A Cross Cultural #Food And #Wine Pairing with Amado Sur #WinePW

The wine definitely over-delivers for the price and… paired nicely with my Kofte sandwich of charbroiled minced lamb, and beef!

This month our Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) group of food and wine writers are taking a virtual trip to Argentina!

I have a soft spot in my heart for Argentinian wines.  That’s because when we first started  our wine journey my wife and I drank quite a bit of Argentinian wine.  That’s because when you don’t know what you like,  you don’t want to spend a lot of money to find out.  Plus, at the time, we subscribed to Wine Spectator and the wines of Argentina were frequently listed among the best values.

As our palates evolved we sought our different types of wines from Argentina, but typically one still gets a lot of bang for the buck with Argentinian wines.

Following are some  key facts generally true about Argentina and its’ wines presented by our host Jeff Burrows of FoodWineclick:

  • Majority of vineyards are located in the foothills of the Andes mountains. These factors contribute much to the character of the wines.
  • Because of the rain shadow from the mountains, the vineyards receive very little water and require irrigation. However, the dry climate means organic viticulture can be economically accomplished. The low humidity also means disease pressure is low so copper use in the vineyards is generally not needed.
  • As the vineyards are in the foothills of the Andes, they are at unusually high altitude, allowing grape growing closer to the equator than in much of the world
  • Labor costs are generally low, so hand harvesting is still economical
  • In a bid for international customers, the wines have typically been produced in an international style: fully ripe grapes, modern winemaking and generous oak aging.
Map courtesy of Wine Folly.com

Disclosure: This wine was provided to me as a media sample. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented are my own.

The Wine

The Amado Sur namea riff on the Spanish for “Southern Love,” alludes to the affinity between Malbec and the growing conditions in Mendoza, a region with an affinity for  producing quality Malbec. Thanks to the inclusion of smaller amounts of Bonarda (a.k.a Charbono – which, I think,  lends some rusticity and acidity to this wine) and Syrah, this is a distinctly South American blend. Trivento was one of the first Argentine wineries to experiment with a Malbec-based blend.  That other producers followed  suit with Malbec blends of their own is a testament to the success of Amado Sur.

This wine is a blend of 70% Malbec, 20% Bonarda, and 10% Syrah from the Mendoza region of Argentina.  The grapes were hand harvested in April, then were cold macerated prior to separate varietal fermentation in stainless steel tanks.  The separate wines are aged for 8 months in French oak barrels. After assemblage, the wine is aged for 6 months in stainless steel and then further aged in bottle for 5 months prior to release.

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My tasting notes follow:

Color – Opaque violet with clear rim
Aromas – Black and blue fruit, ,smoke, vanilla, and a hint of mint.
Body – Medium-bodied, and dry  with zesty acidity and a subtle savory character  with velvety tannins
Taste – Black currant, black cherry, blackberry, vanilla,  baking spice and hint of blueberry
Finish – Medium

88pts|13% abv| SRP- $15; Available nationwide

The Food Pairing

While I’m a fan of “what grows together, goes together”when it comes to pairing food and wine, I also like to mix it up and try cross-cultural pairing.  Since I’ve been craving Middle Eastern food, I opted to take out at local restaurant.

I chose a Kofte (  ground lamb, and beef seasoned with onion, herbs, and spices) sandwich because I know Malbec has an affinity for meats, and because Kofte isn’t spicy hot (as in pepper), but rather is very nicely spiced.

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The wine definitely over-delivers for the price, and is  a wonderful weeknight option.  It paired nicely with my Kofte sandwich of charbroiled minced lamb, and beef!

Check out what my fellow food and wine writers discovered when they paired Argentinian wines with food!

If you’re up early enough be sure to join our chat about the wines of Argentina.  We love visitors and our chats are fun and educational.  Just follow the #WinePW hashtag on Twitter at 8a PT/11a ET on Saturday January 12th.

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13 Comments

  1. As a fan of Middle Eastern food, you make me so hungry for a Kofte with a glass of Amado Sur! Love the great value of Argentine wines.

    1. Martin D. Redmond says:

      Thanks Jane. It was a very good pairing!

  2. That Kofte takeout sounds great to me. Plus, Julie could get something else and I could enjoy lamb!

  3. deanna says:

    Interesting wine blend and like the pairing with Kofta! Would not have thought of that but can definitely see how that would work together.

  4. I love Kofte, but I have never had it as a sandwich. It looks delicious, especially with the Malbec.

  5. wendyklik says:

    Now I have a hankering for Lebanese food.

  6. You had me at lamb. That sandwich looks so good! I’m with you, Trivento does offer very good value for the dollar. Happy sipping!

  7. What a great pairing! That sandwich looks quite tasty!

  8. Nicole Ruiz Hudson says:

    I’m sure this would be a perfect pairing with the Kofte. YUM!

  9. Vino Travels says:

    Nice call on the middle eastern food. Looks like it worked out well. I’m the same with you about first starting off drinking a lot of argentian wines, mostly malbecs.

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