ZagLeft

Several years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Buenos Aries, Argentina.  The culture and the architecture of the city is wonderful and beautiful and the people had a way of making me feel at home.  As with my visits to Chile, Argentina reminded me a lot of Southern Europe and that extends to their wonderful wines.  After learning a little about Argentina’s wines, I find myself leaning towards wines from the  Mendoza region if  I do not recognize any of the wines listed on a menu.

On our way back from Florida last month, we stopped in to my old home town of Slidell for the night.  The hotel we were staying in was next to grocery so we decided to get a collection of meats, cheeses and bread instead of going out after 10 hours on the road.  The store we went to did not have an extensive wine selection but I was intregued with the Alamos Red Blend wine from the Mendoza region of Argentina for $9.  With a blend of Malbec (which we are very familiar with), Bonarda and Tempranillo (both of which I have never heard of) we decided to take the leap.  The wine was wonderful and was a great compliment to our “picnic” dinner that night in the hotel.

Last week I came across Alamos Red Blend wine again at our local wine shop for less than $9 and picked up two bottles to see if the wine was still good the second time around.  With the aromas that filled the glass, I knew our earlier experience was not a fluke.  The aroma of cherries and spice greet you before your first sip.  The flavors are of dark fruit/berries with a moderate level of tannins.  The finish is very smooth.  We enjoyed it by itself but it can stand up to steak and other heavier dishes as well as Italian meats and cheeses (how we enjoyed it our first time).

I would highly recommend this wine for any weekday meal and it has the legs for the weekend as well.  At $9 a bottle it is a bargain.