World’s first malbec competition

It’s very popular with varietal wine competitions so for the first time in world history (!) there was recently an International Malbec Competition. Malbec perhaps not the world’s most wide-spread variety but you can find it in several different countries.

These are the plantings:

- Argentina 24,310 ha
- France 6,630 ha
- Chile 1,020 ha
- USA 680 ha
- South Africa 408 ha
- Italy 340 ha
- New Zealand 170 ha
- Total: 34 000 ha
(Source: P Fegan, Chicago Wine School)

Argentina, and specifically the Mendoza, dominates in terms of acreage. In France the variety is best known for the wines it produces in the Cahors, but it is also planted in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley (under the name cot). Cote de Bourg, who co-organised the competition, is the sub-district in Bordeaux with the highest percentage of malbec: 10%.

So what was the result of the competition? Well, there were two categories: northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere, but in the southern category there was a draw so three wines won trophies:

- Northern hemisphere: Cahors, Chateau du Cèdre "GC" 2007
- Southern hemisphere: Dolium Gran Reserva 2006 (Argentina, Mendoza) and Malbec Single Vineyard San Carlos 2005 (Chile, Valle de Colchagua)

Mer info : www.malbec-competition.com