"Wines and Viticulture of Argentina" by Candela Prol

                                      A 'Rare Snowfall' in Argentina on September 16, 2013

Thanks to Wines of Argentina, on my first full day in Buenos Aires, Master Sommelier and Wine Educator Andres Rosberg explained ‘Argentine Viticulture’ to our group of visiting journalists..

What Andres explained is relevant to the wines of Argentina.

His seminar/lecture was intense and full of facts.

This is what I learned about the ‘Wines and Viticulture of Argentina:
As we all should know, weather and climate change have an impact on wines: 
Altitude is the key reason why the temperature goes down dramatically, especially in Salta, home of Torrontes.
According to Andres, the area would be a subtropical rainforest if it weren’t for the height of the mountains, 3111 meters (12,000 feet).
Different air.

Sun, continental climate, not maritime climate are key factors for the growth of the grapes. The large range of temperatures from high to low is significant because when the sun goes down instantly, the temperature is 8F less than during the daytime.
During the evening, the day to night change averages 23F less.

Plants sleep at night.
Vines are plants.

The huge diversity of vineyards from north to south in Argentina occupy the 22^nd to the 42^nd parallel, approximately 1300 miles in  total length.
Unlike Chile, Argentina’s neighbor to the west, which has maritime weather and abundant rain, Argentina does not.
The distance from the mountains to the sea in Chile is only 70 miles.

Diversity of vineyards’ elevation from west to east in Argentina is dramatic.

There is a diverse cultural difference that takes place regarding wine making in Argentina. The majority (75%) of immigrants are from Europe, specifically Italy.

Argentina’s wine culture began due to the immigrants. Wine culture is more popular for that reason.
What the immigrants brought to Argentina are mostly blends.  That is nothing new to this in Argentina.
Blends include the most popular, Cabernet- Malbec, followed by the Salta blend of Torrontes (85%) and Riesling (15%).

Torrontes is the best known white wine in Argentina. It is known for high alcohol, often reaching 16.5%.
The wines seem to benefit from the higher alcohol, creating a crisp and fresh flavors on your palate.
Alluvial soils occupy the north. The soil consists of sand, stone, clay and slate.
Mountains block the wet wind that exists in Chile.
Argentina is dry. In large part, this is due to the Andes and low rainfall,
Irrigation is necessary.
There is no rot.
The Andes helps make the area unique.
Many organic sustainable wines are grown throughout Argentina.
Grapes love sun and a lot of sugar.
This helps make expressive wines, which are very consistent vintages year after year.

Argentine wines are consistent, unlike most wines of the world.
This is a big advantage.
Andres Rosberg says that there are no good or bad vintage years, only consistent years.
If and when there is vineyard loss, it comes from hail and frost.

Dry weather (less than 8 inches of rain a year in Mendoza) means irrigation.

Andres would rather “Add water from the Andes than add sugar”.

Mendoza is also known for agriculture.  Fruit, garlic and potatoes need irrigation.
The glaciers and aquifers help create the necessary water supply.

If you drive half an hour away from Mendoza you would feel like you are in Arizona: dry, hot and no irrigation.

The altitude of Mendoza averages 4,500 feet. Temperature change exists, of course.
The continental climate means a big range of temperature between day and night. The moment the sun goes down, the plants sleep.  

There is a fairly diverse cultural approach to wine making throughout Argentina. The majority of the winemakers studied in Europe. Their origin and history is directly related to their immigration.

Similar to Europe blends have always been around.
They are not just emerging.

The Salta region, in the north, is 6,000 feet above sea level and is very dry.
The dry climate is a continuation of the continental climate.
Salta is approximately 600 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Winds rarely exists. They are blocked due to the mountains.

The amount of rain is less than 1/3 of what the vines need.
99% of the vines receive the necessary irrigation from the Andes.
The area has no fungus or rot, thus creating the possibility for organic wines.

Lots of sun means a lot of sugar.
The wines in Argentina are rich and concentrated.

Historically, Mendoza loses, as mentioned earlier, 6%-8% of its yearly crop due to hail and frost.

The first vineyards were planted in mid 1500s. The first vineyards in Argentina were planted in the center of the country, then north in Salta and west near Mendoza.

Vineyards were planted near churches, where wine was initially used.
Eventually, wine was consumed outside of the church.

During the early years, from 1840-1930, the winemakers also made olive oil.

Argentina was the first country in South America to have railways.
Wine was sent via rail from Mendoza to Buenos Aires.
Trapiche winery built a huge facility in 1915, next to the train station, in Mendoza, so, they could send their wines to Buenos Aires. They were very innovative at the time.

