Malbec is a noble grape, associated with royalty. Born in France and expanded by the Roman Empire, He settled in southwestern France, in a place called Cahors, 70 kilometers north of Toulouse. This strain was grown there, with which wines called “Cahors wines” were made after the name of the region. It was very important in the medieval timesspread throughout the southwest of Bordeaux, covering nearly 60,000 hectares.
But it was a Queen who had a particular affinity with this variety and helped spread its virtues beyond the borders of France: Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In her own right she was heir to the immense Duchy of Aquitaine and by marriage she became Queen consort of France (1137) and then Queen consort of England (1154). Leonor has been without a doubt one of the most relevant and influential women of the Middle Ages. Famous for holding grand parties where she extolled the courtly love of gentlemen for their ladies while they drank. Malbec. Thanks to her, this wonderful strain managed to captivate the English, who drank the “dark wines of Cahors”, with its deep colors and somewhat rustic palates.
And there were others. As happened at the end of the 17th century, the Tsar of Russia, Peter the Greatregularly drank Malbec wines and legend has it that, according to him, this was a factor that helped the ruler to heal your stomach ulcer. Thus, it led to the introduction of the variety in the Russian Empire. But it was during the mid-18th century when Malbec finally spread, thanks to the support of the empress Catherine the Great.
In the Bordeaux region it formed an important part in the blends of the region’s great wines, especially those that, from 1855at the insistence of Napoleon III, they became classified as “Grand Cru Classés”. And Malbec added verve and color to the “clarets” of the region.
Everything was splendor for Malbec until the 19th century, but it received a devastating blow. The pphylloxera plague attacked a large part of the vineyards in France, destroying a very important sector and making disappear many varieties, including Malbec.
Malbec arrived in Argentina around 1850from the hand of a French botanist called Michel Aime Pougetthat Domingo Faustino Sarmiento met during his time as Ambassador in Chile. He was Sarmiento precisely the one who hired him to carry out the management of the Quinta Agronómica de Mendoza, first agricultural school in the country.
Following the French model, this initiative proposed incorporate new varieties of strains as a means to improve the national wine industry. Possibly this is the beginning of organized viticulture as we know it today. He April 17, 1853with the support of the governor of Mendoza, Pedro Pascual Segura, The project was presented to the Provincial Legislature, with a view to founding the Quinta Normal and its School of Agriculture. That is why we celebrate on this day, the World Malbec Daywhich every year fills hundreds of cities around the world with its unmistakable aromas, its sweetness and displays all its elegance.
We Argentines are lucky to have this treasure that found a new home thousands of kilometers from its origincultivated for more than a century by immigrants, like my great-grandfather, who came to our country, prosperous and thriving, in search of new horizons and patiently shaped the wines that we drink and enjoy today throughout the world. This delicate strain that is harvested later, susceptible to cold and lack of sun, found in Mendoza a weather dry and sunnyideal for their development.
I always liked to say ““We did not choose Malbec, Malbec chose us”. Within the extensive varietal park, brought by these immigrants, mostly from the Mediterranean, many of them, like my family, vine growers for generations, were discovering that the heights that our mountain range offeredwith soils irrigated with water from melting ice, created the perfect place to see the birth of our Malbec, which we celebrate today.
Our Malbec has the potential to be a robust, solid, frank, honest wine, with notable nuances of fruit concentration. Its flavor is like a intense concentrated vinosity. Malbec is, so to speak, the wine with the most wine taste Among red wines, it is direct and fills the mouth strongly, without acidic or herbaceous edges. Its sweet, round tannins are the best support for the enveloping aromas of ripe plums, syrup and jam. In these conditions, it has excellent aging potential.
For all this and with a dazzling vision, a group of notable producers, including my father, Alberto Arizu, and Raúl de la Mota, founded in 1989 the first Designation of Origin of America. The Controlled Designation of Origin of Luján de Cuyo, cradle of great Malbecs, are undoubtedly those Malbecs that they conquered the world starting in the 1990s.
Today Malbec represents almost 50% of our exports and is present in 126 countries around the world, being the most recognized throughout the world. And in this way it helped position our country as one of the most relevant players on the global stage.
However, the consumption of Malbec represents 3% of the total varieties, which demonstrates the extraordinary potential that Argentina still has to continue growing and developing its viticulture, mainly with the help of its exporters.
Obviously Argentina is even more than Malbec, but without a doubt this strain is and will be a seal of distinction of our viticulture and we have been blessed for it. Today our wineries and technical teams dedicate their time to permanent discovery of the diverse expressions of this variety in countless terroirs throughout the extensive mountain range. Not in vain Argentina has almost 3,500 kilometers from North to South and close to 100 thousand cultivated hectares at more than 1,000 meters high, which generates incredible diversity and that gives a unique and unrepeatable character to its wines.
We should be very proud of what we have been able to do with our Malbec that almost two centuries ago, He chose us as his place in the world. Let’s celebrate this April 17, World Malbec Day, raising our glasses to toast our past and the bright future that lies ahead.
*Alberto Arizu (h) is a member of the founding family of Bodega Luigi Bosca and the fourth generation of the Arizu family. Current general director of the winery that has been a protagonist of the Argentine wine industry since its inception, 120 years ago. He has a degree in Business Administration from the National University of Cuyo and has postgraduate studies at the University of San Diego and the IAE.
