SEEING as it’s Easter, this column should really be about Carmenere wine.

That’s the grape that was widely believed to have been killed off when vineyards were destroyed by a Phylloxera plague that swept through Europe – only for it to be rediscovered over a century later alive and well in Chile, with its resurrection in the wine world effectively confirmed in the 1990s when the Chilean Department of Agriculture officially recognised it as a distinct variety.

Or at least the column should be about the kind of wine they had at the Last Supper, possibly the type Jesus once turned water into.

Scholars have looked into this and, while no-one is quite sure what grape variety they would have had, the likelihood, as thought by many, is that it would have been a dark, thick tipple, with spices, fruits, various strong-flavoured ingredients and even tree resin. We’re thinking an ancient kind of Amarone.

However, we’re not writing about Carmenere or Biblical Amarone.

We’re instead looking at a couple of contrasting Malbecs for no other reason than we found them on discount offer at Sainsbury’s and liked them. Let's just call it wine for an extra long weekend.

Both hail from Argentina, where Malbec has become the “national variety”. It was first introduced there from France in the mid-19th Century and has been enjoying an ongoing boom since the late 20th Century after the country’s wine industry shifted focus from jug to premium.

Of the two we had, the Santa Julia Malbec 2016, down from £8 to £7 until April 25, is the lighter, more everyday tipple.

Medium full-bodied, and not as sharp as some Malbecs of a similar price, it is full of juicy cherry and plum, with some spice notes, and comes in at 13 per cent.

Like most Argentinian Malbec, it’s great with steak, or hard cheeses and pasta with tomato sauces.

Whereas Santa Julia hails from the famed Mendoza region in west Argentina, over the Andes from Chile, the second one – a Graffigna Centenario 2015 Reserve - comes from the neighbouring San Juan province to the immediate north, also in the foothills of the mountains.

This one is aged for 12 months in oak barrels and the extra toasty oakiness – compared to the Santa Julia one which has 30 per cent of the wine aged in oak for four months - is easy to spot.

It’s deep red with violet shades, and has stronger hints of pepper and spice in addition to blackberry aromas and ripe tannins. Smooth and velvety, it also has a bigger kick at 14 per cent.

It’s currently down from £9 to £7.50 until April 25, and is a rather plush number for that price.

Oh, and there's perhaps a link to Easter, too. While it will go with steak and lamb, and can handle a few spicy foods, it might just pair with your dark chocolate Easter egg too.