WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to The Quintessential Carpe Vinum Tasting Letter and News Alert! This week we’re heading way, way South from here, down to the wine megalith that is Argentina! Did you know that Argentina is the 5th largest wine producer in the world? It seems pretty impossible, considering that, logically, they should then have the 5th largest wine section in all stores. . or at least in imports. Why is that? I’m glad you asked!

Argentina is, yes, the 5th largest wine producer in the world. But the Argentine people are also one of the greatest wine DRINKERS in the world, and have been effectively hoarding away all of the wine themselves. I just read that the average Argentine consumes over 10 gallons of wine per person (down from a liver-pickling 26 gallons per person 30 years ago. Um.. .hm. . .yikes?!? FYI, the average for Americans is about 1-2 gallons per person.) This in mind, another thing to consider is the fact that the wine that they were mostly drinking wasn’t anything special but high-yield blended wine. Apparently not real tasteful.

Once the Argentine consumption declined, the wine industry down there started looking to export more of their products, however they had to increase the quality of their production to match the rest of the world. And that’s what we see up here: More modern vinification, internationally recognized grape varieties, and lower yields to produce better quality wines rather than tons and tons of mediocre plonk.

So all these changes are still taking place, and the selections coming from that area are producing stunning results. Now what seemed weird, that I mentioned last time, is that it was reported that Bonarda was the dominant grape variety down there, yet we had never heard of it up here. Barring any of the possible misinformation I receive all the time, it must have been those thirsty Argentines tapping their export supply. I was, however, able to track down one example of this wine to see what their big secret is about. They must know something. . .!

In other wine greats we see here in the States is the almost-exclusively-Argentine white wine Torrontes. It’s a light and sometimes-fruity white that, just recently, has been genetically identified as a cross between the Muscat of Alexandria (Muscat) and Criola Chica (a grape you’ve never heard of from the Canary Islands). It’s cool trivia to know, but unlikely to be a dollar-winning question on Jeopardy. Or answer, rather. Whatever.

Other than that, we’ve got stunning examples of other wines that have been doing spectacular there. Malbec, their flagship wine, most famous from the French Bordeaux and Cahors, takes on a life that is not paralleled anywhere else in the world. Also, I threw in a few Tempranillos, the Spanish varietal that they seem to be making their own, as well.

So Friday, April 7th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Argentina!!
Zolo 2005 Torrontes, Mendoza
Pascual Toso 2004 Malbec, Mendoza
Mapema 2004 Tempranillo, Mendoza
La Posta del Vinatero 2003 Bonarda, Mendoza
Melipal 2003 Malbec, Mendoza

Argentine!!
Achaval Ferrer 2004 Malbec, Mendoza
Familia Zuccardi 2002 Q Tempranillo, Mendoza

And The Triumphant Return of the Lovely, Sweet Dessert Pour!
Santa Julia 2004 Tardio (Late Harvest Torrontes), Mendoza

If you notice they’re all from Mendoza, that’s because it’s the region of Argentina that accounts for over 70% of the wine grown in the region, and probably the majority of wine exported.

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours, and $5 for the Sweet Pour!
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting Big California Reds!

M