Trivento Cab From Argentina Is Perfect Wine For Grilling

Trivento Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2013, Argentina
Cost: $10-13
A s grilling season heats up, all of us grillers will be looking for a wine to serve with our special concoctions. And I have the perfect wine for all your grilling.
The Trivento Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve tastes like it was made for grilled meats. I have had it many times and it never disappoints. It makes all kinds of grilled meat taste better.
I was reminded of how good a grilling wine this is recently when I helped a friend grill ribs and chicken. I have had this wine before and always enjoyed it, but for some reason this time it was spectacular.

A deep garnet color in the glass, it has inviting aromas of red berries, mint and herbs. The first sip finds juicy red fruit with round tannins. It is a full-bodied wine, but not overpowering. The finish is long and smooth.
The grapes are from the Mendoza region of Argentina, primarily from the Maipu region. After the grapes are harvested by hand they are macerated and then fermented for 10 days in stainless steel tanks. After natural malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged in French oak barrels for six months and aged for an additional five months in the bottle before it is released.
Argentina continues to be one of the great value regions in wine. Their wines often have deep European roots but with a style all their own. With the Andes Mountains as a backdrop, a unique grape growing and winemaking culture has emerged. I have enjoyed Argentine wines for more than 20 years, and often find great bargains such as this one.
The Trivento cab is made from 100 percent cabernet sauvignon grapes grown at high altitudes. Rocky alluvial soil with little rain contributes to the great conditions for grape growing. Big swings in day-night temperatures and fresh winds from the Andes help the grapes ripen slowly and develop great aromatics.
This is a terrific, affordable wine that is great sipping by itself, but also pairs with a wide variety of foods.
Winery: Trivento Bodegas y Viñedos began in 1996, owned by famed Vina Concha y Toro. The Chilean wine company wanted to gain a foothold in Argentina and wanted to produce wines that preserve the character of the grapes created by the winds that sweep Argentina.

Trivento means three winds. Polar winds blow in from the south, cold and icy, bringing on the winter stages of the vineyards. This is when pruning begins. The Sudestada wind is the fresh breeze of summer. Cloudiness and the breeze keeps the grapes from baking in the hot, dry summer, and help in uniform ripening. Zonda winds descend from the Andes all year long, but hot and dry gusts in spring promote budding of the vines.
Trivento owns 3,185 acres in eight vineyards, one of the largest estates in Mendoza, Argentina’s premier wine region. Rainfall averages only eight inches a year, but spring snowmelt is channeled from the nearby Andes Mountains and brought to the vines via a drip irrigation that allows grapes to grow in the arid region.
The vineyards are in the Maipu, Tupungato and Rivadavia districts. The company also buys small amounts of fruit from growers under long-term contracts. The vineyards display a wide variety of soil, topography and microclimates.
Trivento produces a large number of wines under the Eolo, Golden Reserve, Amado Sur, Reserve and Brisa de Abril labels.
The Reserve line includes Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Torrontes, Chardonnay and Cabernet/Malbec.

Goes with: I most recently had this great wine with grilled ribs, chicken and duck sausage. My good friend Clint Bryant was cooking for the 3M Invitational golf tournament for collegiate women’s teams. He does that every year on the day before the tournament, and I think the women look forward to the food as much as the golf.
It’s a great event because women golfers from all over the country and their coaches get to play three days of golf on the beautiful Forest Hills course, and the host athletic director cooks great food for them. There also is a men’s tournament in two weeks.
Clint is a great cook, an innovator who constantly changes his recipes. His basic grill secret is to cook everything low and slow–at a low temperature for a long time. He and his friend “Little John” had already started the ribs by the time I got there, and I just followed the wonderful smell to the grill.

As always, the ribs and chicken came off the grill moist and tender. As he cut up the ribs and chicken to serve, he basted them with more mop sauce to make sure it was moist. The taste is incredible, a hint of hot spice, some complex herb flavors and always the juicy meat flavor coming through.
This cab was a perfect match, with plenty of rich fruit to play off the tasty ribs and chicken. Several people who came by to help with the taste testing of the meat loved the wine.
This wine would also pair well with savory pasta dishes, spicy sauces, red meats and hearty cheeses.