2021 Alavida Malbec ($19)

World Malbec Day is coming up on Sunday, April 17th, an annual holiday that commemorates the founding of the first agricultural school in Argentina in 1853, which was instrumental in the early cultivation of Malbec in the South American nation. And, here’s a great way to celebrate!

This Alavida Malbec is USDA-certified organic and kosher. It’s also vegan, gluten-free and Ecocert-approved. And, it tastes great!

The name Alavida is composed from the Spanish “to life” which is ‘a la vida.’

The grapes for Alavida are grown above 4000 feet in the Andean foothills of the Uco Valley in Argentina. There, daily temperature swings can be up to 60 F resulting in more natural sugar from the hot days and more acidity from the cold nights - a great recipe for wine making!

The winemaking process for Alavida is almost identical to that used in making a non-kosher wine, with two exceptions. Ingredients such as yeast must be kosher, and the wine must be physically made by a sabbath-observant Jewish team under the supervision of a rabbi. For Alavida that means double the number of people involved: a Jewish team member to handle grapes and wine, paired with a home team member standing alongside and directing. For Alavida, that entailed five duos! Winemaker Rodrigo Serrano gave the work orders; his Jewish counterparts executed them.

This Alavida Malbec is medium purple in color with aromas of red fruit, spices, herbal notes and buttery-oak. On the palate have flavors of red fruits and red raspberry, medium tannin, medium-low acidity, some earthiness and hints of the oak on the finish.

Alavida Organic Kosher Malbec is a wonderful wine that is fully deserving of being a Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Look for this one and raise a glass for World Malbec Day on April 17th. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Origins Organic Imports and Domaine Bousquet (via Creative Palate Communications)