Malbec ( French pronunciation: [malbɛk] ) is a purple grape variety used in making red wine . The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins , and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine . In France, plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in South West France , though the grape is grown worldwide. It is also available as an Argentine varietal .
92-518: The grape became less popular in Bordeaux after 1956 when frost killed off 75% of the crop. Despite Cahors being hit by the same frost, which devastated the vineyards, Malbec was replanted and continued to be popular in that area. Winemakers in the region frequently mixed Malbec with Merlot and Tannat to make dark, full-bodied wines, but have ventured into 100% Malbec varietal wines more recently. A popular but unconfirmed theory claims that Malbec
184-467: A "hard frost" below −2 °C (28 °F). Plants likely to be damaged even by a light frost include vines—such as beans, grapes, squashes, melons—along with nightshades such as tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Plants that may tolerate (or even benefit from) frosts include: Even those plants that tolerate frost may be damaged once temperatures drop even lower (below −4 °C or 25 °F). Hardy perennials, such as Hosta , become dormant after
276-747: A budget-priced La Moneda Reserve Malbec from the UK supermarket chain Asda won the Platinum Best in Show prize in a blind tasting at the Decanter World Wine awards. The grapevine was introduced to Australia in the 19th century and was mostly a bulk wine producing grape. The particular clones planted in Australia were of poor quality and highly susceptible to coulure, frost and downy mildew. By
368-403: A certain amount of water vapor, depending on temperature. Warmer air can hold more than colder air. When the atmosphere contains more water than it can hold at a specific temperature, its relative humidity rises above 100% becoming supersaturated , and the excess water vapor is forced to deposit onto any nearby surface, forming seed crystals . The temperature at which frost will form is called
460-438: A glass pane is exposed to very cold air on the outside and warmer, moderately moist air on the inside. If the pane is a bad insulator (for example, if it is a single-pane window), water vapour condenses on the glass, forming frost patterns. With very low temperatures outside, frost can appear on the bottom of the window even with double-pane energy-efficient windows because the air convection between two panes of glass ensures that
552-475: A heavy coating of hoar frost with big, interlocking crystals, usually needle-shaped. Rime is a type of ice deposition that occurs quickly, often under heavily humid and windy conditions. Technically speaking, it is not a type of frost, since usually supercooled water drops are involved, in contrast to the formation of hoar frost, in which water vapour desublimates slowly and directly. Ships travelling through Arctic seas may accumulate large quantities of rime on
644-542: A mass of frost crystals scatters light in all directions, the coating of frost appears white. Types of frost include crystalline frost ( hoar frost or radiation frost) from deposition of water vapor from air of low humidity, white frost in humid conditions, window frost on glass surfaces, advection frost from cold wind over cold surfaces, black frost without visible ice at low temperatures and very low humidity, and rime under supercooled wet conditions. Plants that have evolved in warmer climates suffer damage when
736-418: A particular plum-like flavor component which adds complexity to claret blends. Sometimes, especially in its traditional growing regions, it is not trellised but is instead cultivated as bush vines (the goblet system). In such cases, it is sometimes kept to a relatively low yield of about 6 tons per hectare. Wines produced using this growing method are rich, dark, and juicy. As a varietal, Malbec creates
828-600: A plant becomes tolerant to low temperatures. See also Cryobiology . Certain bacteria , notably Pseudomonas syringae , are particularly effective at triggering frost formation, raising the nucleation temperature to about −2 °C (28 °F). Bacteria lacking ice nucleation-active proteins ( ice-minus bacteria ) result in greatly reduced frost damage. Typical measures to prevent frost or reduce its severity include one or more of: Such measures need to be applied with discretion, because they may do more harm than good; for example, spraying crops with water can cause damage if
920-582: A plusher texture and riper tannins. The wines tend to have juicy fruit notes with violet aromas. In very warm regions of Argentina and Australia, the acidity of the wine may be too low which can cause a wine to taste flabby and weak. Malbec grown in Washington state tends to be characterized by dark fruit notes and herbal aromas. An exception to this in Washington State is Malbec grown in the high desert Lake Chelan AVA terrior. Malbec grapes grown in
1012-479: A process similar to the formation of dust bunnies and similar structures. Hoar frost and white frost also occur in man-made environments such as in freezers or industrial cold-storage facilities. If such cold spaces or the pipes serving them are not well insulated and are exposed to ambient humidity, the moisture will freeze instantly depending on the freezer temperature. The frost may coat pipes thickly, partly insulating them, but such inefficient insulation still
