Orquesta Fernández Fierro; photo courtesy of Pan y Arte.

The event, started in 2010 by Liliana Moreno, an actress and owner of local restaurant, Pan y Arte, is an artsy celebration of Argentina’s wine harvest. What originally started as a relatively small event held inside one restaurant has now grown out to become a sophisticated, open-air street party. This year, a stretch of Avenida Boedo has been shut down and an outdoor stage has been erected to welcome performers such as dynamic tango group Orquesta Típica Fernández Fierro. The event – which is running now through this Sunday – also sees street parades and wine tastings by leading bodegas.

Here’s a little taste of it, in the words of a persuasive local TV presenter:

The inspiration is the giant Vendimia festival held every year in Mendoza. “Our family is from Mendoza and we wanted to celebrate its wine culture here in Buenos Aires but with a strong artistic flavour,” says Liliana’s son Lucas Marín, who is one of the festival’s directors. He says the event has really tapped into the area’s community spirit. “Although it was my mother’s idea, the people have made it their own. An event like this – which is free and features top-level performers – is not very common here. It’s generating a real cultural movement.”

Pisada de la uva; photo courtesy of Pan y Arte.

Boedo’s “Barrio” Spirit

Boedo itself is a slow burner on the tourist scene. It’s been tipped as up-and-coming for a while now, but there’s been no break-through. And that’s the charm. “Other neighbourhoods may be more set-up for tourism, but people come here looking for authenticity,” says Lucas. “They notice the difference and the barrio spirit. It’s contemporary, but there is an awareness of history too. It’s a great mix.”

Wandering down Avenida Boedo, you’d be forgiven for dismissing it as just another commercial throughway. Scratch away at the surface, however, and you find signs of its artistic heritage. Back in the 1920s, this was one of the city’s leading cultural hubs. A magnet for tango musicians and poets, it had its own literary movement and produced alternative magazines.

A little taste of those days can still be found in wood-panelled heritage cafe, Bar Margot, which is every bit as appealing as the San Telmo bars that appear in every guidebook. I would try to romanticise it some more, but someone’s already done a far better job. Have you ever heard anyone do ‘nostalgia’ better than the sultry porteña narrating the following clip?

The years since Boedo’s cultural heyday certainly haven’t been easy. The final nail in its coffin seemed to be when the local football team – San Lorenzo – had its ground sold in 1979 to make way for a Carrefour supermarket. Supporters have recently upped the campaigns to have it restored, but opposition teams still delight in teasing them. A paraphrased Racing chant goes, “I went to your ground and found a supermarket, painted red and blue… Racing has a stadium, you have a grocery!”

But football aside, Boedo could be making a comeback, especially with events like Vendimia and an influx of younger residents, attracted by low rent. “You can definitely see it is becoming more interesting to tourists,” says Andrea Palmisciano, who works at Lola House, one of the most appealing hotels in the area. “Some choose the trendier Palermo, but the prices, style and atmosphere are drawing others to our neighborhood. Our guests tell us they love the small restaurants and cantinas.”

Liliana Moreno opens the festival; photo courtesy of Pan y Arte.

Pan y Arte makes an interesting trip, even when Vendimia isn’t on. It hosts constant art exhibitions and has its own theatre, plus it’s one of few places in the city specialising in Mendocino cuisine. Try its regional empanadas or the pastel de papa, an unusual sweet-and-savory combination of meat, mashed potato, sugar, cinnamon and raisins. It’s best washed down with Mendocino wine, of course, but failing that, you can always make an exception for an artisanal beer down the road at Cossab.

Vendimia 2012 runs until Sunday 29 April. The program of events can be found at www.panyarte.com.ar.

An amusing and revealing tweet recently did the rounds from a satirical would-be-sommelier tweeter. Hashtagged #LessonsInService, the twittersphere was advised: “When writing wine descriptions on a menu: You can write “crisp, crispy or Malbec” on anything and it will sell.”

