Look at the ugly duckling now
Oct 10 2008 by Jane Hall, The Journal
ARGENTINA’S wine industry is old and enjoys a richer inheritance of grape varieties than any of its non-European competitors. The first European settlers found no native South American vines species suitable for wine grapes and so brought seeds and then vine cuttings with them across the Atlantic.
By the second half of the 16th century the new vineyards were such a success that they were churning out wine on a commercial scale.
The oldest varieties still growing in Argentina include the pink-skinned grape Criolla Chica. At some point, no one knows quite when, it cross-pollinated with a variety of Muscat (Muscat of Alexandria) to make a wholly new variety.
For years, this new, attractively scented white grape was mistakenly assumed to have been brought to Argentina by settlers from Northern Spain and was confused with the Galician variety Torrontés.
Although DNA profiling has revealed the truth, no one wants to change the name of the Argentine Torrontés. It is too widely planted and has established itself as a kind of brand in its own right.
In fact there are at least three Torrontés in Argentina. The best and most widely planted, Torrontés Riojano and the less aromatic Torrontés Sanjuanino seem to share the same parentage. Torrontés Mendocino, which is common in the south of the country, is the progeny of Muscat of Alexandria and a grape variety that has yet to be identified.
For too many years the charms of Torrontés were under-rated. It is a sad fact that if a vine is not thought to be terribly good, it takes considerable commercial courage to treat its grapes with the kind of care reserved for an acknowledged fine variety.
Until just a few years ago, the huge potential of Torrontés went unnoticed. Now, thank goodness, its true worth is beginning to be recognised. Winemakers have found that they can conjure excitingly aromatic wines from it – scents and flavours, moreover, that they are now proud to describe as uniquely Argentine.
A few weeks ago, for the first time, I was able to taste a large range of Torrontés from different parts of Argentina and discovered just how delicious it can be. It is usually vinified dry. The most highly scented wines come from Salta in the north of Argentina, the highest-altitude vineyards in the world. High means cool, and in these Andean eyries, the grapes ripen slowly. Slow ripening brings intense flavour.
These wines reminded me of citrus fruits, especially orange but also grapefruit, satsuma and lemon, herbs, peach, apricot, and other stone fruits, pepper and fleeting scents of wild blossom. They also can be quite mineral.
They are usually crisp and light and can achieve real elegance. The scent and flavour of Torrontés can sometimes be mistaken for Viognier, but it’s lighter and rarely shares its head-banging levels of alcohol. In fact, I have to say, and not least because it is usually much cheaper, Torrontés is often a far better buy.
I tasted a few examples of sweet Torrontés, though you’ll be lucky to find any of them in the shops yet. It wasn’t a big enough sample to hazard any sensible generalisations, beyond showing that sweet Torrontés is well worth the effort – and need not be expensive.
I’m not altogether convinced that the standard of winemaking in Argentina is as consistently good as that in some of its leading non-European competitors, especially its near neighbour Chile, but there were very few examples of Torrontés that I wouldn’t be happy to buy and none of the handful that for various reasons fell short are on the shelves of the shops in our region.
Some of the best are also hard to find, but one of my favourites, from Bodegas Norton is available at Oddbins (for a very reasonable £5.29); it’s hereby, tangy and dry with a distinct flavour of grapefruit.
Tesco’s Wine Club (www.tesco.com/wine) lists the superb Colomé (£7), which comes from the highest vineyards of all and is fabulously perfumed.
Majestic have two examples, Estiba 1 (£6.99 but buy two and save £4) and Crios de Susana Balbo (£7.99 but also buy two and save £4) and I can thoroughly recommend Traidcraft’s organic, Fairtrade Torrontés (£75 for a case of 12 or £40.80 for six). It’s made by the well-run La Riojana Co-op that also supplies Fairtrade wines to the Co-op here.
One word of warning – don’t be tempted to snap up any old bottles of Torrontés you might find lingering at the back of a shelf.
Buy the youngest you can find from 2007 or 2008. Torrontés may have been around for many generations, but it really is only in the last four or five years that it has turned from an ugly duckling to a vinous version of a sleek and graceful swan.
Winebites
I LIKE Australian fizz that's straightforwardly and unashamedly fruity.
Griffith Part Brut hits the spot, a real mix of white peach, mango, guava and maybe even pineapple. It's clean, refreshing and with nice, creamy bubbles and well worth £6.99 at Morrisons or Asda.
:: NOW that Oddbins is back in the hands of the family that first built its reputation for unusual, high quality wine at tempting prices it will be well worth watching.
In the years under French wine giant Castelt some lines were a wee bit dull.
But Chardonnay/Sauvignon 2007 is a tropical fruit salad of a dry white, with a quite refreshingly tart acidity.
Cinsault/Merlot Rosé 2007 is rather nice, with fresh raspberry, redcurrant and plum flavours. Syrah/Grenache 2007 is a deep, pinky purple with a plummy, slightly cabbagey smell and a soft, juicy taste.
