But if you like your wine with a bit of oomph, you are definitely going to want to do more Malbec exploration. If you like your wine silky smooth, you’re a Merlot drinker. Malbec is often perceived as sweeter on the tongue.īoth Malbec and Merlot are considered among the more approachable, easy-drinking red wines. Malbecs, more full-bodied, have more tannin and are often fruit-forward. Merlots tend to be extremely smooth, medium-bodied wines with modest tannins. And the Malbec is, as I mentioned, a deep, purplish color. If you hold a typical glass of each wine in your hands, you’ll notice that the Merlot has a ruby color. The first difference you’ll notice is color. So what’s the difference? A lot, actually! After all, they’re both red grapes with M names. Many wine drinkers who are new to wine appreciation confuse Malbec and Merlot. But these wines are very different from what you may think of as Malbec if you’ve been drinking Argentine wine. The Malbec can be blended with one or both of two other red wine grapes, Merlot and Tannat. You may have drunk Cahors and not even realized you were drinking Malbec since the wine is labeled for the region, not the grape.Ĭahors must be made of a minimum of 70% Malbec. Malbec from Argentina might be the wine the world knows but Malbec wine originated in the Cahors region of France’s southwest. Some Malbec wines offer aromas and flavors of leather, tobacco, coffee, black pepper and, my favorite, chocolate. But they can also have more earthy, sexy notes. You’ll often find flavors of raspberry, pomegranate blackberry and blueberry when tasting Malbecs. French Malbecs tend to show more of the grape’s earthy flavors. But the Malbecs from Argentina tend to have a fruit-forward style, showing off the grape’s ripe berry flavors. What does Malbec taste like? That depends to some degree on where the wine is produced. In fact, Malbec is one of the five grape varieties blended into the famed wines of Bordeaux’s right bank. Because it is less tannic than Cabernet Sauvignon and brings brilliant, intense color to wines, many winemakers are drawn to blending with this grape. You can find any number of Argentine Malbecs made with 100% Malbec grapes. But you can also find Malbec growing in other wine regions from California to South Africa to New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay. The grape is grown around the world but the best-known Malbec-producing nations are Argentina and France. These grapes can be fussy and prefer certain conditions, preferably ones that give them hot days and cool, even cold nights. This grape variety generally produces wines with a wonderful dark, almost purple color. Malbec grapes are small with thick skins. If you’re wondering, “But what is Malbec wine?” here’s a closer look at this fantastic grape. But there’s so much more to Malbec than cheap wine! (Malbec also goes by the names Côt and Auxxerois.) Malbecs are generally known for being good value. Malbec is a red-skinned grape that makes full-bodied red wines.

Make Malbec the star of your next date night.

Why the best Malbec is the affordable, everyday drinking wine.

This selection also offers diversity for different occasions – from the forthcoming Christmas parties to wines for very special occasions – but for all-round quality and a sensational choice for your winter dinner party or special occasion, the ‘Catena Alta’ Historic Rows malbec 2017 from the legendary Catena label is our best malbec for 2021. And while certainly malbec is mostly celebrated for perfectly accompanying steak and other red meats, these wines are suitable for a wide variety of foods: from rich vegetable dishes to cheese of all types. While the top-level Argentine wines deservedly reign supreme, there are strong showings from Chile and New Zealand, as well as from the grapes’ original home in France. The remarkable consistency of quality and value for money in malbec shines through in this selection of wines – and many others we tasted.

Great malbec wine