Famiglia Boron Malbech Veneto IGP – Raspberry-Rich, Smooth Italian Red Wine

Famiglia Boron Malbech Veneto IGP

Famiglia Boron Malbech Veneto IGP is a smooth, characterful Italian red from Annone Veneto, packed with ripe red-berry fruit and a particularly lovely raspberry note. Made from 100% Malbech and coming in at 12% ABV, it has plenty of flavour without becoming heavy, with a dry, full palate and a soft, lingering finish.

And yes, Malbech is spelt correctly.

It is the Italian name for the grape most wine drinkers will know as Malbec. We’re much more accustomed to seeing Malbec associated with Argentina, which is one of the reasons this Veneto version is so interesting.

This isn’t an enormous, heavily oaked red designed to knock you backwards. Boron’s style is fresher, softer and particularly easy to put on the dinner table.

What does Boron Malbech taste like?

In the glass, the colour is an intense ruby red with violet reflections.

The aroma is immediately fruity, but not in a sweet or jammy way. Red berries lead the nose, with raspberry particularly noticeable, alongside the naturally vinous character of the grape.

On the palate it is dry and surprisingly full, especially considering the very manageable 12% ABV.

There’s plenty of fruit, but what makes the wine particularly easy to enjoy is its texture.

The finish is rounded, soft and persistent. You don’t get a wall of aggressive tannin or excessive alcohol. Instead, the fruit and body carry through the mouth before leaving a smooth, savoury finish.

It has around 5.10g/l of residual sugar and approximately 5.00g/l of total acidity. In practical terms, that means the wine remains properly dry while retaining enough freshness to stop the fruit feeling heavy.

For us, that balance is the attraction.

It has enough flavour to stand alongside a proper meal, but you don’t need a steak the size of your head to justify opening it.

Malbech – the Italian side of Malbec

Most people hear Malbec and immediately think of Argentina.

That makes this bottle an interesting one.

Malbech is the name used for the same grape in Italy, where it has been grown for generations. Boron produces theirs in north-eastern Italy, giving you a rather different expression from the powerful, deeply ripe Malbec styles many British drinkers will already know.

The emphasis here is on red fruit, raspberry, freshness and softness.

It is still recognisably a proper red wine with body, but it feels less about sheer power and more about being enjoyable with food.

If you enjoy Malbec but sometimes find the bigger examples a little too alcoholic or heavy, Boron’s Malbech is well worth trying.

And if you’ve never tried Malbec before, it’s an unusually approachable place to start.

Made by the Boron family in Veneto

The Boron family has been making wine in this part of Veneto since 1954.

The estate began with Remigio and Amedeo Boron and has since passed to the next generation, with Sabrina, Andrea and Roberto Boron continuing the family business.

The winery is based in Loncon di Annone Veneto, in the Lison Pramaggiore wine country of north-eastern Italy.

This is very much a working family winery rather than a label created purely for export.

Boron combines the knowledge built up over several generations with modern winemaking equipment, including temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, pneumatic presses and on-site bottling.

That combination makes sense when you taste the wines.

They don’t feel overworked. The fruit is allowed to do most of the talking.

How is Famiglia Boron Malbech made?

The wine is made from 100% Malbech grapes grown around Annone Veneto.

Harvest takes place towards the end of September, giving the grapes time to develop their colour, fruit and flavour.

Once at the winery, fermentation takes place in stainless-steel vats.

The juice remains in contact with the grape skins for around 15 days at a controlled temperature of approximately 26–30°C. This skin contact draws colour, flavour and structure from the grapes, giving the wine its deep ruby-purple appearance and fuller character.

After alcoholic fermentation, the wine is transferred to another stainless-steel tank where it goes through malolactic fermentation.

That second fermentation helps soften the wine’s natural acidity and contributes to the rounded texture you notice when drinking it.

The finished Malbech then spends around four months in stainless steel followed by three months in bottle.

There’s no heavy oak treatment trying to turn it into something bigger.

The focus stays on the fruit, the natural body of Malbech and that smooth finish.

What should you eat with it?

