What the heck is Malbec?

There are a lot of wine grapes in the world. Probably more than 10,000 different varieties. There is no way anyone could know them all, so we tend to concentrate on just a few.

Cabernet Sauvignon is on that short list, and so is Merlot. Most wine drinkers have heard of these two, and a few even know that Cab Sauv and Merlot are often blended. Far fewer know that Malbec is another grape variety that can also be blended with Cab and Merlot.

The red wines of Bordeaux are allowed to be a blend of 5 grapes. These 5, known as the carmenet grapes, are the familiar Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as the somewhat lesser known Cabernet Franc. The other two are Petit Verdot and Malbec, which in Bordeaux they call Cot.

Malbec is the chief grape of the wine produced south of Bordeaux in the region of Cahors. In times past this wine was inky dark, a testament to Malbec's traditional role as a blending grape used to add color. As time has passed, the wines of Cahor have become much lighter and more subtle, without losing any of their charm.

Malbec has another place in the world, one so important, that the few of you that have heard of Malbec tend to associate it with this region. The region is in the New World where rules are regularly broken, and tradition rarely gets in the way of innovation. This place is Argentina.

I wish I could relate my first hand experience of Argentina and its wine regions, but I have never had the good fortune to visit. You can be sure it is high on my list, and if the Consul of Argentina is reading this and wants to sponsor a trip, I am pretty sure there is a book or two in it.

Instead, I can only regurgitate what the books say. That Argentina is now the world's 5th or 6th leading wine producer in the world. That this huge producer was all but ignored until a decade ago. That the wines from Argentina merit recognition.

This is where I can share my own impressions. The Argentinean wines I have tried have been primarily bargain styles. They have been light, somewhat simple wines, with a touch of the tar paper taste that I associate with Malbec. Decent, but not worth going out of your way for, is how I would characterize them.

The better wines are rarely found outside of the country, and what is exported is probably not a great representation of what is available. That said, what I have tasted was not bad, and I find the thought that there are even better wines waiting to be discovered to be intriguing.

I regularly issue a rallying call to try new wines, and this week it is focused on the wines of Argentina. If you have any you want to share with us, post a comment. If you are an Argentinean producer or distributor and want me to taste your wines, send me an email. If you are ready to sponsor my research, let me know as soon as possible so I can visit before crush (I hate getting in the way).

Oh by the way, try a Cahors too if you can find one.

Malbec, check it out.

The Season for Riesling

With Spring in the air (well for those of us at 8,000 feet anyway) and Summer close by, lighter whites wines are sure to follow. And so too is it time for my annual Riesling Rant.

Riesling is often considered a sweet wine, and while some of the most amazing examples are sweet, Riesling can also be bone dry. Witness the wines of Alsace.

Crisp and tart describes many of the Alsatians, and although some may be fruity, they tend to have very little residual sugar.

Residual sugar is a key phrase here. RS as it is often abbreviated on a wine label, is the measure of how much sugar is left over after the wine making process. Dry red wine has no residual sugar, and dessert wines can have as much as 30%.

Riesling ranges in style from dry to sweet, and I think this has led to a little confusion over which Riesling to choose. Fear of sweet has been the deciding factor that keeps many people from exploring this most noble of white wines.

"Americans talk dry and drink sweet" is a cliche that remains as true today as when I started in this biz way back when. I think my favorite example of the sweetness axiom are the many times I have had a customer say "no that wine would be too sweet, bring me a coke."

OK, so if you are willing to get over the fact that some Rieslings are sweet, the questions become, which ones, and what do I drink them with?

Dessert wines are usually the easiest to spot. They tend towards half bottles, and are always expensive (making a dessert wine is no cheap proposition). Late Harvest is a good clue for a sweeter wine, but as in the case of my best scoring wine of all time, Hogue Late Harvest Riesling, it doesn't necessarily mean dessert wine sweet. Just sweet enough to be enjoyable.

Auslese is the German term for a wine of this sweetness, and there are many decent examples at surprisingly good prices. With German wines the key is to look for the word Riesling on the label. Other grape varieties made in an Auslese style are also fun, but do not tend to be as well balanced as a Riesling.

What food and activities would you drink a soda with? For a refreshing quaff? With a burger or a pizza? How about Asian cooking which seems to only go with beer? All of these are great candidates for the slightly sweeter Rieslings.

Hogue is in the Pacific Northwest of the US, and they are not the only Riesling producer in the area. Most of the US Rieslings are just a bit more tart than sweet. And so are the best of the Germans (again the very best are the intense dessert wines, but that is another blog).

Rather than make this longer winded than it is already shaping up to be, for detailed information on German wines, buy my book, or for a quick look at the regions go read about it on the web site.

The drier Rieslings, all the way up to the bone dry Alsatians, are great with any kind of food, but especially seafood. That tart crisp flavor works exactly the same way squeezing lemon on your fish does, to balance all of the flavors.

Chardonnay is great, but it tends to be heavy, at least as far as a white wine goes. Sauvignon Blanc is another favorite white wine grape, but it tends to be a bit monochromatic, in that it has only one flavor and not a lot of complexity. Chenin Blanc, another white grape that doesn't get enough attention, has great crispness, and deserves more consideration, but it is still no Riesling.

A Riesling, at its best, and maybe even at its worst, tends to be complex, well balanced, aromatic, and easy to enjoy.

Get out there, try a few, and let us know what grabs you.