Argentina’s Malbec wine, world-famous for its mature taste and burgundy color, was showcased at a wine-tasting event at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on Friday.

The venue was organized by the Argentine embassy and part of the Malbec World Day on April 17, which celebrates the country’s flagship grape variety through 70 events in 64 cities around the world.

“Malbec is an art that expresses the essence of being Argentine ― our bond with our land as well as passion, warmth and trust in life,” Argentine Ambassador Jorge Roballo said in a speech. “With a glass of Malbec, you will get a taste of our history shaped by the European settlers, who toiled the harsh land to produce the world’s finest wine.”

Malbec has a full-bodied taste due to its robust tannin structure, and goes well with Korean food, said Choi Hoon, the president of Korean Academy of Wines at the event. 

“When I visited Argentina several years ago, I witnessed a beautiful scenery of mineral-rich water melting from the snow-covered Andes Mountains and flowing into the streams and wetting the fertile land,” he said. “That the Malbec wine, despite having originated in France, now represents Argentina’s finest spirit is an undeniable reality.”

The Malbec originated in Bordeaux, Cahors and Loire Valley in France, and was imported to Argentina in the mid-19th century by a French agronomist Michel Aime Pouget.

With the help of Italian and French immigrants, Malbec adapted quickly to the country’s varied terroirs and developed even better than those from France, according to the Wines of Argentina, an Argentine promotional agency.

Park Han-wool, an employee at the Ola Restaurant in Some Sevit in Seoul, who participated in the event, said Malbec is known as a high-end wine among Korean connoisseurs.

“People come to the restaurant with good knowledge of wines compared to five years ago, when they simply ordered the restaurant’s recommendation,” she told The Korea Herald. “Thanks to the wine comics, ‘Droplets of God’ by Japanese animation writer Shin Kibayashi, many Korean wine-lovers are gaining insight into the complex world of wine-drinking.”

These days, more people order wine to go along with Korean dishes instead of Korean drinks, she noted.

Twelve importing companies from 16 wineries presented wine varieties at the event: Kooksoondang, Keumyang International, Kiljin International, Les Vins de Maeil, Lotte Liquor, Luvincorea, Mendoza Wine Korea, Shindong Wine, Shinsegae L&B, LB Wine, Winell and World Wine.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)