Decanter’s latest event – Taste of Argentina – was a feast of superb wine, steak and tango.
Returning to London’s Vinopolis wine centre on the south bank of the Thames for the second year running, Saturday’s sold-out show featured 40 of Argentina’s top wine producers, two Malbec masterclass, as well as demonstrations of tango dancing and a mini-masterclasses on matching steak and Malbec.
Phil Crozier, wine director of London’s Gaucho restaurants, gave a series of rapid seminars matching different cuts of steak – the lomo or fillet, chorizo or sirloin, ancho (rib eye) and caudril (rump) – to four Malbecs.
At the other end of the main hall at Vinopolis, Tango dancers Analía Morales and Gabriel Ponce of Ballet Argentino attracted an appreciative audience.
But none of this overshadowed the main event: the 40 producers from every winemaking region of Argentina, showcasing their finest wines.
These included Argentina’s best-known names – Familia Zuccardi, Catena Zapata (founded by Decanter’s Man of the Year 2009, Nicolas Catena), Michel Rolland’s brainchild Clos de los 7 – as well as boutique wineries like Zorzal in Tupungato.
There was also a clutch of Decanter World Wine Awards winners, like Joffre y Hijas Bonarda 2007 of RJ Viñedos, which won an Argentina Regional Trophy, and the Gold-winning Punto Final Reserva 2007 from Bodega Renacer.
Andrew Maidment, UK director of Wines of Argentina, said ‘Taste of Argentina is a chance to show people everything – not just the wine, but the tango, the food – it’s the full cutural experience.’
Decanter events always attract visitors with a thirst for learning about wine, but also people who already have a fund of knowledge about their favourite regions. Taste of Argentina was no exception.
One guest said, ‘Very rarely do you go to a wine event, taste every single wine and think they are all delicious. There’s something about the way these guys make wine that’s not about the grape, or anything else: they are all brilliant.’
Helena Nicklin, who works in the Corney & Barrow buying department but stressed she was off duty, said, ‘What I love about Decanter, is that you always get a venue packed full of people passionate about what they do. Add Malbec, tango and fine steak to the mix and it’s an explosive combination that’s too good to miss.’
Written by Decanter.com staff
