There are few wines as evocative of place as a great Malbec. Pour a glass, and you are transported instantly to the foothills of the Andes, where vines cling to a mountain terrace. It is fitting, then, that Gaucho, the London-born standard-bearer of Latin American dining since 1994, has chosen this most singular of grapes for its latest collaboration.
The restaurant is running a curated wine menu created in partnership with writer, author, and broadcaster Hannah Crosbie, alongside Lucas Löwi, Estate Director of the celebrated Terrazas de los Andes winery. The pairing is available across all nineteen Gaucho restaurants nationwide during May.
Terrazas de los Andes occupies a rarefied position in the world of fine wine. Founded three decades ago in Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, the estate built its reputation on an “Ascension Journey”, a quest to plant vines at ever greater elevations across Mendoza’s most coveted appellations. From the historic Malbec parcels of Las Compuertas at 1,070 metres to El Espinillo in Gualtallary, perched at 1,650 metres and recognised as the highest productive vineyard of the Uco Valley, the winery’s philosophy is one of altitude as artistry.
Crosbie’s choices showcase the breadth of the estate. The Grand Malbec 2022 leads the lineup full-bodied, layered with violet, thyme, blackberries, and a lift of citrus. Besides it, the Reserva Malbec 2024 offers something more generous and immediate, its black fruits laced with mountain spice and a whisper of chocolate.
The menu reaches beyond Malbec, too. A bright, expressive Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 and a Reserva Chardonnay 2024 round out the selection, demonstrating that Mendoza’s high-altitude terroir has rather more to say than the country’s signature grape alone.
The wines find natural partners in Gaucho’s most expressive plates. Hand-cut steak tartare arrives with chimichurri, crispy wonton, and cornichons, a dish made for the herbaceous lift of a young Malbec. The Gaucho churrasco sirloin, spiral-cut and marinated in garlic, parsley, and olive oil, is the kind of bold, flavour-forward classic that the Grand Malbec was practically built to accompany. To finish, a dulce de leche Basque cheesecake, caramelised, molten-centred, unapologetically rich, provides an indulgent closing note.
The curated menu is available now across Gaucho restaurants nationwide. Reservations can be made via gauchorestaurants.com.
