Santa Rosa - White Malbec

Santa Rosa White Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina (75cl, 13%)  (vegan/vegetarian)

An absolute corker of a wine from Santa Rosa, which is the original wine estate established by well-known Argentinian wine producers Zuccardi, an hour drive southeast of Mendoza in Argentina. 

Eh? Yer what? Come again? WHITE MALBEC?, I hear you shout. But how can that be? Malbec is RED! Well, yes, it IS a red grape varietal, however, white Malbec is a white wine made from red Malbec grapes and has become a popular new style for Argentina's best known grape variety. In nearly all cases, grape juice is clear, and a red wine will get its colour from soaking the juice with the skins. This is the palest, prettiest pink you ever did see, so must have had the merest dip of the red grape skins in the juice. Imagine making a brew, and you literally just wave the teabag over the hot water, (WHO does that?!) to get the weakest cuppa known to man. That’s kind of what has happened here; a very short 4-to-6-hour maceration period, resulting in this gorgeous salmon pink colour, more akin to a Provence rose. THIS is Summer in a glass!

Tasting notes: Classic fine structure and texture of a good Malbec, with delicate floral notes, grapefruit, ripe peach and pear flavours with a hint of spice. A balanced wine with great finesse in aromas and flavours. 

Food matches: A lovely wine served with salads, chicken and spicy Thai or Indian Cuisine.