Now before any wine producers out there have fits of apoplexy thinking I’m suggesting that Malbec has become some sort of red counterpart to the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio, let me hastily explain. What’s interesting from this doubtless on-the-hoof tweet is the suggestion that Malbec has achieved the kind of popularity that means wine savvy people hone in on the name on a wine list. And, if you check out the list of any decent restaurant, bar or pub these days, you’ll typically find Malbec as a ‘must list’ among the medley of wines.

Argento Winemaker Silvia Corti
Photo by James Kibbey

The Buzz About Microclimatic Blending

The buzz in Argentina, especially among those making the better Malbecs and red blends, is something dubbed ‘microclimatic blending’. I recently caught up with Argento’s winemaker Silvia Corti at a seminar she gave in Mendoza where she explained what it all means.

Essentially it all comes down to pinpointing the best, most expressive characteristics from vineyards in the various sub-regions, and then skilfully crafting a blend to balance the best of each.

“We are looking for complexity in our wines and by blending Malbecs from different regions in Mendoza we reflect the regional diversity in the wines,” she explained.

Distinct Sub-Regions Around Mendoza

Corti has been working since the beginning with grapes not just from Mendoza’s three main regions, namely the higher-altitude Uco Valley and the Central and warmer Eastern Regions, but also from the very distinct sub-regions, such as Tupungato, Agrelo and San Martín, to source fruit that has its own distinct aromatic and flavour profile.

A high-altitude Malbec vineyard in the Altamira district of the Uco Valley
Photo by James Kibbey

“We have just 250mm of rain a year here, with irrigation from pure Andean water, and 300 days of sun, so altitude really is the key, along with the differing local soils, to defining the aromas and flavours of our Malbecs,” she says. “The challenge for us to balance the ripeness of red fruit from warmer Eastern area, the complexity of old vines in the Central Region and the violet aromatics and intensity from vineyards in the coolest, highest vineyards in Uco.”

Winemakers are becoming increasingly adept at this microclimatic blending as understanding of the complexity of each sub-region, and the terroir of individually sited vineyards within, grows. And you can taste it in the wines.

You Can Taste It In The Wines

“We look for more weight and concentration from the older, most traditional vineyard areas in the Central Region, and more of that classic Malbec violet aroma, along with black cherry fruit and great intensity, from the higher Uco vineyards where the thermal amplitude – the difference between hot day and cold night temperature – is greatest.”

Corti then encouraged us to taste her wines. A 2011 Argento Malbec, with fruit from the warmer Maipú region, plus Agrelo and Tupungato grapes, was full of broad, easy-going red fruit flavours. Shift the balance, and the 2011 Selección Malbec, leading on higher altitude Agrelo and Tupungato grapes, proved more aromatic, with greater complexity and structure. A 2009 Reserva Malbec topped the bill, with yet more uplifted violet aromas, at once fresh, more intense and concentrated, and yet refined with the heart of its blend from older vines in Luján de Cuyo.

A short while in Silvia’s company certainly dispels any notion that Mendoza is one blanket region. Or that Malbec comes in a ‘one size fits all’ style.

Without question we will continue to see some great single vineyard expression of Malbec and other noble varieties emerging from Argentina. But what Corti calls “a synthesis of components” from these individual terroirs is clearly making some of Argentina’s most satisfyingly complex wines, whether from Malbec or the similarly excellent Cabernet-driven blends. Proof that the sum can enhance the parts of a multifaceted wine without losing the focus on terroir. It’s a strong suit to play and one that definitely shows great results in the wines.

A Rival for Malbec’s Quality Crown

Having just returned from a fortnight in Argentina’s stunning wine country, it’s pretty clear there’s a serious rival for the quality crown in the shape of Cabernet Sauvignon. This scion of the great vineyards of Bordeaux has proved a happy émigré to Mendoza and elsewhere in Argentina. And, like Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon has taken to the high altitudes, ample sun and rocky soils with gusto, producing similarly aromatic and generous wines, packed with ample fruit and spicy notes, well-structured yet drinking well when relatively young.

As a standalone grape Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a quality and freshness of character that is often unrivalled anywhere else in the world. Better yet, blended with Malbec (and often other classic old Bordeaux varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot) it arguably makes Argentina’s greatest wines. It’s no mistake that most bodegas top or ‘icon’ wines are similar blends with a serious dollop of Cabernet in the mix.

Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in Mendoza; photo courtesy of Los viajes del Cangrejo.

I’ve been travelling and tasting in Salta and Mendoza with buyers from some of the UK’s leading independent wine merchants. All agreed that the quality of Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon is, quite simply, world class. Beyond the tide of Malbec, Cabernet is something of a hidden gem and it’s now poised to join Malbec at centre stage.

“Cabernet’s ability to ripen well and deliver great varietal character — but still with an Argentine twist — is fantastic, and it deserves its growing quality reputation,” says Julia Jenkins, owner of St Alban’s-based merchant Flagship Wines. “There is a lot of excitement about Argentine Cabernet, and deservedly so.”

Dafydd Morris, youthful director of Cheers Wine Merchants in The Mumbles, agrees. “Argentine Cabernet has a combination of power and elegance, and some of the Cabernet-dominated blends are absolutely excellent.”

Argentina’s winemakers often stop shy of admitting that Cabernet can pip Malbec in terms of reaching the headiest heights and producing Argentina’s greatest red wines. Perhaps it somehow seems disloyal to Malbec, the variety that has gained them such global recognition. Prompt them a little, though, especially while the wine is flowing and the bife de chorizo sizzling on the asado, and most will confess that Cabernet Sauvignon has massive potential as the mainstay of Argentine’s top red wines. It also makes superb stand alone single-variety wines.

A Variety of Styles

What’s more, with regions as diverse as Cafayate in the north and Patagonia in the South, plus the clearly emerging difference between the sub-regions in Mendoza, there is no shortage of stylistic variety in the Cabernet’s produced. Look to Cafayate and Salta for leaner, intense, minerally wines, expressing a purity of fruit and cooler climate aromatic styles.

Similarly, in Mendoza’s Uco Valley, the high altitude, sun-slaked days and cold night air conspire to produce aromatic, intense yet finely tuned Cabernets that reveal great purity and can age well. Closer to Mendoza city, in the heartlands of Lujan de Cuyo, the blackcurrant intensity is tempered by riper red fruits on rich, mouth-filling wines. Further on yet, though Maipú and the lower, warmer Eastern Region, the intensity of character is replaced by a generous, easy-going style.

The current trend is towards wines that are rooted in one sub-region, or single vineyard at the top level, allowing them to fully express the local terroir or sense of place. And the best thing about this is that you can quite literally taste the amazing diversity that Argentine Cabernet offers by lining these regional wines up side by side. The one common thread, though, is that all these regions are producing some quite stunning Cabernet Sauvignon. Malbec clearly has a serious rival for the accolade of Argentina’s best red wine. And blended together, often with a splash of other complimentary Bordeaux varieties, they become Argentina’s dream team.

However (and to drain the dregs from this analogy), it’s trickier to judge a wine than it is to judge a singer. While anyone can hurl jibes at a television screen, it takes a certain level of nerve and know-how to summon the sommelier to one’s table and tell them that the single-vineyard Malbec they recommended isn’t quite as well balanced in the mouth as one was hoping it would be.

Luckily, just as you don’t need to know the first thing about music to be a successful judge on a music reality show, so a few evenings (and afternoons too, if you like, though we can’t recommend mornings) spent at organised wine tastings can dramatically boost both your critical vocabulary and powers of discrimination.

Such events have proliferated in Buenos Aires over the past few years, and “attend a wine tasting” is now cropping up on tourists’ checklists just beneath “catch a tango show” and “eat most of a cow”.

Wine Tasting Venues in Buenos Aires

Daniel Karlin, whose company Anuva Wines has been in the vanguard of this trend since its founding in 2005, connects the current popularity of wine tastings in Buenos Aires with the growing penetration of Argentine wines in the global market:

“The wine tasting and wine export arms of our business complement one another,” Karlin says. “Looking deeper, you can credit the 2001–2002 economic crisis with the initiation of the Argentine wine boom. Once expensive Argentina became inexpensive, attracting foreign investment and star international winemakers. This led to a dramatic rise in the quality of wine produced in Argentina, generating international buzz and creating an environment for companies like mine to get started.”

