Malbec
Top countries producing this wine: |
Côt, Pressac, Auxerrois — Malbec wears numerous hats throughout the wine regions of France. At one time it was grown in more than 30 French wine areas and had as many as 400 synonyms. Malbec is one of the five permitted red grapes of Bordeaux, where it is grown in small quantities and used sparingly to add structure and color to the blend. In Southwest France, Malbec is the most widely planted grape of the Cahors region. There, it garnered the reputation with the English as the “black wine” of Cahors because of its powerful tannins and inky color. While there are some plantings of Malbec in California, it is of little significance commercially; tiny percentages of Malbec can be found in some Bordeaux-styled Meritage wines. Australia, South Africa and a handful of wine regions throughout the world have dabbled with this slightly fussy grape, which is sensitive to frost and mildew, but it is in the high altitude vineyards and dry climate of Argentina that Malbec outclasses most of these other variants, including those from France. The grape thrives just about anywhere in that arid, sunny land, producing wines that are as approachable as a juicy Merlot, though they may also be as structured and long-lived as a Cabernet Sauvignon. Full-bodied and packed with blackberry, dark cherry, olive, mulberry and plum, and sometimes laced with a dash of mocha, vanilla or tobacco, Malbec is anything but a skimpy red. |
France
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France is the world’s largest wine-producing country, and its rich winemaking history dates back at least to the 6th century BC, when Greek immigrants founded the colony of Massalia (present-day Marseille) and introduced viticulture to the area. That trade was later taken over by the Roman Empire, which planted vineyards throughout France. During the Middle Ages, monks were largely responsible for preserving the country’s winemaking tradition, and by the 1800s France was one of the world’s most prestigious producers. But the industry was ravaged by the phylloxera plague of the mid-19th century, an economic downturn and two World Wars. It was not until the 1970s that wines sales started to boom again and France once again became the international wine powerhouse we know today. Many of the grapes used in winemaking throughout the world originated in France, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Sparkling wine was invented in Champagne, one of the country’s iconic wine regions along with Bordeaux (home to Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc), Burgundy (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), Alsace (Gewürztraminer and Riesling), the Loire Valley (Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc) and the Rhône (Syrah and Grenache). |
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Château Chante-Alouette la Roseraie Premières Côtes de Blaye
2005 / 750 ml.
France | Côtes de Bordeaux | Premières Côtes de BlayeItem #24572 -
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Georges Vigouroux Pigmentum Malbec Rosé
2010 / 750 ml.
France | Vin de Pays | Vin de Pays du LotItem #31775 -




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