What’s in a name?

Last summer, my friend, Allie, and I decided to take a day trip from Paris down to wine country. The Loire Valley was the easiest region to get to by train, so we found ourselves pulling into Tours station, picking up a rental car, and heading off into the wonders of Touraine.

Having studied a bit about the local wines before our trip, we were prepared to see a healthy blend of chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, and cabernet franc. Imagine our surprise when at our final destination of the day, the lovely Château de Nitray, we were presented with a bottle made from a strange new grape: “Côt.”

We, frankly, did not have the French language skills to inquire too deeply as to what was in our glasses, but we enjoyed it enough to buy a couple of bottles that were made short work of upon our return to Paris.

Recently, Allie and I were reminiscing about Château de Nitray and decided to check the website to find out how we could buy its wines in the U.S. Right there in the “Our Wines” section, we  once again encountered Côt. This time, I was determined to learn more. I opened a new Google tab, and down the rabbit hole I went.

This mysterious Côt, it turns out, was simply a different name for a grape that I was already quite familiar with: Malbec.

French Côt has played a supporting role in Bordeaux blends (under the name Malbec) for hundreds of years, but it wasn’t until it found its way to Argentina in the 1800s (Barnes) that the varietal really hit its stride. Though many of the Malbec vines that migrated within France settled in Cahors (where they eventually earned their new name, “Côt”), some made their way up to the Loire Valley, all the way to Touraine, where I would eventually encounter them (Friedrich).

The French grapes in Tours differ from their South American cousins in that they tend to be lighter in body and in alcohol, lower in tannins, and more refined in flavor. They have even earned a reputation for being more elegant than their neighbors in Cahors (Friedrich). With the same black fruit flavor of the Argentinian grape, but less of the richness, Côt presents itself as the perfect summer red.

Here’s to counting down the days until it’s warm enough to truly enjoy it.

Sources:

Barnes, Amanda. “What’s the Difference Between Cot and Malbec?” Website. South

America Wine Guide. 31 July 2018. Web. Accessed 31 Jan 2019.

Friedrich, Jacqueline. “Perfect for Summer Drinking Try Cot, France’s Answer to

Argentinian Malbec.” Website. Eater. Vox Media. 9 July 2015. Web. Accessed 31

Jan 2019.