The unexpected wine from the most famous grape surprises here and opened an opportunity abroad

The wine is served from the bottle to the glass and is white,

, almost transparent.

On the nose those typical notes of a white can appear, but also a disorienting red fruit.

But in the mouth, it is a white with all the letters.

Is he a white?

Yes, it's a white.

But it is a white that was made from

White Malbec (or Blanc de Malbec) is not a launch, although it is a

.

But it is growing, slowly and steadily, in the number of wineries that produce it and also in sales abroad.

At a time when wine is key in the strategy of generating foreign exchange, Malbec white appears as a new opportunity:

.

Argentinian = Malbec

Argentina in the world is Malbec.

It is our flagship strain, the one for which foreign consumers recognize us and the one they come looking for when they are tourists in these lands, the one that wins most of the prices in rankings and contests (although others are beginning to rise positions) and, by far ,

: 56.96% of the total liters in 2022, according to the Argentine Vitivinícola Observatory.

Malbec is everything.

But the local wine industry has been thinking for the last few years about

beyond Malbec without forgetting everything that Malbec gave us (and still has to give).

That is the view provided by Alejandro Vigil, a renowned and award-winning winemaker, but who speaks here in his role as

, the entity that promotes Argentine wine abroad.

“We see growth potential in all Malbec production methods, including Blanc.

This started about 10 years ago and from there there was a strong development in several wineries that were finding their place.

”, he analyzes.

That first wine Vigil refers to is the Indomitable Blanc de Malbec, which Colosso Wines has been producing since 2014. “Colosso was born as a Malbec brand and we decided we had to do something original that nobody else did.

We thought about

and we started brainstorming.

We made rosés until we got to Blanc de Malbec”, says Andrés Ridois, its general manager.

Indomitable, the first Malbec Blanc to hit the Argentine market in 2014. Photo Colosso Wines

From that innovation, several wineries were adding to the niche.

From large industry tanks to more boutique and disruptive ones.

Today, there are

, with new permanent releases.

And in almost all of them,

.

This is the case of Andeluna, a winery that was a pioneer with the already consolidated Cabernet Franc (varietal of which it also made a white) and has just launched its Blanc de Malbec for sale.

"Last year I took it to ProWein (NdR. One of the most important wine fairs in the world) and when I presented it to the importer from England he told me 'Next year I'll buy everything from you.'

We went on the market with 13,000 bottles of the 2022 vintage and an 80% purchase commitment.

”, shares Manuel González Bals, winemaker at the Valle de Uco winery.

Almost transparent.

Andeluna recently released a Malbec Blanc and is going to double production.

Andeluna Winery Photo

González Bals takes a central theme that pushes wineries to explore this winemaking method: outside,

.

It is a window of opportunity.

They saw that at the Trivento winery in 2019, when this wine arose from an idea born in the conferences for social purposes that the winery holds every year.

"We are working with the oenology team to

," says its oenologist, Maximiliano Ortiz.

Already in their fourth harvest, they produced more than a million bottles that they export to Mexico, Canada, Brazil and the United Kingdom, in addition to the Argentine market.

How to make a Malbec Blanc

Blanc de Noir (red whites) were born a long time ago in the Champagne region of France, where most of the white grapes go to the production of sparkling wine (which can be called champagne there) and a group of viticulturists

.

For this reason, this white Malbec is not a variety, but a winemaking method.

That it is

, and that it begins in the vineyard.

"You have to

, so that the leaf protects the fruit as much as possible because the more sun enters, the greater the concentration of color", says the chief winemaker of Andeluna.

"The

is decisive , which is monitored in each plot and is earlier than usual to generate more acidity, lower PH and a lower potential alcohol level, which seeks to

”, continues Juan Carlos Muñoz, chief winemaker of Viña Las Perdices.

"Disruptive wine".

That's what they wanted to do in Trivento with their white Malbec.

Photo Trivento Winery

Letizia Viazzo, from Penedo Borges Sales and Marketing, points out another detail about the harvest: "It is done manually, in 18-kilo boxes to preserve quality, and in the early hours of the day to avoid oxidation of the grapes

" .

"Direct and very fast pressing is carried out at very low pressure to

," explains Eugenia Luka, Finca Sophenia's Communications Manager.

But none of this will help if there is not

.

Different methods are used to ensure that the skin "goes down" and

so that it does not transfer colour.

In this process, some winemakers resort to oxygen, others to carbon and others to a strong decrease in temperature (to almost zero degrees).

How is (and is drunk) a white Malbec

In Argentina, Malbec Blancs are available, depending on the label and marketing channel, from around $1,100 to $2,700 a bottle.

How is this wine?

“

: the freshness, acidity and aromatic power of the whites are harmoniously assembled with aromas of red fruits, cherry and strawberry, and the complexity in the mouth of the Malbec”, describes Carlos Bauzá, Bodegas winemaker. Salentein (which produces the Killka Malbec Blanco), and who says that the local consumer "is encouraged to leave the traditional and try the new".

The three colors of Malbec.

Red, Rosé and White, in the Logia de Las Perdices line.

Photo Vineyard Las Perdices

“Being white wines made from red grapes, they tend to be a little more intense.

, I don't think there is a profile of what you might expect.

But I tried all the ones that were made and they are wines that are good”, analyzes the sommelier Mariano Braga.

When referring to the pairing, the expert says that if these whites "do not have a contribution of wood and are not designed for aging, they are relatively simple wines and we are going to look for a pairing with simple foods: a snack, cheeses with high

, a pasta with a tomato sauce could be super good”.

rising demand

Braga lives in Spain, and from there he contributes from his vision of the export potential of these wines: “Internationally, red wines vinified as well as white wines are exceptional, something from connoisseur circuits.

Malbec trades a lot as a red and probably trades as a white.

But Malbec is also an exceptional category,

.

It is a variety that undoubtedly opens the doors to Argentine wine abroad, and when the diner or drinker knows Malbec, he imagines it as a red.

There is

to try an alternative”.

But the truth is that, even with marginal numbers,

.

"It is still a novel variety but with great opportunities in the foreign market," says Pablo Moraca, Global Marketing Manager of Finca Las Moras, which only two years ago began exporting its Dadá #391 Art White Malbec to the United Kingdom and Ireland.

At Finca Flichman, for example, also in 2021 they began to produce their Misterio White Malbec because 

.

And wineries that for now market this Blanc de Noir locally, such as Familia Salas Organic Estate (its label is Malbecino Acaricado), have upcoming export plans.

"We are going to increase our production by 2024 as

," says its winemaker, Ramiro Salas.

El Acaricado was launched for the local market and they already plan to export it.

Photo Family Rooms Organic Estate

"The opportunities are very good because of how well it behaves as a white wine:

," concludes Alfredo Merlo, founder of Maal Wines, which since 2016 has been making Ambiguo La Joven, a wine that in its name sums up very well what Malbec Blanc is:

.

ACE

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