Photos: Dusk at Valle de Uco Lodge; Malbec grapes forming clusters( photos by Mike Muirhead)
The Higher You Climb, the Harder You Fall
Every fairy tale needs a villain. Meet phylloxera. This opportunistic insect hitched a ride across the Atlantic on the roots of American grapevines. Botanical collections were all the rage at the time and travellers were quick to bring curiosities from the New World back to Europe. Little did they know the chaos they were about to unleash. Over the course of millions of years, North American grapevines had developed a resistance to the destructive effects of the phylloxera louse; the same could not be said of European grape varieties. Vines across France began to die from a“ mysterious” disease and Malbec was hit particularly hard. By the time a solution was discovered, the French wine industry was in shambles. Producers who could afford to replant their vineyards( using European vines grafted onto resistant American rootstock) chose not to replant Malbec due to its severe susceptibility to the disease. Acreage plummeted across Bordeaux, and Malbec found itself playing a distant second fiddle to hardier varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Any hope Malbec had of making a comeback in Bordeaux was dashed by the infamous frost of 1956. Combined with its susceptibility to phylloxera, its difficult reputation in the vineyard was enough to convince most growers that enough was enough. For all intents and purposes, Malbec was abandoned in Bordeaux.
Today, there remain only a few small areas in France known for producing Malbec-based wines. Most notably, the appellation of Cahors has based its reputation on this finicky grape variety. Referred to as Côt or Auxerrois,( only two of the over 1,000 synonyms that exist as a testament to its once widespread fame), the wines often possess a rustic charm and benefit from mid-term aging. Outside of Cahors, Malbec plays a small role in the Loire Valley and the Languedoc. With such limited production within France, many Malbec fans may never have tasted a French example. Instead, lovers of this wonderful grape are much more likely to look toward Argentina to satisfy their cravings.
The Prince Regains His Throne
Argentina is blessed with a culture deeply rooted in wine and a passion for the vine. With a large percentage of its population originating from France, Italy, and Spain, it would seem inevitable that a wine industry would develop. In fact, the Argentine government so admired the viticultural prowess of the French that it funded scientific vine collection expeditions to France. Vine cuttings( including Malbec) were selected from some of France’ s most prestigious vineyards and carried back to Argentina. At the time, no one could imagine just how valuable these cuttings would become, as their French parent vines were to soon fall victim to the evil phylloxera. Malbec eventually came to be planted throughout Argentina; however, the high-yielding Criolla grape dominated in terms of acreage. When the industry shifted its focus from bulk to boutique in the late twentieth century, precious old plots of pre-phylloxera Malbec vines were rediscovered and the re-ascent to glory began.
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