Make Mine Monticello Malbec!

The Malbec grape originated in southwest France, in Cahors, and was, once, one of the widest planted grapes in all of France. It’s one of the five allowed grapes in the Bordeaux blend, after all. Then came the double punch of the Phylloxera infestation followed by the Great Frost of 1956, which wiped out vineyards growing Malbec, requiring a mass replanting … that did not see Malbec replanted at its former level (one of the reasons why Malbec is probably the least used grape in the Bordeaux blend).

Fortunately, in the 1800s, before both disasters, French grape expert Michel Pouget took pre-Phylloxera cuttings of Malbec first to Chile and then to Argentina, where the grape loved the climate, the altitude, and the soils. Though, Argentina is Malbec’s official capital, you can now find the grape grown around the world … even here, in Virginia!

Malbec has a difficult time in Virginia. On one hand, it’s a grape that needs hotter temperatures to fully ripen, which is good for us. We have that (more and more as the climate changes), but … it does really well in high altitudes, which Argentina and Chile have. We — not so much. Also, it’s a grape that is prone to downy mildew and is quite vulnerable to early frosts (see the Great Frost of 1956). Of the 3,000 or so acres of vineyards planted in the state, under 20 acres are dedicated to Malbec. Do you know where you can find Malbec in Virginia? Here in the Monticello AVA!

Please join us this wine Wednesday as we celebrate our area’s success with southwest France’s most famous ex-patriot child. Come in out of the cold to another of our free, walk-up tastings. You can stop in anytime between 5:00 and 6:30 PM.