April 2019

‘We are seeing startling changes in wines from Argentina’
April 30, 2019


Winemaking in Argentina and its beloved Malbec is changing, for the better and very fast…. something very few consumers know. The third and final of my interview series on Argentina winemaking today

A couple of decades ago, Argentinian red wines came into world focus with the resurgence of Malbec, the grape of French origin which found a new home in this New World country after losing traction in its original home in France. The wines were big, heavily-oaked, jammy and juicy and went very well with the superb quality meat Argentina was known for. It also helped that Argentine Malbec was affordable. This was the image that endures.

However, there is a quiet revolution happening in Argentina’s wine industry. Tired of being regarded as a one-trick pony, producers are turning to the land, with its rich variety of soil, altitude and climate, and producing increasing numbers of award-winning wines. While Malbec rules, it takes on different nuances, and along with it, producers like the pioneering Bodega Catena Zapata and Familia Zuccardi are finding Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Torrontes, Bonarda, Syrah and many more. White grapes are getting as many raves as the reds. And there is experimentation with techniques, with forms of viticulture and vinification – Argentina also now has a vast range, from richly-textured orange wines, natural and biodynamic wines. In the words of noted wine critic James Suckling, who cannot say enough good things about the wines of this country, “Argentina has it all if you know where to look for.”

Therein lies the rub, to quote Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Does the international wine consumer, the buyer of the wine, know this yet? The struggles to get the good word out about Argentina’s new wine quality and variety, to break the old mould, is very real and it is ongoing.

Yet, the old image of Argentina = oaked, high alcohol, jammy Malbec persists for most.

To work towards the mammoth task of changing the image of Argentina’s wine story was created Wines of Argentina in the mid-1990s; a coming together of federal and provincial government ministries, private producers working in unison for the betterment of wines of Argentina. To quote the website, “It was decided that a country brand would be used by this industry for promotional purposes at international events and fairs. That is how Wines of Argentina was born.” (

Brand ambassadors were appointed in top markets for the wines, to help producers reach out and make their case to the consumers.

At one such tasting, I met Phil Crozier, brand ambassador for Wines of Argentina for the UK and Europe. As I chatted with him, I learned more of the Herculean task Argentina has at hand.


There are significant, very major changes by Argentina’s wine producers. Crozier puts these into perspective…

I think Argentina has been on a journey to discovering itself in the last 10 years. For so long, Argentina’s identity has been through the unique features that altitude brings to their identity. 

  • Phil Crozier, brand ambassador of Wines of Argentina for the UK and Europe

Although this remains true, there have been many winemakers who seek to delve more deeply into the history of the soils, and how they combine with climate, topography and altitude to bring identity to micro-regions. This has culminated in the start of precision viticulture, to the extent that wines are even being made according to the soil profile in different parts of the vineyard. 

Modern technology has an increasing role in identifying these differences, with new ways to irrigate and tending the vine according to this combination of factors. 

It’s early days, but we are seeing some startling wines born from these changes. 

Grapes, vineyards, terroir, winemaking… here are some of the changes taking place, says Crozier.

Well, firstly, and most importantly, the grapes. As I just mentioned, the real changes have been in how to get maximum interpretation and terroir differences shown in the wines. Crucially, picking times come into play. The days of pushing ripeness to guarantee softness in the tannins are a thing of the past. I would say, on average, most winemakers are picking around 3 – 4 weeks earlier than 15 years ago. 

This can only be achieved through making risky decisions, until there is an accepted time that provides balance to the wine. I think we have now reached that point. 

Winemaking is much more gentle in its approach to extraction. Microvinification, experimentation, and a more natural approach have all combined to reach a point where a ‘less is more’ philosophy is paying dividends. 

This is where changes in consumer perception plays a vital role. Crozier explained to me that this would take a long, long time.

(more…)
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Tastings

Under the southern stars: Argentina’s Chakana story
April 24, 2019

Interview 2: New age Argentinian wines are more than just typical Malbec. A taste of biodynamic wines from Mendoza’s Chakana tells a very different tale


Google Chakana and you see the tagline ‘Viticulture for the future’ written alongside. That is what the wines are made for, according to the founder, Juan Pelizzatti of the award-winning Chakana wines of Argentina, established in 2002. His biodynamic wines are made with a view to respect and sustain the earth.

