I recently received a pleasant surprise when my UPS man showed up with a box containing a complimentary bottle of Frontera Malbec 2011. I was particularly excited to receive this – although I’ve reviewed some very lovely sparkling and dessert wines, my all-time favorite type of wine is classic red. I’ve always liked red wine for its taste and its ability to serve as a versatile accompaniment to many different meals – or just to savor on its own. I love trying different “New reds” and discovering different varieties that I enjoy, so over the weekend I decided to bust out this new bottle and see how I liked it.
For some reason, we had the most difficult time uncorking this! After hearing me struggle to loosen the cork, Jai came over to help and found it to be stubborn also. At one point, I held the bottom of the bottle while he pulled as hard as he could, and still the cork did not budge. At this point I said to him, “How many bloggers does it take to open a bottle of wine?” 😉 But after some more huffing and puffing we were able to free the cork and finally taste this anticipated wine.
Frontera Malbec did not disappoint. This is a classic dry red wine, with a flavor that is tart and sharp but is still smoothly drinkable. Frontera is hailed as the best-selling Chilean wine in the world, and I can see why – with its appealing flavor and low price point (Bottles of Frontera Malbec typically retail for under $10), Frontera is a winner.
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It is always fun when wine gets delivered to your door!
Now that’s a special delivery! Nice price also.
Your cork experience reminds me of when I was reviewing apple soda and could not get the top off we did not have a bottle opener and had to get creative 🙂
it’s always fun to get nice little surprises like wine 🙂
I don’t think I have ever seen this wine before! I always have trouble with corks…I make the husband do the wine opening!
Love your recommendation! I never know how to choose other than recommendations from others!
Sounds yummy and good price!
Sounds like an awesome wine. Glad you were able to get it open.
I’ve always liked experiencing different wines and this one sounds great.
I want some wine delivered to my house. LOL. Maybe some kind of white wine though as I am not a big red wine fan. Maybe Melinda would like this and under $10 sounds like a score to me. Thanks for sharing.
Yummy! I love wine! Love it even more when it’s delivered to me!
Looks delish! I love wine!
thanks for the review – sounds like the exact red I like, dry and tart (and delivered to my door, ha!)
I’ve tried the Frontera Merlot and like that. This sounds good too. Thanks for the review!
I regularly purchase Frontera reds, most often their Malbec, but also their Carmenere and “Vintage Red.” The Malbec is from Argentina (though I recall that it is from a province other than Medoza), and I enjoy it. Strictly in terms of quality, it is good, though not exceptional. In terms of value, it is more than exceptional, when purchased at one of the local liquor stores here (Peachtree City, Georgia), which routinely sells the 1.5 liter of all Frontera wines for only $7.48 per bottle. However, the local supermarkets sell it for in the $9-$12 range, at the high end of which there may be options of equal or better quality.
By the way, I asked the liquor store about their Frontera price (in most cases, their prices are lower, but not THAT much lower than supermarket prices). They told me that they had seen an opportunity for a huge discount on a good wine, and decided to order (and to continue to order) large quantities. They have a Mondavi Woodbridge Malbec at $10.99 for 1.5 liters and, when I asked, the two clerks both recommended the Frontera Malbec over the Woodbridge.
I saw this wine at Sam’s club this week at a price under $7 for a 1.5 liter and wondered about trying it. Thanks for the review. Also buy yourself a good German professional corkscrew. They have a release handle that simplifies removing the cork.
I just had this tonight. Not good at all. Not even close to being a dry wine.