The Wine and Empanada Challenge: Part I
By: Jameson Fink
Published: April 18, 2011

I had a couple sample bottles, two blends from Argentina, kicking around in my home wine cellar (aka "bedroom closet") that needed to be blogged about. And since this is Foodista, not Wineista, I felt compelled to work some food angle into the post. So I decided to see how two reds with a significant chunk of Malbec, Argentina's signature grape, would perform with a signature dish: empanadas.
Although Foodista might revoke my credentials, I have to confess that I did not make them myself from scratch. I turned to my local Empanada Delivery Service (what, you don't have one?), Pampeana. I received 3 dozen adorable frozen little pastries and decided that I would bake the beef and chicken to pair with the first wine, the 2008 Clos de los Siete. It's a Malbec/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvigon/Syrah/Petit Verdot (whew!) blend made by Michel Rolland. He's quite a polarizing figure in the wine industry (see Mondovino), but my experience with all the wines he's been associated with have been good to great. (I am especially fond of the 1999 Chateau Fontenil; it changed my whole perception about Bordeaux.)

So with a glass of wine poured, I started devouring the beef empanadas pictured at the top of this post. A blend of onions, sweet peppers, raisins, hard-boiled egg, and garlic, they were a slam-dunk with the Clos de los Siete. There is a lot of rich, sweet fruit in this red that played well with the raisins, onions, and peppers. And since this wine is a bit of a bruiser, it easily handled the highly-seasoned beef. I liked the balance in this wine; sometimes Argentine Malbec (and any other hot-climate red) can get so ripe that it's over-the-top and port-like. This is where the the high elevation of the Clos de los Siete vineyards come in: cooler weather mitigates over-ripeness, preserving the refreshacidity that provides a refreshing lift as you get ready for your next bite.

The Clos de Siete was also a great match with the chicken empanadas, which also contained red peppers, green and white onions, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese. I liked the earthiness of the mushrooms and the richness of the cheese; these ingredients gave the empanadas the extra oomph needed to stand up to the wine.
I wish I could get a do-over on baking the empanadas. They got nice and brown on the bottom but the tops never came around. I think I'd put them on a higher rack in the oven and maybe crank up the heat a bit from the suggested 350 degrees.
Bonus: Pampeana gives you this adorable key so you can tell your empanadas apart without breaking them open:

Flaky pastry, savory meat fillings, and a bold, rich red to match? What's not to love?
Look for Part II: Meatless Empanadas soon!
Full disclosure: The wine was a sample provided free-of-charge.