SECTION 10
#17327717503171104-496: 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 grape is blended with Cabernet Franc and Gamay in some regions such as the Loire Valley . Other wine regions use the grape to produce Bordeaux-style blends . The varietal is sensitive to frost and has a propensity for shattering or coulure . Malbec
1196-541: A significant portion of Malbec vines in Bordeaux, allowing many growers a chance to start anew with different varieties. By 1968, plantings in the Libournais were down to 4,900 hectares (12,100 acres) and fell further to 1,400 hectares (3,460 acres) by 2000. While Malbec has since become a popular component of New World meritages or Bordeaux blends, and although it is still a permitted variety in all major wine regions of Bordeaux , its presence in Bordeaux has dwindled;
1288-430: A surface, acicular crystals (needle-like) growing outward from the surface, snowflake-shaped crystals, or even large, knifelike blades of ice covering an object, which depends on many factors such as temperature, air pressure, air motion and turbulence, surface roughness and wettability , and the level of supersaturation. For example, water vapor adsorbs to glass very well, so automobile windows will often frost before
1380-588: A variety of soil types but in the limestone based soils of Cahors it seems to produce its most dark and tannic manifestation. There are distinct ampelographical differences in the clones of Malbec found in France and in Argentina, with Argentine Malbec tending to have smaller berries. A comparative research study conducted by the Catena Institute of Wine and University of California, Davis , examined
1472-470: A variety of the southwestern French grape Abouriou . In Cahors, the Malbec grape is referred to as Auxerrois or Côt Noir; this is sometimes confused with Auxerrois blanc , which is an entirely different variety. The Malbec grape is a thin-skinned grape and needs more sun and heat than either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to mature. It ripens mid-season and can bring very deep color, ample tannin , and
1564-437: Is a province of Argentina located in the west of the country. The landscape of the province consist of a series of arid to semi-arid mountain ranges and agricultural valleys in between. It is in one of these valleys that the capital of the province, the city of La Rioja , lies. Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, Catamarca , Córdoba , San Luis and San Juan . The Triassic sauropodomorph dinosaur Riojasaurus
1656-520: Is a consequence of the nucleation process being constrained to unfold in two dimensions, unlike a snowflake, which is shaped by a similar process, but forms in three dimensions and has a fractal dimension greater than two. If the indoor air is very humid, rather than moderately so, water first condenses in small droplets, and then freezes into clear ice . Similar patterns of freezing may occur on other smooth vertical surfaces, but they seldom are as obvious or spectacular as on clear glass. White frost
1748-431: Is a solid deposition of ice that forms directly from water vapour contained in air. White frost forms when relative humidity is above 90% and the temperature below −8 °C (18 °F), and it grows against the wind direction, since air arriving from windward has a higher humidity than leeward air, but the wind must not be strong, else it damages the delicate icy structures as they begin to form. White frost resembles
1840-413: Is a source of heat loss. Advection frost (also called wind frost ) refers to tiny ice spikes that form when very cold wind is blowing over tree branches, poles, and other surfaces. It looks like rimming on the edges of flowers and leaves, and usually forms against the direction of the wind . It can occur at any hour, day or night. Window frost (also called fern frost or ice flowers ) forms when
1932-401: Is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is similar to the formation of dew , except it occurs below the freezing point of water typically without crossing through a liquid state. Air always contains
SECTION 20
#17327717503172024-628: Is also permitted in the Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) of Côtes du Brulhois . In Le Midi region of the Languedoc , it is permitted (but rarely grown) in the AOC regions of Cabardès and Côtes de Malepère . There is a small amount of Malbec grown in the middle Loire Valley and permitted in the AOCs of Anjou , Coteaux du Loir , Touraine and the sparkling wine AOC of Saumur where it
2116-600: Is arid to semi-arid, and the dry climate receives annually 200 mm of precipitation, has short winters, and very hot summers. From the Andes at the west, with peaks of up to 6,795 meters ( Monte Pissis ), the relief's height descends towards the sierras of the neighbouring dry Pampas zone. Most ranges in La Rioja are oriented north-south. The province's two largest cities, La Rioja and Chilecito are separated by Sierra de Velasco and west of Chilecito and Famatina rises
