You know the conversations you have with infrequent visitors to the UK, who think we eat and drink nothing but fish and chips and warm beer? Well, it must be like that for the Argentinians, too, when we assume that they live off malbec and steak. (Although there is a shred of truth in that: I ate more beef in a week on a recent visit than I normally do in six months.) But, even though there’s obviously more to Argentinian wine than malbec, practically everyone I know loves it (which I’ll come on to next week), so why drink anything else?
Well, the country makes some other great reds that the locals love and tend to drink right through a meal. There’s some really good cabernet sauvignon (honestly, the Bordelais must gnash their teeth with envy at the near-perfect growing conditions in Argentina) and some excellent cabernet francs (the up-and-coming grape variety). There are also delicate, silky pinot noirs; some interesting albeit less feted bonardas; and, as elsewhere, grenache is on the up.
But it’s Argentina’s whites that are the real ones to watch. Until recently, these have been typified by the rather heavy, oaky style of chardonnay you’d expect from California (the US is Argentina’s main export market). But now, thanks to pushing the boundaries of viticulture farther south (south, of course, meaning colder in the southern hemisphere) and higher-altitude sites to the north, they’re being made in a much fresher, more elegant style. That’s where you tend to find Argentina’s main white calling card, torrontes, a love-it-or-hate-it gewürztraminer-like variety, though it’s hard to know quite when to drink it (with ceviche or coconut curries, I’d suggest). It also works well in a blend like the Susana Balbo white featured below. I tasted interesting examples of chenin blanc, friulano, grüner veltliner, malvasia, sauvignon blanc and semillon – still rare sightings here in the UK, but you might find them in cooler wine bars.
You’ll notice that the wines recommended this week are quite a bit more expensive than the prices you’re used to paying for malbec. Even so, comparing their quality with similar wines from elsewhere, they still represent good value, aided in no small part by the dire state of Argentina’s currency. And at least the Argentinians love us: we’re their second-biggest export market after the US, and post-Brexit we’ll need all the friends (and trade deals) we can get.
Four Argentinian wines that aren’t malbec
Viña Unica Ambrosia 2015
Gualtallary £19.95 Berry Bros & Rudd, 15%.
Smooth, polished, velvety cab sav for a fraction of the price of a top Napa cab.
Verum Pinot Noir 2018
Patagonia £14.95 Southdown Cellars (Talking Wines has the 2017 for £13.99), 13.5%.
Gorgeously sexy. Burgundy would struggle to deliver at this price. Drink with duck.
El Esteco Old Vines Torrontes 1945 2018
£13.55 Exel Wines, 14%.
Sophisticated, exotic, aromatic. Lovely acidity.
Susana Balbo Signature White Blend 2018
£16.95 The Whisky Exchange (Hennings has the 2017 for £17.99), 13.5%.
Like white bordeaux with a Latin twist: here, torrontes is blended with semillon and sauvignon to create a deliciously fragrant white to drink with light Mexican or Asian fish dishes. .
• For more by Fiona Beckett, go to matchingfoodandwine.com
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