Spotlight
on Argentina
Grim
times for Argentina at the moment. The country’s economy is in a
state of near collapse, and there’s little optimism that things
will right themselves in the near future. But the prospects for
Argentinean wine is actually quite good, provided that the quality
revolution in the vineyards keeps on track.
Historically, Argentina has produced large volumes of plonk
from high-yielding vines liberally fed by Andean irrigation water.
You might be surprised to learn that Argentina is actually the
world’s fifth largest producer, with 200 000 hectares under
vine. But as the sights of producers have turned from the thirsty
domestic consumers (who still manage a creditable 40 litres per
head each year) towards lucrative export markets, an effort has
been made to raise the standard. Indeed, exports now account for
9.1% of production, with most going to the UK and USA, an increase
of tenfold over the last four years.
There’s been a lot of improvement and there’s more to
come. If I was Chile, I’d be worried, although
heavyweight wine expert Tom Stevenson states in last
year’s revision of The New Sotheby’s Wine
Encyclopaedia that, ‘at the moment, however, Chile
has nothing to fear from Argentina’. But Argentina
arguably has more potential than their neighbour, and
certainly has the edge in terms of volume. Evidence for
Argentina’s potential is provided by the quality of
wines produced by the likes of Catena and Bianchi.
To get an idea of the sort of progress Argentina is making, I
sampled a cross-section of the wines available on the UK
market. This is by no means a comprehensive survey, but it
provides an insight into the sorts of wines that Argentina
is currently making, and the sort of value they offer.
There’s plenty of promise, but evidently a fair way yet
to go.
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What Argentina really needs is a positive image similar to
that currently enjoyed by Australia and New Zealand in the UK
market. ‘Brand Australia’ has worked really well: is there any
hope for creating a ‘Brand Argentina’? I suspect that this
will be held back by the fact that Argentina really is an unknown
quantity in the UK. Not many Brits visit, Argentina, and it is
seldom in our consciousness. The danger is that without
Argentinean wines being sold on the basis of their
‘Argentinean-ness’, they’ll just be yet more international
branded wines fighting it out at the £3.99 and £4.99 price
brackets. I hope and believe that Argentina has more to offer than
international Chardonnay and Cabernet. In particular the likes of
Malbec, Torrontes, Bonarda, Sangiovese, Barbera and Tempranillo
offer the opportunity to produce tasty wines with some uniquely
Argentinean character.
Fact file
key regions |
average annual production |
Mendoza |
1.5 million tonnes |
San Juan |
0.6 million tonnes |
La Rioja |
0.1 million tonnes |
Salta |
25 000 tonnes |
Rio Negro |
15 000 tonnes |
Key grape varieties |
area under vine (2001 data) |
red |
|
Malbec |
16 500 ha |
Bonarda |
15 000 ha |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
12 000 ha |
Syrah |
8000 ha |
Merlot |
5500 ha |
Tempranillo |
4500 ha |
Sangiovese |
2500 ha |
Barbera |
1000 ha |
Pinot Noir |
1000 ha |
white |
|
Pedro Ximenez
|
15 000 ha
|
Torrontes
|
8000 ha |
Chardonnay
|
4500 ha |
Chenin Blanc |
3500 ha
|
Ugni Blanc
|
3000 ha |
Semillon |
1000 ha
|
Viognier |
150 ha
|
Tasting notes
see
also: Malbec from Argentina: 45
wines tried (September 2006)
Valentin
Bianchi Elsa Barbera 2000, Mendoza
This vibrant, juicy red is a wonderful find. Really lovely forward
liquoricey berry fruit on the nose. The palate has lots of bright
savoury-edged berry fruit with good acidity. Completely more-ish,
this is brilliant for the price. Very good/excellent (£5.45 Berry
Bros & Rudd)
La
Nature Torrontes 2001, Famatina Valley
From northwest Argentina, this organic wine is a delicious example
