Few countries have such as firmly established food and drink stereotype as the red wine/red meat image that Argentina offers. I had to settle for a homemade burger at the end of this week’s tasting but there were plenty of excellent reds and even a couple of great whites on offer. Argentina is the fifth largest wine producer and has a stronger domestic wine culture than its South American neighbour, Chile with 70% of production being drunk domestically. This has seen an interesting positioning of Argentina on the British wine-shop shelf. Whilst Chile clearly produces some excellent top end wines, we are very familiar with it in the value section of the supermarket. Entry level Argentine wines are consumed at home, leaving the export market for mid and premium range wines and the £10+ range sees plenty of excellent and distinctive offerings.
The country seems to have established Malbec as its flagship red and manages to produce world class offerings, bigger, fruitier and bolder than those found in Cahors in SW France. However, the most widely planted red is Bonarda, an Italian variety, this has largely been used in blends but is increasing becoming a featured grape as the price of Malbec grapes rises. Bonarda is a lighter wine than Malbec, with softer red fruits making it easier drinking and better suited to a wider range of foods or even on its own. As investment in and experiments with its production grows, look out for more premium examples of this distinctive wine. As for white wine, Argentina has a poster girl in the Torrontés grape, I have often found this overwhelming aromatic and flabby or acidic but my mind has been changed; when it is good, it is very good. Peach, pineapples, grapefruit, almonds all combine to give a aromatic experience that is familiar to all Alsatian wine lovers and give an extra option in matching Asian food to wine. The industry view is that it either peoples most favourite or least favourite grape, the wine world’s Marmite!
There is a lot of virgin territory yet to be opened up in Argentina, land is cheap and plentiful in the foot hills of the Andes. Rainfall is low but there is abundant irrigation from the mountains. It was interesting to speak to a number of French producers who had established themselves in the Mendoza region, they see the potential and recognise the low cost of land compared to their home land makes compelling business sense.
Some Wines I Enjoyed on the Day
Torrontés 2011 Trapiche £11.99 Cambridge Wine Merchants
The Torrentes that turned me, peachy, aromatic with lovely balanced acidity
Atamisque Assemblage 2007 £26.99 Tupungato, Uco Valley, Hennings Wine Merchants
A heady mix of the the ‘Argentine Blend’, 50% Malbec and 25/25% Cab Sauvignon and Merlot. Highly perfumed with rich blackcurrant and mint leaves, Liquorice and cassis, dense but soft black fruits in the mouth big but gentle
