Wednesday, January 25

Join Master Sommelier Elizabeth Schweitzer for a tasting of Malbecs from Argentina, France and America.

Welcome Elizabeth as she will be joining us at various events throughout the festival.

This event is going to be super educational as well as a special treat.

Malbec is synonymous with Argentina. In fact, before Argentina started growing it in the 18th century, Malbec was considered a low-quality grape that was only suitable for blending.  Today the Malbec grape takes up three-quarters of Argentina’s vineyards and is considered their most important grape.  While the Malbec grape originated in France (in the Cahors region), the Argentinian Malbec is the most celebrated. 

The two taste very different — while an Argentinian bottle is plummy and soft in texture, 

a French bottle is quite tart and savory.   

There are three notable wine regions in Argentina producing the best Malbec: 

Mendoza, Salta, San Juan. All of these regions are perfect for growing Malbec grapes, 

as the vineyards are at high altitudes with plenty of sunshine.  

Malbec is still grown in France, mainly in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley, but it does struggle with the cooler climate. In fact, the entire French crop was nearly destroyed in the mid-1950s due to adverse weather conditions.  

Malbec also grows in other areas around the world, though in much smaller yields:  

California, Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.