Argentine Wine

Since Argentine wines will compose the vast majority of my wine reviews, at least initially, I think a few notes about them would be useful. Most importantly, it should be noted that Argentina is a very specialized market. It is known for producing one grape varietal, the Malbec, which is a rather fruity, strong, intense flavored grape. It makes for rather good wine, especially for meat, ideal for the Argentine diet. That being said, the only other varietals that appear with any great frequency are Cabernet Sauvignon (especially), Merlot, and Syrah on the red side, and Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Torrontes on the white side.  I am personally not a big fan of white wines or of Cabernet Sauvignon in general, though I do love Malbecs and Syrahs. My reviews will tend to be rather harsh against white wines specifically, but I will try to judge these wines only in terms of how they fare against other wines of their own varietals to be fair. Still, the quality of white wines in Argentina is very poor in general, and the focus will be on trying the wines Argentina is known for, namely Malbecs, Cabernet Sauvignons, and cortes (or blends).

The major wine-producing region in Argentina is Mendoza, which is further subdivided into regions. Luján de Cuyo, a little outside the city of Mendoza and located at a rather low altitude, is known for its Malbec and for red wines in general. It is probably the best wine-producing region, i.e. the one that produces the highest ranked, most famous wines. Maipú, which is the closest subregion to Mendoza city, is also known for its reds, but it has a much larger variety of wines in general, and the bodegas that occupy it tend to be larger, mass producing wineries, many of which are focused more on quantity than quality. It is generally considered an inferior region to Luján de Cuyo. Finally, the much higher Uco Valley, an hour’s drive outside Mendoza, focuses on varietals that are not easily grown in other, lower regions, since the altitude tends to give a much more acidic taste to the grapes, making the region less suited to Malbec production. The Uco Valley is the largest white wine producing region in Argentina. Outside of Mendoza, there are numerous small wine-producing regions in areas like Patagonia or Salta, but the vast majority of wines are concentrated in Mendoza, and that is where I too will be doing my tasting specifically.