Photo courtesy of Ashley Barnes via Anuva Wines.

Illustrating Karlin’s point, Anuva is growing. In January 2012 it moved into new premises – a gorgeous loft space – christened “Reserve” – in Palermo Viejo. Tastings, which are held twice a day, 365 days a year, follow a straightforward format: five wines, five tapas-style tasting dishes. (If that sounds like a non-excessive amount of booze, note that the English-speaking sommeliers who lead the tastings have the same attitude to top-ups as a friendly waitress in a neighbourhood coffee shop.) The wines, which Karlin describes as “hard to find, exclusive and interesting”, can be tailored to the requirements of each group but usually include labels from boutique bodegas such as Hom (whose sparkling wine kicks off most evenings), Carinae and Familia Blanco.

Where dedicated wine companies like Anuva have led, other enterprises that rely on the tourist dollar have followed. Scan the pinboard at a youth hostel and among the flyers for pub crawls and Spanish language exchanges, you’ll see one promoting a wine tasting. And at smarter properties with well-stocked cellars, such as the Fierro Hotel and Mansión Vitraux, guided tastings have an increasingly prominent position in the list of guest services.

Wine Tasting Tours in Buenos Aires

Even publishers are getting in on the act. Time Out Buenos Aires, whose Insiders’ Guide magazine is a kind of Baedeker for bobos, recently launched what it calls a “wine pilgrimage”. This tasting/tour hybrid is the brainchild of managing director Mark Rebindaine, who has essentially taken his own dream afternoon (“I’m naturally restless and have a penchant for a drop of wine,” he says) and packaged it for tourists. Under the guidance of a sommelier, punters are led around Palermo Viejo, dropping into various restaurants along the way to refuel on fine Argentine wines. These will vary according to the season – moving while sober is hard enough on a Buenos Aires summer day, let alone after five heavy Malbecs – but the most recent edition included an Antucura Pinot Noir, an Argento Pinot Grigio, an Andeluna Torrontés, and a Cruzat Larrain sparkling.

Photo courtesy of Time Out.

Such tastings are more than just booze-ups under controlled conditions. The best among them are educative, as well as epicurean. A sommelier like Nigel Tollerman, of 0800-VINO, who has probably spat out more wine in his life than Lindsay Lohan has swallowed, can use his expertise to help even the most clueless of punters understand the difference between a Malbec and a Cabernet, the importance of climate and terroir, the effect on the taste buds of acidity and tannins, and so forth. Absorbing such information isn’t essential to an appreciation of wine, but it will help you level-up from Abdul-esque sappiness (“you may be corked, but I still love you”) to Cowell-like conviction.

For me, though, the vineyards of Mendoza are a world away from the glitzy celebration that is Napa, and not just because of differences in altitude, climate and soils. I love the all-American theatre of Napa and many of its excellent wines. But anyone who has sat in a weekend limo jam on Highway 29, crawling past Dean & Delucca’s mega-store in the heart of the Napa Valley, couldn’t help but agree that this is a well-trodden destination.

Welcome to Napa Wine Country, photo courtesy of Donna Sutton.

In Napa you can tour by steam train, chow down with celebrities at the globally famous French Laundry, and visit swishily designed cellar doors on any number of Napa Valley wine tours. Rewind 30 years, to a time when this was still a pioneering wine territory, and perhaps then you’d gain a much greater sense of the spirit that still exists in Mendoza today.

Napa Road by John Morgan

Mendoza’s most important wine regions of Luján de Cuyo, Maipú Valley and Valle de Uco are spread across a similar distance to the bucolic stretch of vines from Napa to Calistoga. But with 330 days of annual sunshine, only eight inches of rain and with lofty elevations running from 1,500M to 5,600M above sea level, this is different territory indeed. From a winemaking point of view it’s the purity of conditions here that has drawn so many leading winemakers from California, France, Spain and elsewhere.

The vines enjoy long, sun-slaked ripening time, with cold night air ensuring that the grapes hold on to their delicate aromatic qualities, while poor soils are perfect for encouraging deep roots and imparting minerally depth in the wines. The local terroir is palpable. This is a dry place, with irrigation provided courtesy of pure Andean melt water, so there’s little humidity and thus naturally healthy grapes and vines.

