Hamilton Spectator
As recently as a dozen years ago, few Canadian consumers knew anything about the wines of Argentina. We didn't get a lot of them, and the few that were sold in Ontario tended to be the very basic entry level.
Things have changed.
The sale of Argentine wines has exploded, as has the quality. Yet the value — quality versus price — remains extremely high.
Many people are surprised to learn that Argentina is the world's fifth biggest wine producer (after France, Italy, Spain and the U.S.). But the sea change that put those wines on the Canadian map was a stylistic one. Prior to the surge, the vast majority of what Argentina made was what we would call "jug" wine — "vino de mesa" or humble table wine in Spanish. It was vin very ordinaire that was usually hot in alcohol, aggressively robust in structure, and frequently had an oxidized feel to it. That style was immensely popular with Argentine consumers and other South Americans who were historically the main export target.
North Americans have a very different collective palate. We generally prefer brighter, fresher, fruit-driven wines. Argentina's change in approach opened the door to success here. It also helped that Argentina has the geography that makes the new style feasible, and the extension of wine-growing regions possible.
Winemaking stretches most of the length of the country, all in the rain shadow of the Andes. The vineyards are at significant altitude — some are an astounding 3,000 metres above sea level — on arid plateaus and in small valleys. Latitude spells out hot days for ripening, cool desert nights to retain fresh acidity, and virtually no grape diseases or pests. There are also four distinct seasons, including winters that get down to freezing, so the vines have a chance to become dormant, which improves their vigour and productivity over time.
The most important region has always been and remains around the city of Mendoza. That's a good 1,000 kilometres west of Buenos Aires and almost 800 metres higher up. If you've drunk an Argentine wine, you have no doubt drunk Mendoza. Within that area are two small sub-regions, in valleys at even greater altitude, that have emerged in the past few years — Uco and Tupungato.
But things are booming elsewhere as well. As you work from the far north, you'll find important regions at Salta and Cafayate, then in La Rioja, San Juan and way to the south, Rio Negro in Patagonia. On my visits to Argentina during the past few years I have tasted some truly spectacular wines from all those regions.
The industry is changing as far as preferred grape varieties too, with increasing amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but the hearty and dense Malbec remains the big story in reds, while the reliable, almond-toned Torrontes is re-establishing itself as a white grape for quality wine.
Indeed, Malbec has become the signature wine of Argentina, and is one of the "hottest" grape varieties among consumers. Once a junior component in traditional Bordeaux, it has pretty much faded from that region. The only French region that relies on Malbec today is the relatively obscure (for us) appellation of Cahors. Other growers around the world are dabbling in Malbec with an eye to blending and adding structure to their wines — and seeing the world-beating success it's having in Argentina.
The hard, tannic nature of this thin-skinned, heat-seeking grape is softened in Argentina's vineyards, taking on a juicy plum and blueberry feel. Malbec is no blending grape here — it stands alone and is proud of what it is.
I won't get into specific tasting notes for the Argentine Malbecs I'm about to recommend. There would be a lot of repetition since they all have pretty much similar characteristics and taste structures. But these are all excellent quality and really do hit that value bullseye. These are in no particular order of preference. All are in LCBO general list.
Masi Tupungato Passo Doble ($13.95, code 620880). We'll lead off with this one because it is unusual. Masi is a leading Italian producer and they've brought some touches from there. The estate is in the Tupungato region. The wine is Malbec but it has undergone a ripasso (passo doble) refermentation with partly dried Corvina grapes, which are one of the mainstays of Veneto (although grown in Argentina for this project).
Others to look for are: Misterio Malbec ($9.45, code 28803), Marcus James Malbec ($10, code 518431), Trivento Fair Trade Malbec ($11.95, code 160994), Graffigna Centenario Reserve Malbec ($13.95, code 230474; discounted to $12.95 until Oct. 13), Alamos Malbec ($13.95, code 295139) and Pascual Toso Malbec ($13.95, code 35170).
dkislenko@thespec.com
905-526-3450