There’s something comforting about something familiar around the holidays.
Maybe that’s why so many of us (myself included) watch movies like “A Christmas Story” (best Christmas movie, period) or holiday specials like “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (all other adaptions pale in comparison to the 1966 television version) or “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” (the classic stop-motion 1964 version narrated by Burl Ives) over and over, year after year.
It’s probably also the reason why many of us love eating the same beloved holiday meals on Christmas or New Year’s Eve.
This isn’t the time to experiment with liquid nitrogen desserts or deconstructed molecular gastronomy.
Most of us simply want a well-prepared roasted turkey, duck or ham the way our mother or grandmother used to make them years ago.
The same is true when it comes to wine.
Sure, it’s fun tasting new and exciting wines throughout the year.
But it’s also great to return to the tried and true, the wines we love and cherish and enjoy sharing with family and friends, especially on a cold, winter night.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about many of these wines – as well as a few new ones – as part of my annual wines worth splurging on article, my annual Champagne/sparkling wine column and my top 10 wines of the year under $10.
This week, I wanted to turn my attention towards a familiar red wine grape from a familiar wine region – Malbec wines from Argentina’s Mendoza region.
It’s no secret that this part of northern Argentina near the foothills of the Andes Mountains makes some of the best, robust red wines in the world.
Malbec may have originated in southwest France, especially in the Cahors region. But mention Malbec nowadays and most people instantly think of Argentinian wine.
Some of the five, Argentinian Malbecs recommended this week you may have heard of before. Others might be new. Best of all, you can find most of these wines at a store near you.
Let me add that all of them cost less than $10 a bottle and are some of the best bargains out there. Honestly, I was blown away by how great all of them tasted side by side and how well they pair with different foods, from aged hard cheeses and smoked meats to steak and smoked salmon.
Hope you enjoy.
WINES RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK
2019 Domaine Bousquet Malbec