Malbec pairings are easy since this is one of the most delicious and versatile reds around. This bold grape beloved in Southwestern France and Argentina shows different moods and flavors depending on where it’s grown.
Malbec is an ancient purple grape originally from the Cahors region of southwestern France. It makes bold, rich wines that are a dark inky purple. Malbecs from Cahors taste like dark ripe cherries, plums, and blackberries with hints of warm spices and smoke or leather.
In Bordeaux, Malbec is used as a blending grape to add color and juicy, dark plum notes to blends. In Touraine, which is part of the Loire Valley, Malbec is known as Cot. It’s made into crushable lighter red wines with bright red and black fruit flavors of plum, blackberry, and cherry with hints of violets and licorice. They’re perfect for chilling and sipping on a hot summer or fall day.
But some of the world’s most outstanding Malbec wines come from Argentina. The grape flourishes at high elevations and creates wines bursting with red berries and cherries accented by chocolate and baking spices.
Malbec pairing principles
When a wine pairing is successful, both the wine and the food taste better. There are no hard and fast rules to food and wine pairing anymore. Instead, we like to follow some general guidelines that lead to delicious pairings.
Here are a few guidelines for successful wine pairings:
Like goes with like.
Pair boldly flavored foods with similar wines. That’s why red meat and big reds like Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon are such timeless pairings.
Opposites attract.
You create balance when you pour a slightly sweet wine with a spicy dish. By that same principle, a crisp glass of Champagne is perfect with fatty foods like tempura shrimp, oysters, or fried chicken. A fruity Malbec is a lovely contrast for earthy meats and mushrooms.
For dessert pairings, make sure the wine is sweeter than the food. Otherwise, the wine will taste sour.
​Malbec is a boldly flavored red wine with modest tannins that pairs well with a range of foods with rich, vibrant flavors. Avoid pairing Malbec with delicate flavors like steamed lobster or shrimp, halibut, or chicken breasts, because the wine’s flavor and body will overwhelm the food.
Dos & Don’ts
Try these Malbec wine and food pairings
1. Carne asada with grilled onions
Malbec is delicious with any red meat, but the moderate tannins mean it’s especially good with leaner beef cuts. Look for flank steak, flatiron steak, skirt steak, and top sirloin to find the best Argentine Malbec pairings.
​2. Dark roasted turkey
Spice things up at the Thanksgiving dinner table by pouring a Cahors Malbec with your turkey. It’s got the lushness and fruit to complement juicy dark turkey meat, and the wine’s natural acidity and fruitiness will balance out rich mushroom gravy, buttery potatoes, and sausage cornbread stuffing.
3. Cheese board with blue cheese and berries
Blue cheese can overwhelm many wines, but not Malbec. The fat in the cheese makes the wine more velvety, while Malbec brings out layers of flavor in the cheese. It’s just as delicious with aged Gouda, Manchego, British cheddar, or Pecorino. Round out your cheese board with fresh and dried berries and tart cherries to vibe with a Bordeaux Malbec blend’s blackberry and cherry notes.
​4. Grilled portobello mushroom steaks
Malbec loves mushrooms, especially when they’re marinated and grilled. Malbec wines from Touraine have moderate acidity and juicy fruit flavors to lift the mushroom’s earthiness.
5. Roasted salmon with touraine
Shellfish is a bit too delicate for Malbec. But a meaty finfish with intense flavors, like salmon or swordfish, is ideal with this wine. Roasted salmon with vegetables is an excellent pairing for a Malbec from the Loire.
6. Bison, venison, & lamb
​Slightly gamy meats, like bison, venison, and lamb, are thrilling with Malbec wines from Argentina. The wine’s tangy red fruit notes balance the earthiness of these meats.
7. Creamy mushroom pasta
Creamy dishes are another’s winner with Malbec from Argentina. Malbec’s natural acidity and clean finish will refresh your palate and get it ready for another bite.
8. Dark chocolate
Bittersweet chocolate is rich enough to pair with Malbec, without being overly sweet. Look for a lush, fruit-forward Malbec wine from Argentina, Chile, or the U.S. to enjoy with dark chocolate.
If you’re looking to learn more about Malbec’s fascinating history, and details about Malbec wines grown in different regions around the world, look for our Guide to Malbec.
