Argentine wine industry has come into its own

The wines from our South American neighbors have been steadily and dramatically increasing in quality and availability over the past decade.

Here are a few Argentine wines that are worth seeking out, pulling the cork and taking a sip: Finca de Domingo 2004 Torrontes $7 Torrontes is a grape of Spanish origin and, given its Andean isolation, this grape has evolved into genuine individuality. This example of the unique variety has a pale yellow, straw-like color with a hint of greenish tones. Intriguingly aromatic, with a fresh, flowery, citrus bouquet characteristic of a young white wine. Delicately smooth, dry and elegant with flavors of mandarin orange, white peach and apricot with a hint of jasmine. Catena 2003 Chardonnay $15 A light golden color with citrus fruit aromas interwoven with light notes of vanilla and slate. The mouthfeel is full and clean with pear and fig fruit flavors and a touch of sweet spice. The finish is fresh yet persistent, with bright, crisp acidity. A real indication of where the Argentine white wine production is heading. Altos Las Hormigas 2003 Malbec $9 This wine screams value. The 2002 are nice, solid wines but the 2003 rocks with its deep, dark color and loads of dark red and black fruit notes. Think blackberry, blueberry, plum and strawberry jams. Add to the mix a bit of cedar and mocha and you’ve got a rather expensive-tasting wine. It’s meant for immediate consumption but can withstand a couple of years of simmering in the cellar. Famous Italian wine merchant Marc De Grazia is at the epicenter of this earth-shaking little wine property. He has put together somewhat of an all-star team of Northern Hemisphere winemakers to create one of the most exciting wineries on the planet. Tikal 2003 “Patriota” $22 This is a wine whose package is totally fitting to the wine it encases. A big, burly wine deserves a monster bottle and this has to be one of the largest in the industry (I’m thinking 10 pounds). The wine is a beauty with thick, rich, pudding-like creamy layers of blackberry, plum, vanilla and mocha. A lush blend of bonarda and malbec translates to a mouth-filling extravaganza of ripe fruits and just enough minerality and acidity to keep it from being flabby. This wine would wrap nicely around a marinated and grilled flank steak, or it could act as a meal all on its own.

Chile has garnered most of the attention and accolades, but Argentina, Chile’s eastern neighbor across the Andes Mountains, has the potential to be one of the elite wine producing regions in the world.

Chilean wines have been more broadly available in the large markets of Europe and the United States, but those times are changing as the juice that flows from Argentina is finding a rapidly expanding acceptance in those markets.

Argentina, like Chile, has had a wine industry since the 16th century, with the first vintage estimated around 1551. But unlike Chile, most of its production was limited to the domestic market until just a few years ago. There are a number of reasons for this. For one, Argentines, unlike most South Americans, have a real affection and taste for wine and prefer it to beer or the national beverage of Chile and Peru – Pisco (a brandy-like drink made from distilled white muscat grapes).

Also, quite simply, no one else wanted Argentina’s wine. Compared with the wines produced in France, Italy, Spain and other parts of the world, Argentine wines just weren’t that good and had difficulty finding a global fan base. Much of the wine produced in Argentina over the past 400 years was made with criolla, an undistinguished grape introduced by the Spanish missionaries. There was another hurdle with a political twist. That little exercise in failed diplomacy called the Falklands War didn’t exactly endear the wines to some of the most sophisticated and influential wine drinkers from the United Kingdom. In order to have any wine exported to England from Argentina, shippers simply labeled it “South American.”

Boy, have times changed, mainly due to the flattening of our global economy and the desire of the Argentines to retool their entire wine industry. It began with pulling up more than a third of all of the vineyards in existence, followed by some selective replanting of better-known varietals as the first step towards the production of quality wine.

Chile, however, had positioned itself much earlier with the widely recognized French varietals of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot while Argentina hung their minimal exporting hat on the lesser-known grapes, malbec and torrontes.

Argentina has been both pushed by economic pressures at home and pulled by the lure of a serious new revenue stream, to get its wines out to a wider market. The physical nature of Argentina is almost flawless for producing premium wine. It has been described as the perfect laboratory for growing grapes and making wine. The temperatures are ideal, the soil types are conducive and there’s no shortage of great, high-altitude vineyard sites – particularly in the most prolific region, Mendoza. Situated at the foot of Aconcagua, the tallest peak in the Western Hemisphere, the Mendoza region accounts for three-quarters of all the vines planted in the country and has a remarkably diverse microclimate with 350 days of sunshine and plentiful irrigation from melting Andean snow.

There has been a huge infusion of money, technology and winemaking expertise into Argentina from countries such as Italy and France that wish to split their enterprises between the two hemispheres. Some of the most prestigious chateaux of Bordeaux have made investments in the Argentine wine economy, indicating a total reversal of fortune. Argentina now is the fifth largest wine producing country in the world.

The quality to value ratio of today’s Argentine wines is, in my opinion, off the charts. The past few vintages are showing incredible depth, complexity and structure with the obvious emphasis on malbec, Argentina’s signature wine. In Mendoza, malbec has blossomed like nowhere else on earth, displaying a wonderfully dark, juicy, peppery and spicy wine, a great match for Argentina’s grass-fed beef. Malbec and Argentina can now be used in the same breath much the same as pinot noir/Burgundy and shiraz /Australia. If you’ve not experienced an Argentine wine, especially one of its malbecs, you ought to do so soon, especially so you can appreciate a really good wine at a great price.

Jeff Wicklund can be reached at 425-737-2600, or wick@colbyhospitality.com.