of the indigenous Torrontes. Pretty, aromatic nose with floral,
spicy, perfumed rose-petal notes. Nicely balanced fruity palate
with a grapey character and good acidity. This is a superb summer
sipper with a well poised, delicate texture. Very good+ (£4.29
Sainsbury, Vinceremos)
Weinert
Carrascal 1997, Mendoza
This is Argentina's answer to Château Musar: traditionally made
with an unusual, old-fashioned character that toys with the border
of faultiness. And in an age when all wines appear to be beginning
to taste the same, it's a very welcome change. A blend of
Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it has a rich, savoury,
slightly leathery nose. It's not overtly fruity, and there's a
little bit of volatile acidity. The medium-bodied palate shows
some herby, spicy character, and there's a touch of sweetness to
the fruit. Some meatiness emerges after a while and there's spicy
complexity. Old fashioned in a nice way. Very good/excellent (£7.99
Majestic, Connollys)
Cavas
de Weinert Gran Vino 1996, Mendoza
There’s a herby, spicy, mushroomy edge to the nose, showing
some evolution and coming across as a tiny bit rustic. Good
concentration of spicy, warm fruit on the palate. Nicely balanced,
but very old fashioned style. Savoury, earthy and spicy. Fairly
complex. Very good+ (£9.99 Majestic)
Ché
Syrah 2001, La Rioja
There’s a touch of bubblegum to the bright, almost sweet
fruit berry fruit on the nose. The palate is very fruity with good
acid balance. Quite juicy, this is Argentina’s answer to
Beajoulais. Perhaps a bit synthetic and industrial. Good/very good
(£3.99 Oddbins)
Carmelo
Patti Cabernet Sauvignon 1997, Mendoza
Really attractive nose of leafy blackcurrant fruit, with a
slight herbaceousness (not unattractive, though) and a touch of
minerality. The palate is savoury with some tannins, and is not at
all new-worldy: in fact, it’s quite Loire-like. Medium bodied
with mineral-laced blackcurrant and raspberry fruit. Delicious
stuff. Very good/excellent (£7.99 Oddbins) 02/02
Santa
Julia Tempranillo 2000, Mendoza
Roast coffee edge to the nose, with bright, primary cherry
fruit. Savoury, spicy edge to the palate which shows pure cherry
and raspberry fruit. Very modern and fruity with good
concentration and a chocolatey richness. Attractive commercial
winemaking. Very good (£4.99 Tesco) 02/02
Santa
Julia Bonarda Sangiovese Reserva 1999, Mendoza
Pretty nose dominated by minty spicy vanilla-edged new oak.
Good concentration on the palate which shows cherry and berry
fruit, and rather overwhelming savoury, spicy new oak, and woody
tannins. A crowd pleaser, but perhaps too manufactured with a bit
too much oak influence. But it’s a nicely savoury food wine.
Good/very good (£5.99 Tesco) 02/02
Vina
Amalia Chardonnay 1999, Mendoza
Barrel-fermented for 4 months in new French oak, this is a
pale yellow colour. Slightly shy, sulfury nose with grapefruit and
pineapple notes. The palate is richly textured with some nuttiness
from the oak, but it’s a bit alcoholic and unbalanced. Lacking
in flavour where it counts. Good (£4.99 Oddbins) 03/02
Vina
Amalia Malbec 1999, Mendoza
Aged for 8 months in French and American oak; unfiltered.
Slightly sulfury, minerally nose. Reasonably concentrated ripe
fruit on the palate with good acidity and a spicy finish, but a
bit rough-edged. I’m not too keen on this. Good (£4.99 Oddbins)
03/02
Malambo Chenin/Chardonnay 2001, Mendoza
Very bright fruit – it’s fresh and accessible with good
concentration and a touch of citrus and spice on the palate. Nice
stuff. Good/very good (£3.99 Sainsbury)
Malmbo Bonarda 2001, Mendoza
Bright cherry fruit on the nose. Soft, juicy palate. A light
glugger, but clean and quite attractive. Good/very good (£3.99
Sainsbury)
Argento Chardonnay 2001, Mendoza
Regulation Chardonnay nose with some tropical fruit and a
touch of nuttiness. Attractive texture on the palate. Quite
savoury and manages to stay in balance. Impressive for the price.
