Our first World of Wines class on Tuesday, April 27 focused on wines from South America. Our instructor, Brad Cowan from BRJ Distributing, brought five wines to illustrate the characteristics of the region. Two of wines were from Chile, and three were from Argentina. Limiting the sampling allowed us to focus more on each wine, which were labels that you won’t often encounter in retail outlets. To accompany our wines, we served up a variety of hors d’oeuvres, including our kalamata-infused hummus, an artichoke frittata, artichoke and spinach dip, and a Spanish cheese and smoked Gouda.
Argentina
It may come as some surprise that the Argentinean wine industry is the fifth leading producer of wine in the world. It has its “roots” in Spain, where the first vine cuttings came from in 1557. Historically, Argentine winemakers were more interested in quantity than quality, which should come as no surprise given the fact that Argentina is also the 20th largest consumer of wine in the world and knocks down 90 percent of the wine it produces (that’s 12 gallons a year per capita based on 2006 data – not that we’re keeping score or anything).
In the 1990s, Argentine wines started being exported, and today the country is the second biggest wine exporter in Latin America behind Chile. Due to the high altitude and low humidity of its main wine producing regions, Argentine vineyards rarely face the problems of insects, fungi, molds and other grape diseases that affect vineyards in other countries.
The three wines we tasted were the La Yunta Torrontes (2009), the Durigutti Bonarda (2007) and the Salentein Reserve Malbec (2007). Torrontes is a typically Argentina grape and is found mostly in the provinces La Rioja, San Juan, and Salta, and is a member of the Malvasia group that makes aromatic white wines. Interestingly, the owner of La Yunta hails from Bend, Oregon. While you can’t judge a book by its cover, the La Yunta label depicts two alpacas…or maybe they’re llamas…or vicunas, which are just stinking cute. There is a taste of green melon and white peach, with a nice acidic finish. Our other Argentine wines were both reds. The Durigutti Brothers, Hector and Pablo, are something akin to rock star winemakers, and their Bonarda is from the Mendoza region and comes from vines originally from Italy. Our other red was the Salentein Reserve Malbec. Grown at high altitude, the Malbec vines produce a small grape with concentrated flavors and a lower yield that makes it a pricier wine than Bonarda, but the most widely grown grape in Argentina.
Chile
Chile also has a long viticultural history dating back to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought vitis vinifera vines with them. In the mid-18th century, French wine varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were introduced. The number of wineries in Chile has grown from 12 in 1995 to more than 70 in 2005, and Chile is now the 5th largest exporter of wines in the world, and the ninth largest producer.
Chile’s success as a winemaking region is reflected in the awards its wines have garnered in international competitions. For example, at the Berlin Wine Tasting in 2004, 36 European experts blind tasted wines from two vintages each of the top 10 wines from France, Italy, and Chile. The first and second place wines were two Cabernet-based reds from Chile.
While Chile is mostly known for its red wines, we tasted a Luis Felipe Edwards (considered the Chilean version of Robert Mondavi) Sauvignon Blanc (2009). With hints of grapefruit and gooseberry, the wine reminded Brad of New Zealand whites, and it makes a wonderful summertime pour. Our red was the Peralillo Arenal Camenere (2008). Interestingly, when the vines of Chile were studied, it was found that what was considered Merlot was actually the ancient Bordeaux wine grape, Carmenere, which was thought to be extinct. Fortunately, the flavor of this wine is very much alive and kicking. Quoting from the label, “intensely dark and violet in color with bold, sweet, floral aromas of blackberry and plum jam which combine with red pepper spiciness.”
We look forward to our next wine class, coming up May 25, when we’ll explore wines from Australia and New Zealand.