This is a red that genuinely likes food.

Boron recommends it with medium-aged cured meats, cheeses, tasty pasta and rice dishes, and meat, which gives you plenty of options.

A very easy place to start is a plate of salami and cured meats. The salt and fat in the meat work beautifully with Malbech’s red fruit and dry finish.

For something more substantial, try it with a proper lasagne. Tomato, meat, pasta and melted cheese give the wine enough richness to work with, while its freshness stops the whole meal becoming too heavy.

It also makes a very easy partner for roast beef, particularly if you want a red with enough body for the meat without reaching for something very high in alcohol.

And don’t overlook cheese. A good cheese board with mature or semi-mature cheeses, crackers and cured meats is exactly the sort of relaxed food this wine suits.

We’d also happily pour it with:

• Salami and charcuterie
• Hard and semi-mature cheeses
• Lasagne
• Beef ragu
• Tagliatelle al ragù
• Sausages
• Roast beef
• Grilled pork
• Meatballs in tomato sauce
• Rustic pasta dishes
• Meat-based risotto
• Roasted vegetables
• Pizza with meat or cured-meat toppings

If dinner is already planned and you’re deciding what bottle to open, our food and wine pairing guide lets you search hundreds of dishes and find Italian wines that actually suit what you’re eating.

Who is this wine for?

If you normally buy Malbec, this is the obvious reason to try it.

You’ll recognise the generous fruit and body, but Boron’s Veneto style is rather more restrained than many warmer-climate versions.

At 12% ABV, it’s noticeably easier going than some big reds, while still giving you plenty of flavour.

It’s also a good bottle for someone who tends to find Cabernet Sauvignon too firm or heavier reds a little tiring by the second glass.

The raspberry-led fruit makes it immediately approachable, while the dry palate and soft finish stop it becoming simple or sweet.

In other words, it’s a red wine you can actually drink rather than spend twenty minutes discussing before anyone is allowed to pour it.

How should you serve it?

Boron recommends serving this Malbech at around 16–18°C.

That is worth paying attention to.

British homes are often warmer than the traditional idea of “room temperature”, and red wine can become dull and overly alcoholic if it is served too warm.

If the bottle has been sitting in a warm kitchen, putting it in the fridge for around 15–20 minutes before opening can bring it closer to the right temperature.

A normal red-wine glass is absolutely fine.

You don’t need to decant it, although giving the wine a little time in the glass certainly won’t hurt.

Wine details

Producer: Famiglia Boron / Azienda Agricola Boron
Country: Italy
Region: Veneto
Area: Annone Veneto
Grape: 100% Malbech (Malbec)
Classification: Veneto IGP
Style: Dry Italian red wine
ABV: 12%
Colour: Intense ruby red with violet reflections
Aroma: Fruity red berries with raspberry particularly noticeable
Taste: Dry, full and rounded
Finish: Soft and persistent
Residual sugar: Approximately 5.10g/l
Total acidity: Approximately 5.00g/l
Serving temperature: 16–18°C
Food pairing: Cured meats, cheeses, pasta, risotto and meat dishes
Harvest: End of September
Vinification: Approximately 15 days of skin maceration in stainless steel followed by malolactic fermentation
Ageing: Four months in stainless steel followed by three months in bottle
Winery: Boron family winemaking tradition since 1954

Why we chose it

Malbech is exactly the sort of bottle we enjoy having at Donzella because it gives you something familiar and something different at the same time.

If you know Malbec, the name immediately gives you a point of reference.

But this isn’t trying to imitate a huge Argentinian red.

Boron gives the grape a lighter touch.

You get ripe raspberry and red-berry fruit, a properly dry palate, good body and a soft finish, all at a very sensible 12% ABV.

It works with food, it’s easy to open on an ordinary evening and it comes from a genuine family producer in Veneto.

And at the current end of our range, it proves that an interesting Italian red doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

If you like Malbec but fancy discovering what the grape can do in Italy, this is the bottle we’d start with.

You can also browse our Italian red wine collection for more bottles from independent producers across Italy.