{"id":26892,"date":"2024-03-10T11:20:35","date_gmt":"2024-03-10T15:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/?p=26892"},"modified":"2024-04-03T11:46:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T15:46:02","slug":"malbec-wine-argentina-tasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/malbec-wine-argentina-tasting\/","title":{"rendered":"Malbec Day: A Tale of Tango and Taste"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/malbec-wine-argentina-tasting\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26893 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/argentina-wine-andes-630.jpg\" alt=\"argentina wine andes 630\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/argentina-wine-andes-630.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/argentina-wine-andes-630-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>World\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/winepicks\/search\/?dosearch=set&amp;text=malbec&amp;reviewfilter=0&amp;stamp=635958833737699615&amp;jmp=set&amp;#searchresults\">Malbec Day<\/a><\/strong> on April 17 (<a class=\"twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MalbecWorldDay?src=hash\" data-query-source=\"hashtag_click\"><s>#<\/s><b>MalbecWorldDay<\/b><\/a>)\u00a0reminds me of both a recent Argentine tasting with the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/opim-wine-reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Opimian Wine Club<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0as well as a trip I took to Buenos Aires several years ago.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/malbecworldday.com\/wp-content\/themes\/mwd\/images\/MWD_logo_2016.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"469\" height=\"123\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The tasting\u00a0featured a terrific range of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/opim-wine-reviews\/\">Latin American wines<\/a><\/strong>. It was an evening of\u00a0Latin music, food, friends, and yes, tango!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26894\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tango-feet.jpg\" alt=\"tango feet\" width=\"630\" height=\"418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tango-feet.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/tango-feet-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/wine-reviews\/vincola-salton-intenso-merlot-tannat-2011\/225875\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/images\/winepicks\/b60c6215f0afdbed5480e7c12288250c\/225875-vin-cola-salton-intenso-merlot-tannat-2011-bottle-1459180146.jpg\" alt=\"Vin\u00edcola Salton Intenso Merlot Tannat 2011\" width=\"56\" height=\"212\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We gathered at a local restaurant,\u00a0<em>El Gusto Mazzola<\/em>, where the husband-and-wife owners, Elena Mazzola and chef Victor Mazzola treated us to\u00a0an authentic Argentine tapas dinner paired with the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/winepicks\/search\/?dosearch=set&amp;text=malbec&amp;reviewfilter=0&amp;stamp=635958833737699615&amp;jmp=set&amp;#searchresults\">Malbec and other wines<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Rounding out the feeling of an\u00a0Argentine bistro,\u00a0R\u00e9jean Simard and Diane Cl\u00e9ment offered superb\u00a0demonstrations of the three forms of the Argentine Tango throughout the evening.<\/p>\n<p>You can click on the arrows to watch the videos below.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tango Dance\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZbihHM8R4Ck?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Now back to my visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina&#8217;s capital that&#8217;s often called the Paris of South America.<\/p>\n<p>I spent a few days there before heading out to wine country, and was surprised at its beauty and cosmopolitan feel as I walked the streets carrying the short stories of Jorge Luis Borges, who was born here in 1899.<\/p>\n<p>In his miniature fictions, he captured the intensity of feeling and colour in this bustling city of 12 million people and 47 barrios or neighbourhoods: the smart caf\u00e9s and designer boutiques, the flea markets and brothels, the Belle \u00c9poque architecture and the black granite vault of Evita&#8217;s tomb, the taxis who treat driving as blood sport, the chatter of people and parrots, the expansive tree-lined avenues and the darkened cobblestone alleyways.<\/p>\n<!--'Made with TweetDis plugin for Wordpress'--> <div class=\"tweetdis_box tweetdis_none \"> <a class=\"tweetdis_box_link tweetdis_box_16_at tweetdis_color_1\" href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Buenos%20Aires%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20close%3A%20light%20and%20people%20spill%20out%20of%20tango%20bars%20at%204%20a.m.%2C%20just%20as%20the%20caf%C3%A9s%20start%20making%20fresh%20brioche%20for%20early%20risers.