Malbec tasting

Make the sheets View: A4 · Letter

The notes page for Malbec puts the grape's name at the top and keeps every red wine row below, so you circle the same things as for any red. Malbec stands out on several of them: colour depth almost always deep, the colour itself purple when young, black and blue fruit rather than red, ripe or jammy, full weight and some warmth. The aroma list is Malbec's own, with plum, blackberry, black cherry and blueberry among the fruit, violet the flower most tasters find first, chocolate, vanilla and coffee from the oak, and leather, tobacco and earth in older or French bottles. The mouth-drying line is where an Argentine and a Cahors differ most. The conclusion asks for grape, country and region, and age, beside the answer. One page per wine, for someone tasting Malbec seriously.

Pour a small taste, look at the colour against a white sheet and notice the purple rim, a quick clue to the grape. Work down the page and keep the aroma list for after your first impression. If you have a Mendoza, a Salta and a Cahors, do a page for each and compare the weight and mouth-drying lines afterwards, which show the altitude and the climate. A Malbec from Uco Valley often has more freshness than people expect. Print one page per wine and the how-to page if you need it, and use the flight sheet when you want the wines on one page. A big, ripe red is easy to keep sipping, so spit between tastes and keep a glass of water beside the page.

Home

About · Privacy · Adults only.