Malbec vs Pinot Noir: Side by Side (Taste, Body, Food)
By the Sommy Team — AI-assisted, human-edited.
Updated Oct 29, 2026
Contents (8)
- Malbec vs Pinot Noir, in One Paragraph
- Is Malbec Sweeter Than Pinot Noir?
- Why Is Malbec So Much Darker Than Pinot Noir?
- What Do Malbec and Pinot Noir Taste Like?
- Do Argentine and French Malbec Taste the Same?
- Which Goes Better With Steak, Salmon or Mushrooms?
- How Cool Should You Serve Each One?
- Which Should You Pick Tonight?
TL;DR
Malbec is a dry, full-bodied red with medium tannin, low acidity and flavours of plum, blackberry and cocoa, because its grapes have thick skins. Pinot Noir is lighter, softer and tarter, with cherry, raspberry and mushroom, because its skins are thin. Open Malbec with steak or blue cheese, and Pinot with duck, salmon or mushrooms.
Malbec vs Pinot Noir is a contest of grape skins. Malbec's thick skins give a dark, full-bodied red that tastes of plum and cocoa and goes with steak and blue cheese. Pinot Noir's thin skins give a pale, tart red that tastes of cherry and goes with duck, salmon and mushrooms, served a few degrees cooler.
Malbec vs Pinot Noir, in One Paragraph
Malbec is a full-bodied, dry red with medium tannin and medium-low acidity that smells of plum, blackberry and cocoa. Pinot Noir is a light-to-medium-bodied, dry red with low tannin and medium-high acidity that smells of cherry and raspberry. Body is the weight of wine in your mouth, like whole milk against skimmed. Tannin is the drying grip on your gums.
Wine Folly puts Malbec at 13.5 to 15% alcohol and Pinot at 12 to 14%. Pinot's higher acidity (the tartness that makes your mouth water) is why the lighter wine feels fresher.
| Malbec | Pinot Noir | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Deep purple, nearly opaque | Pale ruby, see-through |
| Body | Full | Light to medium |
| Tannin | Medium: a soft, round grip | Low: barely dries the gums |
| Acidity | Medium-low | Medium-high: mouth-watering |
| Smells of | Plum, blackberry, cocoa, vanilla | Cherry, raspberry, mushroom |
| Sweetness | Dry | Dry |
| Alcohol | 13.5 to 15% | 12 to 14% |
| Goes with | Lean grilled beef, burgers, blue cheese | Duck, salmon, mushroom dishes |
| Serve at | 15 to 20°C (60 to 68°F) | 12 to 15°C (55 to 60°F) |
| Pick it if | You want weight and plush fruit next to char | You want a fresh, light red for fish, poultry or mushrooms |
Is Malbec Sweeter Than Pinot Noir?
No. Both are dry (no sugar you can taste), and Wine Folly puts Malbec's leftover sugar at typically less than 1 gram per litre. Malbec tastes sweeter than it is because its fruit is ripe plum and blackberry. Many bottles also spend time in oak (barrels that add vanilla, toast or spice), and vanilla smells like dessert.
Pinot Noir reads drier for the opposite reason. Its tart cherry fruit and acidity make the mouth water, and a mouth-watering wine never feels sugary. Sweet vs dry wine shows how ripe fruit and oak fool the palate in other grapes too.
Quick check
One question on what you just read
Malbec smells of ripe plum and vanilla. How does its sweetness compare with Pinot Noir?
Tap an answer to see how you did.
Why Is Malbec So Much Darker Than Pinot Noir?
Skin thickness. Malbec is a thick-skinned grape, and the skin is where a red wine gets its colour and tannin. Pinot Noir's thin skins hold low levels of those compounds, so it makes a lightly coloured wine with a soft grip. The same split runs through other grapes in thick vs thin-skinned grapes.
A darker wine does not have more of everything. Pinot Noir grows mostly in cool climates (places where grapes ripen slowly and keep their tartness), and its home is Burgundy. That slow ripening is why the paler wine carries more acidity than Malbec. Malbec's full body comes from ripe fruit and higher alcohol.
What Do Malbec and Pinot Noir Taste Like?
Malbec feels heavy and round and tastes of ripe plum and blackberry. Pinot Noir feels light and mouth-watering and tastes of cherry, raspberry and mushroom. Check the structure first, because it shows before any aroma. Malbec fills the mouth and leaves a soft grip on the gums. Pinot leaves the sides of the tongue tingling.
Malbec's plum and blackberry smell ripe, sometimes close to jam, because the grape is picked fully ripe. Cocoa and sweet tobacco follow on the finish. Pinot's cherry and raspberry smell fresh and just ripe, because cool sites slow the sugar. Under the fruit sits a savoury smell of mushroom. The full profiles are in the Malbec guide and the Pinot Noir guide.
Do Argentine and French Malbec Taste the Same?
No. Mendoza Malbec is fruit-forward, plummy and velvety. Malbec from Cahors in southwest France is savoury and tart, with firm tannin and flavours of plum, blackberry and meat. Argentina leans on the grape: Malbec covers 40% of the country's red grape vineyards, according to Wine Folly.
Mendoza's vineyards sit in the foothills of the Andes, where altitude and cooler air slow ripening. In the limestone soils of Cahors, Malbec makes its darkest and most tannic wine. French labels may call the grape Côt. The Argentina wine guide maps the Mendoza zones.
