At first, I almost dismissed it as a gimmick: White Malbec? Could that really be a thing? Is this just a new grape—or blend—with a marketing rebrand?!
Traditional Malbec has such plummy notes and a full body that I couldn’t imagine a light, summertime version. It seemed counterintuitive. But it’s legit: Those very same red grapes are picked much earlier in the season and pressed immediately, per South America Wine Guide, which causes a higher acidity and creates a clear juice, since there’s little-to-no skin contact during the process.
Though there’s some debate as to who invented white Malbec, Argentinian winemaker Trivento is arguably the industry leader. The brand has been testing and refining its white Malbec since 2018, and Forbes reports that as demand has grown, so have the number of cases Trivento produces, with more than five times its initial output in just five years. (A Trivento rep confirmed that number is steadily rising, expected to reach 240,000 cases a year by 2030, up from the initial 30,000-case run.) Demand has clearly climbed as the word has spread, and after taking a sip, I see why.
