Food pairings
This is where Cabernet earns its keep. Blended with Malbec — often with a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in a Bordeaux-inspired style — it adds structure, tannin and ageing potential to Malbec's plush fruit. The result is Argentina's “icon wine” category: the bottles that compete on the world stage.
The landmark moment came with Nicolás Catena Zapata. Its inaugural 1997 vintage, a Cabernet Sauvignon–Malbec blend, won a series of blind tastings against prestigious cuvées from around the world — a result that announced Argentina as a source of genuinely world-class reds, not just great value. Estates like Mendel built reputations on Cabernet of real concentration and ageability. The grape that arrived as a supporting actor had quietly become a headliner.
