With a likeness to the Lord of the Rings, this week we go in search of a hidden treasure in the foothills of the Andes near Mendoza.
The Argentinian region from which this wine hails consists of desert-like and dusty, barren soil, that was forgotten about for many years until the mountains finally revealed their treasure.
Thanks to its resilience Malbec found a fitting home some 900 metres above sea level, creating a rich, intense and full bodied Argentinean Malbec that is the perfect companion to summer barbecues or an asado as the Argentinians would call it.
Grapes are handpicked from selected vines that are over thirty years old. They are sourced from a family owned winery in Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, which is considered to have the best terroir in Mendoza for growing Malbec. It is made by María Isabel Mijares, an internationally acclaimed winemaker, who is nicknamed “Spain’s first lady of wine.”
With an increasing number of women wanting to shout about their role in the male-dominated wine world her accomplishments are befitting of role model status. But she isn’t ready to take on the feminist mantle just yet.
“I am not much of a feminist; I believe that men are a delicious and necessary evil”, she was once quoted as saying.
In typical Mendoza fashion you can expect dark fruits and cinnamon spice on the palate, making for a rich, ripe and warming wine.
Try it with barbecued food, steak, a slow cooked stew or hard cheese.
El Tesoro de la Montañas Malbec 2016 Ocado, £8.99