Southern Hemisphere makes world of difference for grape

By John Griffin
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Robert Parker once called malbec the grape that France forgot.

That was largely because it was growing in the wrong soil. Bordeaux's growing season was too short to allow the grape to ripen fully, so it became a minor blending grape.

A move to Argentina about 150 years ago was all it took for the grape to come into its own.

"It needs a long growing cycle," says Cesar Chavez, a former San Antonian who represents several Argentine wineries, including Luigi Bosca and the soon-to-arrive Finca la Buena. "And it couldn't get that in Bordeaux."

Argentina's Mendoza Valley, however, is desert land with a high altitude that gives the grape the sun and setting it needs. "When it landed here, it was in its perfect element," he says.

That has meant the arrival of a variety of dark, rustic, full-bodied malbecs appearing in wine shops all over town. Even my neighborhood supermarket offers more than a half-dozen.

Sales have taken off. "Last year, sales increased 25 percent over the year before," Chavez says. "Sales are expected to increase 25 percent to 30 percent this year."

The growth of malbec is easy to see on a few levels.

It's a full-bodied wine with a fruit-forward style that is highly popular.

Reviewers use words like blackberry, black cherry, plum and cassis as well as coffee, leather and licorice to describe some of the intense flavors you'll often find in malbecs.

Also, malbecs don't have the harsh tannins you may find in merlots and other varietals, says Heidi Holcomb, who manages the beer and wine department at Central Market in San Antonio, and the acidity is much lower.

"It's hearty yet smooth," she says, "Plus, it's excellent with all those grilled meats."

Better than that, malbecs are often inexpensive, so lovers of big reds can get their fill without breaking the bank. La Puerta Malbec, for example, sells for $7.99 here.

The prices haven't changed much in recent years, Chavez says, so people have continued to buy what they like, while more are discovering the grape.

But why malbec instead of other varietals that wine writers have tried to push as the next big thing? Spanish tempranillo and Italian nero d'Avola are but two varietals that have also been lauded, but to no avail.

The reason can partially be found in the labeling. Argentina follows a New World style of listing the winery name, the region and the grape. You don't need to have a thorough knowledge of geography and a foreign language to figure out what you're buying.

"French wine labels have always been very complex," Chavez says, citing one example. "They put the name of the region on the label, not the wine."

Studies have shown that that affects sales. Another reason is that Argentina has promoted the wine heavily abroad. "They saw what Chile had done" to promote its wines, Chavez says. "And they basically copied Chile."

Getting great ratings also helps. Famiglia Bianchi Malbec ($21) received a 90 rating in Wine Spectator, while the Telteca Anta Malbec ($16) earned a 92 rating from Parker's Wine Advocate.

The resurrection of malbec hasn't been limited to Argentina. California wineries have begun producing malbec, and so have a few in Texas, including Becker Vineyards and Haak Vineyards & Winery.