In the 1930s a strong middle class was developed. With power and wealth, the middle class, many with Italian roots, drank wine, averaging 120 bottles a year. The trend peaked at 1960, with a 140 bottles a year consumed.

Today, Argentina is the 5^th largest wine producer in the world. There are more than 1400 wineries in the country.

The domestic market is the 8^th largest in the world, averaging 37 bottles  per person.
The future of wine drinking is diminishing.

Most young adults consume Fernet Branca with coca-cola, followed by beer.
In fact, in Cordoba, the young adults average eight bottles of Fernet branca a year.

The trend in lower wine consumption has stagnated for the past five years.

Argentinians drink 75% of what they produce and export only 25%.
The weak peso, Argentina’s currency, helps exports.
The Chinese have been newly added to the Argentine export market. They are willing to pay the extra pesos for wine, while the United States and the United Kingdom reject the notion of higher prices.

An interesting fact: Argentina sells the majority of sparkling wines that are produced to neighbor, Chile.
Experimentation with new international grapes, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, has been successful.

Andres Rosberg believes the key to an Argentine wine is, “Expressiveness of the new world and complexity of the old world. That is what makes the perfect Argentine wine”

Candela Prol

The 'Wines of ARGENTINA'--Mendoza, Salta and Patagonia--An overview, favorite wineries and a Wine and Cultural Tour Recommendation by Philip S. Kampe

                                                   ARGENTINA and it's WINES

It has been over 500 years since the first vines were planted in northern Argentina, specifically, the area near and around Mendoza.  The wine industry had been slowly developing and not until recently were the wines of Argentina well known internationally.

The history of Argentine wine making starts with the arrival of Italian, French and Spanish immigrants in the 19^th century. Intertwined within this group were winemakers, by trade, who carried international and indigenous varieties with them during their long, agonizing journey to Argentina.
This group replaced the Jesuits ‘criollo wines’ with noble varietals, like merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Consumption was only domestic for many years until, like magic, the Argentinean wine trade took off in the early 2000’s, due mainly to the economic crash.

                                          A 'rare' September snow in Mendoza

There are a number of obvious reasons for the quick spurt of growth, as well: Quality improved, exports increased while local consumption fell, controlled irrigation was established and variations in altitude enabled varieties to be planted at their correct height, favoring slopes at the 3,500 to 6,100 foot range.

In the Mendoza region water is piped in from the melting snow of the Andes.

Mendoza is known for malbec and malbec only.
The truth is, many winemakers are making expressive wines and blends focusing on the bonardo, tempranillo, syrah, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc grapes.

Regarding daily high and low temperatures for the vineyards, Mendoza has a distinct advantage. Warm days encourage sugar production and help the grapes develop a nice, thick skin. Cool nights help create high acidity levels.

Today, the winemakers are improving quality by producing fewer grapes per hectare with higher quality characteristics. Add oak barrels for aging and plantings of noble varieties to the game plan and you have a top quality wine.
You can’t talk about the wines of Argentina without noting that the price-to-quality ratio is amazingly low for the consumer.

The economic crash in 2001 turned, once non-competitive wines, into overly competitive wines overnight.
Prices plummeted as quality improved. Argentina was a key player on the world stage, after nearly 500 years of heartaches.

With the economic problems the United States is facing, many Americans are modifying their lifestyles, including the kind of wine they drink and where they travel for vacation.
For those of us who love viticulture and trips abroad, Argentina’s Mendoza region is the answer.

Mendoza, set against the foothills of the Andes mountains is a beautiful town that is visually Spanish oriented versus the European flair that Buenos Aires presents.
The town gathering place is the Plaza Independencia, where craft sellers stalls highlight silver jewelry, leather goods and gourds for the herbal drink yerba mate.
Street performers stage shows and lovers kiss on the benches.

On one side of the square is the elegant Park Hyatt, while the other side of the main square is Sacrimento, where the smell of meat grilling, outdoor cafes and urban outfitters prepare for customers who want to hike and river raft the nearby towering peak of Aconcagua.

Inside the Park Hyatt, you can start your introduction of Argentinean wines at the Vines of Mendoza tasting room, where flights from over 125 wines from the region are offered.

Malbec thrives in Mendoza.
Malbec was brought to Argentina from France, where it was used mainly as a blending grape. Mendoza is blessed with over 300 days a year of sunlight. Add hot days and cool nights to the theory and you have the perfect growing conditions for Malbec.
Malbec is planted at high altitudes, ensuring thick skin development, deep colors and rich and robust flavors.
Malbec wines are usually full-bodied, due in part to the tannins.
Tannic wines are generally paired with fattier cuts of meat, like the ones in Argentina.

In fact, growth of Argentinean wine exports to the U.S. grew 23% last year, with sales of 6.9 million cases, creating $271 million dollars in revenue.

