Wines From South America

Ocaso Grand Reserve Malbec

From the glass, you will get a nose full of notes of bright red cherry, dried tobacco, and blackberry. The wine is on the dry side and has some fresh acidity and fuller tannins with a strong body. This Reserve will pair well with rich, meaty, and grilled dishes because its weighty body will match in equivalent intensity. Malbecs like this one is going to pair nicely with manchego, because the notes of the wine are so dark. The cherry notes will go well with the nutty and fruity flavors of the cheese.

Food Pairing

Matambre

Stuffed Flank Steak

Matar in Spanish means “to kill,” and hambre means “hunger,” but these two words together and you have Matambre. The flank steak used in this recipe is a chewy cut of meat that needs a long time to cook and break down. It is best to simmer in red wine and beef stock to add flavor, but those who are brave can toss it on the coals wrapped in tin foil and blindly cook. Bold Malbec’s make a great food pairing, especially those used during the cooking process. The marriage creates a bridging of flavors and aromas between the food and the wine, making for a lovely pairing.

Cooking Tips:

  • The meat will be cooked through thoroughly, as the goal is not doneness but tenderness with this cut of meat, and that will take tim.
  • Season the inside and outside of the meat so that every bit is evenly seasoned.
  • This dish goes well with chimichurri as well, so consider making a little dish of this while it is cooking for over an hour.

Spice Block Cabernet Sauvignon

This bottle has vivid notes of white pepper, blonde coffee, and black currants. The wine is bone dry and has a present acidity and bold tannins with a fuller body. This Cabernet Sauvignon would pair well with a rich steak its weighty body will match in equal intensity to the red meat, and the acidity would cut through the fat. Also, a wine like this will pair well with aged cheddar cheese, because the notes of the wine are so pronounced. The perceived fruity notes of the wine will complement the similar notes of the cheese.

Food Pairing

Argentinian-Style Chimichurri Sauce

If it is a steak night at the household and you are looking to spice up your meal, try an Argentinian-Style Chimichurri Sauce. It will brighten up the meat and balance out the flavors by the needed acidity. The piquancy is from the lemon juice and red pepper flakes. The herbaceousness parsley is fresh and light. The Spice Block Cabernet Sauvignon will pair well with dish red meat severed with this sauce because the warm spice notes of the wine will complement the similar aromas of the sauce.

Cooking Tips:

  • Make what you need because cut herbs only last a day, and two is stretching.
  • Press the garlic first on the cutting board to make it easier to remove the skin.
  • A sharp knife will slice the herbs, and a dull knife will crush them. Hone your knife before cutting herbs to bring back the edge of your knife.

Almarada Malbec

A glass from this bottle will have dramatic notes of black plum, dark chocolate, and dark cherry. The wine is dry and has soft acidity and tannins with a weighted body. This Uco Valley would pair well with lamb or a lean steak because its weighty body will match in equal intensity to the red meat. Malbecs like this one is going to pair nicely with blue cheese because the notes of the wine are so jammy. The perceived sweetness will go well with the bold flavors of the blue cheese.

Food Pairing

Milanesa de Ternera

(Beef Cutlet)

Milanesa is a highly popular dish in South America that was brought over by Italians migrating to the region hundreds of years ago. Like lots of Italian cooking, the meal is simple to cook. It is a beef cutlet that is pan-fried. People in Argentina would add chimichurri, most likely because they like to add it to everything. It will pair well with a Malbec because the body will match the intensity of the dish.

Cooking Tips:

  • Use a neutral oil so that you do not impart any unexpected flavor.
  • Use just enough oil to go up halfway the meat when frying, the goal is to cook and not deep fry.
  • With control, pound the meat with a meat hammer to level out the cuts so they cook evenly.

Ocaso Torrontes

This wine is perfumed with notes of peach, brackish minerality, and butter. The wine is dry and has zesty acidity with a present body. This Mendoza wine would pair well with seafood because its lighter body will balance with the intensity of the fish. Torrontes and soft goat cheese will pair beautifully because the acidity of the wine will balance with the acidity of the cheese.

Food Pairing

Provoleta

(Grilled Provolone Cheese)

Delightfully simple appetizer dish that can be prepared in almost as quick as it takes to preheat a cast iron pan. Chimichurri is an Argentinian uncooked loose sauce that is used in several dishes to create harmony, usually through opposing flavors. The zesty flavors of the sauce are in balance because of the foil to the richness of the cheese. The Torrontes is a white wine that has some acidity, which will assist the sauce in foiling the richness of the cooked cheese.

Cooking Tips:

  • Pull the pan after the cheese starts to brown, as the cast iron retains a lot of heat.
  • Check your oil before committing to incorporating, if you do not use your oil regularly it might give off a rancid taste if it is past due.
  • Lighter oil is preferred since the cheese is already rich in flavor.

Cocktails To Try

Caipirinha

“The Brazilian National Drink”

A bold drink that translates from Portuguese into English “little peasant girl.” It is a simple three-ingredient Brazilian cocktail, whose origin dates back to 1856 during a local cholera epidemic. The key to this drink is the spirit of the mix, Cachaça, a Rhum like liquor made from fresh sugarcane juice and often aged in local exotic wood barrels. This drink is tropical, fresh, tart, and powerful, with the notes of the Cachaça shining through.!

Ingredients for one:

2oz Cachaça
1 Persian Lime
2 bar spoons of superfine sugar (or simple syrup)

Steps for making:

1.Chill glass in the freezer and get your ingredients gathered.
2.Tip and tail, then half and de-pith the lime. Slice into quarters and arrange skin side down in the chilled glass.
3.Add the bar sugar and then muddle to release oil in the skin and the juice from the flesh, but do not tear the skin by going at it too hard.
4.Add crushed ice to the lip of the glass and then add the spirit.
5.Stir to mix, not dilute. Enjoy.