Sunrise in Mendoza, photo courtesy of Tony Bailey.

These are conditions that have allowed the Malbec grape to thrive, so much so that Argentina can now be considered the spiritual home of this deeply appealing old French variety. Of course, other classic varieties flourish here too. As in Napa, Mendoza produces world-class Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay and much else besides. But unlike Napa, it has in Malbec a style that it can call its own, in addition to the more commonplace ‘international’ varieties that are found around the globe.

A road in Mendoza by fabulousfabs

Despite the many differences, what does tie Mendoza together with Napa is the passion and commitment to quality found among the winemakers. And, as the tourism side of things continues to flourish, more and more inquisitive wine lovers are finding their way to Argentina’s winemaking heartlands. There is still a real, tangible sense of the pioneering spirit here and you can sense it among the winemakers and in their wines. Related it may be, but Mendoza is very much Napa’s non-identical twin.

HRH, though, is less likely to be troubled by the hugely frustrating problem of carrying a bottle home to find it smells and tastes like it’s been dosed with an infusion of moldy cardboard, dead mouse and barnyard droppings. ‘Cork taint’ is caused by an unwelcome brute of a molecule with a long chemical name, commonly shortened to TCA. Harmless, but detectable to humans in doses as low as a few parts per million, it can affect barrels, storage racks, even be carried on glass, but it’s most infamous carrier is the cork used to seal the bottle. Trade estimates range from 3-5% of wines affected, or ‘corked’ to use the popular term.

An old cork in an old bottle of wine – Photograph by Sylvie Szafranski

The worst thing about this, however, isn’t the clearly undrinkable stinker of a bottle. Rather, it’s the wine with a very low dose of TCA, which simply knocks out the joyful fruity character, leaving a dull, hard-edged and uninspiring mouthful on offer instead. In these (many) cases, it’s not usually the cork that comes under suspicion. Instead it’s the winemaker’s reputation that is on the line and, without knowing the real culprit, unhappy customers won’t be buying the producer’s vino again.

No wonder, then, that innovative New World producers, wearing their ‘can do’ hats, have embraced screw caps with gusto. Argentina’s producers, although more conservative than some of this front, are increasingly keen to trial modern technology over a blob of bark. So, while higher-end Argentine wines are still typically bottled under cork – as elsewhere in the world – more affordable bottles increasingly use screw caps to seal the wine.

“Argentina has a lot of boutique, high-end producers, making a lot of red wine, and also many of these producers lean towards the Old World so they have favored traditional closures,” says Neil Keiling at South American specialist Hispamerchants. “However, with wines meant to be drunk young, like Torrontés, the appeal of screw cap is increasingly obvious and some reds are now also under screw cap.”

These bottles are unlikely to have screw caps… – Photograph by Simon Greig

There’s little reticence with the most forward-looking producers — it’s notable that the wines of Argento use screw cap, as fruit purity and freshness are central to their winemaking philosophy. Silvia Corti, Argento’s winemaker explains, “We use screw caps because we want to ensure that our wines arrive in the market exactly as I intended them.” This trend is clearly catching on, as leading screw cap producer Guala Closures reports, with over 150 million screw caps used in Argentina last year and the number growing fast.

After all, what’s the point of buying a cracking Malbec if you then discover its berryish, plummy concentration is masked by malodorous TCA? Or a Torrontés, which should be dancing with aromatic intensity, if it smells like a musty old sock? With a screw cap this is incredibly unlikely to happen. And then there is the ease…

I must admit, in my time I’ve used cutlery, metal kebab sticks and even my thumb (painful!) to push a cork into a bottle and release the liquid inside, usually at an impromptu picnic or BBQ where no one just happened to be carrying a corkscrew. This is also how I inadvertently tie-dyed a shirt Malbec-purple on the overnight bus from Mendoza to Patagonia after I’d been given a fine bottle and glass – but no corkscrew – to help pass the ride.