If you haven’t experienced ‘Malbec’ wines from Argentina, this is the time to start.

There are over 500,000 acres of vineyards in Argentina, of which over 75,000 acres are planted with the Malbec grape, followed by, possibly the next breakthrough grape, Bonarda (50,000 acres).  Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 40,000 acres.

The flagship white grape is Torrontes, grown specifically in the Salta region, followed by Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Grigio.

Wines made with the Torrontes grape stand out from the pack due to the fragrant aromatics with pronounced orange blossoms characteristics and the dry, full tropical fruit flavor on the palate, somewhat like an Alsatian Muscat.

Of the over 1400 wineries in Argentina, 1200 are in Mendoza. Europeans have invested their money in the Mendoza region as well as the emerging region of Patagonia, where numerous state-of-the-art technology wineries exist.

Some friends of mine, Nora and Kendra, from QW WineExperts are hosting an amazing trip to Argentina, titled, ‘A Behind the Scenes Tour of Argentina’s Wine Harvest and Culture’ from 28 March to 6 April 2014.
They were in-charge of my visit and I highly recommend them and their talent for the best possible trip to understand the wines, the harvest and the wine and cultural scene in Argentina.
Nora is from Argentina and Kendra was a longtime resident.
Together, they know the country inside out.
Feel free to visit their website to learn more about the trip: www.qwwineexperts.com .
There is also a direct link:

www.qwwineexperts.com/Documents/QW%20Mendoza%202014%20Itinerary.pdf

From my visit and sampling hundreds of Argentinean wines, I have created a list of recommendations.
One of life's greatest pleasure is opening a bottle of Argentine wine.
My suggestions of wineries from the three major wine regions of Argentina: Salta, Mendoza and Patagonia are:

SALTA:
El Porvenir de Cafeyate; San Pedro de Yaccochuya; Amalaya; Colone and Bodega dal Desierto

MENDOZA:

Caligore; Don Cristobal; Ruca Malen; Norton; Callia; Viicentin, Finca Don Martino; Don Cristobal; The Argento Wine Company; Familia Blanco Wines; Finca Las Moras; Finca Flichman; Navarro Correas; Mendel; Melipal; Ricomminciare Bodega de Familia, Angulo Innocenti; Alta Vista; Rutini; Hacienda del Plata; Nieto Senetiner; Altocedro; Finca El Origen; Cruzat; TintoNegro & Manos Negras; O. Fournier; Domaine Bousquet; Rafty; Clos de los Siete; Masi Tupungato; Finca La Cella; Alpasion; Huarpe Wines; Finca Decero; Pascual Toso; Proemio Wines; Bodega Tapiz and Trapiche.

PATAGONIA:
Familia Schroeder; Humberto Canale; Noemia; Bodega Patritti; NQN and Bodega del Fin del Mundo.

Argentina is an amazing destination for the true #Winelover.
The staff from the Wines of Argentina coupled with Nora and Kendra from QW Wine Experts helped make my trip to Argentina the most memorable wine journey of my life.

If you have interest in visiting Argentina on your own, please contact the staff at Wines of Argentina. I am sure that all inquiries about the wine possibilities in Argentina can be answered by the loving staff from the ‘Wines of Argentina’.
With questions, contact either Soledad Juncosa, Hospitality Manager for the Wines of Argentina at: sjuncosa@winesofargentina.com or Sofia Brazzolotto, Hospitality Assistant at: sbrazzolotto@winesofargentina.com

Philip S. Kampe

Philip.Kampe@TheWineHub.com

Torrontes: Argentina’s Unknown White Grape

There are many wine writers around the world who have discovered the intricacies of the Torrontes grape. This wine is very far from being a traditional white but it is that uniqueness that draws us to it and, hopefully, will draw you to it as well. In North America, names like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and even Gewurztraminer are common names to see on the shelves of our local wine shops. Despite the number of articles from people like Jancis Robinson, David Lawrason and many, many more, Torrontes is still a largely unheard of grape that the average consumer has heard very little of. Just out of curiosity, I decided to do a search on the LCBO website to see how many different Torrontes wines were available through them since that is the only source for international wines in Ontario. The results: I could count the number of wines on my two hands and still have fingers left over. The thing is that with a selling price of less than $15 a bottle in most cases (one of them was $16.95 a bottle), any of these wines could fit into the great value category but if no one knows that they exist and how interesting the taste is to these wines, they may as well be $100 a bottle.

I don’t normally do this when preparing to write a blog but I decided this time around to ask on my Facebook page “What do you know about Torrontes?” The answers were interesting…

“I know I love it when it’s good, hate it when it’s bad!! Tasted on recently from Emilia Romani which was stellar. A different expression than that in Argentina, but beautiful nonetheless.”