2208-603: Is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Gamay. Still, as elsewhere in France, Malbec is losing acreage to other varieties—most notably Cabernet Franc in the Loire. Though the grape was historically a major planting in Bordeaux , providing color and fruit to its blends , in the 20th century it started to lose ground to Merlot and Cabernet Franc . This was due, in part, to its vulnerabilities to so many different vine ailments (coulure, downy mildew, frost). The severe 1956 frost wiped out
2300-406: Is called "killing frost" because white frost tends to be less cold, partly because the latent heat of freezing of the water reduces the temperature drop. Many plants can be damaged or killed by freezing temperatures or frost. This varies with the type of plant, the tissue exposed, and how low temperatures get; a "light frost" of −2 to 0 °C (28 to 32 °F) damages fewer types of plants than
2392-482: Is characterized by its deep color and intense fruity flavors with a velvety texture. While they lack the tannic structure of French Malbecs, being more plush in texture, Argentine Malbecs have shown aging potential similar to their French counterparts. Argentina's most highly rated Malbec wines originate from Mendoza 's high altitude wine regions of Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley . These districts are located in
2484-633: Is due partly to differences of elevation, the lower areas becoming colder on calm nights. Where static air settles above an area of ground in the absence of wind, the absorptivity and specific heat of the ground strongly influence the temperature that the trapped air attains. Hoar frost , also hoarfrost , radiation frost , or pruina , refers to white ice crystals deposited on the ground or loosely attached to exposed objects, such as wires or leaves. They form on cold, clear nights when conditions are such that heat radiates into outer space faster than it can be replaced from nearby warm objects or brought in by
2576-1273: Is increasing, the grape is still most widely used for blending. In California, the American Viticultural Areas (AVA) with the most plantings of Malbec include Napa Valley , Alexander Valley , Paso Robles and Sonoma Valley . Other regions in California with some plantings of Malbec include Livermore Valley , Atlas Peak , Carmel Valley , Los Carneros , Ramona Valley , Central Coast , Red Hills Lake County , Chalk Hill , Clear Lake , Diamond Mountain District , Russian River Valley , Dry Creek Valley , Rutherford , El Dorado , San Lucas , Santa Clara Valley , Santa Cruz Mountains , Santa Lucia Highlands , Santa Maria Valley , Santa Ynez Valley , Howell Mountain , Sierra Foothills , Knights Valley , Spring Mountain District , St. Helena , Lodi , Stags Leap District , Madera , Suisun Valley , Temecula Valley , Monterey , Mount Veeder , North Coast , Oak Knoll District , Yorkville Highlands , Oakville , Paicines , Clements Hills , Fair Play , Willow Creek , North Yuba , and Yountville . Seven Hills Winery planted
2668-421: Is named after a Hungarian peasant who first spread the grape variety throughout France. French ampelographer and viticulturalist Pierre Galet notes, however, that most evidence suggests that Côt was the variety's original name and that it probably originated in northern Burgundy . Due to similarities in synonyms, Malbec is often confused with other varieties of grape. Malbec argenté is not Malbec, but rather
2760-662: Is named after the province. Petroglyphs created by early indigenous peoples at the Talampaya National Park are dated around 10,000 years BC . Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples developed here. The Diaguita , Capayan and the Olongasta peoples inhabited the territory of present-day La Rioja Province at the time of encounter with the Spanish colonists in the 16th century. Juan Ramírez de Velazco founded Todos Los Santos de la Nueva Rioja in 1591 under
2852-411: Is not necessarily damaged when leaf temperatures drop below the freezing point of their cell contents. In the absence of a site nucleating the formation of ice crystals, the leaves remain in a supercooled liquid state, safely reaching temperatures of −4 to −12 °C (25 to 10 °F). However, once frost forms, the leaf cells may be damaged by sharp ice crystals. Hardening is the process by which
Malbec - Misplaced Pages Continue
2944-553: Is personified in Russian culture as Ded Moroz . Indigenous peoples of Russia such as the Mordvins have their own traditions of frost deities. English folklore tradition holds that Jack Frost , an elfish creature, is responsible for feathery patterns of frost found on windows on cold mornings. In 2024, two European Space Agency spacecraft, Exomars TGO and Mars Express , discovered a thin but very wide layer of water frost on
3036-691: Is planted in the Lake Chelan AVA where it has consistently produced wines of exceptional quality. Other AVAs in the United States producing Malbec include the Ohio appellation of Grand River Valley, the New York appellations of North Fork of Long Island and Finger Lakes ; the Oregon appellations of Applegate Valley , Rogue Valley , Southern Oregon , Umpqua Valley and Willamette Valley ;
