Ericka @Chef PickyKid and Me
Welcome to this Week’s Installment of Wine on Wednesday!
This Week’s Focus: Malbec
We’ve discussed a lot of wines during our Wine on Wednesday series, including popular wines like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel. Now we move onto a wine that is a little less popular than those varietals. Malbec originated in the Bordeaux region of France, where it is a popular varietal. But outside of France, Malbec is a less well known wine, but it is increasing in popularity among wine drinkers.
Some say that Malbec is somewhere between a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Zinfandel. It is very dark purple and is described as having an inky color. It is typically a medium to full bodied wine (see our Introduction to Wine on Wednesday for more information about terms like these), and has a lot of acidity and tannin, which means it will leave quite a pucker in your mouth when you drink it. It also tends to have a high alcohol content.
Flavor notes you may find in Malbec include dark fruits like blackberry, cherry, black cherry, and plum. Because of the dark fruits and dark purple color, this wine is often referred to as having a jammy flavor. Other flavor notes found in Malbec may include black pepper, tobacco, oak, leather or chocolate.
Because of the high tannin and rich fruit notes in Malbec, it pairs well with red meat as well as spicy foods like Mexican, Thai and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Now that you’ve learned a little more about Malbec, would this be a good wine choice for you? The main thing to keep in mind about Malbec is that it tends to be a dry, tannic wine with a lot of acidity, so that means it’s really going to leave a pucker when you drink it. If you tend to like a lot of tannin (pucker) in your wine and prefer the rich dark fruit flavors, this might be a good choice for you. If you like wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel and are looking for something new to try, Malbec might be a good pick. However, if you prefer lighter wines with a smoother flavor, this may not be a good choice for you.
Here are a few popular Malbec Winemakers:
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s installment of Wine on Wednesday! Be sure to stop by again next week!
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