Pelizzatti, the founder of the award-winning Chakana wines of Argentina (2002), possibly never imagined he would tread the difficult path of biodynamic viticulture in his quest to make wines which reflect the bounty of nature in Argentina. The laws which govern this form of viticulture – biodynamic – made him a convert. For a man who followed a mainstream career path (he is a former electrical engineer who worked with a telecom company) Pelizzatti turned into a believer who understood that wine is a product of nature, and should not be subjected to factory-like conditions and exposure to harmful chemicals.

Chakana became organic in 2012, and biodynamic from 2015. His young winery has been showered with accolades, and even for those who do not believe in the movement which connects earth and wine, must appreciate his achievements.

  • Juan Pelizzatti, founder of Chakana wines

One drizzly morning last month, members of the Circle of Wine Writers based in London, sat around the table in the venerable Naval Club listening to him talk with quiet intensity about his wines and his chosen route to winemaking. The tasting that accompanied it was an eye-opener. In his portfolio were varietal wines and blends, Tannat, Bonarda, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Torrontes, Chardonnay (my favourite in the tasting, a gently textured beauty of complexity), Petit Verdot – all tiny productions of 3000 bottles, and the inevitable Malbec, which had the largest production (20,000 bottles). The whites had undergone long, gentle maceration to give texture and depth but no noticeable oak flavours were evident, mainly because of Pelizzatti’s use of large oak foudres and unlined concrete tanks. Use of sulfur was negligible. These were products which reflected the altitude and varied soil of Mendoza.

This was an exciting morning for me. I approached Pelizzatti after the event, wanting to schedule a chat.

Excerpts:

Chakana is a very young wine company, and in fact, you entered the industry as an outsider. even though your family owned vineyards years ago. What made you decide to set up a winery and achieve so much in such a short time?

In wine terms, Chakana is a young company, although it is already 17 year old. We started in 2002. I am an electrical engineer and worked in phone companies before I started with my wine project. My family comes from Valtellina, a wine region in northern Italy, and my grand uncle owned a winery during the XXth century. I still have cousins who make wine there. My father came to Argentina after WWII and established here, but he worked as a construction engineer. Making wine was a way to reconnect with his roots and with nature.

Chakana’s route to winemaking is far from regular – you made a commitment to biodynamic winemaking, something that is not easy by any standards. What drew you to this path?

At first, I approached making wine from my passion as a wine lover. But as I learned and the project developed I realized the cultural and sacred value of agriculture in general and wine making in particular, as it goes beyond consumer goods and expresses an intimate relationship with a place and its nature. This drove me to look for a more holistic and pure approach to winemaking which held the promise of solving some of the difficulties we were experiencing in the vineyard (compaction, lack of balance).

  • Argentina has incredibly diverse soils and grows grapes at different altitudes, affecting the profiles of its wines. Here is seen the calcareous soil of Chakana’s Altamira vineyards.

We converted to organic and biodynamic in 2012, under the guidance of the late Alan York, an American biodynamics pioneer with a very empirical approach to biodynamics. Alan encouraged me to observe and experience, and I felt the need to deepen my understating. I moved to the UK for a year to do a masters course on ecological agriculture at Schumacher college, a very unique college dedicated to holistic thinking and ecology. This transformed my vision of my role in society and my understanding of it. Wine has become a way to incarnate a different understanding of agriculture and food production, one that might be irrelevant to the world at large, but fulfils my need to dissent and reflect of what we are doing wrong as a species.

You have mentioned that Argentina is “going through a wine renaissance.” Can you explain? And how do Chakana’s biodynamic wines play a role in this movement/renaissance?

(more…)
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Tastings

Argentina celebrates the new Malbec
April 19, 2019

It was Malbec World Day on April 17, 2019, and without a doubt, many bottles of this bold grape of French origin and Argentinian domicile were popped open and enjoyed the world over.

In the last few months, I have met a couple of game-changing producers from Argentina and was fascinated by the work that is going on behind the scenes to refine and broaden the scope of this often under-valued grape.

The grape which has found new roots quite literally, in the rich, varied terroir of Argentina, away from its original home in France. The new Malbec of Argentina is broadening its scope, no longer restricted to the image the world has hitherto has had of it since the late 20th century when it regained popularity – a wine of powerful tannins, rich red fruit, high alcohol, dominated by new oak.