3128-400: Is the emblematic strain of Chilean wine and other varieties of strains such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot noir among others are harvested in the country, Malbec has experienced exponential growth in its production during the last decades, due to the discovery of hundred-year-old vines of the variety, as well as the year-on-year increase in hectares planted for its exclusive production in
3220-422: Is the same phenomenon responsible for the formation of clouds, fog, snow, rain and other meteorological phenomena. The ice crystals of frost form as the result of fractal process development. The depth of frost crystals varies depending on the amount of time they have been accumulating, and the concentration of the water vapor ( humidity ). Frost crystals may be invisible (black), clear ( translucent ), or, if
3312-427: Is very susceptible to various grape diseases and viticultural hazards—most notably frost , coulure , downy mildew , and rot— but the development of new clones and vineyard management techniques have helped control some of these potential problems. When it is not afflicted with these various ailments, particularly coulure, it does have the potential to produce high yields. Malbec seems to be able to produce well in
3404-736: The Appellation Controlée regulations for Cahors require a minimum content of 70%. Introduced to Argentina by French agricultural engineer Michel Pouget in 1868, Malbec is now widely planted in Argentina. Grapes from this region produce softer, less tannic-driven wines than those from Cahors. There were once 50,000 hectares planted with Malbec in Argentina; now there are 25,000 hectares in Mendoza alone, in addition to production in La Rioja , Salta , San Juan , Catamarca and Buenos Aires . Chile has 2,361 hectares planted with Malbec,
3496-482: The Baja California region of Mexico . At one point Malbec was grown in 30 different departments of France , a legacy that is still present in the list of local synonyms for the variety, which easily surpasses 1000 names. In recent times, however, the popularity of the variety has been steadily declining with a 2000 census reporting only 15,000 acres (6,100 hectares) of the vine, which are mostly consigned to
3588-1008: The Idaho appellation of the Snake River Valley ; the Texas appellations of Texas High Plains and Texas Hill Country ; the Virginia appellations of Monticello and North Fork of Roanoke ; the North Carolina appellation of the Yadkin Valley ; the Michigan appellations of the Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula ; the New Jersey appellation of the Outer Coastal Plain and
3680-485: The Sierra de Famatina with heights of up to 6,250 m.a.sl. (≈20500 feet). The Talampaya National Park is a dry red-soil canyon of the dry Talampaya river, which contains many cliff walls and rock formations that make it an interesting tourist destination. La Rioja's economy, estimated at US$ 1.822 billion in 2006, is the second-smallest among Argentina's provinces. Its per capita output of US$ 6,283, though about 30% below
3772-540: The contiguous United States , southern Florida around Miami Beach and the Florida Keys are the only reliably frost-free areas, as well as the Channel Islands off the coast of California . The hardiness zones in these regions are 11a and 11b. Permafrost is a layer of frozen earth underground which never heats above freezing even during summer months, remaining frozen year round. Although not frost in
Malbec - Misplaced Pages Continue
3864-530: The dew point , and depends on the humidity of the air. When the temperature of the air drops below its dew point, excess water vapor is forced out of solution, resulting in a phase change directly from water vapor (a gas ) to ice (a solid). As more water molecules are added to the seeds, crystal growth occurs, forming ice crystals . Crystals may vary in size and shape, from an even layer of numerous microscopic-seeds to fewer but much larger crystals, ranging from long dendritic crystals (tree-like) growing across
3956-418: The liquid phase . The air must be humid, but not sufficiently humid to permit the condensation of liquid water, or icing will result instead of desublimation. The size of the crystals depends largely on the temperature, the amount of water vapor available, and how long they have been growing undisturbed. As a rule, except in conditions where supercooled droplets are present in the air, frost will form only if
4048-592: The 1930s. Some Syrian and Lebanese immigrants did settle in the province, among whom the most well-known is probably the Menem family. Coming from what had been the Ottoman Empire , Saul Menem and his wife were of Armenian and Alawi ancestry. He prospered as a traveling salesman and sent his eldest son, Carlos Menem , to Spain for college. The younger Menem was elected governor of La Rioja Province in March 1973,
4140-531: The Argentine wine industry shifted its focus to premium wine production for export. As the Argentine wine industry discovered the unique quality of wine that could be made from the grape, Malbec arose to greater prominence and is today the most widely planted red grape variety in the country. As of 2003 there were over 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of Malbec in Argentina. The Mendoza region is the leading producer of Malbec in Argentina with plantings found throughout
