Malbec Quickies

Our malbec world news roundup:

-Turkey dinner? Try malbec says wine blogger PaulG. And a good list of Washington malbecs and argentinian ones

-Review of the 2006 Tierra Secreta Malbec (link)

-An afternoon at Bodegas Finca Flichman in Mendoza by blogger Eleuthera (link). I talked about Finca Flichman before, and here you have some very interesting comments from the Chief Winemaker of this Portuguese owned winery Luis Cabral de Almeida (a "pretty hot man" in the words of the writer):

Several years ago a friend tried to tell me how great the Argentinian (and Chilean) Malbecs were, but I wouldn't even taste them. However, the grape I knew from living in Bordeaux was a far cry from the one I finally tasted in South America: Malbecs from Argentina are rich, jammy, and luscious with some surprising complexity. Malbec thrives in Argentina, Luis explained, because of the low humidity. This explains their ability to get the delightful jammy qualities which I thoroughly enjoy.

Malbec Running Wild in Liverpool (UK)

Liverpool's fans might be quite mad with coach Rafa Benitez after their disappointing run during the group stages of the European Champions League (I don't think they'll go through, but that's another story), but some of them are enjoying a good glass of malbec:

But there is one bonfire night 'tradition' in which I still like to indulge - and that's Bommy Night Casserole. It's a dish that my mother 'invented' back in the 60s. It includes a tin of Heinz spaghetti, cheese, bacon, onion and some mini sausages, plus a few fresh - yes fresh! - tomatoes to top off.
OK, as you can tell from the ingredients, it's hardly the height of healthy eating, nor of gourmet cuisine. But with a bit of crusty bread and a glass of red wine, it's a real comfort dish that's will hang around in the oven waiting for you to finish watching the display.
And just to prove that I do have some taste, the glass of red wine I'll be enjoying with it tonight is a little number from the Mendoza region of Argentina - the Bodega Finca Flichman Misterio Malbec 2008 ( £4.99 = U$ 8.00).
It won a prestige award as the best great value red wine for under a fiver (U$ 8.00) in this year's International Wine Challenge. Take a sip and you can see why. It's a ripe and juicy 100% malbec that has added depth, thanks to a little bit of time spent cosying up to some oak. You'll spot flavours of plums and damsons from a drink that leaves a trail of warmth on its way down into your stomach.

It seems that Finca Flichman after its ownership changes is concentrating more in the European market. Flichman continue to invest in vineyard management working closely with Pedro Parra while also experimenting with new areas at higher altitudes in Mendoza, such as Altamira, La Consulta, El Cepillo and Los Sauces.  It is no surprise that this Portuguese owned winery under the guidance of Luis Cabral de Almeida, Chief winemaker, will also be experimenting with Touriga Nacional and will be planting further new vineyards in Tupungato.