World Malbec Day - April 17th

25 years ago, Argentina’s leading red grape, Malbec, was relatively unknown to us. Some wine lovers probably knew the grape from Bordeaux blends. A few aficionados may have tried an inky black and very tannic French wine called Côt, the original Malbec from the Cahors region.

However, a dramatic rise in Argentina’s wine quality and incredible export success catapulted Malbec from the relative backwaters of the wine world to vino stardom.

Some of these Argentinian Malbec wines approach the power of a Cabernet Sauvignon with concentrated dark fruits and tasty tannins. Others, with higher acidity, have the finesse of a Pinot Noir.

Chile makes Malbecs and there are American plantings of the grape in states including California, Washington, Oregon, and Texas. There are also plenty of contrasting Malbecs within each country, depending on growing conditions and decisions made in the vineyard and winery.

Try these kits:
Original Series - 4 week kit, from Chile, flavours of blackberry, black cherry and oak
Estate Series - 6 week kit, from Argentina, flavours of black plum, clove and charred wood

- excerpts taken from Danny Wood article in Winemaker Magazine

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