4232-537: The Earth to reach deep enough to thaw the permafrost layer. The permafrost may begin from the surface of the ground or many meters beneath it, and may extend from just a meter to over a thousand meters in thickness. Permafrost contains a significant portion of the Earth's water and carbon, and prevents surface water from penetrating very deep into the ground, making it responsible in part for the typical taiga and spruce bog environments common in northern latitudes. Frost
4324-475: The French agronomist Michel Pouget to bring grapevine cuttings from France to Argentina. Among the vines that Pouget brought were the very first Malbec vines to be planted in the country. During the economic turmoil of the 20th century, some plantings of Malbec were pulled out to make way for the jug wine producing varieties of Criolla Grande and Cereza . The grape was rediscovered in the late 20th century as
4416-514: The French style of Malbec common in the Libournais (Bordeaux region) as a "rustic" version of Merlot, softer in tannins and lower in acidity with blackberry fruit in its youth. The Malbec of the Cahors region is much more tannic with more phenolic compounds that contribute to its dark color. Oz Clarke describes Cahors' Malbec as dark purple in color with aromas of damsons , tobacco, garlic, and raisin . In Argentina, Malbec becomes softer with
4508-662: The Gualtallary sub-district of Tupungato , the Adrianna Vineyard . He was also the first to develop a clonal selection of Argentine Malbec. High-altitude Mendoza has attracted many notable foreign winemakers, such as Paul Hobbs, Michel Rolland , Herve Joyaux-Fabre, Roberto Cipresso and Alberto Antonini . Today, there are several Malbecs from the region scoring over 95 points in Wine Spectator and Robert Parker 's The Wine Advocate . Although Carménère
4600-519: The Mendoza region. At the end of the century XIX, French winemakers began to expand Malbec plantations to other regions of the central-south zone of Chile, however they mixed them with other varieties, so the production of Malbec gradually faded over the years, as was the case in the Maule Region , since centenary Malbec vines that had been mixed with other vines were discovered a few years ago in
4692-465: The air experiences a drop in temperature bringing it below its dew point, for example, when the temperature falls after the Sun sets. In temperate climates , it most commonly appears on surfaces near the ground as fragile white crystals ; in cold climates, it occurs in a greater variety of forms. The propagation of crystal formation occurs by the process of nucleation , in specific, water nucleation , which
SECTION 50
#17327717503174784-462: The air temperature a few feet above ground is well above freezing. The word "hoar" comes from an Old English adjective that means "showing signs of old age". In this context, it refers to the frost that makes trees and bushes look like white hair. Hoar frost may have different names depending on where it forms: When surface hoar covers sloping snowbanks, the layer of frost crystals may create an avalanche risk; when heavy layers of new snow cover
4876-594: The area. It was not until 1993 that the Viu Manent vineyard became the first Chilean winery to produce, bottle and market 100% Malbec wines produced in the country, from the vineyard they had for more than 100 years in the city of Santa Cruz in the Colchagua where this variety was found. In 2016, a hundred-year-old Malbec plantation was also discovered in the city of San Rosendo , in the Biobío Region , which
4968-465: The atmospheric sense, it consists of dirt, soil, sand, rocks, clay, or organic matter (peat) bound firmly together by ice crystals, making the material very hard and difficult to penetrate. Permafrost exists in the colder climates of the Arctic and Antarctic, such as Russia, Canada, Alaska, Norway, Greenland, or Antarctica, where the warmer conditions of summer are insufficient to penetrate the insulation of
5060-399: The bottom part of the glazing unit is colder than the top part. On unheated motor vehicles, the frost usually forms on the outside surface of the glass first. The glass surface influences the shape of crystals, so imperfections, scratches, or dust can modify the way ice nucleates . The patterns in window frost form a fractal with a fractal dimension greater than one, but less than two. This
5152-511: The chacho, which was introduced in response to the economic problems caused by President Javier Milei 's austerity program and accompanying cuts to federal budget transfers. The provincial government is divided into the usual three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly elected governor, who appoint the cabinet; the legislative; and the judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court. The Constitution of La Rioja Province, Argentina forms
5244-435: The country in places such as La Rioja , Salta , San Juan , Catamarca and Buenos Aires . The grape clusters of Argentine Malbec are different from its French relatives, having smaller berries in tighter, smaller clusters. This suggests that the cuttings brought over by Pouget and later French immigrants were a unique clone that may have gone extinct in France due to frost and the phylloxera epidemic . Argentine Malbec wine
