This Malbec bares the name of Zuccardi (albeit discretely) – excellent producers of Argentinian wines. Their wines are produced responsibly, organically and fairly – which is important in what is essentially a developing world economy. The Argentine economy has been turbulent for years. We visited in Autumn 2016 and prices for hotels, food and wine were slightly more expensive than the UK. Not any more. The Peso is (at the time of writing in June 2020) worth a fifth of what it was three years ago. Great news if you want to travel there to eat steak and drink Malbec – as it will be relatively cheap (maybe £20 for a previously expensive steak dinner for two with wine in an upscale restaurant). It is a catastrophe for Argentinians who wish to buy foreign-produced cars, clothing, computers… The Coronavirus is currently promising to decimate the continent of South America and I fear it will be years before we are able to visit this beautiful country safely again.

Tasting notes: Deep purple colour. Notes of cherry, plum and spice on the nose. Excellent velvety mouth-feel. Full bodied, but smooth, not tannic – robust enough for all red meat dishes. Detected some secondary notes of cedar, may have had some oak aging? At a good price point for Malbec, this will compete with market leader Trivento.

Region of Origin – Mendoza
Wine Colour – Red
Price – £8.99
Where do I get it from? – Waitrose, Sainsburys (£1 cheaper…)
Current Vintage – 2019
Type of Closure – Screw top
Bottle size – 750ml
Grape – 100% Malbec
Country – Argentina
Verdict – Good wine for the price – just edges it over Trivento…
Food Pairings: Went very well with sirloin steak and chips.