Less and less French and more and more Argentine. The Malbec grape, a favorite of Brazilians, became an exponent of the “hermanos” and even received a kind of “renaming”.
Originating from Cahors, in southwest France, the grape variety played a huge role in viticulture on the old continent, particularly in Bordeaux wines, until the arrival of phylloxera at the end of the 1850s.
The plague devastated four-fifths of all wines in the world and hit varieties that are more sensitive and susceptible to diseases, such as Malbec, hard. As a result, there was a sudden “disappearance” of Malbec vineyards and enormous difficulty in reproducing the variety in France, as winegrowers feared further losses.
However, years before, the grape had already arrived in Argentina at the hands of French agronomist Michel Aimé Pouget and had a fantastic adaptation to the dry, desert and high soil of Mendoza.
To give you an idea, France currently has only 5,000 hectares dedicated to the production of Malbec, while the “hermanos” have over 45,000. And the “renaming” took place in Luján de Cuyo in 1991, a city that belongs to Mendoza and which gives its name to the first denomination of origin in Argentina.
The DOC (as it is called) was the result of the work of Alberto Arizu, known as the “guardian of the Argentine terroir” and one of the owners of the Luigi Bosca winery. During a visit to Brazil, Alberto Filho (fourth generation of the Arizu family) recognized the importance of phytosanitary and sustainable protocols in production, and said that the winery was only able to reach its current level after more than 120 years of selecting the best genetic clones of the plant.
Alberto also highlighted that when visiting the winery it is possible to drink the “father of Argentine Malbecs”: the first label of the variety produced by the company in 1912.
“I’ve had people offer me whatever I want to buy this wine, but there’s no amount of money that can buy it. We used to only open bottles for celebrations, but with Coravin’s help we can do it more often,” he said.
The Luján de Cujo designation of origin has only been in existence for 34 years and is home to other major brands such as Catena Zapata, Susana Balbo, Cheval des Andes and Achaval Ferrer. The power of the terroir at an altitude of 800 to 1200 meters, combined with the warm and dry climate of the region, are increasingly producing elegant, round and intense Malbecs, ideal for pairing with barbecues and allowing us to count on one hand how many French varietals of the grape we have drunk in recent years.
And look, I’m not even that big of a fan of Malbec.
*The texts published by Insiders and Columnists do not necessarily reflect the opinion of CNN Travel & Gastronomy.
About Stephen Limana
Stêvão Limana is a journalist with a degree from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), a postgraduate degree in oenology, a candidate for professional sommelier and a marathon runner in his spare time. On TV he talks about politics and elections, while on the internet he focuses on wine and gastronomy.
Source: CNN Brasil
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