Wine production in Argentina dates back some 400 years. While they grow all the major grape varietals in the world, no grape is more celebrated than their beloved Malbec, so much so that the country’s wine promotion organisation, Wines of Argentina, celebrates Malbec World Day. Sunday, April 17 was the date nominated by Wines of Argentina to celebrate wines made by the Malbec grape, when wine shops and restaurants in major wine consumption countries like the US, UK and Canada hosted a range of events to celebrate. Of course, here in Jamaica we don’t need much of an excuse to host a party so naturally we were in the mix, too.

Malbec History

Malbec is a red grape varietal, originally grown in France, primarily from Cahors in the Bordeaux region where it goes by a number of different names, including Côt, Pressac and Auxerrois. Malbec is one of the grapes that are officially permitted to be in Bordeaux wines. It was introduced in Argentina in the 1850s and seems to prefer the soils in this South American country. In the 1860s the phylloxera plague destroyed a tremendous amount of the wine regions in Europe, and Argentina, among other countries, benefited from European wine experts running to find other destinations to grow their wines.

Mendoza, in the foothills of the Andes, is the dominant wine region in Argentina. This is a region that receives very little rainfall, and were it not for the ready supply of Andes meltwater, viticulture wouldn’t be possible here. Altitude is another important factor. Two other wine regions worth mentioning are Salta, up in the hot north which has the world’s highest commercial vineyards, and Patagonia, which is far south — a cooler, windier, flatter region that’s beginning to turn out some really nice wines.

Malbec World Day tasting

After a round robin with all the stakeholders, we decided to host our small tasting on the evening of Saturday, April 16 at Bin 26 Wine Bar. The supporting importers included Caribbean Producers Jamaica — Catena, Las Moras and Trapiche; Lascelles Wines & Spirits — La Celia; Wray and Nephew — Terrazas de Los Andes; and Smith Russell & Co — Alfredo Roca. His Excellency Ambassador Mario Piño, Argentine Ambassador to Jamaica, was more than happy to lend his full support to the event. His office provided us with some really great videos on the major wine regions and the Malbec grape itself.

Favourites

Seven wines were available for tasting and we had an enthusiastic group of just under 40 Malbec lovers ready to get to work. We tasted in this order: Alfredo Roca Malbec 2008, Alfredo Roca Family Estate Malbec 2006, Las Moras Black Label Malbec 2006, Catena Malbec 2008, Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec 2008, La Celia Reserva Malbec 2007 and Terrazas de los Andes Afincado Malbec 2006. After watching the videos and listening to a brief welcome and overview by His Excellency Ambassador Mario Piño, we were guided through a tasting of all the wines listed above. The guests were asked to vote on their favourite: Terrazas de los Andes Afincado Malbec got the nod, followed closely by Alfredo Roca Family Estate Malbec and the Catena. A great evening was had by all.

Do try a Malbec from Argentina today and share your feedback.

Chris Reckord — Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. He and his wife Kerri-Anne are part-owners of Jamaica’s only Wine Bar – Bin26 Wine Bar in Devon House, Kingston. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on twitter.com/DeVineWines