5336-535: The country. It is currently estimated that in Chile there are 2,361 hectares dedicated exclusively to the production of Malbec. The history of malbec in Chile begins in 1841, when a group of French winemakers brought the vine to the country, along with other varieties to be planted in the Quinta Normal of Santiago , later in 1853 the first malbec strains would be exported from Chile to Argentina, specifically to
5428-452: The deposition surface is colder than the surrounding air. For instance, frost may be observed around cracks in cold wooden sidewalks when humid air escapes from the warmer ground beneath. Other objects on which frost commonly forms are those with low specific heat or high thermal emissivity , such as blackened metals, hence the accumulation of frost on the heads of rusty nails. The apparently erratic occurrence of frost in adjacent localities
5520-480: The difference between the phenolic composition of Malbec wines from California and Mendoza, Argentina. Sixteen vineyards in California and twenty-six blocks in Mendoza were selected based on their uniformity and regional representativeness. The study concluded that there are distinct flavor and compositional differences in Malbec wines produced in Mendoza and California. Malbec is the dominant red variety in Cahors where
5612-565: The first elected President of Argentina, to impose a centralist constitution, the caudillo Juan Facundo Quiroga emerged as a popular leader. He represented their preference for more autonomy, for which they continued to press following Quiroga's 1835 assassination. After a period of internal instability in Argentina, the province finally joined the Argentine Confederation in 1853. La Rioja attracted fewer immigrants from Europe than did other Argentine provinces from 1890 to
SECTION 60
#17327717503175704-407: The first frosts and regrow when spring arrives. The entire visible plant may turn completely brown until the spring warmth, or may drop all of its leaves and flowers, leaving the stem and stalk only. Evergreen plants, such as pine trees, withstand frost although all or most growth stops. Frost crack is a bark defect caused by a combination of low temperatures and heat from the winter sun. Vegetation
5796-710: The first vines of Malbec planted in Oregon state in the late 1990s in their Windrow vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley . Since the turn of the 21st century, several wineries have been experimenting with 100% varietal Malbec as well as using the variety in Meritage blends. In Washington state it is grown predominately in the Columbia Valley and the sub-AVAs of Walla Walla Valley, Rattlesnake Hills , Red Mountain , Wahluke Slope , Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley . Elsewhere in Washington State, Malbec
5888-411: The foothills of the Andes mountains between 800 m and 1500 m elevation (2,800 to 5,000 feet). Argentine vintner Nicolás Catena Zapata has been widely credited for elevating the status of Argentine Malbec and the Mendoza region through serious experimentation into the effects of high altitude. In 1994, he was the first to plant a Malbec vineyard at almost 1500 m (5,000 feet) elevation in
5980-414: The frosty surface, furry crystals standing out from the old snow hold off the falling flakes, forming a layer of voids that prevents the new snow layers from bonding strongly to the old snow beneath. Ideal conditions for hoarfrost to form on snow are cold, clear nights, with very light, cold air currents conveying humidity at the right rate for growth of frost crystals. Wind that is too strong or warm destroys
6072-405: The furry crystals, and thereby may permit a stronger bond between the old and new snow layers. However, if the winds are strong enough and cold enough to lay the crystals flat and dry, carpeting the snow with cold, loose crystals without removing or destroying them or letting them warm up and become sticky, then the frost interface between the snow layers may still present an avalanche danger, because
6164-482: The glacial soils found within the Lake Chelan AVA produce wines possessing ripe raspberry - black fruit aromas and flavors with moderate acidity and tannins. The C R Sandidge Purtteman and Tsillan Cellars estate vineyards are known to produce stellar Malbec wines. The French ampelographer Pierre Galet has documented over a thousand different synonyms for Malbec, stemming in part from its peak period when it
6256-699: The government of Tucumán of the Viceroyalty of Peru . In 1630 the Calchaquí people revolted against the Spanish, but the governor Albornoz suppressed them. In 1783, after the creation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata , the control of the province of 10,000 inhabitants passed to the Córdoba independency. The province acquired independence from Córdoba in 1820. Following attempts by Bernardino Rivadavia ,
6348-716: The high altitude, Colorado appellation of the Grand Valley . Additionally, there are some plantings in Missouri and Georgia outside of federally delineated appellations. The success of Malbec led some producers in Chile to try their hand at the varietal. Grown throughout the Central Valley , Chilean Malbec tends to be more tannic than its counterpart and is used primarily in Bordeaux-style blends. In 2016
