Latest news with #TimAtkin
Time Out
22-05-2025
- Business
- Time Out
Discover Gran Dante 2021, the world's best Malbec winner
Malbec is not only Argentina's most iconic wine but also a gateway for those who fall in love with the local terroir. That's why, and in honor of this remarkable grape, we want to introduce you to Gran Dante Malbec 2021, crafted by Bodega Dante Robino in Mendoza. This wine was crowned the Best Malbec in the World at the prestigious 2024 International Wine Challenge, one of the most rigorous competitions in the industry. This Mendoza label scored 96 points and took home three trophies: Best Malbec from Uco Valley, Best Malbec from Argentina, and the most coveted of all, Best Malbec in the World. Held in London, the competition assessed over 6,000 wines from around the globe in blind tastings conducted by a panel of experts and Masters of Wine, including Tim Atkin and Sam Caporn. 'It's like a Grand Slam for the winery,' says Gonzalo Funes, head winemaker at Dante Robino. The 2021 harvest was marked by exceptional weather, allowing grapes to ripen perfectly, resulting in an elegant and complex expression. The wine offers intense flavor, aromas of fresh red fruits and violets, and subtle oak notes. It has intense flavor, aromas of fresh red fruits and violets, and subtle oak notes Gran Dante Malbec 2021: A Wine That Speaks of Its Origin Gran Dante Malbec 2021 comes from a vineyard located in Los Chacayes, Uco Valley, a high-altitude region (1,150 meters above sea level) internationally acclaimed for the quality of its terroir. This wine perfectly reflects the vintage's characteristics. The 2020–2021 growing season featured a warmer, drier spring with low humidity, which led to rapid vine growth and excellent grape health. Greater temperature variation resulted in an early veraison. All of this yielded a Malbec with an intense aromatic profile and flawless structure. 'The harvest was excellent. This place gives us freshness, even in a high-end, concentrated wine. That fresh fruit character is what consumers are loving right now,' explains Funes, adding, 'What the judges highlighted was precisely the terroir, the grape quality, and the aromatic expression it still holds.' That signature freshness combines with aromatic intensity of red fruits, violets, and a gentle touch of oak. On the palate, it stands out for its volume, structure, smooth tannins, and balance —making it enjoyable now or years from now. It's a Malbec with full varietal expression, showcasing fruit, silkiness, and balance, with a cellaring potential of ten years. A Malbec with full varietal expression, featuring fruit, silkiness, and balance, with a cellaring potential of ten years Technology, Passion, and Teamwork Bodega Dante Robino has also embraced key technological innovations to achieve the high quality seen in Gran Dante Malbec. Starting with the 2021 vintage, the winery implemented an oxygen control system during vinification, which helps preserve aromas and ensures controlled wine evolution. They also developed new tools to monitor fermentation parameters and define model winemaking curves. 'We've been working for years to create wines that represent us on a global scale. Gran Dante Malbec 2021 is the result of that journey—from vineyard selection to bottling. It's a powerful, balanced wine with lush fruit and freshness, representing the pride and passion we pour into each of our wines,' says Gonzalo, who leads the winery's winemaking team. Beyond the technical side, he emphasizes the human factor: 'I like to talk about the team. No matter your expertise, the mark you leave on your team is what truly lasts.' Because Gran Dante Malbec is not only a reflection of its terroir but also of the collaborative spirit driving a winery with more than 100 years of history. Dante Robino was acquired in 2020 by Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, a move that boosted its commitment to quality, technology, and international reach. When it comes to his personal winemaking philosophy, Gonzalo shares: 'I believe in simple, easy-to-drink wines. I think that's what the consumer wants—me included. A wine that needs no explanation, that's enjoyable on its own, and takes you to happy moments.' Awards That Make a Statement The impact of the award was immediate. 'It was a big surprise. We know this kind of recognition doesn't come every year, but now the challenge is to maintain this level and bring the same quality to other labels like Bonarda or Cabernet Franc,' says Funes. In addition to the International Wine Challenge, Gran Dante Malbec 2021 was selected for the World's Best Sommeliers' Selection 2025, where sommeliers from the world's top restaurants (including those in The 50 Best) choose the wines they would include in their wine lists. Only 123 wines worldwide were selected; from Argentina, 13 made the list—six of them Malbecs, including Gran Dante. The jury included 32 professionals, only one of whom was Argentine: Pablo Rivero, owner of the acclaimed parrilla Don Julio. Gran Dante Malbec 2021 was also selected for the World's Best Sommeliers' Selection 2025 'Having our Malbec chosen by the sommeliers of the world's best restaurants fills us with pride. It's confirmation that we're on the right track,' he highlights. The winery offers a wide range of wines, from young and fresh labels to high-end icons like Gran Dante. 'We like to say we make wines from another planet,' jokes Funes, proud that the winery's creations are enjoyed at both everyday meals and the world's most demanding tables. How to Enjoy, Pair, and Find Gran Dante Malbec 2021 Gran Dante Malbec 2021 has the versatility to be enjoyed in different settings. According to Gonzalo, 'It's a wine ready to drink, but it also invites experimentation. You open it, let it breathe, and it changes its nuances over time. It's very expressive.' As for food pairings, Funes suggests pairing Gran Dante Malbec with rich, fatty meats: 'I'd go for a three-finger-thick steak, seared on both sides. But it also pairs well with cheeses and chocolates. It works across several stages of a meal'. The ideal serving temperature? 'I like wine served cool. If it's at 15°C or if the bottle is just slightly fogged, that's perfect. With its refreshing acidity, it gives a very pleasant sensation,' says the winemaker. A Malbec to Celebrate, Toast, and Take Home Gran Dante Malbec 2021 is available at the winery or through its online store, with nationwide shipping. But it can also be the perfect excuse to plan a trip to Mendoza, visit the winery, and take home a bottle as a souvenir. Because Mendoza is not only something you drink—it's something you live.
