Malbec grape Malbec is one of the purple grape varieties belonging to Vitis Vinifera used for red winemaking. Because Malbec is one of the six grapes permitted for blending Bordeaux red wines, it has become popular and widely grown in southwestern France in recent decades. Furthermore, in Argentina it has become the leading variety. Malbec tends to have a very dark inky color and robust tannins, and usually has a berry flavor and spicy finish. It is also called Auxerrois or Côt Noir in Cahors, called Malbec in Bordeaux, Pressac in other regions, and has more than 50 varietal synonym names (Robinson, 1986). History of Malbec Malbec is native to the Cahors region of southwestern France, and widely planted in the Cahors and Bordeaux regions decades ago. However, after suffering a phylloxera epidemic and a severe frost, the growing regions had a long time to recover, and less than 2,500 acres remained in Bordeaux. During the decline in France, Malbec was introduced to Argentine vineyards in the 19th century. With the adaptation of growing conditions, Malbec was planted in rapid growth in Argentina, and becomes the most popular red grape variety for daily consumption with reasonable management in Argentina (“A Brief History of Malbec”). With the success of Malbec in Argentina, many other countries have started trying to grow this variety and, recently, it has already been planted in Chile, South America, and slightly in other regions including Italy, South Africa and New Zealand (Robinson, 2006). .Type and taste of wine Typically, Malbec is used to produce full-bodied red wines, and is well known for having dark fruit flavors and usually with a smoky finish. However, Argentina's Malbec... focus of the paper... on "A Brief History of Malbec," Uncork, viewed May 12, 2014, http://www.uncork.biz/tidbits18. htm Brett Ketelbey, “Malbec - a Powerhouse Rising,” DifferentDrop, viewed May 12, 2014, http://www.differentdrop.com/blogs/news/8369136-malbec-a-powerhouse-risingJacis Robinson, 1986, “Vines, Grapes & Wines”, Mitchell Beazley, pp 198 – 204, ISBN 1-85732-999-6Jancis Robinson, 2006, “The Oxford Companion to Wine”, OxfordUniversity Press, p 421Malbec - The Happy Transplant, Corkquize, viewed 9 May 2014 , http://www.corkquiz.com/public/Learn_about_wine_malbec.cfm Michael Franz, 2004, “Where Malbec Does Best,” viewed May 12, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/ A2077-2004Sep7.html “What is Malbec wine? Plus 4 Amazing Facts”, 2013, Wine Fally, viewed May 15, 2014 http://winefolly.com/review/what-is-malbec-wine/