Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Chimango: Organic Wines from Argentina

I'm afraid of the women who try and force you to try colognes at department stores. The stuff nightmares are made of. But I'm far less wary of the wonderful people who offer gourmet samples and wine tastes at my neighborhood Central Market. Bring it on.

Intrigued by my sips on a recent shopping trip there, and by the fact that Chimango is an organic winery in Argentina (still a great source of delicious value wines), I bought a couple of bottles to try at home. The price was right: both cost right around $10.

Chimango Malbec Rosé
This one was delicious. Chilled slightly, it delivered on the "full-flavored" promise on the label. The ripe strawberry and cranberry flavors made my mouth water. It's the color of rich cherry Kool-Aid and is the perfect bottle to open for guests (or yourself) this summer. It was great paired with seared tuna with wasabi.

Chimango Malbec
This traditional Argentinian red was a little disappointing. It had a nice tart plum and cherry taste, but seemed a little "tight" even after time to breathe. It perked up some when paired with leftover barbecue which brought out alternating undercurrents of spice and sweetness. It's worth a try, but probably won't earn a place on my house wine list.

Try them and let me know what you think...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I bought a bottle from CM too - prior to reading this post.

I thought it was just OK, but my pallet was slightly impaired b/c I had drunk a cocktail prior to dinner.

My wife thought it was good.

I don't think I will buy another bottle, but I wouldn't turn it away if it was served to me.