Get back in the swing of things

I’VE done something to my back which has rendered me unable to do much apart from raise a glass to my lips. Joking aside, i t ’s p re tty depressing not being able to get out for a run and I’m scrolling through the small print re “close contact” services to see if I can get physio. I reckon I can swing it, but I’ll have to wear a hazmat suit as I get poked and prodded, but hopefully cured.

In the meantime, I might well make a start on some of the wine I bought in a run up to Christmas. As it turns out stockpiling might not have been a bad idea and I’ve a few Malbecs which might bring a jolt of warmth to the soul on what has been a crisp few days.

There’s plenty of options with the grape that became famous after making its way across the ocean from relative obscurity in south west France to international stardom in Argentina.

And the beauty is you can get real quality at a tenner and, if you do want to trade up, there’s some stellar stuff out there around the £20 mark. I ’ve a pricey option, the Ben Marco Expresivo, which looks really interesting as it throws 20% Cabernet Franc into the blend.

It sounds like Bordeaux style blending as Cab Franc is often added to Cabernet Sauvignon, in cooler vintages for example as it ripes around a week earlier. Funny enough Cab Sauv is the child, if you like, of Cab Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. I read somewhere a while back that Petit Verdot i s star ting to

The Malbec, Cab Franc blend is Ben Marco Expresivo and is fairly pricey at £26 at Vineyard. But there’s a straight Malbec, that’s seen ten months in French oak before emerging to be raved about by Parker and Tim Atkin. Just £16.

Altosur Malbec is a bargain option at just £11.50 at indies. Medium bodied and floral, a lovely wine.

The February edition of Decanter describes the Tesco Finest ‘The Trilogy’ Malbec as a “real crowd pleaser”. It’s made by Catena whose Malbecs I’ve had before (they’re available in Sainsburys) and are top notch. £10. replace Cab Franc as the dominant blending partner in Bordeaux, so perhaps Argentina will be its saviour too if it falls out of favour in France. Though obviously, red Loire also uses plenty of Cabernet Franc. Anyway, there’s also a

straight Malbec f rom Ben Marco which has been raved about by all sorts including Parker and Tim Atkin and is a good bit cheaper than the blend.

As a grape Malbec is known for it’s forward fruit and as just being very drinkable. There’s tannins there too, and it suits a steak dinner certainly, but they are usually softer and less astringent than you might find in a Cabernet Sauvignon.

The only question is which one of the handful I have under the stairs will I go for. I got a bottle of that Tanqueray No Ten over Christmas which is my gin of choice at the minute with a Negroni.

So I ’ l l fix myself a nice medicinal cocktail while I ruminate over which bottle to open as I await an appointment with the physio.

Doubtless we all have something to feel a little miserable about, so try one of the ones above and see if that helps.