Carlos Catania. Anibal Catania
While cultivated for 150 years, was from 1980 when studies conducting to discover its mysteries began. Without pretending to cover all, we comment ten of them, that illustrate particular facts about it viticultural and oenological aptitudes.
1. French parents and half brother of Merlot
One parent, Magdelaine Noir de Charente (MNCH), is a variety of the cold northern France, a "red fruit" used as table grapes, the other parent is Prunelard, a grape of Bordeaux that gives a wine of intense color, and both gave the characters we know today as typical of Malbec. The Merlot is his half brother with which it shares a parent, the MNCH, and the other parent is Cabernet Franc.
2. Low plasticity
Malbec behaves like a low plastic grape and it is adapted to regions of high thermal amplitude and moderate daytime temperatures, unlike other varieties that achieve high expression in many different areas. Is sensitive to UV rays whose effect is manifested from the 1000 m high, as an increase in the levels of total anthocyanins and resveratrol in grapes.
3. Genetic instability
Its genetic instability is revealed through many clones, which vary in their yield, color, acidity and aromas. It is therefore possible to find old adjacent vineyards that produce different wines because of genetics differences.
4. Sensitivity to different crop management
Sensitive to the conditions of vigor, its control by a rational use of irrigation, or by cover crops competition, improves the characteristics of the wine. The cluster thinning practice shows positive effects mostly in unbalanced plants. Anti hail net (Grembiuler system) decreases the luminosity on the buds and may affect fertility in cases of dense foliage. Different rootstocks improve efficiency in water use, with respect to ungrafted plants.
5. Slow ripening process
The evolution of the anthocyanin contents during ripeness and over-ripeness is less acute and more prolonged than in other grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, and gives more time to harvest the grapes without measurable loss of anthocyanins.
6. Yeast is responsible for its red fruit aromas
Its typical aromas are due to esters produced by the yeast during alcoholic fermentation and therefore the intensity and quality varies according to the strain used. The fermentation with yeasts associated to the grape shows an unstable behavior, given the different yeast strains present in the berries and the abundance of apiculate, some of them producing some unintended flavors in wine.
7. Fits the classic maceration
This system shows good results even in case of extended maceration. The cold maceration, however, does not show consistently better in color and aromas of the resulting wines
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8. Absence of impact aromas
Absence of impacts aromas in the berry, allows the full expression of its typical notes of red fruits, that are esters produced by the yeast. It would also be the cause of the remarkable aromatic change perceived in wines from vineyards planted near odoriferous plants and during its stay in barrels.
9. Phenolic profile rich in anthocyanins and copigments
Wine is abundant in anthocyanins, with a majority presence of malvidin, which bases its remarkable color and stability. It is also rich in dihydroflavonols, copigments that explain its remarkable degree of co-pigmentation, responsible for its violet hue. Instead, is somewhat deficient in tannins, which justifies the blend with Cabernet Sauvignon, high in latter.
10.Limited polymerization
During aging time there is a delay in the polymerization of color, possibly due to its high level of co-pigmentation and would take more research to understand this problem.
Every day appear new studies that give predictability to obtain wines according to viticultural and oenological management implemented, what will be a very valuable tool that will focus on the profile of the wine preferred by consumers.
