asado, but also wouldn’t look out of place for a quiet drink on a balcony over looking Buenos Aires. The lighter tannins that bonardas posses create a soft velvet like feel, making this wine very easy to drink. However never underestimate a bonarda, as with their prominent fruity profile they also present unexpected complexities. What the bonarda might lack in depth, it makes up for in acidity and spice. A well-rounded wine for all occasions.
In order to match the sparkling wine we stumble across a slightly oxymoronic scenario. Sparkling wine from northern regions in Argentina such as Salta are traditionally dry, which might differ to one’s humour if you like to drink vino espumoso. However by no means are all sparkling wines from Salta, in fact many come from Mendoza which mirrors how you perhaps cant be tied down to one particular place. If you think you’re a sparkling wine, you naturally enjoy the more social scene and blossom with a bubbly allure.
If you are none of the above, or perhaps have elements of all three, you could well be a Torrontes. This deceiving wine is the only indigenous grape to Argentina, and is grown in the region of Cafayate. Its aromatic and floral appearance masks its surprising bitter nature. This is not to say you aren’t a nice person; but rather somebody who is full of surprises. In a country that is dominated by red wine, you are able to stand out.
