A Tour of Wine Grapes: Malbec

Malbec 🍷 Image from Lapastoure Didier on Wikimedia Commons Malbec's roots trace back to southwestern France, where it has been cultivated for over a thousand years. In the rugged Cahors region, it goes by many names — Côt, Auxerrois, or Pressac — and produces famously dark, tannic wines that the locals call "black wine." Malbec's thick skin is so loaded with anthocyanins (color pigments) that it was historically used as a natural ink and fabric dye in France. It remains one of the six permitted grapes in Bordeaux blends, adding color and structure to the mix. While Cahors championed Malbec, the grape remained a minor player in Bordeaux and never gained broader recognition across France. The brutal frost of 1956 wiped out much of the Cahors vineyards due to the grape's vulnerability to the cold, damp European climate. It was fading into obscurity — until Argentina changed everything. In 1853, a French agricultural engineer named Michel Pouget took Malbec cuttings to Mendoza, Argentina.

by Marc Kirkpatrick · source ↗