6440-527: The lowland tropics, where they cover almost all land except at altitudes above about 3,000 metres or 9,800 feet near the equator and around 2,000 metres or 6,600 feet in the semiarid areas in tropical regions. Some areas on the oceanic margins of the subtropics are also frost-free, as are highly oceanic areas near windward coasts. The most poleward frost-free areas are the lower altitudes of the Azores , Île Amsterdam , Île Saint-Paul , and Tristan da Cunha . In
6532-795: The main places are Colchagua Valley in O'Higgins Region , Maule Region and Bio-Bio Region . In California the grape is used to make Meritage . Malbec is also grown in Washington State , the Rogue and Umpqua regions of Oregon , the Grand Valley AVA of Colorado, Australia , New Zealand , South Africa , Brazil , British Columbia, the Long Island AVA of New York , southern Bolivia , Peru , northeastern Italy and recently in Texas and southern Ontario , Virginia, and in
6624-539: The malbec of the area to contain a special minerality, in addition the influence of the coast and the mountains give acidity and freshness to the Chilean malbec, these conditions cause an important difference in its par Also, Chilean Malbec tends to have a fresher and more fruity flavor, because it is not harvested as ripe as other Malbec productions in the world. Prior to Prohibition in the United States , Malbec
6716-648: The mid to late 20th century, many acres of Malbec were uprooted and planted with different varieties. By 2000, there were slightly over 1,235 acres (500 hectares), with the Clare Valley and Langhorne Creek having the most significant amount. As newer clones become available, plantings of Malbec in Australia have increased slightly. Other regions with some plantings of Malbec include Northern Italy , New Zealand , Brazil , South Africa , British Columbia , Ontario , Peru , Bolivia , Mexico , Southern Indiana , and Israel . Wine expert Jancis Robinson describes
6808-567: The most common, followed by cotton. The province's main crop is the grape, and its associated wine production, especially around the Chilecito area, with a production of 8 million litres per year. Cattle (250,000 head) and goats (150,000 head) are secondary activities, particularly for skin and leather. Clay represents the main mining activity, and uranium is also extracted near El Colorado . Manufacturing in La Rioja has expanded considerably since Gov. Menem began attracting investment into
6900-452: The national average, makes it the most well-developed in northern Argentina. Its economy is, likewise, very well-diversified. Agriculture (long limited by La Rioja's dry, mountainous terrain) adds less than 5% to its output. La Rioja's agriculture (as well as cities) lies on the banks of the few permanent rivers and oases that allow irrigation , with only 190 square kilometres of cultivated land. Vineyards , nuts and olive plantations are
6992-487: The only significant plantings are in the regions of the Côtes-de-Bourg , Blaye and Entre-Deux-Mers . While acreage of the Malbec is declining in France, in Argentina the grape is surging and has become a "national variety" of a sort that is uniquely identified with Argentine wine . The grape was first introduced to the region in the mid 19th century when provincial governor Domingo Faustino Sarmiento instructed
7084-399: The paint, and large hoar-frost crystals can grow very rapidly when the air is very cold, calm, and heavily saturated, such as during an ice fog . Frost may occur when warm, moist air comes into contact with a cold surface, cooling it below its dew point, such as warm breath on a freezing window. In the atmosphere, it more often occurs when both the air and the surface are below freezing, when
7176-469: The peak of Olympus Mons , the highest mountain on Mars . This layer of frost appears for a few hours around sunrise, and then evaporates into the atmosphere for the rest of the Martian day. This was the first instance of frost discovered in the equatorial region of Mars. La Rioja (Argentinan province) La Rioja ( Spanish pronunciation: [la ˈrjoxa] ), officially Province of La Rioja
7268-466: The plants become overburdened with ice. An effective, low cost method for small crop farms and plant nurseries, exploits the latent heat of freezing . A pulsed irrigation timer delivers water through existing overhead sprinklers at a low volumes to combat frosts down to −5 °C (23 °F). If the water freezes, it gives off its latent heat, preventing the temperature of the foliage from falling much below zero. Frost-free areas are found mainly in
7360-490: The province, after 1983. Limited mostly to light industry like bottling and food processing, it, nevertheless, adds about 20% to La Rioja's output. Tourism is, likewise, an expanding activity. Besides the Talampaya National Park , tourists visiting La Rioja usually go also to the Chilecito town, Cerro de La Cruz , Termas de Santa Teresita hot springs and the village of Villa Sanagasta . Since 2024 it has its own currency,
7452-411: The rigging. Unlike hoar frost, which has a feathery appearance, rime generally has an icy, solid appearance. Black frost (or "killing frost") is not strictly speaking frost at all, because it is the condition seen in crops when the humidity is too low for frost to form, but the temperature falls so low that plant tissues freeze and die, becoming blackened, hence the term "black frost". Black frost often