With a screw cap, however, there’s no such trauma – it is both the corkscrew and a handy re-sealer all rolled into one. Better still, it best ensures the wine tastes as the winemaker intended. Which is why I want my Malbecs and Torrontés, Syrahs and Chardonnays, Cabernets and Viogniers, and other great Argentine flavors beside, to come with a twist.

Well, that and an asado…

Argentina and Malbec are very closely associated – Photograph by Andrew Catchpole

Trace Malbec’s lineage back to the vineyards of France and its resurgence in the New World should perhaps come as little surprise. Before a combination of crippling frosts and phylloxera saw the decline of Malbec in Bordeaux’s vineyards in the nineteenth century, the grape was a respected and far more widely-used component in the classic blended fine reds of the region. But when French agronomist Miguel Pouget imported Malbec to Argentina – along with many other French cuttings – in the middle of that same century, he could have had little idea that it would flourish with such aplomb.

And flourish it has. So much so that the vignerons of Cahors, where Malbec (known locally as Cot) reigns as the sole grape variety, have taken to promoting their wines as Malbec in the wake of Argentina’s success. In Bordeaux, too, there has been renewed interest in Malbec’s role in the blend, although with such small amounts now planted in the region it remains a bit player in some great wines, rather like a condiment that helps bring a dish together.

Elsewhere around the world winemakers are having some success with Malbec. In countries as diverse as Australia, South Africa and Argentina’s close rival Chile, some good wines are now being made. But these wines are as yet few and far between, and fewer still come close to rivaling Argentina’s best wines – let alone the diversity of styles born of countrywide plantings across Argentina’s varied terrain.

Malbec barrels – Photograph by Andrew Catchpole

It’s this diversity, coupled with enviable growing conditions that the vineyards of Europe simply can’t match, that has encouraged Malbec to thrive in Argentina. Yes, Cahors is now making an increasing number of wines that have shed the tough, sometimes impenetrable ‘black wines’ image of old. But in Argentina the variety has taken on a different persona. In the Malbec heartlands of Mendoza, the high altitude delivers a tightrope of piercing daytime sun and cool nights that allows the grapes to mature with bags of flavor, while capturing all the wonderful aromatic character which is retained as the vines ‘rest’ at night.

The upshot is a style of wine that still resonates with its classic Bordeaux roots, and yet offers a fuller, riper character, with more scented, uplifted aromas, and without the palate-busting tannins found in the old style wines of Cahors. Moreover, as in Bordeaux (especially) of old, Argentine Malbec has proved itself to be a fantastically good variety for blending both with other Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, plus other less orthodox partners which also seem to welcome the marriage. And the good part is that the best is yet to come in a country that only relatively recently set its sights firmly on making wines of international quality.

Grapes from the famous Mendoza region – Photograph by Tanenhaus on Flickr

Without question Argentina’s winemakers are continuing to perfect and improve upon their already formidably arsenal of Malbec wines. And these are now firmly established as a new world classic. But in some extraordinary inverted parallel to Bordeaux of old, my hunch – born of many tastings and visits – is that it is the Malbec-dominated blends of Bordeaux varieties that will increasingly deliver Argentina’s greatest wines. Except that this time around, these blends are brimming with that touch of New World ripeness and generosity that Argentine Malbec so readily brings to the party.

And it’s all thanks to a Frenchman, namely Miguel Pouget, who took a chance on importing the Malbec vine.

I have a notion that it’s pretty unlikely that either a Chilean or Argentine could have invented the saying ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’. Travel from Chile’s dry Central Valley over the dizzying Andes to Mendoza or La Rioja and a similarly boney dry land awaits. Yes, there are great green swathes of agriculture, and not least vines, but these verdant-looking oases are typically down to the hand (and irrigation) of man. ‘The grass is always greener…’ is clearly an expression born of cooler, wetter, northern climes.

Dry as a bone: La Rioja region – Photo by Jorge Gobbi on Flickr

Take the spirit of the saying, though, and you might be forgiven for thinking that Chile’s vignerons are spending an unusual amount of time gazing lovingly at the rival vineyards across the great Andean divide. And not just gazing. Investment has flowed in, as have winemakers, with Argentina now boasting quite a number of Chilean-backed wines.