%20%2FNatalie%20MacLean%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nataliemaclean.com%2Fblog%2Fmalbec-wine-argentina-tasting%2F', '_blank', 'width=500,height=500'); return false;\"> <div class=\"tweetdis_clearfix\"> <div class=\"tweetdis_img\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/tweetdis\/assets\/images\/timface.jpeg\" alt=\"pic\"> <\/div> <p class = \"tweetdis_font_original\"> <span class=\"tweetdis_wrapper\">Buenos Aires doesn\u2019t close: light and people spill out of tango bars at 4 a.m., just as the caf\u00e9s start making fresh brioche for early risers. <i>- Natalie MacLean<\/i> <\/span> <span class=\"tweetdis_clearfix\"> <span class=\"tweetdis_author\">Natalie MacLean<\/span> <span class=\"tweetdis_click_to_tweet\"> <i><\/i>Click to tweet <\/span> <\/span> <\/p> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tango Dance\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XqjTRrmsGPo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Tango was born in the dockyards of Buenos Aires. As burly men waited for prostitutes, they danced with each other in a lusty expression of loneliness. The sad insistent notes of the accordion underscored their desire.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, women joined the dance. <!--'Made with TweetDis plugin for Wordpress'--> <div class=\"tweetdis_box tweetdis_none \"> <a class=\"tweetdis_box_link tweetdis_box_16_at tweetdis_color_1\" href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Tango%C2%A0became%20known%20as%20the%20vertical%20expression%20of%20a%20horizontal%20desire%E2%80%94about%20as%20close%20as%20two%20bodies%20can%20get%20with%20their%20clothes%20still%20on.%20%2FNatalie%20MacLean%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nataliemaclean.com%2Fblog%2Fmalbec-wine-argentina-tasting%2F', '_blank', 'width=500,height=500'); return false;\"> <div class=\"tweetdis_clearfix\"> <div class=\"tweetdis_img\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/tweetdis\/assets\/images\/timface.jpeg\" alt=\"pic\"> <\/div> <p class = \"tweetdis_font_original\"> <span class=\"tweetdis_wrapper\">Tango\u00a0became known as the vertical expression of a horizontal desire\u2014about as close as two bodies can get with their clothes still on. <i>- Natalie MacLean<\/i> <\/span> <span class=\"tweetdis_clearfix\"> <span class=\"tweetdis_author\">Natalie MacLean<\/span> <span class=\"tweetdis_click_to_tweet\"> <i><\/i>Click to tweet <\/span> <\/span> <\/p> <\/div> <\/a> <\/div><\/p>\n<p>The dance was further popularized in bars and nightclubs during the 1920s, especially by Carlos Gardel, the \u201cKing of Tango,\u201d with his buttery baritone voice. Hundreds of his recordings have been made into tango numbers.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tango Dance\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tWwK28WlalE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Today, tango is hotter than ever: there are Broadway-style shows, small crowded clubs called milongas, and even a 24-hour tango cable channel, Solo Tango, devoted to national stars and competitions.<\/p>\n<p>While I was still in Buenos Aires, I took in a tango show at a local club. I trained as a dancer for twenty years, so I respond with my body to most things.<\/p>\n<p>But watching tango made even the small muscles between my shoulder blades tighten with the dancer\u2019s arching back; my inner thighs shivered with memory when she straddled his leg with hers.<\/p>\n<p>Men and women pressed their foreheads together as they pushed against each other to get closer.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tango Dance\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZbihHM8R4Ck?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Domination, submission; rejection, passion; alienation, possession. Tango is as close as feet can get to talking to each other: a pointed toe placed there, another toe touching the floor beside it. Kinetic poetry.<\/p>\n<p>Yes. No. Oh, yes!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tango Dance\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EE18Z8KpYe8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>By the way, the label on the Norton winery&#8217;s Lo Tengo wine features a couple doing the tango.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.wineloverspage.com\/graphics1\/teng0209.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"98\" height=\"126\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The label is actually a hologram that makes the dancers dip up and down as you change your viewing angle.<\/p>\n<p>You can always tell where the bottle is in the wine store: just look for the group of shoppers standing in front of it, tilting their heads one way, then the other.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26988\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1191.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1191.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1191-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Gerry Fikis, the Opimian Ottawa Representative, describes the wines we&#8217;ll be tasting\u00a0as they&#8217;re\u00a0poured.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26985\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1215.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1215.