8 Delicious Argentinian Malbec Wines for Every Budget

Relatively unknown decades ago, Malbec is now one of the most reliably delicious wines on any wine list. But that doesn’t mean you should just settle for picking any old bottle!

In particular, we love Argentinian Malbec at The Three Drinkers. Whether from Salta, Patagonia or Mendoza, the variety of flavours is always a delight and only getting better!

Whether you like your Malbec easy-drinking and fruity or rich and robust, these are gems that overdeliver no matter your budget.

Malbec for UNDER £10

Catena Zapata Alamos Malbec

This is a fantastic value high altitude Malbec using grapes grown at some of Mendoza’s highest vineyards, filled with intense flavour from bright sun, cool evenings, and mineral-rich mountain water. Juicy plum is at the fore, supported by notes of dark cherry and blackberry from some additional Syrah and Bonarda added in. For the price, it’s so well balanced and would go down a treat with grilled meat and veg.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: UK £7.50 (usually more!) // US $16.99

Graffigna Reserve Malbec

Sticking with the high altitudes, we’ve loved this Uco Valley Malbec for a while now. Voluminous, fresh, and fruit-forward, it’s rich and chocolatey with standout notes of ripe blueberry and black cherry as well as a welcome touch of spice. At this price, it’s a steal.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: UK £7.50 (usually more!) // US $12.99

Graham Norton’s Own He Devil

Graham’s range of wines has proved pretty interesting, particularly the Sauvignon Blanc and Prosecco. This Mendoza Malbec is no different, filling your mouth with luscious deep purple and jammy plum. There are more complex Malbecs out there, but for something smooth, easy-drinking and well-rounded under £10, you can’t go wrong.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: £9.50

Malbec for £15-£20

Luigi Bosca Malbec Selección De Vistalba

Bodega Luigi Bosca is one of the oldest family wineries in Mendoza, and this benchmark Malbec is made using grapes from 50-year-old vines followed by 12 months of oak ageing. For under £20, the result is superb. It’s rich and plush with floral aromas, followed up with ripe red and dark fruits. A little liquorice and toasted spice add alluring complexity too. This really is exceptional, and we’d recommend taking it in on its own, though it will be fantastic served with a steak or any hearty stew-type dish too.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%    
Find here: £16.99

El Enemigo Malbec

El Enemigo translates as The Enemy, and if the saying goes, ‘keep your friends close but enemies closer’ then we’re absolutely fine with that because this Uco Valley Malbec is delicious. It’s lighter than most Malbecs, with an acidic spine perfect for hearty meals. There’s so much depth of flavour too, with harmonious notes of peach, orchard fruits and blackberry as well as a woody earthiness and minerality. It works so well! Random fact: lead winemaker Alejandro Vigil even has a tattoo of the Malbec grape on his arm, so you know how much love has gone into this!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: UK £18.20 // US $29.99

Alpasión Malbec

In the Uco Valley, a group of friends sat around and decided to start a winery. That winery is Alpasión, and they’ve now got a reputation for stonking Malbec. There’s elegance in the velvety texture and balance of dark fruits and chocolatey oak, but also serious power and body to it that keeps you wanting more. Classy and classic Argentinian Malbec done masterfully.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £19.99

Malbec for £20+

Susana Balbo Signature Malbec

If you’re talking about Argentinian Malbec then it’s only a matter of time before Susana Balbo is mentioned. She’s one of the most renowned female winemakers in the country, known for her influential portfolio of elegant blends. This brings us to her Signature Malbec. With raspberry, plums and currants intertwining alongside delicate smokiness, this is such a good example of making the most out of this varietal. A dash of Cabernet Sauvignon is added for even more structure and depth in a wine that you can explore for hours. Rich, luxuriating, smooth, bold... it’s just everything you want from a quality Malbec.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: UK £21.99 // US $24.99

Chacra Roka Malbec

This is a Malbec that seems to do everything right. The nose is surprisingly floral and jammy, which leads into a finely textured vibrant core of chocolate-covered purple fruits as well as subtle tobacco. The biodynamically grown grapes give a really fresh and natural character to a Malbec that has that inviting depth of flavour whilst remaining light. A very unique and inventive expression indeed!

Size: 375ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £49.95

If you love Malbec as much as us, find out more about its story and its home in the beautiful Uco Valley here!

