Familia Zuccardi Malamado Fortified Malbec

Grape

100% Malbec (fortified with brandy)

Facts

Q: When is a Port not a Port?
A: When it’s made in Argentina.
– The Malamado holds the title of the first ever fortified Malbec produced in Argentina; however it can’t be considered a true Port since it isn’t actually made in Portugal, even though it’s produced in the same style.

– All Zuccardi wines are made from estate-grown grapes (they generally don’t buy from other growers).

– Familia Zuccardi is Argentina’s largest family-owned winery and one of the leading exporters to the U.S. of Argentine wines.

– Zuccardi have one of the most state-of-the-art facilities in all of Argentina, and their enologists are currently busy researching the potential of relatively unknown and crazy grape varieties such as; Agliánico, Arinarnoa, Ekigaina, Malvasia Nera, Nero Amaro and Nero Dávola, among others.
I can’t wait to see the results of those experiments!

– Around 500 year-round workers are employed by Zuccardi. When they’re not working the grape harvest, they’re employed in making olive oil and growing peaches. The company obviously cares a lot about its people, and has built a cultural center for employees with library, sports facilities, free computer classes and cooking and healthcare demonstrations.
If that doesn’t make you want to buy their wines, I don’t know what will!!!

Place

– The Zuccardi winery sits at the foot of the Andes Mountains, in the enormous wine-making region of Mendoza.

– The grapes for the Malamado are harvested from Zuccardi’s Maipu Estate, located 25 miles southeast of the city of Mendoza, and lying at an average elevation of 650 meters above sea level.

– Mendoza contains 70% of the vineyards in the Argentina, with more than 150,000 hectares (about 580 square miles) planted.

– Currently, 35% of Zuccardi’s vineyards are organic certified, with the rest utilizing sustainable production methods.

Taste

Intense plum, fig, raisin, and with a notable woody, nutty, spicy quality. It almost reminds me of fruit-cake covered in brandy (a true English Christmas dessert)! Wonderfully complex, finishes long, and doesn’t overwhelm with its level of sweetness leaving you wanting more!

The last time you had a Port (or Fortified wine) was….well…..I’m sure most of you can’t even remember! If I had to guess, it was probably around the holiday season.
Fortified wines / Port’s just don’t seem to get a lot of exposure, and often get forgotten about even when thinking about dessert wines. Admittedly it’s fairly tough to drink these types of wines in the middle of summer; but with the weather starting to cool you have no excuse! The Malamado is definitely something you should consider!

Pairing

Chocolate in all its forms! Blue cheese, dried fruits (such as dates), pate, almonds, even a cigar if you’re that way inclined! The perfect end to a meal, and almost serves as dessert in itself.

On the Malamado website, they have some very cool cocktail and coffee recipes using their range of fortified wines. I’ve already set my sights on trying their Irish Coffee tonight. Stay tuned for the results and photos!

Price

$26.99 – the bonus with this wine is that, with the right treatment (gassing and refrigeration), it will easily keep for a few weeks once open.