Chilean giant Concha y Toro has a well-established foothold in Trivento, while the charismatic Aurelio Montes of Viña Montes is making some excellent Argentine wines at his Kaiken estate. Other Chilean producers busy at work here include Aresti (Espiritu de Argentina), Santa Rita (Doña Paula), Santa Carolina (Finca del Origen) and Augustin Huneeus of Veramonte fame, plus others beside.

The intriguing thing, though, is that few (if any) Argentine winemakers have felt inspired to spread their wings, repay the compliment and embrace their rival’s soils. Of course, as anyone who has visited both Argentina and Chile will know, there has long been a strong rivalry between these two nations. But putting such delicate considerations aside, the obvious question that springs to mind is ‘why?’

For an iconic Chilean winemaker like Montes the reason for embracing Argentina is simple. “We make great wines in Chile, but Argentina’s Malbec is special,” he told me. “Mendoza is really quite close and Kaiken gives us, as winemakers, the opportunity to make both Malbec and other varieties in a different style, which is very exciting.”

Argentinian Malbec Vineyard – Photo by Pablo Gonzalez on Flickr

And, as with Kaiken, there is no doubt that estates such as Trivento, Doña Paula, Finca del Origen and others are an asset to their Chilean owners when it comes to offering a richer portfolio to time-pinched buyers in their export markets. But it still doesn’t answer the question as to why Argentina’s winemakers have stayed rooted in their domestic soils.

“It speaks for itself; Chile knows our terroir is better,” declared José Alberto Zuccardi – though judging by his laugh, his comments were at least partially tongue in cheek. A couple of months later, over in Chile, I raised the question again.

“The Argentines are different,” came the reply, as several heads nodded in agreement over lunch at Anakena in the Cachapoal Valley. “Perhaps they like to party more and don’t spend as much time investing their money in making wine!”

Again, this was said in jest, but no one would give a straight answer on either side of the Andes. At least not to a journalist armed with notebook and pen. Given that Argentina and Chile both provide a wealth of fantastic places for nurturing the vine, with some of the greatest wines doubtless yet to come, perhaps we’ll see more Argentine colonisation of Chile with time.

Or, just maybe, there’s a tacit understanding that while Chile excels at crafting its own interpretations of classic international varieties and styles, Argentina is just a spot more individual and off-the-wall, offering an extra layer of vinous diversity. It would seem all those meaty Malbecs, tongue tangoing Torrontes and juicy Bonardas are a powerful draw for both winemakers and wine drinkers alike. Varieties, all, that Argentina has made its own. And perhaps this is why – whisper it quietly – the grass really does appear greener on the other side. Depending on which side you are already on!

Then the wheel turned and these big, blousy styles of Chardonnay were cold-shouldered in favour of something subtler. Fashion dictated that lighter, crisper, unoaked wines were a more sophisticated choice, so Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio became the staples of the chattering classes. But good old Chardonnay is poised to make a welcome return. In fact, its renaissance is already well under way. Except this time it’s typically leaner and cleaner, cut from a finer cloth that is more in tune with the subtle sophistication of our palates today.

This new wave of Chardonnay is all about crisp, elegant styles of wine, and Argentina is turning out some beautifully crafted examples. At their best, these are wines that serve as a sublime reminder that this grape produces many of the greatest white wines in the world. Peering through my various tasting notes on Argentine wines from recent trips and tastings, I’m struck by how often Chardonnay (like the famous Malbec) scales the greatest heights and garners the highest scores.

There’s no great mystery as to why Chardonnay performs so well in Argentina. The country’s high-altitude vines are in the perfect location to tease out the best from this noble variety. Ample sun ripens, certainly, but warm days are balanced by cool nights that allow the fruit to rest and capture the more subtle aromas and flavours in the grapes. Acidity, too, remains crisp and zingy, providing a refreshing ‘backbone’ to the wine, which also allows it to age with grace. Add in a lick of mineral complexity from the suitably poor and rocky mountain soils, polish with a very subtle hint of well-integrated fine French oak barrel, and the recipe is a clear winner.

