Argentina is famous for its wines, a part of the country’s culture, society, and cuisine. The country is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world and continues strengthening this position by making wines from the oldest of vines. While talking Argentine wine, it is impossible to miss Malbec. Wines of Argentina, an organisation that acts as an excellent guide to the world of wines, even has a day for Malbec Wine- April 17.
According to Wines of Argentina, Malbec’s undisputed permanence as the preferred Argentine variety in the world shows that it is far from being a fad. Always current, #MalbecArgentino continues to surprise.
A tradition in Argentina
This phenomenon – which has marked the direction of the country’s viticulture for more than a decade – is the result of the path that Argentine producers have been building on the basis of a deeply rooted wine-growing tradition.
This tradition has been enhanced by a greater knowledge of terroir that affects the varietal. This point was key to discovering the versatility of Malbec and marked a turning point in the history of Argentine wine. “We stopped talking about “Argentine Malbec” in the singular, and instead started referring to the diversity of Malbec styles, in the plural. Our wine industry has reached a level of maturity, and our producers, for their part, have enough confidence to allow themselves to experiment, take risks, break the rules and go further, letting Malbec express itself. This has opened the way to a whole universe of authentic Argentine Malbecs, which condense and reflect the best of each terroir. Different, unique Malbecs, maintaining their world-renowned quality,” says a Wines of Argentina spokesperson.
Malbec arrived in Argentina from France, where the “Cahors” was a famous wine being made since the time of the Roman Empire. In 1853, Malbec reached the country via the French agronomist Michel Aime Pouget, commissioned by an Argentine famous personality, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, to carry out the management of Agricultural Quinta de Mendoza. New grape varieties began to be cultivated and Malbec started to be produced and the industry grew in the late nineteenth century.
A multiplicity of styles of Argentine Malbec emerged that have adapted to the preference of each palate. It is not by chance that the success of #MalbecArgentino goes hand in hand with the evolution of the varietal.
The organisation cherishes its evolution in looking for its best version and exposing its most authentic side to the world for it to connect with Argentine wine as well as culture.
The market for Malbec
Malbec remains the most chosen variety of Argentine wine. With 45,657 hectares, it is also the most cultivated strain in the country. Furthermore, the production of Malbec in Argentina has marked an increase of 52% since 2010 and, according to INV data, it is the variety with the highest production nationwide with 3,721,290 quintals in 2020, representing 39.96% of the total reds produced.
Mendoza maintains its leadership in the national production of Malbec with 3,195,129 quintals (85.86% of the total of reds produced), followed by San Juan with 246,806 quintals (6.63%), Salta with 122,384 quintals (3.29 %) and La Rioja with 65,677 quintals (1.76%).
Regarding the foreign market, 45.87% of the total wines exported was Malbec and 119 countries received at least one shipment of Malbec during 2020. In that year, 28,828,560 liters were exported for all categories, which is equivalent to US$ 373,037,216, positioning Malbec Argentino as the most exported varietal in the country. Although the numbers reflect an 18% growth in volume compared to 2019, this does not translate in the same way in terms of value as a consequence of the greater increase in the categories with lower added value, a trend that is expected to reverse in 2021.
Once again, in the category of bottled wine, the United States remains the main destination for the variety (US$ 124,218,880), followed by the United Kingdom (US$ 50,212,298), Brazil (US$ 27,756,281) and Canada (US$ 26,073,604). China, the eighth largest export destination for Argentine wine with US$ 6,359,211, remains one of the most important markets due to a sustained growth in its imports of wine.
The curiosity surrounding the Malbec Wine can be easily satiated as it is available for purchasing various wineries like The Wine Park, Achaval Ferrer, Abito Wines, Total Wine et al.
Courtesy: Wines of Argentina via Consulate General and Trade Centre
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