ENRU

    Arrows to move, Enter to open

    Malbec (Côt)

    Vitis vinifera L.

    A grape from Cahors that became Argentina's signature red.

    VIVC
    № 28891
    Berry skin
    black (noir)1
    Origin
    France1
    Synonyms in VIVC
    1941
    central lobepetiolar sinuslobes: 5cluster
    parentMagdeleine Noire des Charentes
    parentPrunelard
    Malbec (Côt)

    confirmed by DNA markers (VIVC)

    vinoluma engraving: schematic leaf after the description (5 lobes).

    Where Malbec (Côt) comes from and grows

    1. Origin (VIVC)France
    2. Atlas regionMendoza
    3. Atlas regionBordeaux

    Country of origin as given by VIVC. Regions are those where the atlas sources mention the variety; not a complete list of where it grows.

    Pick a place and the globe turns to it. You can also drag the globe.

    Family

    VIVC lists Malbec under the prime name Cot, with Magdeleine Noire des Charentes and Prunelard as parents confirmed by markers.1 Magdeleine Noire des Charentes, a previously unknown variety named in a 2009 study, is also a parent of Merlot, so the two varieties share a parent.2 VIVC records 194 synonyms for Cot, including Auxerrois.1

    France

    Côt, also known as Malbec, originated in Cahors.3 The Cahors appellation rules state that Cot is very predominantly present in its wines.4 It is one of the six principal varieties for red Bordeaux.5 In the Loire it is grown mainly in Touraine and Anjou.3

    Argentina

    In 2022 Argentina had 46,565 hectares of Malbec, 22.5% of its vineyard area, and the area grew by 50% between 2010 and 2022.6 Mendoza holds 39,463 hectares of it, 84.7% of the national total.6

    Other names

    Examples of synonyms recorded in VIVC: Auxerrois, Agreste, Aneroir, Ausseres, Auxerrais.1

    Around the world

    In 2023 it covered 60,412 hectares of bearing vineyards worldwide, ranking 14 of 1497 varieties in the database.7

    The largest area is in Argentina: 46,540 ha (77% of the world total), across 20 countries.7

    Between 2000 and 2023 its area grew by 130%.7

    1. Argentina46,540 ha
    2. France7,874 ha
    3. Chile2,508 ha
    4. the United States2,077 ha
    5. Australia594 ha
    6. Spain213 ha
    7. Moldova162 ha
    8. Israel143 ha
    9. New Zealand84 ha
    10. Canada60 ha
    11. Brazil44 ha
    12. Uruguay35 ha

    Area, 2023

    26,21037,55552,23560,4122000201020162023

    Regions

    Sources

    1. VIVC passport data: COT. Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Geilweilerhof, accessed 2026-10-14. level 2 · checked 2026-10-13
    2. Parentage of Merlot and related winegrape cultivars of southwestern France: discovery of the missing link (Boursiquot et al., Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 15(2):144-155, doi:10.1111/j.1755-0238.2008.00041.x). AGRIS / FAO record of the article, 2009. level 3 · checked 2026-10-13
    3. Côt. InterLoire (Vins de Loire), accessed 2026-10-14. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    4. Cahors AOP: document unique / cahier des charges (eAmbrosia attachment). European Commission, eAmbrosia, accessed 2026-10-14. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    5. Cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Bordeaux ». INAO, 2023. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    6. Informe de Variedades: Malbec, Argentina (datos 2022). Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura (INV), Argentina, 2023. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    7. Database of Regional, National and Global Winegrape Bearing Areas by Variety, 2000 to 2023. Anderson K., Nelgen S., Puga G. Wine Economics Research Centre, University of Adelaide (CC BY 4.0), 2026. level 3 · checked 2026-10-13