What is the most widely grown red grape in Argentina?

Answer 1

Argentina , has many types of red grapes , Merlot , Cabs etc .
But they are famous for Malbec:

Unless you have tried some wines from Argentina in the past few years,
you probably are scratching your head and wondering, ‘what in the world is
Malbec’? It’s not an everyday household name, I’ll give you that much.
Most of the wine producing regions have long since forgotten this black,
thin-skinned grape varietal and it has never been fashionable on it’s own
here in the States. In fact, if you were familiar with it at all, you would
probably come to know it as a grape that is often used by winemakers to
round off a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot based wines.

That is pretty much the role that Malbec grapes were limited to in
Bordeaux, France, one of the original places this grape appeared. It is also
used in a similar fashion in some of the Cabernet Franc based wines in
Loire, France. Unfortunately, Bordeaux winemakers are using less and
less additional grapes to round off their famous Bordeaux blends and as
luck would have it, Malbec has become one of the heaviest casualties in
that regard. In fact, only four out of the sixty classified growth Bordeaux’s
are still using the grape in the blend. When a high profile wine region like
Bordeaux decides a grape is unfit for the wines they make, it can have
quite a ripple effect on the grape’s success in other parts of the world.

Another reason for Malbec’s obscurity is the fact that it goes by so many
names. Names like, Cot, Pressac and Auxerois, just to name a few. With
so many different titles, it’s hard to keep up with wines that are made from
the grape.

One region in France that still believes in Malbec is called Cahors. In this
region, you are likely to find Malbec under the name of Auxerois and the
wines they make are quite original indeed. Inky black, gritty and tannic as
all get out, I remember the first time I tasted a wine from Cahors, I thought
I was drinking Bic Pen ink and sandpaper. Needless to say, it's a style
that I was a bit unfamiliar with. Some of these wines from Cahors are so
tannic, they could literally last for decades un-phased.

I bring Cahors up because it is the last region in the Old World still
growing Malbec in any great number and producing any wines made
entirely from the grape. However, back in 1956, this wine region, which
has been producing wines since Roman times, suffered from a devastating
frost that nearly wiped out every acre of Malbec grapes in Cahors. Had
they not been able to save a few of those vineyards, would we have lost
Malbec wines forever? Well maybe, more on that later….

Now if you are familiar at all with Malbec wines you have probably been
waiting on pins and needles for me to bring up Argentina. After all,
Malbec wines from Argentina in no small way, put that country on the wine-
producing map and in recent years, have come to enjoy a certain degree of
success here in the States. One reason for their newfound success here in
our Country is that the Malbec wines made in Argentina taste nothing like
the ones made from Cahors! Seriously though, I’m just giving Cahors a
hard time…..mainly because it’s….well….Cahors! Truth be told though,
Malbec has become a hit with wine drinkers because of it’s familiarity.
Okay, familiarity in taste that is. Malbec wines from Argentina taste a lot
like Merlot wines made elsewhere in the world and we Americans just love
Merlot. I would say they do taste similar, but Malbec wines have a bit
more noticeable tannins on the finish. When you taste a Malbec wine for
yourself, you will likely encounter a full-bodied wine with a soft mouth feel
full of soft silky tannins and dried fruit flavors. There will be plenty of
black current, cassis and red fruit flavors like plums and berries as well as
hints of black pepper and other spicy notes. A really good Malbec wine is
something to behold. I recommend a Malbec wine from Catena Zapata.
They simply make wonderful wines and it would be a good introduction for
you into the world of Malbec and Argentina wines in general for that
matter.

You are probably wondering why if Malbec wines from Argentina are so
good, why aren’t other countries producing wines made from this grape?
To be fair, Argentina has all of the perfect conditions for this slow ripening
grape to blossom into something wonderful that not many other places on
earth enjoy. For one thing, Malbec grapes love sun and need lots of it.
Argentina has plenty of sun and the air and sky is free of dust and clouds
providing plenty of pure sun driven radiation. The grape also needs a very
high differential between day and evening temperatures and at a minimum
fluctuation of 27 degrees Fahrenheit in a day, the Mendoza region in
Argentina accomplishes that quite easily. Finally, the main secret
ingredient that Argentina possesses is the Andes Mountains. The Andes
offer a dry climate that discourages vine diseases and provides water run-
off to irrigate the vineyards and soils. You could say, Argentina has it all.

Thanks to these great Malbec growing conditions and the fact that
Argentina has been importing more and more of these exceptional wines to
other countries, Malbec wines have been making quite a comeback.
However, there is more to this story. Malbec grapes are to Argentina, as
Zinfandel is to California and Shiraz is to Australia. That is to say, Malbec
grapes grew wild and in heavy abundance all over Argentina. In the 1980’
s, thinking that the future of Argentina’s wine industry would lie in the
hands of popular wine grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and
Chardonnay, the country implemented a “Vine Pull” program that nearly
eliminated Malbec from Argentina entirely. It wasn’t until the 1990’s when
bottles of Malbec began being exported out of the country that Argentina
finally saw the potential for this grape variety. Of course they have been
planting the grape with reckless abandon every since. The rest as they say
is history.

Answer 2

Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon

There are many different varieties of grapes cultivated in Argentina, though Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon among the reds...

Answer 3

Malbec is the premier grape of Argentina.