Wining (not Crying) in Argentina

I spent a week in Argentina a few months ago, visiting a dozen wineries and tasting hundreds of wines. Argentina is an up-and-comer in the wine world. Once it produced oceans of plonk consumed locally with massive slabs of beef. Today it is the fifth largest producer of wine, much of it exported worldwide. And a lot of its wine is very good and very competitive.

Argentina is the second largest country in South America (after Brazil) and is about the size of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River. Its 1200 or so wineries spread up and down the 6,400 mile stretch of the Andes Mountains from Patagonia in the South--at the same latitude as New Zealand--to the Tropic of Capricorn in the North—roughly the same latitude as the Bahamas in the northern hemisphere.

Argentina's economic collapse in 2001 and the devaluation of the Peso gave a boost to wine exports, making them more competitive with wine from countries like Chile and Australia.  Argentina exported about 11.5 million cases of wine to the rest of the world in 2005, a 25% increase over 2004. Of this, 2.3 million came to the U.S.

The country is physically beautiful, making it ideal for wine tourism. In western Mendoza province, where most of the wine is produced, the Andes tower over the vineyards, with Mount Aconcagua (22,834 ft.) the highest in the world outside of Asia. In Salta, an emerging wine province in the north, red rock canyons mimic the U.S. southwest.

Malbec wine, from the grape of the same name, continues to dominate. It is a seductive lush wine with aromas and tastes of plum and blackberry, meat and spice, violets and raisins.  But having had the chance to taste wines on site, I can affirm that while it is still the dominant grape grown, and will remain the “Icon” of Argentine wine, there is much more to Argentina than Malbec.

Another red grape that is not widely produced outside Argentina is Bonarda (the same grape, Corbeau, as Charbono in California). It is a big, dark fruit-filled wine. And Argentina also is making some outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons and Syrahs.

In white wines, while Chardonnay is widely produced, the Torrontés grape may be Argentina’s future signature white wine. The Spanish brought Torrontés from Galicia, and it is the major white wine grape grown. Most of it is made in the Cafayate area of Salta province. It makes a delightful wine with crisp acidity and a seductive floral, lychee-like aroma. Very good ones can be had for under $10.

I had the good fortune to spend some time with Pedro Marchevsky, owner (with his wife and winemaker Susana Balbo) of Domino del Plata winery in Mendoza. He is widely acknowledged as the top viticulturist in Argentina.

He told me that the single most important characteristic for grape growing is Mendoza’s high altitude location in the Andean foothills, where the prime growing areas lie between 3,000 and 5,000 ft. above sea level. As altitude increases, the average temperature decreases, in general 1.8 degrees Farenheit for every 328 feet in elevation. So, wine makers actually climb up and down the mountain side seeking the ideal temperature and microclimate for each grape variety.

Another factor that is typical of mountain climates is the wide swing in temperature from day to night. This wide “thermal amplitude” between bright sunny days and cool crisp nights allows the grapes to ripen gradually. Combined with the mild harvest season it allows the grape clusters to hang longer resulting in well balanced fruit with ripe, soft almost sweet tannins.

The soil is a third factor. The alluvial clay, sand and rock soils are low in organic materials, so vine growth is regulated. These well drained, rocky soils allow the vines’ roots to dig deep searching for water, which strengthens them.

Another factor that makes Mendoza unique is its desert climate. Average rainfall of 8 inches per year means that irrigation is a necessity. Pure mountain spring water from the melting snow caps of the Andes flows through a canal system created during the Incan Empire, and is distributed to the vineyards.

These factors, complemented by vineyard techniques like the use of black netting over arbor-trained grapes to reduce the temperatures and prevent against hail, combined with the planting of grasses between rows to reduce temperatures, make Mendoza an ideal place for producing distinctive, high quality wines.
Some Argentine wines to look for:

White
Torrentes:
Familia Zuccardi's "Santa Julia" ($8) and Santa Julia Tardio, a late-harvest Torrontes ($10-12); Bodega Lurton ($9); Alta Vista ($13); Michel Torino ($16); Michel Torino “Don David” ($10); Pascual Toso ($10)

Red

Cabernet Sauvignon:
Zuccardi “Santa Julia” organic ($8); Pascual Toso ($10); Terrazas de los Andes ($10-12)

 Malbec:
 Domino del Plata “Ben Marco” ($17); Catena Zapata ($15-20); Domaine Viastalba “Fabre Montmayou Reserve ($18); Bodega Norton Reserva ($15); Vina Dona Paula Estate ($15)

Bonarda:
Catena Zapata Alamos ($9); Zuccardi “Santa Julia” ($8) and Reserve ($10-12);

By Patricia X Savoie

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