Gloomy Weather. Gloomy Mood. Gloomy Wine.

Monday was such a bummer. It was a full-on, stereotypical Seattle day: soul-crushing gray skies and constant drizzle. I couldn’t even think about white wine, rosé, or even (gasp!) bubbles. I decided I was going to bring home a wine black as my mood. Alma Negra? (Black Soul?) Perfect.

This is a rich, dense, very tasty wine that filled me with a much-needed warming glow. So what’s this wine all about? The Alma Negra, from Argentina, is a somewhat quirky blend of Bonarda, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. Bonarda is primarily a workhorse blending grape, but more and more I am seeing it as a single-varietal wine or as a major component of a blend. (The Alma Negra is 70% Bonarda.) It’s really low in tannin so you can sip it without any other accompaniment. Just bring your gloom.

PS: Alma Negra also makes a crazy good sparkling Malbec rosé; it’s really pale and elegant, which usually is not Malbec’s MO.

Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle?s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. You can read more of his musings about wine on his blog, Sparkling Vouvray. He?d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.

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