Flying High in the Andes

The opportunity of a tasting session with Daniel Pi, the Chief Winemaker of Trapiche Winery, helped refresh my mind about Argentina, the largest producer of wines in South America.

Trapiche was founded in 1883 and has over 1000 hectares of vineyards around Mendoza. It is part of the Grupo Penaflor, which owns over 6000 hectares of vineyards in Mendoza, San Juan, Salta and Catamarca regions in Argentina.

Viticulture has been in place in Argentina since the 1500’s, thanks to Spanish, Italian and French immigrants. However, most of the wines were based on high-yielding varieties for domestic consumption.

With economic reforms in the country, the Argentinian wine industry has revolutionized itself since the 1990’s, taking advantage of its unique high altitude sites with varying microclimates and specialized terroirs. It is now one of the most important wine producers in the New World with ever growing wine exports on the international scene.

The most representative wine producing area in Argentina is Mendoza, in the rain-shadow foothills of the Andes mountain ranges. In this semi-arid climate, vineyards are situated as high as 1500m above sea level.

The main reason for such quality wines despite the region’s proximity to the equator is the altitude. Cooler nights give a slow ripening period, and also enhance sugar and acidity balance in the grapes. Thinner air at this altitude stresses the vines giving greater flavour concentration. High levels of solar radiation increases the level of polyphenols in the grape skins, contributing to aromatic wines with intense flavours. Almost ¾ of Argentinian wine production takes place here, with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda and Chardonnay.

Most would agree the signature black grape varietal for Argentina is Malbec.

According to Jancis Robinson MW, this varietal is well-suited to Argentina’s warmer climates, producing rich, fruity yet age-worthy wines that can be far more impressive than any Malbec-based Cahors wine from Southwest France.

Malbec is a grape varietal grown since Roman times. It was an important grape in Southwest France centered around Cahors in the Middle Ages and gained importance in Bordeaux as part of the varietal blendings towards in the 18-19^th centuries. Named Côt, this was made in a hard, tannic style. The intense dark colour meant that it was called the ‘Black Wine of Cahors’.

Plantings were brought over to Argentina in the mid-1800s from Bordeaux by a Frenchman Michel Poujet. Whilst phylloxera decimated plantings in France in 1860s, and the number of Malbec vines further declined after severe frost in 1956 killed 75% of the plantings in Southwest France; Malbec thrived in the sunny dry climate of Argentina with it’s varied terroirs.

The 3 main factors that has helped Malbec in Argentina produce a range of wine styles, from easy drinking fruity yet balanced wines to complex, elegant wines with aging potential are:

1. Intense Sunshine – in Mendoza, the sun can shine for 300 days per year, grapes can ripen fully with lots of black and red fruit flavours as well as rounded, supple tannins, making very approachable wines even when young.
2. Arid Climate – this desert-like climate along with the dry Zonda wind from the Andes, reduces the chance of rot and fungal diseases. It also forces the vines to develop deep roots into the alluvial sand and clay in order to reach the Andean snow melt water. Vines under such stress develop grapes with concentrated flavours, and some would say minerality from the soils.
3. Altitude – the cooler air overall slows vine ripening, allowing more gradual development of flavours despite the intense UV light. The wide diurnal range allows the vines to rest at sundown and for grapes to maintain good acidity to balance the intense fruit. Notably in the lofty reaches of the Northern Uco Valley like Gualtallary (1600m) and Southern Uco Valley like Altamira (1000m), the altitude allows for wines to have extra levels of elegance with floral notes in addition to the concentrated strawberries, cherries and plummy notes. Add on the use of oak in wine making, flavours of chocolate and coffee provide wines with additional levels of complexity.

Such is the popularity of Malbec that there is now over 40,000 hectares of Malbec vines under cultivation and there is a Malbec day worldwide on April 17 each year!

The other iconic varietal for Argentina has to be the white varietal Torrontés, a crossing between Criolla Chica and Muscat of Alexandria.

There are 3 varieties - Torrontés Riojano, Torrontés Sanjuanino and Torrontés Mendocino.

Torrontés Riojano gives the most aromatic wines, with floral notes of jasmine and roses; fruity notes of lemon zest and white peach. This is the commonest variety grown in Northern Argentina.

The other 2 varietals give simpler wines with hints of perfume and citrus fruits, especially with higher yields.

Altitude is the key that quells the soapiness and bitterness that can affect Torrontés.

In Salta province, regions like Cafayate Valley reaches lofty heights of 3000m. Despite the lower latitudes of 22° - 28° N (nearer the equator), temperatures are modified by the altitude and cold mountain air.

This special microclimate of desert-like conditions reduce the mildew disease risk that the varietal is prone to. The extreme UV light enhances the already thick skin of this varietal further showcasing it’s special aromas. The extreme altitude provides for a great diurnal range that gives freshness and crisp acidity to a wine that is made dry despite aromatics suggestive of a sweet wine.

Other regions like Pedernal Valley in San Juan province north of Mendoza, and the cooler reaches of Rio Negro and Neuquen in Southern Argentina are making waves with elegant Syrah and Pinot Noir wines respectively.

International varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay are also widely cultivated giving a range of easy drinking everyday wines to elegant complex wines with good aging potential so let’s remember A is for Argentina, Andes, Altitude and Appetizing wines!