Argentinian vineyards – Photo by Justin Otto

Better yet, as Argentina is perhaps not the first country that springs to people’s minds when they are seeking out Chardonnays, many of the wines are good value.

As a rule of thumb, it’s the cooler, higher altitude vineyards of Mendoza that are producing some of the greatest Chardonnays. Wines that are ripe in flavor, yes, but also with a refreshing elegance and creamy depth, all knit together with a finesse that suggests – like good white Burgundy – these Chardonnays will continue to evolve with age. Look out for the wines from producers such as Catena, Septima, Tapiz, Argento, O. Fournier and many other leading estates besides for a taste of what’s on offer, and you won’t be disappointed.

Chardonnay Barrels – Photo by Karen on Flickr

As the global Chardonnay revival gathers pace, Argentina is fantastically well placed to compete with the best the world has to offer. And, for now at least, this quality comes at a price that’s hard to beat.

Recoleta’s Gran Bar Danzon is the daddy of Buenos Aires wine bars, and rightly so, being the first to bring a serious selection of both grand and groovy wines to the smart set of Buenos Aires. Managing to be atmospheric, relaxed and yet rather cool, the wall of wines, hinting at the more than 200 bins stretching from Salta to Patagonia, leaves you in little doubt as to head sommelier Damian Alonso’s passion for offering an exciting mix from both big and boutique bodegas, including older vintages. An impressive (and changing selection) served by-the-glass, each with a tag with handy notes on the wine, plus Asian-leaning food rounds off the deal.

Vinoteca at the Park Hyatt – Photograph courtesy Park Hyatt

Staying upscale, the Duhau Restaurant and Vinoteca at the Park Hyatt is a superb oasis for oenological anglers mixing up palatial surrounds, a world class restaurant plus a wine bar off-shoot where super-sommelier Marcelo Rebolé offers up to 200 Malbecs for tasting, plus other finds from up and down Argentina, along with a pretty impressive list from elsewhere in the world.

As the epicenter of happening Buenos Aires, Palermo has a wealth of great places to eat and drink, many of which will also sell you wine to take home or ship. Finca, just off plaza Serrano in the heart of old Palermo, is an old favourite, along with Epicurius in Belgrano, which has an imaginative selection by-the-glass ranging from Salta Torrontes to Patagonia Pinot Noir. These are both great places to try before you buy, or simply wile away an evening over a vinous tour of Argentina.

The Cheese Room at the Park Hyatt – Photograph courtesy Park Hyatt

The modern-thinking vinoteca-bistro-come-wine shop The Winery in Belgrano is part of a capital-wide chain, doing a good line in tasting flights with appetisers, plus the added option of a sommelier to guide you through the wines under your nose. With a 750-strong list, and many affordable prices, this is a great place to delve into (or stock up on) more off-piste styles such as Argentine Bonarda or Semillon, or simply remind you why Malbec has wowed the world.

Inside Terroir – Photograph courtesy Terroir

The list at Terroir, in the hip environs of Palermo, reads like a who’s who of Argentina’s top estates, with an enticing selection of rare wines that are hard to source outside of a handful of classy restaurants around the world. The selection is among the most comprehensive in Buenos Aires, with both high-end prices and clientele to match, but if you want to mingle with the beautiful and monied it’s worth booking in for a private tasting to experience some of the finest Argentina has to offer.

There’s only space here to scratch the surface of the selection of Argentine wine bars in the city which has grown exponentially in the past ten years or so. Restaurants such as Gran Bar Danzon off-shoot Sucre, Doro in the city center, and Palermo-based Cabernet, Bodegas 52 and the vinoteca at Diseno Liquido are all part of a wave of the wine-oriented food culture that is flourishing in Buenos Aires as Argentina’s chefs and restaurateurs increasingly celebrate the viticultural wealth their country has to offer.

Seating inside Terroir – Photograph courtesy Terroir

It’s well worth asking around for new recommendations too. The sommelier community is tightly knit here and people are open with recommendations in rival neighbourhoods if you are on the trail of decent wine. There’s no doubt that you can drink as well in Buenos Aires as anywhere else in Argentina. The capital has become a fantastic showcase for local gastronomy and indigenous wine.