On the radar

While we are lucky to be still seeing plenty of sunny weather, autumn has arrived and the days will only be getting cooler from here.

The obvious solution when thinking about reds is to jump to your old reliable favourite style or at least what is familiar; Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot probably come to mind for many but there are plenty of small steps off the beaten path to bring some variety.

Malbec should be on the radar of every Australian; it offers familiarity to Cabernet and Shiraz lovers alike and will often provide much better value, given its (relative) obscurity.

Malbec is native to the west of France near Bordeaux, but it is the adopted home of Argentina, helping to put the wine on the international stage.

After being nearly wiped out in France by phylloxera, the grape thrived in the high-altitude area of Mendoza, where the conditions seem ideally suited to the grape – plenty of clear sunny skies to ripen the grapes, but also enough elevation that overnight temperatures are pretty low and help to retain acidity which is lost easily in Malbec.

Given the grape’s natural big, bold flavours, if acidity is lost, it can become too dry, and its meaty/leathery characters take over too much.

With enough acid retained, though, this helps to brighten the wine, lift those ripe, juicy mouth-filling fruit flavours to the fore and allow the earthy/savoury notes to sit in the background giving the wine some complexity and contrast to the fruit.

Malbec should seem familiar in that mouth-filling blackberries dominate it, plum and some raspberry in cooler areas, coupled with subtle black pepper, leather, coffee, chocolate and a velvety mouthfeel; a recipe that would appeal to most Australian palates.

While Malbec has yet to find a defining region in Australia, the Limestone Coast and Clare Valley are producing some examples worthy of seeking out.

At this stage, looking for producers with a good track record of growing and understanding the grape is best.

Bleasdale has a long history of viticulture in the Limestone Coast (just over the border into South Australia), so long that they were the first winery established in the area.

It has given them a long time to find the right sites suitable for Malbec and to work out how to handle a more demanding variety than you may think.

Despite the relatively straightforward bold flavours and velvety feel of the wine that may remind you of Shiraz or Merlot, it is less adaptable than those grapes.

Retaining and managing the acidity is difficult and needs to be executed better.

The Bleasedale “Second Innings” Malbec ($23) knocks many imported examples at the same price off their perch and is hard to beat for value.

It shows off ripe dark plums, red berries, subtle oak spice, and polished tannins.

A must-try for autumn and winter to get a feel for the variety before adding other examples to your red wine repertoire.

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