Malbec is a grape that was born in Southern France but today is mostly associated with Argentina. Malbec is actually the most popular wine from the Mendoza wine region, and both are beautiful places you might want to put on your wine bucket list, next to Oregon.

Malbec World Day is celebrated annually on April 17, a global tribute to the grape. The date commemorates the day in 1853 when Argentine president Domingo Faustino Sarmiento officially prioritized the development of the country’s wine industry, with Malbec taking center stage.

Today, it’s a fantastic opportunity to explore Malbec’s bold, velvety flavors, ranging from fruit-forward to oak-aged expressions. Particularly in Oregon where we boast over 50 producers of the grape making wines of every style. Last month many of these wineries gathered at the annual Malbec in the City and for those of us who couldn't make it, we sent Robert to taste though and bring us the best expressions of the grape made by producers who attended the event and beyond. This month we are excited to feature two new wineries to the Cellar 503 family!

Malbec DYK...

Malbec (sometimes called Côt and Auxxerois) is from France.

Grape Sex: The thick-skinned grape is a natural cross of two esoteric varieties, Magdeleine Noire des Charentes (also a parent of Merlot and from Montpellier) and Prunelard (from Gaillac).

While Malbec quickly became common as a blending grape in Bordeaux’s top 5 wine grapes. The grape became less popular in Bordeaux after 1956 when frost killed off 75% of the crop. However, because of the grapes’ poor resistance to weather and pests, it never surfaced as a top French variety. Today the majority of France’s Malbec is found in Cahors, a small town on a switchback river that gently flows towards Bordeaux.

Instead, it found a new home in Mendoza, Argentina where a nostalgic French botanist planted it by order of the mayor in 1868. Today, Argentina leads production of the grape with over 75% of all the acres of Malbec in the world. In a way, Argentina post-phylloxera reinvigorated Malbec as one of the top 18 noble grapes. Now it grows in seven countries and continues to grow in popularity.

Malbec’s Blind Tasting Tell: Look for a magenta-tinged rim. Malbec wine is a deep purple-red that is nearly opaque, similar to Syrah and Mourvedre. However, Malbec wines will often have a bright magenta rim.