Malbec, the wine most consumed by the Argentineans

According to this body, Malbec remains the most commercialized grape variety in the country, accounting for 37.8% of the total. Next in importance: Cabernet Sauvignon, with only 13.4%, Rioja Torres with 6.7%, Syrah with 4.4% and Bonarda with 3.9%. In addition, Malbec is the most exported variety in Argentina.

To be the most chosen wine by the Argentines, April 17 has its own party. It is the 166th anniversary of the arrival of grapes in the country, at the hands of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and Frenchman Michel Aimé Pouget, agronomist who hired to carry out the management of the Quinta Agronómica de Mendoza.

In order to know in depth the Argentine Malbec, different wineries are conducting a survey that will help to know the characterization of this wine in the country. Their findings will be revealed in a year, although one of the winemakers involved in the work has made some conclusions. "The study confirms that it is the soil compounds that define the characteristics of malbec in each region.In this way, with the same grape, different styles of wine can be generated.In our cellar, we elaborate different wines for different On the one hand, wines with more fruity, attractive nose profiles, simple and easy to drink, on the other hand, wines of greater complexity, the presence of wood and the interpretation of characteristics of the region.And finally wines in which the elegance is sought, the shelf life, a larger volume in the mouth, with wood but without covering the fruit.C is a very versatile variety, for this reason, most of the wines produced are Malbec, "he explained. Noelia TorresDirector of oenology at the Ruca Malen Winery.

"Consumers show us that they prefer more fruity and fresh wine profiles, so the wood has started to play a new role in wine production, more secondary, highlighting the fruit, accompanying to stabilize the color and more aromas and elegance to the wines, "he said.

2018 production

In this sense, with regard to the production of grapes, it is the red variety that led the ranking in 2018, exceeding 4 million quintals. 85% come from Mendoza and 40% of this total comes from the Uco Valley, while Luján de Cuyo provides 24%. As for the provinces, they follow Mendoza San Juan with 6.17% and Salta with 3.2%.

Understanding Malbec DNA, its characteristic expressions in Argentina, its differences in different soils, plots and vintages is an area that winegrowers study in depth to reflect in their wines.

For its part, Santiago MayorgaWinemaker Wines author Cadus Wines said, "Malbec is an excellent variety, which reflects what is happening in the cultivated place.That's why, in my Malbecs, I'm trying to express the combination of what the different terroirs and the vintage offer, we seek to generate varietal purity.It is a sweet and harmonious grape, which allows wines of good color and delights the palates of Argentina and the whole world. "

From Argentina to the world

In terms of exports, according to the latest monthly report from the INV, which corresponds to February 2019, Malbec is leading with more than 95,000 hectoliters exported, which represents more than 35 million FOB dollars. The difference with other strains is abysmal. It is followed by Cabernet Sauvignon with more than 11,000 hectoliters, FOB $ 4.7 million, Chardonnay with over 7,000 hectoliters, and FOB $ 2.1 million. In this line, Ricardo Carretero, Agricultural engineer Nieto Senetiner, explained that "the increase in the export and the knowledge of Malbec for several years have made it possible to recognize this strain from the outside, its main characteristics being gentleness and kindness, which makes it makes it different from cabernet, for example. "

Mayorga, from Cadus Wines, said: "Malbec wines have been high quality, complex and harmonious since their youth, with excellent characteristics that allow us to compare ourselves to the best wines in the world."

The future of malbec

Climate change is undoubtedly a concern for winegrowers. "In 2010, we met with experts in the field who told us that there would be less and less snow in the mountains, a key for the water to be filtered and used for water. It was believed that the water would arrive with more rain, but the same effect is not generated, although water arrives in both directions.This change is already a reality: it is There is less snow, there are as many storms as before, but much stronger, including hail, and the temperature is slowly increasing.If this continues, we think in the future that we must look for more altitude or more latitude south to craft malbecs, "said Carretero, of Nieto Senetiner.