No one was asking for Argentine Malbec because no one had heard of it. Indigenous Cabernets are still very popular in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, many top producers believed Cabernet Sauvignon was the grape that was going to make Argentina famous. Within thirty years, plantings of Malbec had shrunk by over a third, often to make room for jug wine varieties like Criolla which could be pumped out in huge volumes. Not that all of it was pure Malbec, since the grape was often mixed with other varieties like Merlot and known generically as ‘ Uva Francesa‘ (the French grape). Producers who turned up the irrigation taps were rewarded with big yields of so-called vino flocco – a blowsy, soft-centred red wine that slipped down Argentine throats with consummate ease. In Argentina it was almost too easy to grow. Transported to the dry heat and abundant sunshine of an Argentine summer, the grape flourished in its newfound home, and by the 1950s plantings had reached 50,000 hectares. There was a perennial risk of frost, rot and something called Coulure – brought on by damp, cold weather. While the French always knew how good Malbec can be, it was never an easy grape to grow. Argentine Malbec has smaller grapes and tighter bunches than the type grown in Cahors. It seems the particular clone he brought over has since disappeared in France. Malbec was one of a number of vines introduced into Argentina in 1868 by Miguel Pouget, a French agronomist who had been hired to help improve the country’s wines. Today it is planted everywhere from the cacti-strewn vineyards of Salta, up by Bolivia, to the northern edge of Patagonia, 2,000 miles (3,200km) south. It is Argentina that has truly taken this rich, complex, dusky grape to its heart. While Bruce Jack has given it pride of place in his own vineyard on the Cape, there is no doubt where Malbec’s real spiritual home is these days. Today the region just limps along, and as you drive through the valley you see these broken-down châteaux that in their day were as magnificent as Haut Brion or Lafite.” Cahors went from 40,000 hectares of vineyards down to less than 4,000. For Bruce Jack, a major player in South African wine, “it was one of the great travesties of winemaking history. The wine was shipped downstream where the Bordelais taxed it almost out of existence. But there was no doubt Malbec was highly thought of, especially up-river of Bordeaux, where it was blended with the even darker Tannat grape to make the famous ‘Black Wine of Cahors’. It had over a thousand synonyms, and besides Medieval wine drinkers knew precious little about grape varieties. ORDER YOUR COPY of The South America Wine Guide now! E-book AVAILABLE ONLINE too.Back in the Middle-Ages, Malbec was planted all over southern France. You should serve the wines just as you would a regular white wine, chilled, and white Malbecs pair nicely with summer salads and light dishes.ĭo you want to dive deep into Malbec and the wines of Argentina? Most are made in a dry style and with no oak influence, and are wines that are designed to drink young. Typically white wines from Malbec have aromas of white peach, grapefruit, cherry and strawberries, with a refreshing acidity and medium body. Red Malbec grapes – the grape variety used for white Malbec wines White Malbec wines to tryīecause the grapes are picked much earlier than they are picked for red Malbec wines (in February usually, compared to March-May for red Malbec) you can more white fruit and citrus aromas in white Malbec wines as well as fresh red fruit aromas. The first white Malbec wines appeared in Argentina in 2011 by Vicentin Family Wines and Colosso Wines, and since then there are now several wineries making this new style. Most producers also use fining techniques to make the wine clearer before bottling. Although the white wine comes from the red Malbec grapes, it is picked early for higher acidity and pressed immediately so that there is little to no skin contact and the juice comes out clear. The ‘blanc de noir’ technique is common for varieties such as Pinot Noir, and most especially in sparkling wine, but ‘white Malbec’ is a new innovation. In recent years, winemakers have been experimenting with making Malbec as a white wine. While its deep purple colour and rich aromas of plums and red berries make it an ideal grape variety for making smooth, supple red wines, it can also lend itself to making other styles of wines – ranging from rose to white! Malbec has been grown widely throughout Argentina for over 150 years. White Malbec is a white wine made from red Malbec grapes, and has become a popular new style for Argentina’s leading grape variety. What exactly is white Malbec? It’s an unsurprising question as this new category makes its way across wine shops, supermarkets and restaurant menus worldwide… No, there isn’t a white Malbec grape.
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