  • Image: Flockine/Pixabay

New age winemakers in Argentina are finding new and unique ways to express the diverse terroir of the land, from the warmer regions of Mendoza‘s Luyan de Cuyo to the mountain reaches of Uco Valley.

More winemakers are reworking their techniques of making their Malbec wines. Many are giving up new oak barrels for large old oak foudres or concrete tanks, which allows the fruit to express itself. There is a move towards sustainable viticulture, of drawing from nature, of allowing the grape to shine through.

Awards and attention have begun pouring in, critics are now happy to traverse the oceans to visit the wineries. In Argentina, there is much rethinking, redeveloping and recreating going on. It will be a long, arduous road ahead, but the producers of Argentina believe they are up to the task.

My encounter with the new styles of Malbec deserved an article or three on Malbec World Day 2019, I feel. I spoke with the producers who make the wine, and the UK’s ambassador with the Wines of Argentina who is working to introduce these new expressions to the world. These will be a series of three articles, with a focus on the variety and quality of Argentina’s wines

Interview 1: Malbec today, all about altitude and soil

My first encounter with the new Malbec was in London during a portfolio tasting of a leading wine merchant. Amidst the bottles lined up for tasting was a group that stood apart. These were from the portfolio of Tinto Negro (meaning black wine). Tinto Negro was born of a collaboration between three former colleagues of the pioneering winery Bodega Catena Zapata in Argentina: Jeff Mausbach, Alejandro Sejanovich and Jorge Crotta. Crotta had brought down a fascinating range of terroir-driven Malbecs for the London trade to taste.

Here, limestone dominated the Limestone Block wine from Los Chacayes, bringing minerality and acidity to the fore from vineyards at 4000 feet, while their Finca Escuela 2016 from vineyards in Paraje Altamira showed an intriguing variety of complex flavours from the gravel, silt, and sand from different parcels. Finally, the 1855 Vineyard 2015 from Uco Valley showed the depth and complexity of old vine grapes.

These were all wines well-suited to ageing. And undoubtedly a fascinating morning of discovery.

Excerpt from my interview with Crotta, below.

 Can you explain more about the changes which are being made in Argentina to make more terroir-driven wines? As for Tinto Negro, what is your philosophy in winemaking?

There is a worldwide trend towards making wines with more sense of place, otherwise, we end up having big, rich concentrated wines. Our philosophy as viticulturalists is to focus on location of vineyards so that our wines reflect those locations and soils.

Jorge Crotta with Phil Crozier of Wines of Argentina at the London tasting

The Tinto Negro wines I tasted expressed the terroir – the soil and climate of the region very precisely, like never before. The Limestone Block was so different from Finca la Escuela – each was unique, both were Malbec. What do you want to offer the consumer through your’single soil’ range of wines? 

The idea is to be able to taste a different style of Malbec, more approachable and friendly, with lots of freshness.

Malbec from Argentina has gained popularity around the world, though you feel there is a need still to increase appreciation of quality, as we discussed earlier. What is being done in Argentina to change world views? 

There is a big revolution in Argentina in diversity of places. Now we are not just talking of Malbec from Argentina, but Malbec from Mendoza or Salta, and within Mendoza, a Malbec from Lujan de Cuyo or from Altamira, or from any of the different sites we have here.

Do explain about the complex terroirs of Argentina, and what each geography lends to different expressions of Malbec? For instance, Uco Valley, Paraje Altamira etc?

In our land, altitude plays a big effect. The higher you go, the more intense the sunshine but the temperature gets colder. So a Malbec from 700 meters above sea level tastes very different from a Malbec grown at 900 meters or even 2000 metres. And again, within each different altitude, you have different soils. In the lower altitudes you have richer soils with more organic material, so plants produce more yields. When you start to go higher and higher, you get poorer soils so yields are less and less, leading to natural concentration and intensity. Our idea is to make longer life wines rather than powerful ones, focusing on the difference that a specific soil can bring to the table, for example, sandy soil versus limestone. This will give you two totally different styles of Malbecs: the first one bigger, rounder and the second more floral, savoury, with more acidity.

View my YouTube video of Jorge Crotta (below) where he talks about altitude and soil in Mendoza, and how it expresses in the Malbecs of Tinto Negro.

Main image: Pixabay/Bruno Glatsch

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