Argentinian Wines

I attended a great wine tasting last night and felt that I had to share it.

All of the wines were from Argentina and were offered to the members of the wine club in a standard sampling format and were served with a range of Thai foods that were expected to match

Argentinean wines are unusual to other wines from around the world as it is one of the few countries that can grow different grape varieties in adjacent fields. Some countries can grow different wines within the same area but not side by side.

Grapes in Argentina are also the highest altitude grown wines in the world with many of them growing at between 700 and 1400 meters above sea level. Whilst not seeming that high most vines do best at altitudes of less than 100 meters.

The soil in Argentina is also not that brilliant when compared to that of Chile or South Africa but the increased altitude creates colder temperatures forcing the grapes to grow more robustly and their flavours being more intense.

This was particularly noticeable in the 2 white wines offered. The Finca El Portillo Sauvignon Blanc was light and crisp with a noticeable blend of grapefruit and tropical fruits. It had a lingering taste on the palate and went well as the first wine.

The Signos Chardonnay 2010 was a particular find and one I shall be going back to regularly. With absolutely no oak it was a pleasant change from the traditional style New World Chardonnays and is to be recommended to those who say they do not like Chardonnay. Very light in flavours there was a lingering citrus flavour that really refreshed the palate.

Argentina’s signature wine has to be Malbec and some of the finest examples of this in the world can be found here. The differing altitudes that the grapes are grown at can make a significant difference to the quality of the grape and to be frank I found the first of the Malbecs to be a little light. I am definitely into heavier wines and this one just did not have the substance that I enjoy. It would however make an excellent party wine or possibly with a bar b que where it would go well with meats.

I had already drunk the 2^nd red we were served before and knew I was going to like it as it wa a Malbec / Tempranillo blend, another of my preferred grapes. Although still young, it was only a 2007, it still had a good blend of berry flavours especially cherry and plum and went nicely with the friend pork balls that were on offer.

The highlight of the evening for me was the penultimate red wine, a Shiraz / Malbec blend from Callia Alta that was a beautiful deep ruby colour and a nose that just begged for it to be drunk. The first and second level flavours were very intense with enough tannin to ensure you would not forget this wine in a hurry. It went perfectly with the duck served with a curry sauce and I expect would also be great with cheese, especially heavier chesses such as Gorgonzola.

What really surprised me with this wine was its price. Wine is expensive here as a result of importation taxes and often a cheap bottle of wine just is not worth the effort whilst a good wine is sufficiently priced to make you think twice about a second bottle. Very often the cost of the wine is 4 or 5 times the price of the food and that is just for a mid range wine.

So the net result – a successful night and another wine added to the list of what I like.

There cannot be a better result than that……