What Is Malbec Like? ~WhatIsMalbecLike
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This is a very popular red wine coming from a purple-coloured grape. It has a variety of flavours depending on the region in which its grown including blackberry, chocolate and even violet in some rare cases. The wine it is made into can be dry and contains medium to low levels of acidity, which makes it a very different experience than drinking its white wine cousin - sauvignon blanc. While also grown in France, this delicious variety is well known as an Argentine specialty. Argentinian wine has also won many awards for its flavour, making it a popular wine choice for many people.
Where is it from?
It is mainly grown in Argentina, but is originally from Cahors in Southern France. The grape itself originated from France, however it was first seen as a low quality grape that could only be used if blended with other varieties of grape when making wines. France used to also grow the wine in 30 different regions, due to its popularity in being a blending grape. This included Bordeaux using it in their top five wines at the time. However, it lost its popularity in France at the turn of the 1900’s, as France had begun to prefer wines such as Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
On top of this, the vine on which the grape grows is particularly vulnerable to extremely cold weather, pests and other illnesses, which meant the grape was not always easy to grow and stock could be ruined by these poor conditions. It was also wiped out of many vineyards due to the 1956 Bordeaux frost, which meant many vine growers planted different varieties of grape when they started again to prevent this from happening a second time.
In Argentina, the grape became very popular to grow and make wines from and when it was introduced in the 1800s, the grape was grown alongside ‘jug wines’ as they were popular in the 20th century. However, Argentina began to use this red grape more widely when they decided to export premium wines. It’s mostly grown in Mendoza, where the grape has changed significantly compared to its French counterpart.
The Argentine Malbec grapes are smaller and also grow tighter together, whereas the French grapes are bigger and in looser bunches. The Mendoza grape is grown in the mountains with high altitudes and has won many awards with the wine it has produced. It now holds its place in three quarters of vineyards in Argentina, also being prominently planted in Salta and San Juan.
Here, the grape does not have to deal with the issues that it had in France and so survives for a longer time. It’s also the most popular wine in North America, where it’s used in California to produce bulk wine. It was brought there in the 1900s and is still mostly used for blending. The wine can also be found in Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, however it is not as commonly grown there when compared to Argentina and America.
What does it taste like?
The wine itself tastes different depending on where it is grown. The wine from Argentina tastes of dark fruits including cherry and blackberry. It can also taste of chocolate and leather depending on the barrel and the ageing process of the wine. In France, the wine can have flavours of plum. Although it may seem strange that the same grape can produce different tasting wines, this isn’t surprising. The taste of wine depends on more than just the grape, but also the ageing processes and so on. For example, the French wines age longer than the Argentine wines, due to climate and acidity.
The wine has a deep purple colour. It’s usually paired with lean red meat, and other similar dishes. It’s also great with a veined cheese due to its peppery notes. To serve this wine, it needs to be cool to get the most out of its flavour. Too warm and it will be rather dull to taste, too cold and it will lose its fruity flavours. Like most fruity wines, it’s a good idea to decant it around thirty minutes prior to drinking it, if you have the equipment and time to do so. This will increase the flavours of the wine and make the experience more enjoyable.
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