April 17 is Malbec World Day, when people in more 50 countries will celebrate the flavor and finesse of Argentina's signature grape. At Argovino, we'll be doing our part with malbec tastings and special features, and chances are there's an event happening near you as well. It's a fantastic day to enjoy the wine that made Argentina famous.
The idea of Malbec World Day is to have fun experiencing wine and all of the things that go with it, just the way Argentines do: food, music, dance, conversation, art, literature, the countryside, and more. To get a sense of what to expect, check out this short video from last year's Malbec World Day. And to find an event in your city, use this interactive map.
Here in New York, we'll be celebrating over two days, April 16 and 17, with "Cambalache: One Night in Argentina" at the indoor Brooklyn Night Market. Cambalache means a big to-do in Argentine Spanish, and it will indeed be big: live music, mural painting, tango, empanadas, steak sandwiches, ice cream, vintage Argentine cocktails, and more glimpses of Argentina. And of course, we'll be tasting malbec and many other wines from dozens of wineries.
Argentine winemaking is full of contrasts between tradition and innovation, and both sides of the coin will be represented just among the malbecs. There will be plenty of classic 100 percent malbecs, including wines from familiar decades-old brands like Bianchi, Norton, and Trapiche, plus European joint ventures like the Caro label from the Rothschilds and Catenas. But there will also be some novelties and rarities: a white wine made from malbec by Vicentin, a barrel-fermented malbec by Patagonia's Familia Schroeder for its Saurus line, an organic malbec from Bianchi, and several single-vineyard renditions.
In addition to malbecs, tastings in New York and around the world will feature Argentine cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay, torrontes, pinot grigio, and even semillon. The variety and experimentation going on right now in Argentina is truly exciting, which makes it all the more appropriate that Malbec World Day be about much more than malbec, for wine as well as for culture. We hope we'll see you there -- if not, follow our Twitter #WineChat on April 17 at 9 p.m. EDT to hear all about the wines we're tasting. Salud!