Talk-A-Vino

Malbec grapes, picture from Wikipedia

Welcome to the weekend and your new wine quiz!

Believe it or not, but we are still continuing the Grape Trivia series, and our subject for today is Malbec.

Malbec has one of the most dramatic fates out of many other red grapes, going from being one of the most popular among royal families and even the Pope, to becoming literally non existent. Today it is mostly grown in Argentina (50,000 acres) and France, but winemakers experiment with Malbec more and more all over the world. Use of Malbec ranges from being one of the five noble grapes in Bordeaux (but rarely being a star of the blend) to the single grape wonderful wines of Argentina.

Malbec grapes are black in color and have thin skin, however capable of accumulating a very substantial amount of tannins. Malbec is unfortunately prone to various grape diseases and viticultural hazards, such as frost, mildew and others. But the grape worth the effort as it can produce some of the most versatile red wines, ranging from very soft and approachable to the tannin monsters requiring long ageing.  Now, to the quiz!

Here are the questions:

Q1: Explain the meaning of the name Malbec.

Q2: In France, Malbec is known under a number of different names, used in the different regions. Can you name at least two of those “other names”?

Q3: About 200 years ago, Malbec was widely planted in France, and it was considered to be one of the major grapes. Two events lead to severe decline in plantings and almost disappearance of Malbec as a grape of any importance. Do you know what events were those?

Q4: Some of the best Malbecs in the world come from Argentina. The quality of Malbec grapes in Argentina is also often associated with high altitude at which grapes are growing. Do you know what is the highest altitude of Malbec vineyards at the moment?

A: 1,500 feet

B: 5,000 feet

C: 7,000 feet

D: 3,000 feet

Q5: In its best times, Malbec was the grape made into so called Black Wine, very popular among Royal families. One Royal family went as far as even associating health benefits with consumption of Black wine. Now, do you know what Royal family was that and where the Black Wine was made?

Have fun, have a great weekend and cheers!