Malbec has come into vogue recently, primarily as a result of high quality releases from Argentina. It continues to be a primary variety in the southwest of France, the best of which are the wines of Cahors. Unlike the South American examples, the Malbec wines of southwest France tend to be hard and tannic. New vinification techniques have gone a long way toward taming the wildness of the wines. In Argentina, Malbec produces deeply colored, intensely flavored wines with good backbone. Some of the oldest vine vineyards of Argentina are now producing world class wines.