World Malbec Day began in 2011. It is a day created by Wines of Argentina, who were tasked with establishing Argentinian wine as a worldwide brand, and Malbec has become their “global ambassador”.
April 17, 1853 is thought to be the day that the president of Argentina, Domingo Faustino Sarmienot, sent Michal Aime Pouget (a French soil expert) to bring back new vines from France; one of the vines he returned with was Malbec.
Malbec as a varietal has a long history in France and is one of the six grape varietals allowed in red Bordeaux. It is a thin skinned grape, like pinot noir, and it requires even more heat than Cabernet Sauvignon to mature. Malbec is a difficult grape to grow and it is quite susceptible to disease, frost and mildew.
In the mid 1800’s many vineyards in France were ruined by the “Great French Wine Blight”, a Phylloxera (aphid) outbreak which resulted in the demise of many of their delicate Malbec vines. The prevalence of Malbec in France was further diminished in 1956 when a frost killed off more than 75% of the crop that year.
In Argentina the high elevation and dry, sunny weather produced ideal conditions under which the Malbec varietal has thrived, exhibiting few of the weaknesses it had in France. In the 1990’s Argentina started to jockey Malbec into position as their star varietal and now it is their largest export.
I think that Wines of Argentina have done a great marketing job in regards to World Malbec Day – they have certainly enticed this wine drinker into exploring Malbec! There were many free tasting events around Vancouver over the last two weeks to celebrate and to educate. I had the opportunity to taste six different Malbec wines at Everything Wine in South Surrey while noshing on empanadas served with chimichurri sauce.
Of the six wines that I tried I was surprised to find these Malbec lighter in body than I had expected. The first three wines I found too acidic for my palate but as I moved onto the later three (and unfortunately a higher price point) the acidity came into balance with the other qualities in the wine.
I enjoyed tasting the 2014 Decero, the 2014 Zuccardi Q, but I chose to take the 2013 Altos home with me to drink for World Malbec Day.
Altos Las Hormigas – 2013 Malbec Terroir
When my nose first met this deep ruby coloured wine (after it had spent about an hour and a half in a decanter) I caught a whiff of what I thought was black pepper and then ripe, black cherries. At 14.5% alcohol I thought this wine would feel heavier in my mouth, and I went back-and-forth between calling it medium bodied and full bodied. I tasted ripe blackberries, black licorice and, on the mid-palate, the concentrated flavour of wild blueberries baked into a pie. The finish left me with the impression of sweet, dried figs. The flavours of the wine were vibrant and the acidity brought a pleasant savory quality, while the medium tannins provided structure.
This wine was fermented for 12 days using wild yeast before being aged in a variety of different vessels. 50% of this wine was aged in cement piletas for 12 months, while 25% was aged in stainless steel tanks and the other 25% was aged in untoasted, large oak foudres (oak barrels which minimize both the extraction of oak flavours and wine oxidation). These three vessels are relatively “neutral” resulting in less intervention in the wine and better expression of the grapes and terroir, which is what Altos Las Hormigas (founded by two men from Tuscany) strive for.
“We believe that each intervention on the wine means a step away from its origin. No intervention is impossible, but we try to do as little as possible in winemaking. Minimal extraction, neutral oak, natural yeast, very little sulfites are just a few items to mention, that guide us in what we do.”
I am learning so much about wines in your blog. Thanks Deborah 🙂