The Malignment of Malbec - what went wrong?
Succession’s role in the downfall of Argentina's leading red grape.
I recently created a crib sheet for my best friends’ upcoming honeymoon to Argentina. I compiled a few of my favourite producers and useful tit-bits about the main regions and grape varieties grown there, so they aren’t completely flummoxed when they arrive. While brushing up on my Argentinian wine knowledge, I was reminded of just how much Malbec dominates the wine scene. Malbec Malbec Malbec is all you see when you start reading about Argentina; the red grape is Argentina. I’m yet to visit but I know that the grape is a big deal there.
Malbec is a red grape variety that started its life in Cahors, South West France, before finding a second home and newfound fame in Argentina. Flavours commonly associated with Malbec (I’m focusing on Argentinian Malbec here) are: blueberry, blackberry, leather, bramble. You might also find vanilla notes in there from the use of oak barrels during the maturation process. Mendoza is the name you need to know, as it’s the large region in Argentina where Malbec thrives. Due to the high altitude of the vineyards in Mendoza and the high UV level, the wines are fruit forward, full bodied with a rich, purple colour (the sun is so intense that the grapes protect themselves by growing thicker skins. Thicker skins lead to darker coloured wines).
Tearing myself away from the incredible pictures of Patagonia and daydreaming about my next holiday, I started to think about Malbec in more detail. When was the last time I had bought a bottle or even drank a glass of Malbec? I honestly couldn’t remember. I try to be open minded with all wines even if, on paper, they aren’t up my street, however this absence of Malbec in my life made me think that there was something more sinister going on.
My suspicions were confirmed when I recalled one of Tom Wambsgans catty lines in Succession Series 4 where he aligned Malbec with morons. Malbec’s reputation must be in trouble if it’s making an appearance in Succession’s writer’s room.
What went wrong? This was a grape that was everywhere yet now it’s been given the cold shoulder by popular culture.
When I was younger I worked on and off in local pubs close to my parents’ house and I vividly remember Malbec being a thing. At the end of the night, a woman I worked with would pour me a sample of a glossy red wine and say ‘this is Malbec, try it but don’t tell the boss.’ Malbec was like an exotic and expensive spice that we could only try on very special occasions. It was the VIP bottle on the wine list. This moment really stuck with me so when I started learning more about wine I went in thinking that Malbec was top dog. It turns out that in my pocket of the wine industry Argentinian Malbecs make up a tiny fraction of what we sell and I rarely receive any requests for it. Wines from Europe are the most popular and in demand (I can’t speak for the whole wine industry but this is my personal experience).
Malbec remained a presence in my life during my early twenties. It was still the popular choice at dinner parties and there were always bottles lurking in our university recycling bins. But since then (and that was quite a long time ago!), the grape has faded away from my life. Why?
The trend for drinking lower alcohol wines has been around for 10 years now so with some Malbecs arriving into the UK with 14-15% alcohol contents it’s not surprising that some drinkers have moved away from them. Also, beyond the big names there hasn’t been a huge amount of funky, new wave producers arriving on the scene that I’m aware of. It seems to me that other grapes such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are now the most interesting Argentinian exports; Malbec has been left behind (for now).
I also think the proliferation of Malbecs in pubs and restaurants, while being a reason for its surge in popularity, may have also been its downfall. Malbec ticked so many boxes. It was full-bodied, dark in colour but a bit different to ‘Australian Shiraz’ (a previous casualty in wine’s evolution) and other heavy reds. You could scan a wine list and think ‘I’ve had Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon lots so let’s try this other wine… Malbec.’ It’s easy to pronounce (never underestimate the success of something on how easy it is to say!) and from Argentina. Exotic right? Malbec became the cheapest bottle on generic restaurant wine lists, which led to a higher rate of bottles sold but it didn’t do much for its reputation as a serious grape.
It seems to me that Malbec has lost its way, so much so that it has become too obvious, a ‘wine for beginners’ and an object of snobbery. The culmination of Malbec’s misfortune is Tom’s humiliating line in Succession. In classic Tom style he’s being a snob. He’s not just being a snob about Malbec, he’s turning his nose up at ‘weekend drinkers.’ He looks down on people who only drink on weekends, which sums up how pathetic he truly is but it also makes me chuckle. I should feel defensive about his attack on Malbec (‘leave the grape alone’) but sadly snobbery exists in food, fashion, literature and wine and it looks like Malbec has become its latest victim. Tom’s comment says more about his own insecurities than Malbec’s but that doesn’t help the grape out!
I can’t let Tom win so I have bought a few bottles of Argentinian Malbec to try. In reverse order of preference:
2021 Catena Malbec - £13.99 per bottle
This wine is a bit of a blob. There are black fruits flavours but it’s hard to pick out individual fruits. There’s a sweetness on the palette that overpowers any other flavours. All in all it’s dull, and a waste of a glass of wine. The wine smells different to how it tastes, which is often a warning sign for imbalance.
2019 Chakana Malbec - £22 per bottle
I’m not into this wine and for the price I expected a lot more. The price suggested this wine would be complex, structured and powerful but sadly, it was disappointing. The redeeming features were flavours of smoke, tobacco, sweet plums and pepper but this wine is lacking punch. The alcohol wasn’t well-integrated resulting in the feeling of breathing fire. That’s a bit dramatic but I wasn’t a fan of this wine.
2022 Iris Malbec, Bodegas Staphyle - £11 per bottle
Much lighter in colour (the three other wines were deep purple) with notes of smoked wood, tar, defrosted strawberries and vanilla pods. This wine showed another sign to Malbec. It’s a subtle version of Malbec, prettier and easy-going. Not a serious wine but it isn’t trying to be. I wouldn’t have guessed this was a Malbec and I’m pleasantly surprised. For £11 I think it’s a great little bottle.
2020 Los Haroldos Reserve Malbec - £16.60 per bottle
This is quintessential Malbec. Inky, purple colour with bright, vivid fruit (blueberry, blackcurrant and rhubarb) and vanilla, cinnamon notes. This is a beefy wine but it wears broad-shoulders well. The tannins sparkle and you can taste it long after you’ve finished your glass. This wine gives FME (full mouth experience) and it would be delicious with food. This is what I would expect from Malbec and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
Tasting accomplished and it revealed a few things I didn’t know about Malbec. Firstly, it is less homogenous than I thought. Secondly, in some bottles the dominance of vanilla notes (likely coming from the barrels) is overpowering. Thirdly, Malbec is a generous grape variety that shows well immediately. Sure, Malbec isn’t my favourite grape but I think I’ve done enough to prove Toms Wambsgans wrong!
It's in my free time that I research interesting grape varieties, taste new wines and travel to wine regions. My mission is to keep sharing these adventures and discoveries with you for as long as possible through this newsletter. If you’d like to support me, you can donate any amount via the button below. I’d be forever grateful.