cahors Archives - Amanda Barnes

Todos conocemos la gran historia del Malbec y su exito en la Argentina, pero la biografia de esta variedad en Francia, su lugar de nacimiento, es muy diferente. Amanda Barnes viajo 11.000 kilometros y visito la cuna del cepaje, Cahors, buscando descubrir el verdadero origen.

Articulo de El Conocedor, Diciembre 2011

Mientras nuestro Malbec ha conquistado el mundo con su redondez y estilo accesible, en Cahors, Francia, la cuna originaria de esta cepa, se encuentra un pariente mas oscuro, rugoso y rustico. Como el familiar que nadie visita, en los ultimos 100 años el Malbec de Cahors ha perdido su popularidad entre los amantes de vino mientras su primo argentino se convierte progresivamente en estrella. Pero gracias a la reaccion que produjo en el mundo este varietal elaborado en suelo patrio, Cahors empieza a desempolvarse mostrandole su rustico encanto al publico. Asentado en las colinas dormidas del sur de Francia se encuentra Cahors. Y este valle nebuloso alrededor del rio Lot es el lugar donde nace el Malbec.

Malbec made Argentine wine famous, but its true French roots are lesser known on this side of the Atlantic. Amanda Barnes goes in search of the original Malbec – in Cahors, France before indulging in a luxury tour of its adopted home here in Mendoza. **Article taken from Wine Republic

The French Connection

Coming from Argentina, the first thing that really strikes you about Cahors is how green it is. Emerald green fields run into sloping lime green lawns with brooding pine green forests above –this is a very lush landscape. And typically on the day we arrive, it’s raining.

Nestled in the middle of Southern France, almost equidistant between France’s two coast lines, the Lot region has a privileged position in the heart of food and wine country between Bordeaux and Provence. So it is no surprise that the local gastronomy is one of the main attractions for visitors of Cahors, as well as the stunning medieval architecture, multitudes of resplendent and crumbling chateaus and a host of outdoor activities.

Arriving at the peak of summer, the city centre is a hub of activity (when the sun eventually does come out) with people wandering the walled medieval town, meandering alongside the river, gawking at France’s best preserved medieval bridge, and indulging in the local cuisine. This is the land of foie gras, duck, truffles and saffron; it would be easy to just spend a week here eating but as much as my stomach would like otherwise – I came to Cahors not just to glut but to get out and see where Malbec came from.