Tikai Amorto Malbec '06 w/Paella

[Peter Creasey]

Tikai Altos de Mendoza Amorto Malbec '06 --
Inky red with ruby tint.
Ripe black fruits, smoke, dark spices,some tar, heavy bouquet.
Full and thick, medium polish, ripe dark fruits, active tannins in balance, some wood, thick profile, glycerol notes, focused.
Full flavorful finish with a bit of rusticity. [EXCELLENT]

Served with Pork, Sausage, Chicken, and Seafood Paella a la Paella by Penelope Casas...

Early . . . . . . . . . Going into the oven...



And as finished...



. . . . . . Pete

 

[MLipton]

originally posted by Peter Creasey:
Tikai Amorto Malbec '06 w/PaellaTikai Altos de Mendoza Amorto Malbec '06 --
Inky red with ruby tint.
Ripe black fruits, smoke, dark spices,some tar, heavy bouquet.
Full and thick, medium polish, ripe dark fruits, active tannins in balance, some wood, thick profile, glycerol notes, focused.
Full flavorful finish with a bit of rusticity. [EXCELLENT]

Served with Pork, Sausage, Chicken, and Seafood Paella a la Paella by Penelope Casas...

Pete,
Again I am somewhat dumbfounded by the food/wine combination. A paella that contains seafood doesn't strike me as the ideal partner to an Argentinian Malbec, which I would think would be better suited to pairing with a hunk of grilled meat. So... was the food/wine combination any good for you?

Mark Lipton

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by MLipton: A paella that contains seafood doesn't strike me as the ideal partner to an Argentinian Malbec, which I would think would be better suited to pairing with a hunk of grilled meat.

There was also a bunch of meat and sausage in the paella?

 

[MLipton]

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by MLipton: A paella that contains seafood doesn't strike me as the ideal partner to an Argentinian Malbec, which I would think would be better suited to pairing with a hunk of grilled meat.

There was also a bunch of meat and sausage in the paella?

Yahbut, the presence of meat alongside the fish doesn't negate what a powerful, tannic red wine usually does to seafood. It looks as if the seafood component consisted of mussels, shrimp and maybe squid, none of which IMO fare well with a wine such as the Malbec in question. Add to that the saffron that is a requisite in most variants of Paella Valenciana and which I think would be overwhelmed by the wine and the picture I get ain't a pretty one.

Mark Lipton

 

[Peter Creasey]

originally posted by MLipton: Pete, I am somewhat dumbfounded by the food/wine combination. A paella that contains seafood doesn't strike me as the ideal partner to an Argentinian Malbec,

Mark, Thanks for chiming in! Your thoughts are appreciated.

Paella is a really complex dish with a lot of flavor layers. In my view, the most logical pairing would be a red Spanish Rioja (is that redundant?). I started to serve a Rioja but decided this Malbec would be (just as?) interesting.

With the dark meats (pork, sausage, chicken) and other ingredients, plus the socarrat, a red wine is widely considered, including by me, a prime pairing. Just viewing this dish makes me think red wine, then the aromas and tastes validate red wine for me.

Getting specific to this case, we were pleased with how the Malbec matched up with this dish.

None of the foregoing means your preferences are wrong or less right!!

. . . . . . Pete

 

[MLipton]

originally posted by Peter Creasey:

originally posted by MLipton: Pete, I am somewhat dumbfounded by the food/wine combination. A paella that contains seafood doesn't strike me as the ideal partner to an Argentinian Malbec,

Mark, Thanks for chiming in! Your thoughts are appreciated.

Paella is a really complex dish with a lot of flavor layers. In my view, the most logical pairing would be a red Spanish Rioja (is that redundant?). I started to serve a Rioja but decided this Malbec would be (just as?) interesting.

With the dark meats (pork, sausage, chicken) and other ingredients, plus the socarrat, a red wine is widely considered, including by me, a prime pairing. Just viewing this dish makes me think red wine, then the aromas and tastes validate red wine for me.

Getting specific to this case, we were pleased with how the Malbec matched up with this dish.

Thanks for the response, Pete. I agree that Rioja often works well with paella, but I choose those with very high acidity and fairly light flavor profiles ("high toned," too, if that makes any sense to you). From your description of the Malbec, it sounded akin to me to Bandol rouge or some of the Carignane-based wines of the Languedoc. Those kind of wines I serve with hearty fare, usually somewhat fatty and often meat-based. Wild boar, anyone?

None of the foregoing means your preferences are wrong or less right!!

Of course not, Pete, you lead-palated, olfactorily-challenged poseur!

Cheers,
Mark Lipton