It's genesis, many believe, was on April 17, 1853, when with the support of Mendoza's, Governor Pedro Pascual Segura, a bill for the foundation of a Quinta Normal and School of Agriculture was submitted to the Provincial Legislature in Argentina. The House of Representatives enacted it as law that same year. Argentine wine historians believe that this was a pivotal moment in the history of the Malbec grape varietal in that country, hence the reason that Wines of Argentina - an organisation responsible for promoting the image of Argentine wines around the world, decided to establish April 17 as Malbec World Day to honour the country's emblematic variety.

Malbec World Day was first officially celebrated worldwide in 2011. This writer organised a small Malbec tasting with the then Argentine ambassador and a few importers so Jamaica would not be left out. This year, the officials at the Argentine embassy asked me to coordinate a bigger event at the embassy residence. I eagerly accepted and then promptly enlisted my wife, Kerri-Anne to organise the event, pulling together all the importers of Malbec wines, and more importantly inviting true wine enthusiasts to come and sample the very best Malbec wines available locally.

With just about 12 importers of wines in Jamaica, we were very grateful that seven agreed to provide product support, five of which actually mounted displays and poured some really great Malbec. Pouring were: Betco Premier Limited Caribbean Producers Jamaica; J Wray and Nephew; Lascelles Wines and Spirits, and Select Brands. Grace Foods and Smith Russell supported the event by providing wines, but were unable to attend.

The wines

Just under 100 persons were able to sample a range of Malbec wines made by Alfredo Roca, Catena, La Celia, Las Moras Renacer, Trapiche and Trivento. A truly great evening was had by all. Here are highlights:

Chris Reckord - Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter: @DeVineWines @Reckord