Marvellous Malbecs under £15 for Malbec Day

Words by Helena Nicklin

Friday 17th April 2020 is World Malbec Day! It’s fair to say that globally, Malbec is now one of the world’s best-loved red wine grapes, thanks to its ability to make wines that are gloriously velvety, fruity and chocolatey at relatively inexpensive prices. It’s easy to see why for years it was seen as the best value wine on a restaurant list. While much of the Malbec that the world has fallen in love with in recent years has been from Argentina however, the grape actually has a French heritage...

A Brief History of Malbec

Malbec was widely planted in south-west France and found favour with royalty such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II and Francois I, who was such a fan, he had a Malbec vineyard planted at Fontainebleau, just outside Paris. The south-west region of Cahors has always lauded this grape and to this day, any red wine labelled Cahors must be at least 70% Malbec. The style there is inky black and tannic, with spicy, savoury notes.

Malbec was also widely planted not far away from Cahors in Bordeaux. In fact, until a particularly hard winter in 1952, up to 60% of the blend for red Bordeaux wines could be Malbec - a grape chosen for its softness, to help balance the harder tannins of its more muscular cousin, Cabernet Sauvignon. Malbec however, was not its happiest in Bordeaux. Late ripening, delicate and low yielding, it became too much of a risk for the winegrowers at the time who were seeing colder winters. From the harsh winter of 1952 then, producers decided that a replacement was needed that could balance the beefy Bordeaux Cabernet, yet deal with the weather much better. Merlot was the answer and so most Malbec vines were grubbed up and replaced. 

Malbec moves to Argentina

Before Bordeaux made the big move from Malbec to Merlot, the reputation of Bordeaux wines was second to none. The famous great classification of 1855 had solidified the reputation of certain producers, so the world now knew that some of the finest wines in the world came from Bordeaux, France. At around this time, the president of Argentina, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who was partial to a glass of good wine, commissioned French agronomist Michel Michel Aimé Pouget to bring cuttings of the finest French vines back to France which at the time, included Malbec. In the dry, warmer climate and incredible light of Argentina, Malbec thrived in a way it never had before. 

New World Vs Old World Malbec

Try some Malbec from Cahors against some from its new home in Argentina…

The Original: Cahors

La Patrie, Cahors Malbec, France. £7, Sainsburys

Dark and powerful with lots of structure, this wine is heavy with black fruit flavours and cocoa powder notes. Ballsy and rustic but also satisfying and great value. 

Jean-Luc Baldès, Malbec du Clos, Triguedina. £7.99, Waitrose

A step up in silkyness from La Patrie, there’s more bramble fruit and elegance in this wine , which is just crying out for cold cuts, paté and a fat steak. 

Le Vassal de Mercues, Georges Vigouroux, 2016. £13.99 Majestic (£11.99 mix 6)

While some Cahors needs a lot of time to come round, this one is drinking very well now. Expect more tannin than its Argentinian friends and a whiff of barbeque meat, lots of spice and serious substance. With a hard, nutty cheese or a fat piece of meat, this will shine.

The Newcomer: Argentina

Exquisite Collection Malbec, Uco Valley, 2019. £5.99 ALDI

I’m usually sceptical of wines this cheap, especially from the Uco Valley, which is a premium region within Mendoza, but this Malbec is an excellent example of type: soft, with juicy, ripe blueberry and milk chocolate. At this price, you can stock up (provided you can get online…)

Benmarco, Susana Balbo, £14.99 (£12.99 mix 6), Majestic

This voluptuous wine is why people love Malbec. Think chocolate muffin with a splash of red fruit and spice, but a complexity that will make it shine with food. A classic Mendoza Malbec but with a brain.

Don David, Blend of Terroirs Malbec, £9 COOP

From Argentina, but not Mendoza. Salta is an Argentinian province to the northwest of the capital city. Malbec from here is a little different thanks to some epic high altitudes, which bring more defined day/night temperature swings and lots of sunlight. The result is thicker skins, so drier and with more dark chocolate, saline and minty notes. This one is that, with a touch of red berry fruit.

Also try:

Intipalka Malbec, Vinos Queirolo, 2018, Peru £10.75 Corney & Barrow

A Peruvian Malbec! Quite different in style but incredibly delicious. Crisp, fresh and light on its feet, with notes of cool raspberry, red cherry and liquorice spice. 

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