KEY POINTS:
I'm in a bar in Buenos Aires watching some of dirtiest dancing I've ever clapped eyes on. As the night heats up, I quench my thirst with some Argentinian wine, that is harsh, oxidised and miles away from the sexy action of the stage.
Thankfully while some rough stuff may be consumed locally, most of the wines Argentina is now exporting are as hot as tango and often just as exciting.
From the fertile plains of the Pampas, to the arid Patagonian plateau and lofty peaks of the Andres, Argentina is a land strewn with superlatives. This huge country boasts some of the world's highest vineyards and, according to Wines of Argentina, possesses the largest quality wine producing region, Mendoza, where the vineyards cover almost six times the area of all of our wine regions put together.
Argentina also historically had one of the highest rates of wine consumption per capita, a factor which meant in the past there was little impetus to share the not inconsiderable fruits of its vinous labours, which rank it fifth in term of global wine production. However, with the decrease in domestic wine drinking, the last decade has seen many Argentinian wineries start to focus on export.
The result has been a drastic improvement in the quality of its wines to serve these foreign markets, transforming them from something like my terrible tango wine to an array of very well priced everyday examples, plus a growing number of impressive top labels that are increasingly becoming available in the country, such as Trapiche's impressive trio of single vineyard malbecs and the Cheval des Andes ($46 and $150 respectively from the Fine Wine Delivery Company), from the collaboration between top Bordeaux Chateau Cheval Blanc and the Champagne house Moet.
Such high-profile foreign interest has been generated by the huge potential once dormant in the expansive winegrowing terrain of this sleeping giant. This has attracted the likes of Bordeaux wine guru Michel Rolland who consults across the country and makes his own wines at Clos de Siete; France's Lurton brothers; plus California's Donald Hess and Paul Hobbs.
Many of Argentina's vineyards are planted at altitude, the highest over 3000 metres, something that sets the country apart from many other winegrowing nations and gives its wines their varied and unique character. As elevations increase, the sunlight that aids ripening and concentration becomes more intense, while cool nights help retain freshness and aromatics and keep alcohol levels lower than could be expected from a country that would otherwise be on the warmer side of winegrowing.
Another drawcard is the country's flagship grape, malbec. Playing a minor part in Bordeaux blends and producing something quite different from its heartland in France's Cahors, it has found a highly suitable home in Argentina where it makes rich, dark fruited, stand-alone wines that often exhibit an attractive perfumed element.
A wide range of European settlers also means the country is blessed with a similarly diverse offering of other grape varieties, such as cabernet sauvignon, syrah and bonarda in reds and pinot gris and torrontes in whites - the latter a crisp and floral variety originally hailing from Spain, which, like malbec, has found favour and flourished more in Argentina than elsewhere.
In the past few years we've been seeing more Argentine wine coming into the country, especially its robust reds which offer ripe styles and prices that our home-grown wines find hard to match.
Wines with altitude
More than Malbec
Land of Fire Pinot Gris, Argentina 2007 $17
Made in a light dry zingy pinot grigio style by the flying Lurton Brothers, who have their hand in many good wines from across the globe, this gris offers great value for money with its fresh palate of tinned pear, stone fruit, hint of citrus zest and sprinkling of spice.
(Widely available. For stockists ph 09 378 946.)
Hot stuff
Bodega Septima Mendoza Malbec, Argentina 2007 $16-17
This classic Mendoza malbec offers a big ripe mouthful of black plum and berry fruit, cocoa and spice, plus a nuance of violet. Great value for money.
(From Accent on Wine, Hobson Liquor, Scenic Cellars, Millar & Co, Village Winery.)
Seriously sexy
Chakana Reserve Malbec Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina 2006 $24.60
Chakana is a new winery to hit our shelves, producing impressive wines at a variety of prices. Its mid-range malbec is a rich and surprisingly complex wine at this price, with concentrated and voluptuous dark berry fruit layered with notes of spice and savoury and an attractively fresh lift.
(From Glengarry.)