“Torrontes is best when grown in higher altitudes (in Argentina) and fermented and aged in stainless steel. I find that too much oak can actually kill this wine. It is originally from Spain -= Galician variety grown in fairly large quantities in the Alicante and Yecla regions. However it is also considered one of the original in Argentina and I would put it up there with their finest exhibits of their best along with Carmenere and Malbec…my three favourites of the Country. Seriously wish we could bet more Torrontes here ;-)”

Now, both of these people work in the wine industry with me so they have had the opportunity to try a wide variety of wines from around the world so for them to say they like Torrontes and wish there were more available up here in Canada certainly indicates to me that this is a grape that should get some attention in the hopes that the general consumer may fall in love with this very unique and different tasting white wine.

Okay, so I have been going on and on about how this wine is unique and different tasting so I am sure you are wondering why I am saying that. You see, the aromas to all of the Torrontes wines I tasted this week had a slight citrus, tropical fruit component to it but the flavours were very different from the aromas. Initially I thought it was a creamy texture that is normally associated with an oaked Chardonnay but that just did not seem right so, upon further examination, I realized that the mouthfeel of these wines had a more soapy, lanolin, oily texture to it than creaminess. Now, I know that none of those flavours sound appealing to many people but, in these wines, the wineries seem to have found a way to make this taste appealing and balance in with the fruit flavours and smokiness that is still present. Honestly, if it is able to disguise itself as a cross between Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and a lightly oaked Chardonnay, which pairs wonderfully with pasta and chicken and turkey just to name a few, I think Torrontes should be a viable alternative in our market. Here are a few of my picks from the Argentinean tasting this week. Enjoy…

Vinas de Altura Rio Seco Torrontes 2009
$9.95 a bottle
Available through Whitehall Agencies (Stephen.marentette@whitehall.ca)
Pleasant, fruity aroma – mostly grapefruit and pineapple – that follows into the flavours. There is a slightly oily texture to the wine but not overpoweringly so. Overall, a very pleasant drinking wine that could be paired with most of your weekday dinners or enjoyed on its own.

Vinas de Altura Rio Seco Reserva Torrontes 2009
$13.95 a bottle
Available through Whitehall Agencies (Stephen.marentette@whitehall.ca)
Take the previous Torrontes (the non-reserve one) and amplify the aromas and flavours. That’s what you have when you taste and smell this wine. More fruit, more soapy, glycerin mouthfeel, more smoke and more floral on this wine. Just a kicked up version of their entry level wine and just as tasty as the original.

Vinas de Altura Gamela Reserva Torrontes 2009
$26.95 a bottle
Available through Whitehall Agencies (Stephen.marentette@whitehall.ca)
Out of the three from Vinas de Altura, this wine is the one that takes a slightly different direction. The aromas and flavours are basically the same but they vary in comparison to the previous two. This wine has an overabundant fruity, floral aroma to it which is rather distinctive. While there is a slight soapy, glycerin mouthfeel to this wine, the flavours are mostly smoke and tropical fruit. This was probably one of the most interesting Torrontes in the room that day.

Rutini Wines Trumpeter Reserve Torrontes 2008
$16.95 a bottle
Available through Profile Wine Group (aquagliozzi@profilewinegroup.com)
This winery is closer to the ocean and slightly further south than Vinas de Altura which, in South America, actually translates into a cooler climate – it is closer to Antarctica than the Equator. As a result, this wine has more of the smoky flavour to it than the soapy, glycerin mouthfeel that the others have had at this point. The fruity, floral aromas are still ever present and they do continue on to the palate but the smoky flavour is the major player in this wine.

Trivento Tribu Torrontes 2009
$8.95 a bottle
Available through Select Wines (haddleton@selectwines.ca)
This was probably one of my favourite wines of the day. It has a very powerful aroma of floral (roses and violets), stone fruit and slight citrus fruit. The flavours are equally powerful with a slightly oily texture and a major backbone of fruit. This is the only wine I described through this day as YUMMY!

Nieto Senetiner Reserva Torrontes 2009
$12.95 per bottle
Available through Cipelli Wines and Spirits (dpancer.cipelli@bellnet.ca)
The last Torrontes in the room this day and what a way to end a day with! More of tropical fruit and floral aromas I have already experienced this day, this wine has more of the fruity, floral flavours than the oily texture than some of the previous wines had. If the sounds of the soapy, glycerin mouthfeel really turn you off of trying this wine, I recommend trying this one as it is not quite forceful with this one.

So, when you are looking to try a wine that is completely different from your standard Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling, why not pick up a bottle or two of Argentinean Torrontes? The unique flavour profile is one that will keep you coming back over and over for more.