TAKE A TRIP DOWN SOUTH AND GIVE MALBEC A CHANCE

A lot of people throw a lot of shade at Malbec.

They think it’s a “common,” grape, coarse and lacking sophistication. I’ve heard it called, a “bruiser,” when I was taking my Level One Sommelier Exam. If Malbec were an emoji, it would probably be the dark moon one. 🌚

People think of Malbec as being cheap, planted everywhere, and kind of a throw away sort of varietal. Though Malbec can sometimes be mistreated, if you know where to look you can find some truly amazing Malbecs out there. And it’s a great value wine to pair with a steak instead of those higher priced Cabernet Sauvignons.

A SOUTH AMERICAN GRAPE WITH FRENCH ORIGINS…

Malbec is a French varietal that was planted throughout Bordeaux during the Middle Ages. Like Daenerys Targaryen or any figure from a Dostoevsky novel, Malbec had a shittton of names.

Auxerrois, Pressac, Doux Noir, Quercy, and Plant du Lot were just a few.

Malbec was used as a blending grape in Bordeaux wines, but ended falling out of favor. As tough as it appeared on the outside, it was actually a big softie on the inside and too sensitive for the temperamental weather of the region. This could have been the end of Malbec, BUT —

Malbec ended up traveling to South America — to Chile and Argentina to be precise — and as it turns out, really loved the warm, sunny climate! (Who wouldn’t, right?)

The varietal was completely revitalized, and Malbec became one of the top 18 noble grapes. Fun fact: Argentina leads the world’s production of Malbec with a whopping 75% of total production planted there.

SPILLING THE TEA ON MALBEC

Malbec is a fuller bodied, weightier red wine, bursting with fruit. The mouth-drying tannins are a lot lower than say, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and it has oodles of alcohol. Yay.

There are many flavors and aromas associated with Malbec, and a lot of it depends on where it is grown. Since the majority of it is grown in South America and warmer climates, you’ll notice beautiful aromas of blueberry, sugar plum, milk chocolate, clay and some dust. It’s super juicy, and explodes in your mouth with intense black and blue fruity flavors.

Generally speaking, you’ll find a lot of Malbecs see less oak than say, Cabernet Sauvignon, simply because they are such bold wines already with so much intensity and flavor. Malbecs really don’t need much tampering with.

They’re also super versatile. This is a wine that can be paired with a nice juicy steak, but is also friendly enough to pair with some vegan/vegetarian dinner options, like a juicy portobello mushroom burger.

Malbec thrives in higher elevation, and when its planted higher up the acidity in this wine is great. You’ll just notice it’s so much more multidimensional, structured, and packs a great punch.

It’s kind of hard to tell which Malbecs are produced in higher altitude or not, and hey, maybe you’re confident enough to go to the grocery store and be like, “Do you guys have any high altitude Malbec?” (They’ll probably look at you weird, anyway) But if you’re not, I have one that I’ll recommend in the Pick of the Week. But first —

DEEP CUTS:

So you have a hankering for the Malbec, eh? If you like this intense, full flavored varietal be sure to check out some other types of wine that are similar. Be sure to give Nero d’Avola from Italy, Petit Verdot from California, and Merlot — yes Merlot — from everywhere a shot.

PICK OF THE WEEK:

LOCA LINDA MALBEC 2018 - Hi-Lo Liquor Market $21.00

I may be a little biased here because when I brokered, I used to sell this wine — and boy did I sell a lot of it. I was always astonished at what a genuinely good value it was! At $21 bucks for a liter of the stuff? It’s definitely a steal and the perfect wine to bring to any outdoor gathering.

This was one of those wines where my samples would mysteriously disappear whenever I was having a party and I would always request more from my boss. (But it’s okay, I sold more than enough wine to make up for those missing samples.)

The Loca Linda Malbec is one of those, “high altitude Malbecs,” I was telling you about. The vines grow at 3,330 feet above sea level in rich, clay soil.

There’s a very strong temperature shift between day and night in this region — if you want to sound really smart you can say, “diurnal shift.” Grapes dig strong diurnal shifts because to thrive, they need a lot of stress.

Anyway, perhaps the biggest thing that surprises me about this wine is the volume. One freaking liter of Malbec! A LITER! That is a LOT of wine. Do not drink it by yourself or you will definitely be nursing a serious hangover the next morning.

I just am so completely taken with the acidity of this wine. It’s one of those Malbecs that’s not flabby at all, there’s some really great structure going on here.

This is a Malbec that does a couple of bench presses and can run a 5K if you know what I mean. It’s just… energetic and lithe.

That’s not a word I would typically use to describe a Malbec, as they are generally heavier and weightier. The minute I took my first sip and revisited this wine it reminded me of this delicious grape jelly my Great Aunt Eva used to make.

There was also this really attractive sent of crushed violets and sage brush. It’s definitely the type of wine I’d bring to a BBQ or open poolside on the 4th Of July. For all my burger lovers out there, this is definitely a #burgerwine.