Argentina's defining wine: deep purple, plummy, with the high-altitude Andean acidity that separates Mendoza Malbec from its Cahors French ancestor. Best drunk as a flight across vineyards (Lujan, Uco, Salta).

Malbec arrived in Mendoza in 1853 from Cahors, France, via French agronomist Michel Aime Pouget at the request of governor Sarmiento. The grape thrived at 1,000-1,500 m altitude where it failed in France. Catena Zapata's Nicolas Catena Zapata in the 1980s pushed the high-altitude vineyards (Adrianna, Gualtallary) that made Argentine Malbec world-famous.

4 editor picks for Malbec Wine Flight in Buenos Aires, ranked by editorial score. All Buenos Aires signature dishes · Malbec Wine Flight across every city.