Get grilling with bold, beefy reds

A friend recently drew my attention to an Argentinian category that receives even less love than their whites (Torrontes primarily): Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon. If you’re of a thrifty nature, this is the category where the action is.

Some of the reasons for the tough times in Buenos Aires are not hard to find — the cheaper Argentinian wines in this category are easily eclipsed by Chilean versions. But once you hit about $15, you run into something worth checking out. There are outliers hoping to eclipse Apothic, but there are also real genuine dry Cabernets with less than three grams of residual sugar. The interesting thing is how the alcohol and berry aromas come together to persuade you the wine is sweet.

Let’s start with this week’s Wine of the Week, Pascual Toso. This is a wine I would open anytime for company, even for those who prefer sweeter wines. The tannins are enormously restrained, so much so I am curious how this was achieved. It was only at the four-day mark on the counter that they started to become more granular and apparent. This is an enormously friendly, drinkable wine. I would pour it somewhere around the 10 C to 15 C mark, assuming it will warm in the glass.

Melodias is an entry-level wine by Trapiche, rather like the Casillero Del Diablo wine by Concha y Toro. As you’d expect from such an accomplished winery, it is very well made. I was somewhat skeptical of the label, as at least some of the products are clearly aimed at the modern sweeter palate. However, the wine was a fine example of a Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a meaty bouquet and the standard Cabernet Sauvignon tannins.

Melipal is what I think of as a New World Cabernet Sauvignon. The texture is a bit more viscous and there are fairly dramatic aromas of vanilla and caramel dominating. There are any number of people who find this combination satisfying and seek it out. I’m not one of those people and find such wines a bit too syrupy. It is well made in that fulsome Californian style.

All of these wines are aimed at real carnivores, which is no surprise. The Argentinians like nothing more than standing around a barbecue eating cubes of fresh-cooked beef and drinking vast lashings of red wine. If you are a steak or burger person, all of these wines are a great accompaniment. The Melipal, with its slightly larger-than-life palate, would be the best with loaded cheeseburgers, I’d think.

You also need to know that Melodias and Melipal are great wines with which to start a cellar. I used my offshoot of the Myhrvold blender technique on all these wines. I opened them and had about two-thirds of a glass a day from all three over five days. Around Day 5, the Melodias and the Melipal became substantially smoother and were just hitting their stride. (The Pascual was beginning to fade there.) These are wines you can decant or cellar for several years and probably a decade or longer if you so choose. They are great wines to start a cellar without a lot of investment. When serving, I recommend 10 C, but in summer, fridge temp isn’t a bad idea.