Malbec: Why the old red wine variety is considered a gentle giant

The old French red wine variety Cot almost certainly originated in the Cahors region in the former Quercy area in the southwest, which is now formed by the Lot department and parts of Tarn-et-Garonne. The grape variety has been known here since the 16th century. It has officially been called Malbec since 2007. From here, barrels of "vin noir" were transported downriver to Bordeaux as early as the 18th century, where the deep, dark, full-bodied wines were only too gladly used to give their own wines a little more colour and stature. So it was only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea of planting the variety on the spot.