How did Argentina triumph over the U.S. and France?

…at least it did on Saturday night at our friend’s birthday party when we tasted Malbecs from Argentina, the US, and France. We had two rounds of tastings; we blind-tasted and ranked the wines with the bottles in numbered paper bags for round one. We removed the bags for the second round, not knowing which wine went with which number, tasted again, and recorded our favorites a second time. When we compared the results, Argentina beat second-place US and third-place France. Oh, the horror!   

Trouble.

To me, the Argentine and US Malbecs were close in aroma and taste, but the US Malbec had a flaw, the chemical smell of acetone or nail polish. The smell was noticeable enough that it ruined the wine’s perception for some folks (people’s detection thresholds can be different). The smell was from the wine’s Volatile Acidity (VA) being too high. In this case, it resulted from ethyl acetate, which is created when larger than the desired amount of acetic acid combines with ethanol, the principal alcohol in the wine.

This condition is created by bacteria that are always present on grapes and in wineries. In low quantities, VA is not off-putting and smells of faux fruit, cherry, raspberry, or passion fruit, but in larger amounts, it can have the unpleasant chemical smell of nail polish or vinegar. Winemakers can avoid this fault by sanitizing their winemaking environment, reducing oxygen exposure that the bacteria need to reproduce, and adding minute amounts of SO2 (sulfur dioxide) to the wine before fermentation to inhibit or kill bacteria. FYI, this is one of the reasons you have Sulfites in wine!

French Malbec?

To be honest, have you ever gone to the wine shop looking for a French Malbec? Not likely, but France is where it all began for this grape. Malbec is a purple French grape variety whose home is now centered around Cahors’ southwest city, where it is known as Côt. It’s called the black wine of Southwest France and has its designated region or Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC, controlled designation of origin). It’s also known for being one of the grapes allowed in Bordeaux and Meritage blends. French Malbec tends to be tannic, earthy, and inky colored with plum and blackberry flavors. It’s a wonderful value and a natural choice for Bordeaux or Merlot lovers who want to try something different.

A new home.

The Argentines say Malbec fell in love with their country, and they fell in love with Malbec. It certainly has put both on the wine map, with Malbec as the most sought-after wine from Argentina on the international market. Malbec is not new to Argentina. It has been growing since French agronomist Miguel Aimé Pouget was introduced in 1868. In my book, he brought clippings back from France at the request of provincial governor Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, aka Senior Malbec. The Argentine climate, soil, and winemaking practices have brought out the best in Malbec; it loses the French earthiness and has more fruit and floral notes with medium tannins.

Elevated Malbecs.

Argentina has brought the best out of Malbec, and its Mendoza region has raised the bar even higher. The high-altitude vineyards of Mendoza sub-regions Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley produce premium Malbecs. These sub-regions are 2,800 – 5,000 feet (850 m – 1500 m) above sea level in the Andes mountains’ foothills. High altitudes with low humidity create an almost perfect climate for Malbec, where the grapes don’t suffer from root rot, mold, and mildew, which are common problems when grown elsewhere. This climate is also ideal for chemical-free production and organically grown grapes.

At this altitude, the grapes receive abundant sunshine and heat during the day with cooler temps at night, creating a desired diurnal shift that grapes need to produce balanced sugars and acids. Higher elevations bring out the best in this grape; you get more from it, more blueberry, sweet plum, acidity, tannin, and floral and herbal notes. Argentina and Mendoza’s success has rocketed Malbec from a second-tier French grape to a world favorite. Argentina has improved its reputation from a bulk-wine producer to competing for a share of the international wine market. I have concluded that Argentine Malbec is to French Côt what The Tango is to the Waltz!