One of the traditional "Bordeaux varietals", malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The malbec grape is a thin-skinned grape and needs more sun and heat than either cabernet sauvignon or merlot to mature. It ripens mid-season and can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component. The wines are rich, dark and juicy. As a varietal, it creates a rather inky red (or violet), intense wine, so it is also commonly used in blends with merlot and cabernet sauvignon to create the renowned red, French Bordeaux - claret.
As a deep, ripe, peppery, and substantial wine, it is a great accompaniment to red meats, lamb, and pasta. Specific dishes with which to pair malbec include duck, beef stew, fowl and game meats.
In order to develop full maturity and distinction, malbec needs plenty of "hang time" even after sugar levels indicate ripeness. Otherwise, immature grapes and wines can be very "green" tasting, lacking the characteristic notes of plum and anise. Sometimes, especially in its traditional growing regions, it is not trellised and is cultivated as bush vines.
The malbec grape needs a high differential between day and evening temperatures, with a minimum fluctuation of 15 °C in a day. The varietal is particularly sensitive to frost and has a proclivity to shatter or coulure causing irregular bunches of grapes that are very susceptible to disease. Other causes of coulure include harmful vineyard conditions and practices - pruning too early or too extensively, overuse of fertilizers, and improper selection of rootstocks or clones.
Given the variability and unpredictable nature of Niagara's seasonal weather, only a handful of Niagara vintners - Legends, Vignoble-Rancourt, Gretzky among them - have taken on the challenge of planting, growing and vinifying malbec - even if just for blending - and only Legends Estates Winery has produced a single varietal, establishing the Niagara benchmark. More recently, other Niagara wineries have taken an interest in malbec, simply because it seems well suited for Niagara's temperate climate.
