RAISE A GLASS
I don’t have an address for the malbec grape. But if I did, I’d share it so you could post a card to mark its Name Day.
Instead, we’ll have to “make do” with raising a glass on Malbec World Day, April 17, to celebrate this French grape.
What? (I hear you cry.) But malbec is from Argentina, you’re saying, wagging your glass.
It’s true that Argentina has made this black grape its own. It has the largest plantings of malbec in the world.
The grape arrived in the 1850s, via cuttings from Bordeaux. There’s the French connection.
Malbec’s home is the south-west of France and its only remaining wine stronghold is Cahors, about 100 miles from Bordeaux. Discover one with Tesco Finest Cahors Malbec (£8.50).
Malbec can be used in Bordeaux red wines, but a severe winter in 1956 killed many vines. Now all eyes are on Argentina.
The great British public loves malbec. Trivento Reserve Malbec (RRP £8.50 Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda) is the best-selling wine in Great Britain.
It beats ubiquitous pinot grigio and sauvignon blancs to the top spot. The 2021 vintage was even named Great Value Red Wine of the Year by wine guru Tim Atkin MW. It’s easy to understand why. The 2022 vintage is supple with concentrated red and black fruits, with a sweet high note of vanilla from oak ageing.
And so to Dona Paula El Alto Malbec (RRP £15.99, Waitrose). Argentina is known for its vineyards at high altitude, and these grapes grow at 1,050 metres above sea level in Lujan de Cuyo, central Mendoza. The altitude brings freshness, with violets and herbs flirting around spiky pepper, coffee, and plummy fruits.
Now to Zuccardi Serie A Malbec (£14, Tesco) which is a blend of selected grapes from different vineyards across the
Uco Valley, home to some of the highest vineyards. Soft tannins are a palate-pleaser, as pepper, blueberries, blackberries and red plums dance alongside.
My last malbec (for this week) is Domaine Bousquet Organic Malbec 2021 (£12.50, Vintage Roots), also from the Uco Valley. Bousquet is a leading light in sustainability and organic methods. This wine is bottled in the UK to reduce the carbon footprint.
The full-bodied red wine powers itself into your wine-loving psyche with bold, but soft and succulent black and red fruits, edged with a fresh, herbal, floral note.