ARGENTINIAN WINES 

When I last wrote about Argentinean wines five years ago, the country was a sleeping giant, just awakening after years of repressive political rule. But since December 2001, Argentina has been in the grip of an economic disaster. What’s next, locusts?

Actually, things are looking up for Argentina’s wine industry. The 2002 harvest is the best in the last 15 years. The 1999 to 2001 vintages weren’t too shabby either. In his annual South America report, James Molesworth of Wine Spectator magazine, calls the 1999 vintage “excellent.”

And that economic disaster, in which the Argentinean peso was devalued from parity to one fourth of the US dollar’s value, may help the wine industry. “When the peso was equal to the dollar, it was too expensive to put money into wineries. But now there is more money to invest,” says Laura Catena of the Catena winery. However, until the economy stabilizes, there is a wait-and-see approach by many outside investors, which to date have included the likes of Lafite Rothschild (jointly producing with Catena Caro, a Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon blend to be released in October), The Hess Collection (which distributes Bodega Norton), Kendall-Jackson (Tapiz brand), Cordiniu, and Moet & Chandon.

Another helpful sign is the growing Nuevo Latino movement affecting food, music and culture in the United States. “Before, many people thought that Latin food and wine was low end. Now the movement gives high-end focus to things Latin,” Catena says.

Indeed, while many of Argentina’s wines such as Bodegas Escorihuela, Bodegas Esmeralda, Etchart, J&F Lurton, Bodega Norton, Santa Julia, Balbi, Trapiche, and Weinart, are good values (generally under $15), Argentina has shown it can make world-class wines as well. Esmeralda, Achaval-Ferrer, Vina Cobos and Catena all make wines at $50 and over that received over 90-point or “outstanding” ratings from Wine Spectator. (Other top wine producers include Valentin Bianchi, Vina Dona Paula, Luca, and Bodegas Terrazas de Los Andes.)

Most people would be shocked to learn that Argentina is the fifth largest wine producer in the world. Argentineans drink less wine than they used to, so there is plenty to export. Total production in 2000 amounted to 440 million gallons, but less than five percent of that was exported.

The wine industry in Argentina has a two-fold problem, however. First, despite a winemaking history that dates back to the 16^th century, a lot of Argentinean wine isn’t very good. Much of it is still made with Criolla, an undistinguished grape introduced by the Spanish in 1557, though many Criolla vines are being replaced by better varietals. Argentina also suffers in comparison with Chile, its neighbor across the Andes mountains. Chile positioned itself much earlier with value-priced Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, much better known varietals to Americans than Argentina’s top two, Malbec and Torrontés.

Malbec, a minor blending grape in Bordeaux and California, is a primary varietal in only one other place, Cahors in Southwest France. As in Cahors, Malbec in Argentina produces a dark, juicy, spicy, and meaty wine, a great match for Argentina’s wonderful grass-fed beef. Molesworth thinks that Malbec “provides a more compelling personality than the top wines from Chile” and links Malbec and Argentina in the same breath (well, in the same paragraph) as Pinot Noir and Burgundy, Shiraz and Australia, Nebbiolo and Piedmont, and Sangiovese and Tuscany.

Many varietals in Argentina reflect its Italian and Spanish immigrant population. Italians brought Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Bonarda. Bonarda, which one rarely sees inside its indigenous Piedmont, is a medium bodied red wine that reminds me of Barbaresco. The Spanish brought Tempranillo, Spain’s answer to Cabernet Sauvignon, and Torrontés, a white wine grape from Galicia. Torrontés can be a delightful wine with crisp acidity and a lovely Muscat-like aroma. It’s also often under $10.

Other Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot—indeed, almost all reds—achieve the same deep color and soft tannins found in Malbec. “There are several theories as to why this happens. One is the increased ultraviolet light from high altitude plantings (as high as 5400 feet in some areas), says Randall Johnson, vice president of The Hess Collection. Johnson also believes that Syrah has a good future in Argentina, where it turns out a wine styled like Australian Shiraz.

Of course, “you can’t dismiss Chardonnay. It’s the driving force for American wine consumption,” says George Rose of Allied Domecq, the international beverage conglomerate that owns Balbi. “Chardonnay is incredible in Argentina. We sell twice as much Chardonnay as Malbec,” Catena says. “Altitude is the key. At different altitudes you get different characters. For example, more acidity from higher altitude, more tropical flavors from lower altitudes. When you blend them together you get a more interesting wine with a lot of layers of flavor.”

Nonetheless, Johnson thinks Sauvignon Blanc has a better future than Chardonnay because “it loves the heat.”  Generally, Sauvignon Blanc in Argentina gets no oak treatment. In fact, says Johnson, “Argentineans are just getting comfortable with Chardonnay in oak.” José Alberto Zuccardi, proprietor of Santa Julia, likes Pinot Grigio and Viognier, particularly Viognier, which he says “shows a great adaptation capability to the climate and soil of the region (Mendoza).”

Mendoza is the largest and most important wine region in Argentina with more than 350,000 acres of vines and over 80 percent of the country’s wine production. Snug up against the Andes in western Argentina, Mendoza’s high dessert climate is parched by 350 days of sunshine a year. But the soil is generously irrigated by melting Andean snow and elevation keeps evenings cool.

The variety of elevation in Mendoza gives it remarkably diverse microclimates. Johnson likens Mendoza to the Napa Valley, where one doesn’t talk so much about Napa wines as those coming from Stag’s Leap, Mt. Veeder or Howell Mountain. In Mendoza, quality wines are being produced in the subregions of Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo, San Rafael, and Tupungato.

Just north of Mendoza is San Juan, the wine region with the highest elevation. Though less developed than Mendoza, it shows great potential, especially for red wines. Further north and more distant from the Andes is La Rioja, where Torrontés thrives. Salta, the smallest of Argentina’s main wine regions, is mostly tropical, but higher elevations are suitable for vineyards, especially around the town of Cafayate, where peripatetic Bordeaux winemaker Michel Rolland has produced an upscale Malbec called Yacochuya.

With prices depressed, quality rising, and all things Latin as hot as a habanero, this might be the best time ever to discover Argentinean wines.

 This article first appeared in the September/October, 2002 issue of Specialty Food Magazine.