Ep 599: The Grape Miniseries Refresh - Malbec

This week I cover Malbec, or Côt as it's known in its native home of Southwest France. This old red grape variety has long history in France and was once one of its most planted grapes. But due to pickiness in the vineyard and harshness in the bottle, Malbec fell out of favor in its native country. Despite being a big component in the Bordeaux blend, the grape remained in relative obscurity until it hit South America, particularly Argentina. Although it wasn't an overnight success, Malbec hung around Argentina for about 150 years and then got its moment in the sun (literally). Today 75% of the world's Malbec grows in Argentina.

Photo: Malbec grape. Source: Getty Images via Canva

From a combination of factors and circumstances that worked perfectly for Malbec, the grape took on premium status in the 1990s in Argentina and rocketed into fame through the 2000s. It was then that Cahors, the native home of the grape changed some of its techniques to make its native grape shine in a different style. Others followed, but these two titans of the grape remain the best.

In the show I discuss the history of the grape, it's not so cooperative nature in the vineyard, the key to making good Malbec in the winery, and then I talk about the regions where it is grown, in detail. As always, I end with food pairings and producers.

Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Become a member today!

www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

_______________________________________________________________

Check out my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access. They have an amazing selection -- once you get hooked on their wines, they will be your go-to!

To register for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth or get a class gift certificate for the wine lover in your life go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(92)

Ep 619: The Wines of Provence - Liz Gabay & Ben Bernheim Return To Discuss Their Latest Book

Liz Gabay, MW and her partner and son, Ben Bernheim, come back on the show as dynamic as ever. This time they discuss their latest, wonderful book, "The Wines of Provence," which was recently publis...

2 Sep 1h 9min

Ep 618: Back to Basics: Structure in Wine Part 2 - Sugar & Alcohol

In last week's show (dorkfest part 1), we discussed two components of structure, acidity and tannin, and how they are like two sides of a picture frame, structure. In this episode (dorkfest part 2), ...

26 Aug 55min

Ep 617: Back to Basics: Structure in Wine Part 1 - Acidity & Tannin

This time it's Back to Basics -- describing two of the four main components that make up the structure of wine - Acidity & Tannin. It's both simple, and very dorky (I quote the NIH at one point, worth...

18 Aug 56min

Ep 616: The Greats – The Chenin Blancs of the Loire Valley

Although the Loire Valley is most famous for the Sauvignon Blancs of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (especially after Taylor Swift drove tons of people to buy Sancerre – thank you Taylor!), there is a whit...

12 Aug 54min

Ep 615: Felicity Carter Returns: The journalist, writer, speaker taking on the hardest issues in wine

Felicity Carter a journalist, researcher, and analyst who's spent more than 20 years covering the global drinks industry. Not one to shy away from controversy, Felicity covers some of the thorniest is...

5 Aug 53min

Ep 614: The Alto Piemonte - Piedmont's Best Kept Secret

Although the best-known wines of Piemonte are in the south — in Alba, Roero, Cuneo, and Asti – there is a treasure trove of excellent Nebbiolo and Nebbiolo blends northeast of the famed Barolo and Bar...

29 Jul 45min

Ep 613: The Grape Mini-Series Refresh -- Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is one of the oldest and finest red grapes of Italy. Native to Piemonte (Piedmont) in the northwest of the country, it was first mentioned and described by (my boyfriend) Pliny the Elder in t...

22 Jul 51min

Ep 612: Wine Legends -- André Tchelistcheff, The Father of American Wine

André Tchelistcheff is a wine legend, especially in American wine. A winemaker, viticulturist and teacher, Tchelistcheff raised the standards for California wine, making it possible for it to become a...

15 Jul 41min