Wine & Food

In Mendoza, wine was born for the grill fire, not the other way around. Asado — thick beef, cooked for hours over wood embers — appears on the table practically every weekend. Malbec, with its velvety tannin and rich dark fruit, is exactly the wine such meat demands.

The reason lies in the fat. Tannin binds to protein and fat, becoming softer as a result, while the charred crust of the meat mirrors the smoky toast notes from the oak barrel. Then there's chimichurri, a sauce of parsley, garlic, vinegar, and oil. Its acidity balances out exactly what might otherwise make a bold red wine feel heavy.

A second pillar of Mendoza's cuisine is chivito, young goat meat traditionally cooked over an open fire around Malargüe. Its flavor is more intense, and slightly wilder, than beef, which is why a Malbec from high altitude often suits it best, its fresher acidity accompanying the robust meat rather than overwhelming it.

Before the main course, provoleta almost always makes an appearance — a thick slice of provolone. It melts on the grill until crusted and is sprinkled with oregano. Salt and toasty flavors make young tannin more approachable, which is why a still-sharp Malbec suddenly tastes rounder alongside this cheese.

Not every Mendoza dish calls for a big red. The local empanada is more delicate. Baked rather than fried and often filled with olives, it calls for a younger, lighter Malbec or even Bonarda, since a heavy wine from the Valle de Uco would bring too much weight to the table next to such delicate pastry.