Very good (£4.99 Sainsbury, Tesco, Oddbins)
Argento Malbec 2001, Mendoza
With some oak influence from barrel staves. Bright purple
colour. Quite a simple wine with ripe berry fruit and a touch of
savoury, spicy structure on the palate and a hint of sweetness.
Good/very good (£4.99 Sainsbury, Tesco, Booths, Coop, Majestic)
Alamos Chardonnay 1999, Mendoza
Nice rich nutty/toasty nose is quite rich. Powerful savoury
palate, showing lots of oak and some nutty fruit. Good
concentration but a bit over the top and crude. Very good (£5.99,
Unwins, Oddbins, Majestic)
Alamos Bonarda 2000, Mendoza
Fresh, bright nose is herb-tinged with cherry and plum fruit.
The palate is rich and juicy with a medicinal/herbaceous edge, and
some tannin. Very good (£5.99, Oddbins)
Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, Mendoza
Assertive nose of bright blackcurrant fruit with a herby edge.
Juicy palate with some tannic structure and just a touch of
herbaceousness. Very good (£5.99, Sainsbury, Majestic)
Alamos Malbec 2000, Mendoza
Fresh, lively fruity nose with some spicy oak and chocolatey
fruit. Good density of spicy, savoury berry fruit on the palate
with a lovely rich edge. This is tasty stuff. Very good+ (£5.99
Majestic)
Catena Chardonnay 2000, Mendoza
Creamy, bready nutty nose is a little lifted. Classy, richly
oaked palate with good acidity. A very rich style and quite
savoury. Very good+ (£8.99 Waitrose; £9.99 Majestic, Oddbins)
Catena Malbec 1999, Mendoza
There’s a spicy, roasted edge to the bright fruit on the
nose, which is rich and quite complex. The palate shows a good
concentration of spicy fruit and oak, with good density: high
acidity and some
tannin keep things nicely savoury. Very good/excellent (£9.99
Oddbins, Unwins)
Catena Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, Mendoza
From Argentina's leading producer, this is the little brother of the
Catena Alta Cabernet that I’ve written up highly in the past.
Intense berry and blackcurrant fruit on the nose, which leads to a
juicy, rich, spicy palate. Great concentration, and the oaking
works well with the full-on fruit. Smooth and supple, and kept
fresh by high acidity. Very good/excellent (£8.99 Sainsbury,
Tesco, Majestic) 01/02
Catena Alta Chardonnay 1999, Mendoza
Really intense nose – a supercharged version of the Catena
Chardonnay – with lifted acidity and bready, toasty and spicy
notes. The palate is rich and concentrated, displaying lots of
fruit and oak (although this is well integrated). Spicy and full,
yet still quite elegant. Very good/excellent (£19.59 Bibendum,
Harrods)
Catena
Alta Cabernet Sauvignon 1997, Mendoza
Lovely refined nose: very tight and classy, with creamy,
cedar-laced blackcurrant fruit and a subtle leafy edge. Almost
Bordeaux like. The palate shows a good density of ripe fruit with
an attractive texture and good tannins and acidity. Very refined
and well judged, this is one of the best wines I've tried from
Argentina. Excellent (£21.54+ Bibendum, Harrods)
Catena Alta Malbec 1999, Mendoza
Dense berry fruit on the nose, with a savoury, spicy edge. The
palate is rich and full: it’s chunky, with attractive savoury
berry fruit. Great concentration. Although it’s a little bit
tight and closed at the moment, there’s good potential here.
Very good+ (£21.54 Harrods, Wine Society, Bibendum)
For
more Argentinean tasting notes and producer profiles, click here
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03/07/02
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