Happy Sunday! It's the last Sunday of the month, which means it's "Dinner in the Diner" day, when I make a recipe from the golden age of passenger rail travel in the United States. We'll get to that later, but first there is wine! Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine I purchased recently from Costco, the 2019 "The Pledge" Malbec is an interesting wine made from fruit harvested from vineyards with vines that are more than a century old all throughout Mendoza, Argentina. This seems to be an interesting concept, so I can't wait to try it!
The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from a nice Malbec. A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of leather, black cherry, anise and hints of oak. The first sip is a rush of ripe berries, black raspberry, blueberry and currant that dance around your palate before inviting some mineral notes of dusty limestone and white pepper spice midpalate. The tannins are smooth and understated, but they work the background to support the long, smooth dry finish that lingers until your next sip.
Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a very pleasant drinking Malbec, that like so many wines from Mendoza is also a terrific value at just $15 at Costco! This wine would pair well with many classic gaucho meals, from grilled steaks and chops to classic Yankee pot roast. Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with some home style beef stew based on the recipe from the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. The C&O wasn't as well known for famous named passenger trains, but their dining cars featured many recipes from the old south, including Maryland and Virginia. And please don't worry, I cut down this recipe from the quantities listed to something more manageable, as I didn't have a full dining car to serve tonight! Cheers!
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