Tales tend to get so much taller the further they travel. Amanda Barnes goes on a mission to find out the truth behind some Malbec myths...
Myth: Malbec means 'bad nose' because malbec wine in France smelt awful. False!
Truth: Malbec is a common surname in France – it's got nothing to do with bad taste. Actually the surname means someone who spoke badly about others – bad mouthing people. The grape was called Cot until a local man called Malbec started making the wine, and it got named after him.
Myth: Malbec is too difficult to grow in France because it gets lots of diseases. False!
Truth: All vines are vulnerable to disease, and Malbec is no different. Phylloxera pretty much destroyed everything in sight. Recovery of the malbec vines took a while because of the poor financial situation rather than difficulty to grow. Malbec grows just fine in France, so much so that there are numerous organic vineyards using hardly any chemicals at all.
Myth: France is now planting Argentine malbec clones. False!
Truth: Maybe a couple people have experimented, but most of the Malbec clones in France come from pre-phylloxera vines from Bordeaux.
