Santa Julia Innovacion Malbec/Touriga Nacional 2013

So here’s a special for Malbec World Day - maybe a bit of a cheat as it also includes some Touriga Nacional but I quite like Malbec in a blend.

In this case the Touriga Nacional, which Santa Julia was the first to plant in Argentina apparently, provides a dark, exotic element which takes what can be a jammy edge off Malbec at this price while the Malbec gives the Touriga a fragrant lift.

It’s part of a special parcel of wines that is available at Waitrose until May 3rd with an additional 20% discount for myWaitrose cardholders, presumably as an incentive to get us all to sign up. I wouldn’t be rushing to snap up the other wines though. The whites aren’t nearly as interesting or as well-priced.

The discount makes it a great deal at £6.39 but even at £7.99 it’s a good buy* And if you buy six bottles in total you get a further 5% off

Drink with steak (obviously) or lamb. It would also make a good barbecue wine.

For other malbec pairings see What food to match with Malbec.

*though only available in store and apparently through waitrose.com though I can't find it on the website.

I was sent this wine by Waitrose as part of a selection of samples.

Caburnio Tenuta Monteti 2010

If you like the style of super-Tuscans but find the prices a bit steep the Tenuta Monteti wines, which are stocked by London merchant Lea & Sandeman, are for you.

The Caburnio doesn’t even have any Italian grapes in it - it’s a blend of 55 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Alicante Bouschet, 15 % Merlot and 5 % each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. - but the Tuscany terroir shines through in its fresh acidity and sweet, supple tannins. It’s the perfect bottle to drink with some Italian style roast lamb and beans, Tuscan style sausages or even a simple steak. You can buy it from Lea & Sandeman for £14.50 or £12.95 if you’re buying a case*.

I also love its big brother, the ripe, lush, sexy 2008 Monteti (50% Petit Verdot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon) though at £24.50 a bottle (£19.95 if you buy a case) it’s quite a bit more expensive.

Tenuta Monteti is based in the Maremma region which is known for its more modern, fleshy reds but both these wines have real elegance and balance along with their gorgeously seductive fruit.

* which can be mixed.

Luigi Bosca Malbec 2011 Vistalba

After the wild winds and lashing rain we’ve endured in the UK this week my drink of the week really had to be a full-bodied red and what better choice than a Malbec?

It comes from Argentina (of course) from a long-established winery called Luigi Bosca and has all the rich, ripe fruit you look for from Malbec but with a level of elegance you don’t always find. (The fact that it’s a couple of years old now and has had time to settle down has a lot to do with it together with the fact that the vineyards are quite high up at 990m above sea level. The ABV is a relatively modest 13.5%)

All this means it’s not cheap - £15.99 is the ‘normal’ price at Majestic but there’s the usual discount if you buy two (which you’d be mad not to) which brings it down to £12.99. (Other retailers seem to stock a Luigi Bosca Malbec at around the same price but with a slightly different label which are probably not identical though similar in style. Check wine-searcher.com for stockists.)

In terms of food to go with it think beef. A steak, a Sunday roast, a beefy casserole or a steak pie would all be excellent pairings.

PS If you’re looking for a slightly cheaper red to make up the six you have to buy from Majestic, the 2011 Mas des Montagnes Côtes du Roussillon Villages is a good gutsy southern French blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan that should keep out the cold and is a great buy at £5.99 if you buy two (part of Majestic’s ‘Pick’n’Mix’ offer). One for bangers and mash . . .

Santa Maria del Cami Binissalem 2012, Mallorca

Majorca produces serious wine? Go on, you’re kidding! No I’m not as it happens. This luxuriant red from Bodegues Macia Batle - surprisingly stocked by Marks & Spencer - is a great buy.

Mallorca has apparently been producing wine since 123BC - who knew? - and Binissalem is a recognised DO (Denominacion de Origen) in the centre of the island around the town of the same name. The wine is based on the the indigenous Mante Negro blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah - a Bordeaux-ish blend with an Iberian twist.

At 14% it wears its alcohol lightly - the oak is beautifully in balance with the fruit.

One of the recommended wine matches of Thai beef salad is a bit bizarre, though. I’d drink it with roast lamb but it would also pair well with a good steak or with a hard sheeps' cheese. And it should age, despite the suggestion you should drink it within the year.

I haven’t tasted the 2011 recently which is the vintage featured on the website but would have thought that it was still worth a punt at £9.99 if you come across a bottle in your local branch.

But fill your boots with the 2012 next time M & S has a 25% off deal.

PS I've just heard - through the invaluable Twitter - that Macie Batle's wines are also available at Inverarity Morton in Glasgow.