tikichris

Valentine’s Day came late at tikichris towers this year. A week late actually, on Pancake Day. So maybe next week I’ll get around to doing a little pancake flipping in honour of the belated celebration. Until then, I bring you my latest Wine of the Month: 2010 Berrys’ Argentina Malbec, Pulenta, Mendoza.

My February pick is a drink-now kinda wine (well, probably best to decant it first). Plum, oak, umph … this new addition to the Berry’s Own Selection range of wines is a total tannic Malbec. It’s surprisingly versatile too. As I’m sure you’re already aware, the deep red liquid pride of Argentina makes a perfect default choice for BBQs, steaks and such. It – or at least Berry’s 2010 Pulenta – also works well with smoked salmon … and some chocolate pasta. Huh?

My sweetie and I shared a couple of glasses of this mighty Malbec alongside our meal (and this was the week-late V-Day din-din) of Hotel Chocolat’s “penne cocoa pasta” with smoked salmon and mascarpone. The dish was a novelty really, but intriguing nonetheless. Would I make it again? Maybe. It was really easy to do and provided a fairly cheap way to have a bit of cookery fun on a Tuesday night. I wouldn’t say the wine was a perfect pairing (not sure what would be though – maybe Port?) but it more than proved itself … and tasted quite nice actually with the mascarpone and the fresh basil used to brighten up the dish. I certainly didn’t mind pouring myself some more after the plates were in the sink.

Chocolate, red wine, cooking a new recipe at home … yeah lots of heart shaped boxes were ticked. However, for our ‘official’ Valentine’s Day dinner on the 14th, we were gnashing through some late night, last minute burritos (at Benito’s Hat near Oxford Circus, thank you very much) and winding down a very long day of work-related stuff and very little romance. Not so heart shaped. Come to think of it, I reckon a glass of Pulenta would’ve gone splendidly well with my spicy beef birria wrap.

Hmmm … I wonder if Berry’s Argentian Malbec would go with pancakes … or as they say in Argentina, panqueques! Filled with dulce de leche? Oh yes, please.

The 2010 Berrys’ Argentina Malbec, Pulenta, Mendoza is priced at £10.95 per bottle (£9.85 each in a case of 12 for £118.20). For product details and more, visit Berry Bros & Rudd online at www.bbr.com or stop by their shop at 3 St James’s Street, SW1A 1EG.