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1215-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Mis amigos\u00a0el amour el vinos!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Wine + Menu<br \/>\n<strong>RECEPTION<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Enjoy a selection of Chef Victor\u2019s hors d\u2019oeuvres<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>paired with<\/em><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/wine-reviews\/vina-echeverra-casa-nueva-moscato-frizzante-moscatel-2014\/225871\">Vi\u00f1a Echeverr\u00eda Casa Nueva Moscato Frizzante Moscatel 2014<\/a><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>TAPAS<br \/>\nFIRST PLATE<br \/>\nCeviche<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>paired with Lot 7893<\/em><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/wine-reviews\/villard-estate-expresion-reserve-sauvignon-blanc-2014\/225872\">Villard Estate Expresi\u00f3n Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2014<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>SECOND PLATE<br \/>\nEmpanadas<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>paired with Lot 5448<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Lirico Torront\u00e9s, 2009<\/em><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>THIRD PLATE<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Vieiras con chorizo<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>FOURTH PLATE<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Sacchetti (Pasta con salsa de cangrejo)<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>Both <\/em><\/strong><em>paired with Lot 6489<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Blas\u00f3n de San Carlos Chardonnay 2011<\/em><br \/>\n<strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>FIFTH PLATE<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Chicken Chipotle<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>paired with Lot 6990<\/em><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/wine-reviews\/vista-flores-viognier-2012\/225873\">Vista Flores Viognier 2012<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>SIXTH PLATE<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Locro<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>paired with Lot 7403<\/em><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/wine-reviews\/vincola-salton-intenso-merlot-2010\/225874\">Vin\u00edcola Salton Intenso Merlot 2010<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>SEVENTH PLATE<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Lomito<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>paired with Lot 5457<\/em><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/wine-reviews\/vincola-salton-intenso-merlot-tannat-2011\/225875\">Vin\u00edcola Salton Intenso Merlot Tannat 2011<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>DESSERT<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Alfajores de maicena<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>paired with Lot 6509<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Casa Nueva Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26987\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Tango.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Tango.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Tango-173x300.jpg 173w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I couldn&#8217;t resist when they called for volunteers &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World\u00a0Malbec Day on April 17 (#MalbecWorldDay)\u00a0reminds me of both a recent Argentine tasting with the Opimian Wine Club\u00a0as well as a trip I took to Buenos Aires several years ago. The tasting\u00a0featured a terrific range of Latin American wines. It was an evening of\u00a0Latin music, food, friends, and yes, tango! We gathered at a local restaurant,\u00a0El Gusto Mazzola, where the husband-and-wife owners, Elena Mazzola and chef Victor Mazzola treated us to\u00a0an authentic Argentine tapas dinner paired with the Malbec and other wines. Rounding out the feeling of an\u00a0Argentine bistro,\u00a0R\u00e9jean Simard and Diane Cl\u00e9ment offered superb\u00a0demonstrations of the three forms of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":218246,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[371,981,1107,369,431,1365,1364,1363,16,19,207,1161,324,386,1246,277,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-argentina-wine","category-chardonnay-2011","category-chilean-wines","category-malbec-wine","category-merlot-2010","category-opimian-society","category-opimian-wine-club","category-opimian-wines","category-pairings","category-restaurant-wine-lists","category-sauvignon-blanc","category-sauvignon-blanc-2014","category-torrontes","category-value-wine-wine-articles","category-viognier","category-wine-course","category-wine-picks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/218246"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26892"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63628,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26892\/revisions\/63628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}