If Pinot's tartness is what you enjoy, a Cahors is the Malbec closest to it. If you want the plush, plummy glass, buy Mendoza. Pinot moves with place in the same way between Burgundy, Oregon and New Zealand.
Which Goes Better With Steak, Salmon or Mushrooms?
Malbec goes with steak and blue cheese; Pinot Noir goes with salmon, duck and mushrooms. Char, salt and fat call for Malbec's weight. Oily fish, duck skin and earthy flavours call for Pinot's acidity and low tannin, which leave light food room.
- Grilled steak or a burger: Malbec. Wine Folly points it at leaner red meats; its medium tannin needs little fat to soften. More cuts are in wine with steak.
- Blue cheese: Malbec. Melted blue cheese brings out the wine's fruit, so a blue cheese burger is the classic test.
- Duck: Pinot Noir. Its acidity cuts the fatty skin, and low tannin leaves the pink meat room. See wine with duck.
- Salmon: Pinot Noir. A light, low-tannin red is one of the few reds that suits oily fish; wine with salmon covers the other options.
- Mushroom dishes: Pinot Noir. Its own mushroom smell echoes the dish, as wine with mushrooms explains.
If the plate is charred and salty, open Malbec. If it is fish, poultry or mushrooms, open Pinot.
How Cool Should You Serve Each One?
Serve Pinot Noir at 12 to 15°C (55 to 60°F) and Malbec at 15 to 20°C (60 to 68°F), the ranges Wine Folly gives. Pinot's acidity and fruit taste fresher a few degrees cool. Malbec's full body tastes flat and grippy when cold.
If the Pinot has been standing in a warm kitchen, put it in the fridge or an ice bucket for a short spell; how to chill wine fast has the quickest methods. If a young Malbec smells mostly of oak and alcohol on opening, pour it into a jug or decanter for 30 minutes, the time Wine Folly suggests. The wine serving temperature chart sets both against other reds.
Which Should You Pick Tonight?
Pick by the plate first and by what bothers you in red wine second. If drying tannin has put you off reds, Pinot Noir is the safer bottle, because its tannin is low. If sharp tartness has, a Mendoza Malbec is safer, because its acidity is medium-low.
- Pick Mendoza Malbec if you want a dark, plush red with soft tannin for a charred plate.
- Pick Pinot Noir if you want a red to serve cool, or one that goes with fish and duck.
- Pick a Cahors Malbec if you like Pinot's tartness but want a darker glass.
Malbec is the rounder of two big reds in Malbec vs Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Sauvignon vs Pinot Noir sets Pinot against a heavier red still. Both grapes sit in the grape varieties hub.
Buy one of each tonight, give the Pinot a short spell in the fridge, and pour them side by side. In the Sommy app at sommy.wine, photograph each label and follow the AI-guided look, smell and taste steps, so both glasses land in your tasting journal.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Malbec sweeter than Pinot Noir?
No. Both are dry wines. Wine Folly puts Malbec's leftover sugar at typically less than 1 gram per litre, which no one can taste. Malbec can seem sweeter because its fruit is ripe plum and blackberry and oak barrels often add vanilla, a smell the brain links with dessert. Pinot Noir's tart cherry and higher acidity make it taste drier still.
Which is lighter, Malbec or Pinot Noir?
Pinot Noir. Its thin skins hold little of the compounds that give red wine colour and tannin, so it is pale ruby, light to medium in body and low in tannin. Malbec is a thick-skinned grape that makes a deep purple, full-bodied wine. Hold both glasses over white paper and you can read print through the Pinot but not through the Malbec.
Which has more alcohol, Malbec or Pinot Noir?
Usually Malbec. Wine Folly gives Malbec a range of 13.5 to 15% alcohol and Pinot Noir 12 to 14%. The ranges overlap, so a ripe Pinot from a warm year can match a Malbec from a cooler site. For any single bottle, the figure printed on the label is the answer.
Is Malbec or Pinot Noir better for beginners?
If tannic reds have felt drying or harsh to you, start with Pinot Noir: its tannin is low and its cherry fruit is fresh. If you like a round, heavy red and plum flavours, start with Malbec, whose tannin is only medium and whose acidity is low. Tasting the two side by side teaches body, tannin and acidity faster than drinking either alone.
Should you chill Pinot Noir or Malbec?
Pinot Noir, a little. Wine Folly suggests 12 to 15°C (55 to 60°F) for Pinot and 15 to 20°C (60 to 68°F) for Malbec. A light, tart red tastes fresher slightly cool, while a full-bodied red tastes harsher when cold. If a Pinot has been standing in a warm kitchen, a short spell in the fridge brings it into range.
What food goes with Malbec and Pinot Noir?
Malbec goes with lean grilled beef, burgers and melted blue cheese, which Wine Folly says brings out the wine's fruit. Pinot Noir goes with duck, salmon and mushroom dishes, because its acidity cuts fat and its low tannin leaves light food room. Pick Malbec when the plate is charred and salty, Pinot when it is fish, poultry or mushrooms.
Do French and Argentine Malbec taste different?
Yes. Wine Folly describes Mendoza Malbec as fruit-forward and plummy with a velvety texture, and French Malbec from Cahors as savoury and tart with firm tannin, plum, meat and blackberry. Altitude slows ripening in Mendoza, and the limestone soils of Cahors give Malbec its darkest, most tannic form. A Cahors is the Malbec closest to Pinot's tartness.
Sommy Team
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The Sommy Team is building the world's most approachable wine education app, helping beginners develop real tasting skills through structured courses and AI-guided practice.
