MALBEC AND MOUNTAINS...OH MY!!!

What is Malbec Wine? 

It’s a full-bodied red wine that grows mostly in Argentina.

Known for its plump dark fruit flavors and smoky finish, Malbec wine offers a great alternative to higher priced Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. However, there’s more to Malbec than just value. Learn the secrets of Malbec wine, some great Malbec food pairing tips and 4 amazing facts that will change the way you think about this ‘lowly’ wine grape.

Malbec Wine Taste

ARGENTINA: The main fruit flavors in a glass of Argentine Malbec are blackberry, plum and black cherry. The nuanced flavors offer milk chocolate, cocoa powder, violet flowers, leather and, depending on the amount of oak aging, a sweet tobacco finish.

Malbec Wine Characteristics

• FRUIT FLAVORS: (berries, fruit, citrus) Blackcherry, Pomegranate, Plum, Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry
• OTHER AROMAS: (herb, spice, flower, mineral, earth, other) Cocoa, Milk Chocolate, Coffee, Mocha, Molasses, Leather, Black Pepper, Green Stem, Gravel, Tobacco.
• OAK AGING
• ACIDITY: Medium 
• TANNIN: Medium 
• SERVING TEMPERATURE: “Slightly Cool” 69 ºF (21 ºC) SIMILAR VARIETIES: Syrah, Merlot, Dolcetto, Touriga Nacional, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Lacrima, Nero d’Avola, Mourvedre (see other full-bodied red wines)
• BLENDING: Blended commonly in Right Bank Bordeaux with Merlot and Petit Verdot. In Argentina, Malbec is occasionally blended with Bonarda, a regional red grape originally from Italy

4 Awesome Facts About Malbec

Argentina ‘Saved’ Malbec. Today, Argentina leads with over 75% of all the acres of Malbec in the world. In a way, Argentina reinvigorated Malbec as one of the top 18 noble grapes. Now it grows in seven countries and continues to grow in popularity. 

Malbec’s Blind Tasting Tell: Look for a magenta-tinged rim. Malbec wine is a deep purple-red that is nearly opaque, similar to Syrah and Mourvedre. However, Malbec wines will often have a bright magenta rim. A tell!

Malbec loves high elevation. In lower elevations, Malbec grapes struggle to produce the acidity they need to create great tasting and long lasting wine. High elevation areas with a wide diurnal temperature shift (ie hot days, cold nights) make the grapes produce more acidity. Find out why acidity is so important. 

Not As Much Oak as You Might Think! Because of Malbec’s bold flavors and richness, many wine tasters believe that industrious use of oak is employed. Not true! In the $9-12 range you’ll find most Argentine Malbec to have only about 6 months of oak aging. 10-12 months of oaking Malbec will give it that classic ‘blueberry’ smell. Some Malbec wines are aged for a long time (18-20 months), but you have to pay to play. Expect to spend around $24+ for Reserva Argentine Malbec and more for US Malbec.

Malbec Food Pairing

Umami lover. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec doesn’t have a super long finish. Because of this, Malbec is great with leaner red meats (ostrich anyone?). The wine does extremely well with funky flavors like blue cheese and rustic flavors like mushrooms and cumin spice.

Perfect Malbec Food Pairing
Black pepper buffalo burgers with blue cheese mushrooms and rosemary infused garlic kale chips.


When was the last time you had a blue cheese burger?

Meat Pairings
Dark meat poultry and lean red meat. Malbec also pairs well with earthy flavors too, such as beef brisket. Duck, Chicken Leg, Lamb, Beef, Ostrich, Buffalo, Pork Shoulder

Spices and Herbs
Look for spices that have earthy or smoky flavors such as: Parsley, Sumac, Thyme, Rosemary, Porcini Powder, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, Cumin, Coriander, Juniper Berry, Clove, Vanilla Bean, Garlic, Shallot, Green Onion, Barbecue Sauce

Cheese Pairings
Look for funky and rich soft to semi-firm cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses.

Vegetables & Vegetarian Fare
Mushroom, Roasted Vegetables, Green and Red Bell Pepper, Potato, Arugula, Kale, Chard, Grilled Endive, Onion, Beet, Tempeh, Lentils, Black Beans, Forbidden Rice