7544-432: The solid surface on which they grow. The main difference between the ice coatings and frost spicules arises because the crystalline spicules grow directly from desublimation of water vapour from air, and desublimation is not a factor in icing of freezing surfaces. For desublimation to proceed, the surface must be below the frost point of the air, meaning that it is sufficiently cold for ice to form without passing through
7636-441: The southwestern part of the country. Its stronghold remains Cahors where Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) regulations stipulates that Malbec must compose at least 70% of the blend, with Merlot and Tannat rounding out the remaining percentage. Outside of Cahors, Malbec is still found in small amounts as a permitted variety in the AOCs of Bergerac , Buzet , Côtes de Duras , Côtes du Marmandais , Fronton and Pécharmant . It
7728-407: The surface itself is colder than freezing, ice will form on it. If the water deposits as a liquid that then freezes, it forms a coating that may look glassy, opaque, or crystalline, depending on its type. Depending on context, that process may also be called atmospheric icing . The ice it produces differs in some ways from crystalline frost, which consists of spicules of ice that typically project from
7820-774: The synonym Pressac . Other common synonyms for Malbec include Agreste, Auxerrois, Auxerrois De Laquenexy, Auxerrois Des Moines De Picpus, Auxerrois Du Mans, Balouzat, Beran, Blanc De Kienzheim, Cahors, Calarin, Cauli, Costa Rosa, Côt, Cot A Queue Verte, Cotes Rouges, Doux Noir, Estrangey, Gourdaux, Grelot De Tours, Grifforin, Guillan, Hourcat, Jacobain, Luckens, Magret, Malbek, Medoc Noir, Mouranne, Navarien, Negre De Prechac, Negrera, Noir De Chartres, Noir De Pressac, Noir Doux, Nyar De Presak, Parde, Périgord, Pied De Perdrix, Pied Noir, Pied Rouge, Pied Rouget, Piperdy, Plant D'Arles, Plant De Meraou, Plant du Lot, Plant Du Roi, Prechat, Pressac, Prunieral, Quercy, Queue Rouge, Quille De Coy, Romieu, Teinturin, Terranis, Vesparo. Frost Frost
7912-421: The temperature falls low enough to freeze the water in the cells that make up the plant tissue . The tissue damage resulting from this process is known as "frost damage". Farmers in those regions where frost damage has been known to affect their crops often invest in substantial means to protect their crops from such damage. If a solid surface is chilled below the dew point of the surrounding humid air, and
8004-489: The texture of the frost crystals differs from the snow texture, and the dry crystals will not stick to fresh snow. Such conditions still prevent a strong bond between the snow layers. In very low temperatures where fluffy surface hoar crystals form without subsequently being covered with snow, strong winds may break them off, forming a dust of ice particles and blowing them over the surface. The ice dust then may form yukimarimo , as has been observed in parts of Antarctica, in
8096-428: The wind. Under suitable circumstances, objects cool to below the frost point of the surrounding air, well below the freezing point of water. Such freezing may be promoted by effects such as flood frost or frost pocket . These occur when ground-level radiation cools air until it flows downhill and accumulates in pockets of very cold air in valleys and hollows. Hoar frost may freeze in such low-lying cold air even when
8188-441: Was a significant variety in California used mainly for blended bulk wine production. After Prohibition, the grape was a minor variety until it experienced a surge of interest as a component of " Meritage " Bordeaux-style blends in the mid-1990s. Between 1995 and 2003, plantings of Malbec in California increased from 404 hectares (1,000 acres) to more than 2,830 hectares (7000 acres). While the appearance of Californian varietal Malbec
8280-585: Was brought to the area by French settlers at the end of the 19th century, which had also been blended with other vines from the area. Currently, the largest amount of Malbec production in Chile is located in the Maule Region , however there are also important plantations of the strain in the Biobío regions and in the Colchagua Valley area. The Terroir of the Maule Region is granitic, which causes
8372-404: Was growing in 30 different departments of France . While Malbec is the name most commonly known to wine drinkers, Galet suggest that Côt was most likely the grape variety's original name and the frequent appearance of Auxerrois as a synonym suggests the northern reaches of Burgundy as being the possible home of the varietal. In Bordeaux, where the variety first gained attention, it was known under
8464-479: Was imprisoned during the subsequent dictatorship and was elected president of Argentina in 1989, serving until 1999. During those years, he steered billions in federal public works spending into La Rioja. Although the province remains less developed than the average in the nation, its economy today compares favorably with those of its neighbors. Located in the Argentine Northwest area, its landscape
#316683