A red wine grape that is used to produce some of the world’s most popular wines, Malbec benefits from its ability to adapt well to varied weather conditions and soil types. Originating in the Bordeaux region of France, where it is seen principally as a blending wine, Malbec grapes have found fame in their own right in Argentina, where it has become the country’s most celebrated red wine grape. Dark purple in colour and rich in tannins, Malbec is recognised as one of the six key grapes used to make blended Bordeaux wines, but is now more commonly planted in the Cahors region of south west France than in Bordeaux itself.
Outside of France, Malbec has adapted very well to the conditions of many countries and wine producing regions and Malbec has in fact come to be seen as the signature red wine of Argentina.
Knowing just what exactly constitutes a Malbec grape can be confusing even for the most sophisticated of wine buffs. The grape is known as Auxerrois, or sometimes or Côt Noir, in Cahors and as Pressac in some other key wine growing regions and has traditionally been mixed with other native French varietals such as Merlot to make robust, very full-bodied red wines.
Although commonly associated with Bordeaux wines, the Malbec grape in fact fell out of favour in that celebrated red wine-growing region around 1956, when a devastating frost killed off some three quarters of that year’s grape crop.
A thin-skinned grape that is known for its susceptibility to frosts and to other problems such as rot, Malbec began to lose out in the popularity stakes to other, less complicated grapes produced in Bordeaux. But while Cahors was similarly blighted by that year’s harsh frost, Malbec was successfully replanted here and became enduringly popular as a grape to be blended with other locally-grown grapes such as Tannat and, more famously, Merlot.
The grape, which ripens mid-season, often produces wines of intense flavour and colour, hence its popularity as a blending wine.
Although susceptible to disease and requiring more warmth and sunshine than other comparable grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, when conditions are right it can produce very high yields.
The grape has also proved to be surprisingly adaptable, having been successfully cultivated in many countries across both the old and new world, although there are some strong differences between the Malbec grapes of its native France and those of Argentina, for example, where the berries are significantly smaller and less tannic. As a result, the Malbec wines of Argentina are much less intense and have developed a strong reputation as a pleasant, easy drinking wine that has become synonymous with Argentine wine production. As well as being produced on a grand scale in the famous Argentine wine region of Mendoza, Malbec has been successfully cultivated in neighbouring Chile, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Italy.
Despite its growing popularity abroad, Malbec cultivation has been steadily declining in France, where varietals such as Cabernet Franc have increasingly occupied vineyard space that was once Malbec terrain.
Now a great source of pride to the Argentine wine industry, Malbec was first introduced to the region in the 19th Century, when vine cuttings were brought over from France. Although it lost out to mass-produced table wine grapes during Argentina’s early 20th Century economic downturn, it was rediscovered by the end of the century, when its potential for producing premium, export quality wines began to be appreciated. So much so, in fact, that by 2005 there were some 50,000 acres of Argentine vineyard dedicated exclusively to Malbec grapes.
Although the price of quality red wines from Argentina has been steadily rising in recent years, the country continues to enjoy a reputation as one of the world’s most prolific producers of great value wines and Malbec is certainly no exception. Although there are a few bottles out there the price of which would no doubt cause a sharp intake of breath, it is still more than possible to enjoy a great bottle of Malbec without breaking the bank. Premium quality Argentinian red wine tends to be a whole lot more affordable than Old World classics such as Burgundy and Cabernet Sauvignon. With bottles exported in vast numbers each year, this is a red wine that can be picked up without spending too much time or, indeed, money.
