Malbec

Malbec is Argentina's defining red wine grape, and the country has made it its own more thoroughly than any other variety. Originally from France (where it is a minor blending grape in Cahors), Malbec found its true home in the high-altitude vineyards of Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes, where the intense sunlight, cold nights and dry climate produce grapes with deep colour, ripe fruit and soft, approachable tannins. The Argentine Malbec is fruitier and softer than its French counterpart, with flavours of plum, blackberry and violet, and it has become the default red wine of the Argentine table and the natural pairing for asado. Mendoza produces the vast majority, and the Uco Valley sub-region makes the most prized bottles.

Deeply purple-red in the glass, with ripe plum and blackberry fruit, a whisper of violet and vanilla oak, and soft tannins that make it drinkable young. The perfect foil for charred beef, the wine's fruit cutting the fat.

The wine is made from Malbec grapes grown at altitude. The Mendoza vineyards, at 700 to 1500 metres, receive intense sunlight during the day and cold temperatures at night, a diurnal range that preserves acidity in the grapes while allowing full ripening. The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented in stainless steel or concrete, then aged in oak (French or American) for 6 to 18 months depending on the style. The result is a deeply coloured, fruit-forward wine with soft tannins, moderate acidity and a smooth mouthfeel. The high altitude is what distinguishes Argentine Malbec from French, the intense UV producing thicker grape skins and more colour and flavour compounds. The wine is drunk young or aged, with food or without, and is the everyday red of Argentina.