One of the epiphanies for me over this past holiday season was the discovery of a new food and wine pairing: ham and Malbec. I've never been a big fan of ham, and one of the detractions for me was that I could never find a big red wine that complemented that meat. I was at a holiday party where ham was served, and someone had brought a bottle of 2002 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Malbec, which paired beautifully with the ham. I'm not much good at describing flavors, aromatics and other nuances of a wine, I just know what I like: big, bold, full-bodied, chewy, hedonistic. Many malbecs fit this profile, and while the CSM Malbec is currently only available to Vintage Reserve Club members (assuming there is any left), there are plenty of good and relatively inexpensive malbecs that are widely available.
[Originally posted on 31 January 2005, on my primary blog.]
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