Gaucho Restaurants and Chapel Down to produce Malbec

An Argentinian restaurant and an English wine producer have joined forces to make a 2011 Malbec.

The grapes that the Gaucho Restaurant Group and Kent winery Chapel Down are using have been grown in Mendoza and will be vinified in England.

Some 2100 kilos of old vine Malbec grapes have just been picked at one of the Gaucho’s own vineyards in Mendoza under the supervision of Gaucho restaurants’ wine director Phil Crozier, and Chapel Down chief Frazer Thompson.

The grapes were packed in chilled 8kg boxes for the transatlantic flight to Heathrow via Buenos Aires.

When the grapes land at Heathrow, they will be picked up by a refrigerated van and taken to the Chapel Down winery in Kent, where they will be vinified.

About 2000 bottles will be produced which will go on sale next year at both Chapel Down and Gaucho restaurants.

The idea is the brainchild of organisation Wines of Argentina to tie in with World Malbec Day on April 17.

‘No-one has ever done this before, so it’s an exciting and serious winemaking project that we have put together with the Gaucho and Chapel Down. It could be the first of many’.

On top of the UK partnership, Wines of Argentina has also organised another crushing in New York with the Malbec grapes coming from one of winemaker Mauricio Lorca’s top vineyards. From there the wines will be transported to the City Winery in NYC where the wine will be made.

So far, no name has been given to the wines which will both be released on World Malbec Day 2012.

Written by John Stimpfig