David Vareille, head sommelier, Bar Boulud, Mandarin Oriental
“On my Argentinian trip we spent time in Buenos Aires, Neuquén, Rio Negro and Mendoza. The country certainly wants to be more than a producer of supermarket Malbec. They’re trying all sorts of stuff. Malbec is dominant but some of the Pinots were outstanding, thanks to some great winemakers.
When I was at the Bleeding Heart, we ran an Argentinian evening during London Restaurant Festival, offering our usual à la carte menu, with the addition of Argentinian options. We backed this up with 10 different reds and three whites from the country; some we already had on our list, others we got in, and half of the latter stayed on afterwards – it was a good way to increase our Argentinian representation.
I was in love with those wines, and it was a great way to share what I had learned in Argentina with our customers. I’d like to do something similar at Bar Boulud, but it’s currently top secret, and if I told you what my plans are I’d have to kill you!”
Nicely Done. Now….just what glass would you recommend, David, to go with that Malbec?
You can read the entire article by going to: http://imbibe.com/article/steak-and-identity
