A few weeks ago I received a few messages asking me what the party plan was for Malbec World Day. You see, back in 2011 an organisation called Wines of Argentina (WoA), which has the responsibility for marketing the Argentine wine brand around the world conceptualised Malbec World Day on April 17, as a way to promote Argentina’s newly recognised flagship grape varietal — Malbec. In recent years, with the involvement of the local wine importers and the Argentine Embassy, we were able to host great wine parties with a wide range of Malbec wines on offer. Unfortunately budget cuts curbed our wine party enthusiasm this year.

International Drink Days

It seems that in order to market, promote and bring global recognition to a variety of wines, spirits and cocktails, their marketers have created a national or international “drink of some sort” day in every month of the year. One quick Internet search unearthed dates for… get ready for this: Bloody Mary Day, Hot Toddy Day, Hot Buttered Rum Day, Beer Can Appreciation Day, Irish Coffee Day, Margarita Day, Kaluha Day, Mulled Wine Day, Absinthe Day, Amaretto Day, Moscato Day, Wine Day, Martini Day, Mojito Day, Grand Marnier Day, Tequila Day, Scotch Day, International Beer Day, , National Rum Day, Gin Day, to name some, and they even have an International Hangover Day — go figure!

Lights, Camera, Malbec

Originally grown in the Cahors region of France and referred to as “Cot”, Malbec has enjoyed increasing recognition since the days of the Roman Empire. When phylloxera (microscopic root insects) destroyed the French vineyards towards the end of the

19th century, the “Cot” fell into oblivion. After being brought into Argentina in the mid-1800s, Malbec has been back in the spotlight as sales of Malbec-based wines from Argentina have grown tremendously in recent years. This year WoA and Argentine Foreign Service Offices in major cities such as New York, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, London, Vancouver, Bogota and Lima hosted big events. Each year a theme is created to link Malbec and Argentine culture and this year’s theme is Lights, Camera, Malbec. According to WoA, the silver screen, like wine, is part-art, part-industry. Just like a great movie, “a great wine can create mind-blowing experiences, entertain us, introduce intriguing stories and create unique environments that stimulate our senses”. In some cities, the promotions and celebrations will continue long after the April 17 Malbec World Day.

Malbec World Day 2015

Locally, a few wine-centric locations did make an effort to “do something” to help WoA achieve its objective. For me, at the nth minute I called a few of my always willing wine lovers and we popped open several bottles. The main lessons we learned were that Malbec has two main styles: Premium bottlings are complex, dense and oaky, while bargain brands are lighter and fresher.

Christopher Reckord — Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Instagram: @chrisreckord Twitter: @Reckord