Grape of the Day: Malbec

Readers of this blog and the Ten Spot series will already be familiar with malbec, Argentina's most widely-planted red wine grape.  Malbecs from the Mendoza Valley and other areas in Argentina consistently deliver great value for the price.  Malbec, like many grapes, was originally cultivated in France where it is still known as one of the traditional five grapes in red Bordeaux wines.  It's not grown that much in Bordeaux these days, though it can still be found flourishing in the south of France in places like Cahors where it is made into a deep and rustic red. 

Malbec was brought to Argentina in the first part of the 19th century by European immigrants.  It had fallen out of favor in France, but was well-suited for the high altitude vineyards of Mendoza especially.  Thanks to the drinking habits of Argentina's many Spanish and Italian immigrants, red wine remained a staple in the café and restaurant culture of cosmopolitan Buenos Aires.  And thanks to the Argentine economy, Americans can take advantage of tasty malbecs that still cost a fraction of some pricey domestic merlots for example.  

To taste, malbec is kind of like cabernet all mellowed out and Zen.  It's a bit plusher than cab but sturdier and more tannic than merlot.  The best malbecs offer notes of dark bitter chocolate, red Bing cherries, warm earth and spice.  I like pairing malbecs with everyday beef dinners at home - things like burgers or simply-grilled steaks with salad.  For filet or pricier meat cuts, I might choose a more luxurious cabernet but for weeknight reds, malbec is hard to beat!  Here are three of my favorites:

1. BenMarco Malbec  (Mendoza, 2005) - $19
2. Altos "Las Hormigas" Malbec  (Mendoza, 2006) - $12
3. Bodega Norton Malbec  (Mendoza, 2006) - $8