HAPPY INTERNATIONAL MALBEC DAY!

Today is International Malbec Day, and what better occasion for us to tell you about this amazing variety.

2020 Malbec ~ noble & rustic, a wine to speal of the land.
The label, designed by Chris Edser, evokes feelings of bush herbs, mushrooms and salted meats on the nose, soft and inviting plush black fruits on the palate. It's juicy with length, laid back & generous.

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It's a wine that gains your attention. On the one hand it seems quite modern, and on the other it has a vintage vibe. If you look closely, you will notice some native birds, a few mushrooms and pieces of … an old rusty tractor! Either way, it has a healthy down to earth character.

Ideal for a long table lunch under the verandah!

Check out the trailer we did for the release of our latest vintage:

The traditional role of Malbec in Australia was as a blending partner in dry red styles.
A popular blend until the 1980s was 'CSM' - Cabernet Shiraz Malbec.
After the turn of the current century, Australian winemakers renewed their interest in Malbec. There has been a marked increase in plantings mostly to make varietal wines. (Source: Vinodiversity, https://www.vinodiversity.com/malbecday.html)

We chose Malbec as we were looking for something that has a South American appeal. We had Tannat but we felt like Malbec was more on trend, less tannic, good for blends, medium-bodied and food friendly.

If you haven't had Malbec before, it has Cabernet herbaceous characters, but purple & velvet fruits with floral freshness and black tea flavours with some fine tannins. It's a bit like Cabernet Franc actually!

Malcom says it's a lovely variety to grow. It has small bunches & berries, but is low yield so it can be astringent & firm if you are not “soft” with the winemaking. It is very popular in McLaren Vale.

What we love about it is that it is our first picked red variety so it gets a lovely time & care in the winery to make a bright, fresh, fruity, with a touch savoury style ~ which is our own.
It’s pretty & rustic at same time.
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MAKING YOU HUNGRY JUST READING ABOUT IT?
WE'VE GOT THE PERFECT RECIPE TO HAVE WITH OUR MALBEC:

Rabbit & Porcini Stew

What you’ll need:

2 rabbits (ask your butcher to prepare them) // Vego option: replace therabbit by lentils for good proteins! Otherwise, make is a mushroom stew with a variety of mushrooms of your choice.

10g porcini mushrooms

250ml warm water

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 brown onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery sticks, chopped

2 sprigs sage, whole

1 sprig thyme, whole

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (if you don’t have fresh herbs, dried will do the trick too)

100g tomato paste (or whole tomatoes pre-cooked and mashed)

140g prunes

125 mL Hither & Yon 2018 Malbec

750 mL chicken stock

What you’ll do:

Season the rabbits prior to cooking.
Soak the porcini mushrooms in the warm water for 20 minutes.
Preheat a pot with 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium for 2 minutes. Add the rabbit, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, sage, thyme and bay leaf to the pots. Cook gently for 5 minutes until brown.
In the meantime, gently remove the porcini from the water. You’ll need to be really soft and gentle; the water should not be disturbed and any dirt coming from the mushrooms should remain at the bottom of the liquid.
Roughly chop the soaked mushrooms and add them to the pot. Also add the prunes.
Cook for 3 min, then add the tomato paste
Caramelise for a minute and add the H&Y Malbec to deglaze.
Reduce to a thick paste and add ¾ of the mushroom liquid (making sure no dirt comes into your mix).
Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and put a lid on. Let simmer for up to 2 hours, checking regularly if the rabbit is ready. The flesh should come off the bones super easily, that’s when you know it’s cooked!
Once it’s cooked, remove the sage, bay leaf and thyme from the dish.

Serve immediately with parsley on top, and a glass of H&Y Malbec!
Enjoy ♥

You can purchase our Malbec here.