Today Malbec has become synonymous with Argentina but the variety hails from France where is was once widespread, particularly in the Southwest. It is still one of the permitted varieties allowed in Bordeaux and as such has travelled further afield as winemakers around the globe seek to emulate this pre-eminent region. Malbec is a thin-skinned variety meaning it can be disease prone, it is low-yielding, and it also requires plenty of heat to ripen well, all of which may explain why it is not more readily cultivated, but like a lot of tricky things, when it is good it is really good!