Malbec Day Masterclass

Malbec is a grape variety that almost everyone loves.  It delivers a satisfyingly full-bodied mouthful without (usually) excessive acidity or tannin.  It displays a lovely fruity aroma and whilst it is often quite high in alcohol it somehow manages to be easy drinking.

The supermarkets have done a great job in bringing in low-mid priced Malbecs that are a favourite, but venturing away from the big producers reveals some really fabulous wines.

It is a great accompaniment to steak, especially Argentinian steak and has found a great marketing niche in trendy South American themed restaurants in the UK.

Most people associate Malbec with Argentina, and most people are right as 75% of all the Malbec in the world is indeed produced in Argentina.  It is not indigenous to Argentina (there are but a handful of grape varieties used for wine making that originate from outside Europe), but it is in fact French. The traditional French name is Côt but most wineries in France that use this variety have switched now to Malbec.

So, to understand this grape variety we need to start “in the old country”.  Malbec has had its ups and downs in France, but its remaining stronghold is in the Southwest of the country, west of Toulouse along the River Lot in the appellation of Cahors. Here on limestone terraces above the river, Malbec makes a variety of wine styles from simple easy-drinking style to full-bodied, oak-aged premium wines.  There is a family resemblance to the Argentinian version, but the French ones are different. Two Cahors AC Malbecs will set us on our journey, one exclusively from the “third terrace” where the terroir really makes a difference (Google "third terrace Cahors and you'll see what I mean...)

Moving on to its new home of Argentina, we will sample four Argentinian Malbecs.  This will include one from the cooler south of the country in Patagonia (where for historical reasons road signs are in Spanish and Welsh), one from the far north in Salta (highest vineyards in the world) and two from the primary region of Mendoza, both oak-aged single vineyard wines from top producers.

This wine really does need food to help it along, so we will have some suitable cheese and cured meats to sample alongside.

This event can be purchased as part of our 4-week “Superstar Grape Varieties” Masterclass.