Choosing the right South American wine
Malbec originates in Cahors in SouthWest France where it is more often known as Cot — the word Malbec comes from the man who introduced it to the Côtes de Bordeaux region.
DNA analysis has shown that Malbec is a half sibling to Merlot, the grape that largely supplanted it once the vineyards of Bordeaux were re-planted after the devastation of Phylloxera.
Laura Catena of Catena Zapata maintains that as much as 50% of Chateau Latour and Chateau Cheval Blanc were Malbec at the time of the 1855 Classification but Malbec’s late-ripening and more delicate nature made it too unpredictable and it has continued to lose out to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet is also late-ripening but is significantly hardier.
These days there are less than 1,000ha planted with Malbec in the Gironde compared with 5,000ha in the 1960s.
Step up Argentina who can claim to have revived the varietal with their densely fruited luscious Malbecs that offer opulence and texture as well as easy-drinking pleasure.
The variety was introduced in the 19th century and it took well to the altitude in the Andean Foothills in Mendoza and places like Salta, Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley.
Vineyards are often over 1,000m — sometimes as high as 1,500m — above sea level and the best of these wines can age for decades.
Clonal selection and even matching clone to site selection have also been important and winemakers and viticulturists just love to dig holes to figure out what works best where.
Besides Malbec you will find lots of (underrated) Bonarda, and of course Cabernet Sauvigon which is the third-most planted red grape — watch also for Syrah, Tempranillo and Italian grapes such as Barbera.
Chardonnay works well here and Sauvignon Blanc works for entry level while muscat-scented Torrontés is well worth a try.
Selections this week are mainly Malbec and there were at least six others I could have included – I will use a couple in next week’s column.
BEST VALUE UNDER €15
BEST VALUE OVER €15
