These are some of the properties and characteristics of the Malbec grape:

• The Malbec grape is a thin-skinned grape and needs more sun and heat than either a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot variety to mature
• It ripens mid-season and can bring a very deep colour, and ample tannin,
• It is not trellised and cultivated as bush vines
• As a varietal, Malbec creates a rather inky red (or violet), intense wine, so it is also commonly used in blends, such as with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to create the red French Bordeaux claret blend
• The varietal is sensitive to frost and has a proclivity to shatter or coulure

Malbec is very susceptible to various grape diseases and viticultural hazards-most notably frost, coulure, downy mildew and rot.

If someone gives you a glass of wine and asks you what wine it is, here are characteristics that will help you identify the varietal:

It offers raspberry, cinnamon and cherry tobacco on the nose, with mulberry and plum flavours and occasional meatiness on the palate.