Telegraph
25-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
The best chilled reds to sip this summer
'Will French cars soon be running on red wine?' asked an article in Le Monde last summer, amid a discussion about French wine overproduction. Note: not rosé or white. The decline in the country's wine consumption, which has been in freefall for decades, is driven by a collapse in red wine sales, which have dropped by about 90 per cent since the 1970s. Earlier this month, though, there was a glimmer of hope for red grape growers: a new survey showed a small rise in the popularity of red wine among French drinkers. The reason could be as simple as people finding their way to red wine styles they like. Both here and across the Channel, there's been a big shift in taste, away from tannin and towards easy-drinking reds. Easy-drinking can mean two different things. For some drinkers, it means sugar. Why? Sugar acts like a gloss, smoothing out the wine, diminishing the perception of acidity and amplifying fruity flavours, all of which is especially pleasing to palates geared towards the taste of ultra-processed food. If you're not sure what dry-sweet red wine tastes like, try picking up a bottle at Aldi, whose overall red wine range is one of the sweetest around: Specially Selected Aglianico del Vulture 2022, Italy (14%, £7.99), has a residual sugar rating of 9g per litre. The new Specially Selected French Caladoc Rouge 2024 (14%, £8.99) comes in at 6g. Most of the Portuguese reds are 8g and on it goes. Red wines pretending to be dry generally make my toes curl, though I make exceptions for individual wines and circumstances – and for certain grapes, such as primitivo, which takes sweetness very well. But there's another set of drinkers, who also like easy-drinking reds and are doing things differently. This lot prize mouth-watering freshness and purity, and vibrant (rather than stewed) fruit flavours. They are buying lighter, fruitier reds and drinking them like they're whites, chilled and in the apero/cocktail slot. The Best Chinon 2023, France (12.5%) £9.25, Morrisons The effect is a surprising return to glory for some wines that were popular in the 1970s. At Morrisons, for instance, The Best Chinon 2023, France (12.5%, £9.25), is a Loire red made from cabernet franc and introduced almost a year ago that has been a surprise hot-seller, according to Charles Cutteridge, wine sourcing manager: 'It was a bit of a stab in the dark [to start selling it] because there's nothing in the data that suggests you should list a Loire red, but it's doing really well.' Some of the new-style reds, however, come from regions better known for wines that are hefty with tannin. At Morrisons, they have a new Fitou, due in over the summer, made in a softly fruity style Fitou drinkers from the Seventies wouldn't recognise. Meanwhile, earlier in spring, the Spanish wine expert Tim Atkin organised an event showcasing the cosecheros of Rioja: artisanal growers making wines full of vitality, using a form of carbonic maceration, a technique also used in Beaujolais. This is Rioja, but it doesn't taste of coconut and vanilla; imagine instead a light and red-fruited style, made to be chilled and drunk in its first flush of youth. Château de Caraguilhes Les Gourgoules Corbières 2023, France (14.5%), £14.50, The Wine Society Over at The Wine Society they've got Château de Caraguilhes Les Gourgoules Corbières 2023, France (14.5%, £14.50), a syrah-grenache-carignan blend that is full-bodied without being heavy, and brimful of flavours of brambles and thyme. Unoaked, a portion is made using this same carbonic maceration technique, which gives it a luminous freshness. Again, it's great served chilled, as are all three of the vital, dry reds in my Wines of the Week. Wines of the week
