Don’t Let Us Make The Obvious Joke Here, Argentina
75 years ago last week, our nation ended a bold experiment in uptight, joyless puritanism. We’re talking about Prohibition, of course, the only Constitutional amendment ever repealed. But not before it destroyed a vast and richly varied array of breweries, distilleries, and of course, wineries. U.S. winemaking emerged from the fifteen-year ban in such terrible shape it would take decades to recover. Thanks a lot, Great-Great-Grandpa! Awesome idea you had there!
Argentina was too smart to fall for that. They’ve been making wine there since the 1500’s, and they weren’t about to throw that away just to satisfy a few axe-wielding Ladies’ Aid busybodies. You might think Argentines are latecomers to the grape game, but that’s just because they’ve been hogging it all for themselves: according to Wikipedia, some 90% of the wine produced in Argentina is consumed there, a whopping 45 liters per person per year. Maybe they know something we don’t.
And today’s your chance to find out. And with Malbec, generally considered the signature Argentine varietal. Available here for the first time anywhere, this Colores del Sol 2008 Malbec is the ideal detour off of the well-trodden Cabernet highway. It’s rich. It’s juicy. It’s grown in the pure light and cool air of the Mendoza region, home of the highest vineyards in the world. And the vines are watered with snowmelt from the Andes.
We don’t know if that has anything to do with this Malbec’s muscular, alluring dark cherry, blackberry, rose petal, sweet oak, and mocha character. And we don’t care. Any wine this young that goes so well with hearty gaucho cuisine like steaks has nothing to prove to us. As it gets older, it should mellow out a little, as is true of all of us.
So good call on rejecting that whole Prohibition idea, Argentina. And nice try at keeping your robust Malbec to yourselves.
2008 Malbec- Vintage: 2008
- Varietal: Malbec
- AVA: Mendoza Region, Argentina
- Blend: 100% Malbec
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- pH: 3.6
- Total Acidity: 0.65g/100ml
Rules and restrictions:
- Wine sold by winery (or a retailer in your state where necessary)
- You must be 21 or older to order
- Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
- If you're drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it
- Wine cannot be delivered to a P.O. Box
- We highly recommend you use a business address as your shipping address
Thanks to stick-in-the-mud buzzkilling state legislators, wine may only be delivered to the following states:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
If your state's not on the list, you're out of luck... for now. Keep up with the ever-changing laws over at ShipCompliantBlog.com, and/or sound the alarms with your state assembly person through FreeTheGrapes.org. Meanwhile, all Federal, state and local laws are complied with in providing this wine.
