The Rising Star In The Red Wine Firmament: Malbec

Although Malbec originated in France, it is now Argentina’s signature grape. Argentina is the main producer of Malbec in the world, with 76,603 acres of vineyards planted across the country. Malbec’s flavors are mostly black cherry, plum and blackberry. Other aromas incorporated in this wine are mocha, molasses, leather, black pepper, green stem, gravel, and tobacco. This type of grape tends to have dark hues and robust tannins, which makes it a dry red wine with higher alcohol levels.

Malbec has the versatility and spice-affinity to pair it with a number of cuisines, from Mexican to Indian and Italian. For meat pairings, lean red meat and dark meat poultry would be best, like duck, chicken leg, and buffalo. Since Malbec’s have earthy tones; spices like parsley, sumac, thyme and rosemary would be ideal. As side dishes, mushrooms, green and red bell peppers, arugula, kale, lentils and black beans would enhance its flavors. Lastly, our cheese picks for this wine are Cashel Blue and Taleggio.

Fun Facts:

–          Malbec grape is one of the top used in the blend of red Bordeaux wine.

–          85% of Malbec wine is produced in Mendoza, Argentina (About 65,730 acres)

–          It’s known as Cot in South West France

–          Malbec was brought to Argentina in 1852 by Michel A. Pouget