Pairing:  Buffalo Burgers Paired with a 2011 Montes Twins Malbec/ Cabernet Sauvignon Red Blend

Food:  A year ago, we featured Buffalo Burgers, along with potato salad and coleslaw as our traditional Fourth of July picnic. This year we are repeating that meal, but with different variations for each of the components of the meal. The buffalo (or, perhaps more accurately, bison) burgers are made from a mixture of ground buffalo meat, wild blueberries (really!), Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Version 2.0 of the potato salad has added green peppers, celery, and onion. And we used red cabbage (instead of green) in the coleslaw, giving it the look of a fireworks display! It is the Fourth of July after all!

Wine:  For this year’s picnic, we drank a Malbec/ Cabernet Sauvignon 50/ 50 blend from the Colchagua Valley wine region in central Chile. The region is particularly well known for their Cabernet Sauvignon, considered by some as the best Cab made in all of South America. Both Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon are splendid single varietal wines. Blended together by a skilled winemaker, they become a wine of extraordinary complexity, depth and polish. This is a special (but inexpensive) red wine that goes well with many different foods (read on).

Tasting Notes:  A deeply colored reddish black (thanks to the Malbec in the blend). The aroma is reminiscent of blackberry jam cooking on the stove. The palate is hedgerow jam … a composite of dark berries (blueberry, black raspberry, blackberry, black cherry). Smooth and velvety … the soft tannins feel like gently padded elbows (does that make sense?). A real nice pairing for these buffalo burgers … goes down real easy … and very inexpensive ($11).

Other Wines That Pair Well with Buffalo Burgers: Zinfandel (Sonoma), Shiraz (Australia), Merlot (Italy), Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile), Cahors (France)

Other Foods That Pair Well with a Malbec/ Cab Blend:  Grilled Steak, Meat Loaf, Roast Beef or Lamb, Pizza with Sausage, Mushroom, and/ or Pepperoni

Read About:  http://www.monteswines.com/en/wine_special_wines_montes_twins.php#;

A Source:  www.wine.com