Mid-April is Malbec Week season in Argentina, a date meant to celebrate the arrival of this French-origin grape to the South American country.

Officially, the date is April 17 for World Malbec Day.  That is when the Malbec grape was officially part of President Faustino Sarmiento’s programs for increasing grape and wine production in Argentina.  Frenchman Michel Aimé Pouget is who Sarmiento hired to work on increasing viticulture.

The grape might not be Argentina’s originally, but no other wine is more associated with the country than Malbec.  It grows perfectly in the Mendoza region, based on a combination of soil, climate, moisture and other factors within the Andean region. 

It produces a fragrant, slightly sweet wine, with rich velvet texture, often hints of leather and jam.  Everywhere you go in Argentina, you will find it on menus, and people commonly say they will toast something with Malbec.

If you’re in Argentina on that date – whether in Buenos Aires, the capital, or in Mendoza, where the wine is grown, or in any other region, there are plenty of places where you can gather to toast your good fortune to be holding a glass of malbec in hand.

In Buenos Aires, there are plenty of wine bars and restaurants which will host specific events for Malbec Week and World Malbec Day.  Among them is one of my own favorite spaces, Aldo’s Vinoteca in the San Telmo neighborhood.  The restaurant offers simple cuisine, tailored to be perfectly matched with various wines.

  The entire venue, from its apron-festooned waiters in black and white, to its cream colored streamlined interior with a hint of red lighting calls to mind being in Italy in the 1930s.  Aldo is a native of Buenos Aires, and has been in the wine industry since he was a child.  He also hosts a radio program on wine.  Even if you’re not in Buenos Aires for the date, head to Aldo’s no matter when you are there.

For a total wine immersion that week, you might want to try Hotel Mio in Recoleta.  It is a beautiful space, even with its various quirks.  You’ll find wonderful amenities, and large bathrooms, even if they have a large wooden tub in the middle of them, meant for romance, but often in the way as you’re getting ready.  It is billed as the country’s first wine themed hotel, though one could argue almost every hotel in Mendoza, the country’s wine capital, already had that label years before.

You have a few choices in terms of how you want to see Mendoza during Malbec Week. You can stay in Mendoza itself, and use the city as a base for exploring the wineries. One high end choice in town is the Park Hyatt Mendoza, built into an historic property.  It’s right in the center of town, off of Plaza Independencia.  While there is great cuisine in the hotel, one of the finest restaurants in all of Argentina is several blocks from the hotel at Argentine chef Francis Mellmann’s Restaurant 1884.

The other option is to stay in a wine resort. One of the very best is the Cavas Wine Lodge. There is a main house for the resort, and individual adobe bungalows set just outside of the vineyard. Each bungalow has its own private hot tub and a roof terrace for watching the sunrise and set. It’s really a romantic option. If you stay at this or any other wine resort, it’s best to have your own rent-a-car so that you can also go and explore on your own.  They can of course arrange transit to and from the airport and anywhere, but a car will make things easier in the long run.

Most winery tours will take in about 3-4 wineries, with lunch at one of them. There are two main valleys around Mendoza, the closest is Maipu, where most wineries are located. The Valley begins about 10 miles from the center of Mendoza. There is also the desert like Valle de Uco, which is more than 50 miles away. Timewise, it might make sense to stick with Maipu.

Whether in town or a remote lodge with its own winery, it’s easy to book tours to the various wineries. You won’t need your own car, the hotel concierge can book all of these tours, either as groups, or by private hires. Among the most pleasant wineries to visit is the popular Bodega Familia Zuccardi where I have had a few lunches over the years. For a very small, yet interesting winery, I recommend visiting the Mendel Winery. For specialized wine tours I recommend the tour company Wine and Trout – run by Irishman Charlie O’Malley – who also contributes to Frommer’s Argentina, which is how I know him and trust his recommendations.  He is also the publisher of the English language Mendoza wine magazine Wine Republic and simply just knows his stuff.

More details on Mendoza and other locations we talk about on Argentina’s Official Travel Site and here at About.com.

So there is no excuse for not enjoying Malbec Week in Argentina!  It’s definitely something to raise a glass of Malbec to!