A Short History of the Malbec Wine Grape

History and geographyplanted to Shiraz and Malbec.
Malbec's been declining in popularity for the last 40Like most popular grapes, Malbec goes under
years.many different names but there a few more
One of the reasons is the name. It's known undercommonly used than others. In the Bordeaux it's
so many different names that Malbec in Franceknown as Côt or Pressac, in the French
means very little. The Oxford Companion to WineAlsace and Cahors regions it's called Auxerrois,
lists some 400 synonyms for Malbec so it mustArgentina gives it the name of Fer, Portugal
have been pretty popular at one stage. But nowrefers to it as Tinta Amarela and here in Australia
it's known as a minor blending variety.we sometimes call it Portugal Malbec.
Another nail in the coffin for French Malbec cameGrowing Characteristics
with the disastrous frosts in 1956. This providedMalbec grows just about anywhere. You can find
an ideal excuse to re-plant with more fashionableit in France, Chile, Brazil, Italy, Madeira, Portugal,
and robust varieties. But it's not all bad. Malbec isSpain, USA, Australia and Argentina, where it's the
the dominant red varietal in the Cahors area. Themost widely planted grape variety. It's a
Appellation Controlée regulations forthin-skinned grape with large berries, needing lots
Cahors require a minimum content of 70% Malbecof sunlight and heat to reach full maturity. It
in wines produced from the region.thrives in well-irrigated and well-drained soils but
The only historical reference to the name Malbecproduces uneven crops in less than ideal years
shows it coming from the surname of a Hungarianand is susceptible to rot in cool and wet conditions.
peasant who first spread the variety throughoutMalbec is also very sensitive to frost. Three
France and then further afield. In 1868 Professordistinct 'lobes' characterise the Malbec leaves, the
Pouet introduced Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon andcentral lobe being the longest. Malbec berries are
Merlot cuttings from Bordeaux to Argentina. Inlarge, dark and round with bunches being large and
the warm and dry South American climate itloose.
flourished and was soon thriving throughoutWine Characteristics
Argentina and Chile. Ironically, Argentina's 'vine pull'Malbec creates an intense, inky red wine often
program in the 1980's left only 10,000 acres ofused in blends. Blended with Merlot and Cabernet
Malbec in the ground. That's now back up toSauvignon, Malbec makes the Bordeaux blend
around 25,000 acres producing wonderful rich,known as claret. A common blend from the Loire
complex, inky wines with smooth tannins andValley comprises Malbec blended with Gamay and
ripeness Europe can only dream about. ContrastCabernet Franc. Another common blend sees
these 25,000 acres with the approximatelyTannat added. The Argentinean love of potent
150,000 acres of Malbec in the ground prior to thereds has made Malbec a national specialty. The
'vine pull' and you can better appreciate this loss.new world Malbecs ripen to give rich and smooth
Chile seems to have escaped this madness andtannins.
it's now Chile's third most widely planted variety.The main aromas from a rich Malbec include:
By contrast Australia had just 1,220 acres ofcherry, plum, raisins, coffee, chocolate, leather and
Malbec in the ground in 2002 and that area hasraspberry.
been shrinking over the years.The key flavours a nice Malbec exhibits include:
The first mention of Malbec in Australia comesplum, cherry, chocolate, dried fruits, and balsamic.
from 1901 where Mr Himmelhoch establishes hisAging in oak releases the vanilla aromas and
'Grodno' vineyard at Liverpool near Sydneyflavours.