WINES OF ARGENTINA
MENDOZA’S
MARVELLOUS
MALBEC
neighbouring the Andes Mountains, attracted the varietal and
an orgy of new-age winemaking began, that leaned on Malbec
and allowed it to display its true potential. Cold nights at high
altitude ensured a long growing season, with ripeness and
extra fl avour in the grapes, without losing acidity.
Approximately 75 percent of the Argentine acreage is
now under Malbec. The better wines, displaying elegance and
fi nesse, are said to come from grapes grown at an altitude of
1,000 metres and up. Grapes sourced from the lower vineyards
produce wines with excess jamminess and lack of structure, and
a tendency towards fl abby mouth feel owing to a lack of acidity.
The sudden rise in demand for Malbec due to its
popularity around the world has attracted foreign investments
in Argentina. Giants like Michel Rolland (Clos de los
Siete), Donald Hess (Colomé and Amalaya), and renowned
wineries like Château Cheval Blanc (Cheval des Andes),
Lafi te Rothschild (CaRo), LVMH (Terrazas de los Andes),
and Montes (Kaiken) are some of the companies investing
not merely money, but also their trust and confi dence in the
grape. Thanks to these prominent names, any reluctance to
pay big bucks for Argentine wines has disappeared, and the
wine now travels abroad to Chile, the United States, Australia,
New Zealand, and India.
This article was fi rst appeared in Sommelier India
(India’s premier wine magazine)
35
T
here are some varietals that are classics and have
always been so considered. Malbec is not one among
them; it has had its share of rocky fortune. From being
pretty much unheard of until as recently as the late 1990s, it
has come a long way. Today, Malbec is not only a requisite
for any serious wine list in restaurants around the world, but
it is also a sommelier’s favourite to fi ll wine enthusiasts’ cups
with quality and consistency.
Malbec was born in the heartland of Bordeaux where
it was nurtured under the names of Côt and Pressac. Often
called “black wine” by the English, it boasts masculinity in
its tannin-rich, spiciness often requiring to be mellowed with
the assistance of Merlot and Tannat. Auxxerois is what the
locals call it.
But apart from this small corner of France, Malbec had
lost its appeal and importance in the land of its birth. It now
had to seek a foreign haven. The high hills of South America
proved congenial for the varietal and it backpacked its way
happily to Argentina to fi nd its true spirit.
In a short period of time, it overtook Criolla Grande and
Cereza to become the country’s most planted varietal for
bottled table wines. The idea was to replace jug wines made
from the existing varietals with a formidable local identity
that would not only mark the rise of clean, varietal-driven,
quality produce but also boost the image of Argentinian
wines to the world. Mendoza’s vineyards of Lujan de Cuyo,