At the moment, Argentina is producing a whole range of wines that offer flavour and value from grape varieties other than the New World staples of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Although it does also grow these traditional grape varieties, its strong point lies in its range of well-made, slightly offbeat varietal wines.
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Location
Southern South America, between Chile and Uruguay, and bordering
the South Atlantic Ocean.
Grapes
- Red: Malbec, Tempranillo, Sangiovese,
Barbera, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon
- White: Torrontes, Chardonnay
and Chenin Blanc
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Malbec (sometimes known as Malbeck) is Argentina's leading red grape, which produces extremely tannic, inky-dark wines in its native south-western France. This transforms into something far more silky and supple when grown in Argentina, with flavours of wild herbs and spice as well as soft, damson fruit.
When it comes to whites, Argentina does well with its aromatic, peach-scented Torrontes grape, producing a musky and sensuous wine unique to Argentina. There are also some excellent Chenin Blancs.
Argentina also has a tradition of Spanish and Italian grape varietals, and Argentine Barbera, Bonarda, Sangiovese and Tempranillo are all exciting, deliciously fruity red wines.
Geography
In the south, vineyards share latitude with New Zealand; in the north, the vineyards lie at the same latitude as Morocco. One of the keys to growing quality wine grapes here is the altitude, planting vineyards at between 2,000 and 3,000 feet allows the winegrowers to exploit the cooler temperatures.
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