Malbec is a dark, plummy red with soft tannin and a smooth finish, all blackberry with a little cocoa behind it.
The grape wants heat, so Canadian plantings stay small and stick to the country's warmest corners. That's also what makes ours leaner and brighter than the Argentine bottles most people already know.
Every bottle ships straight from the winery that made it, and most never reach a liquor board shelf.
The Okanagan Valley carries more malbec producers than anywhere else on the marketplace. Much of it grows on the region's warmest benches, where the grape can fully ripen. Single-varietal bottlings are common there. So are reds that blend malbec with other grapes from the same sites, including bottlings from the neighbouring Similkameen Valley. The Niagara Peninsula is a real second source too, with its own single-varietal malbecs and blends, on a smaller scale than the Okanagan.
Malbec's role in Canadian blends
Malbec also turns up in small amounts in a blend or two from Lake Erie North Shore and the Fraser Valley. In the Fraser Valley wine, it sits behind a blend led by merlot and syrah. There, malbec adds colour and a bit of structure rather than leading the label. That kind of minor part is typical of how the grape behaves outside the regions where it's the star.
What to look for on the label
A straight malbec says so plainly on the front label, usually with the region printed underneath it. In a blend, malbec shows up lower down on the back label, listed alongside whatever else went into the wine. If a full-bodied red is what you want, malbec sits close to cabernet sauvignon in weight and darkness. Either one lands you at the bolder end of red wine, well inside full-bodied red territory. Save it for a meal that can hold its own.
What food pairs with Canadian malbec?
Malbec's dark fruit and food-friendly weight pair naturally with grilled Alberta beef or a smoky tourtière. The wine's freshness also works well with maple-glazed pork or roasted root vegetables in the fall.
Should you start with a straight malbec or a blend?
A straight-varietal malbec is the easier starting point. It shows the grape's fruit and weight without other varieties mixed in. That gives you a clear sense of malbec on its own before you try it in a blend.
How does Okanagan malbec differ from Niagara's?
Okanagan malbec tends to be the riper, fuller style. Niagara's usually lands a touch lighter and more savoury, in keeping with the region's cooler climate overall.
