Wine Lines — Two levels of Trivento Malbecs warrant a try

Opinion

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This article was published 02/02/2018 (2773 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I’m always perplexed by wineries that sell their flagship wines (which are usually fairly expensive) under pretty much the same label as their lower-end products.

Granted, the one I’m about to discuss doesn’t do quite that, as you can see in the accompanying photo, but still. The name is very similar — a one-word difference — and I think that can be enough to confuse a lot of people.

Before I get to that, though, I recall with a great deal of embarrassment an occasion several years ago when a dear friend from far away brought a bottle of wine — the Jackson-Triggs Meritage — to my place for dinner one night. There were six or more of us here, and I had plenty of wine on hand, but she wanted to bring something special because she knew and knows how much I adore good wine. What she didn’t know was I don’t particularly care for Meritage. But that wasn’t the issue.

I saw the label “Jackson-Triggs” and immediately dismissed the wine, because at that time, I wasn’t even aware the company had an upper-level wine selection. And the label for both the low-end and high-end products was similar, so much so that I didn’t read the label closely at all. I simply saw the winery moniker and was, quite frankly, surprised she’d brought such a (what I at the time thought was) cheapie wine for dinner. This woman is known for her generosity and good taste, so I was really bemused.

I tried the Meritage, though, and was truly surprised by how good it was. Regardless of the fact I thought it was a not-so-high-quality product, I was struck by how good it was, at least for a Meritage. But rather than having more of it, I went back to what I had already opened to accompany the meal.

The next day, or a few days later — whenever it was — I was in the 10th and Victoria Liquor Mart and checked the price of the Meritage. It was around the $20 mark, and — not that quality and price always go hand in hand, but often they do — I immediately felt guilty and mortified that I’d snubbed her carefully chosen gift. This happened many years ago (10 years, I think) and I’ve never forgotten how ashamed I felt, and still feel. But it was a good lesson, one that was learned harshly, but that has served me well in the ensuing years.

So I urge you, too, not to make snap judgments and to do what I didn’t do, which is read the label carefully so you’re well informed about the wine inside the bottle. To this day, I’ll always give bottles a second and third look — maybe more.

Anyway, today’s wines are from Trivento in Argentina. One is a modest bottle, and the other an award-winning creation that’s really worthy of attention. What caught my eye was that they’re called almost the same thing. The one that costs $13.99 is Trivento Reserve Malbec, while the other is Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec, and the latter sells for $20.99. So again, there’s not much difference in the name, but the difference in the wine is really quite substantial.

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a family gathering, and got the Trivento Golden Reserve for my relatives who like Malbec. I tasted it again, and it truly is a lovely wine. It contains two per cent more alcohol than the Reserve does (14.5 compared to 12.5) and is lush and lovely. Deep purple-black in colour, its plum and cherry notes are prominent, and the oak is beautifully integrated. Smooth and yet intense at the same time, it’s no wonder this is a wine that’s been hailed by many in the industry.

But what really surprised me was that just a few days later, I found a bottle of the lesser expensive Trivento, the Reserve, in my wine fridge, and shared it with a friend who was helping me with the computer problems that always seem to plague me. And I was impressed! Granted, this one didn’t have as much finesse as the Golden Reserve — it was a little rougher around the edges — but I thought that for the price, it was a really decent wine. Purplish-red in colour, it boasted some enticing cherry, spice and tobacco aromas and some mocha undertones that were really interesting.

So while I heartily recommend the Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec, I also suggest the Trivento Reserve Malbec is worth a try, especially if you open it and can leave it in your fridge to expand and blossom for a few days. That really takes it up a notch or three.

And I’ll have a recommendation for a white with which to do the same thing — next week.

» Diane Nelson is a longtime journalist and former Sun staffer who really likes wine. A lot.