When you think of high altitude, cool climate wine regions and the kinds of wines they are producing you immediately think of white and sparkling wines. It’s therefore no surprise to find such high quality white and sparkling wines now being made in Argentina’s increasingly sought after high altitude winemaking zones, particularly high up in the Uco Valley under the large shadow of the Andes Mountains.
Planting vines so close to the Andes in Argentina's Uco Valley has opened the door to quality white wines and sparkling wines
It is leading to more plantings and more producers turning their attention to see what they can do with white wines. No longer is Argentina’s white wine scene dominated by strongly perfumed Torrontés whites, that have made their home in the warmer, more traditional wine producing areas in Mendoza, San Juan and Salta.
Instead, it is the more international, global white grape varieties that are starting to dominate the Argentine white wine market with more and more plantings of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in particular.
Which is good news for Argentina, as demand grows from its own thirsty domestic market as well as increased orders coming from all its major export markets for the kind of fresh, vibrant, juicy, high in acidity white and sparkling wines it is now producing on a wider scale.
New plantings
Thanks to Argentine wine consultant, Sophie Jump, and the producers that hosted a recent press trip to the region we could see and experience what changes are being to the country’s white and sparkling wines for ourselves. With a particular focus on visits to leading Argentine producers including Chakana, Catena Zapata, Bemberg, Argento and Otronia, Salentein, Zuccardi and Finca Decero.
High altitude winemaking is ideal for for white and sparkling wines
Salentein has, for example, recently planted a further 150 hectares of Chardonnay in the valley to keep up with demand and changes in consumer trends.
“We have always had a focus on producing quality white wines,” says José “Pepe” Galante, Salentein’s chief winemaker, who can lay claim to showing what Argentina can do with white wines during his 30 plus years making wine for Catena, including the first Chardonnay way back in 1990 when the influence was very much Californian, working hand in hand with consultant winemaker Paul Hobbs.
Now the focus is very much on producing and even “pioneering” high altitude, cool climate white wines in the Uco Valley, where the emphasis is on the quality and ripeness of the grapes rather than what is being done with oak in the winery.
It’s why Salentein was one of the first to build a sophisticated, gravity-flow winery up in the Uco Valley, rather than rely on taking its grapes to its main facility in central Mendoza.
“We wanted to have our winery close to the vineyards so you can pick the grapes and have them into the winery to vinify as quickly as possible,” adds Galante. “That’s been such an important change. We now focus far more on acidity.”
Diego Morales, Salentein’s agronomist, says it has to work so much harder to protect the white wine grape varieties due to the extreme sunshine in the Uco Valley
"It’s why we work so hard in the vineyards to look after the grapes with careful canopy management’, says Diego Morales, Salentein’s agronomist. “It is so important when you pick the grapes. We are now picking at least a month before we would 20 years ago. The big change came when we started to make Chardonnay in the Uco Valley. It’s now all about controlling malolactic fermentation.”
That quality can be seen in its premium and luxury ranges of white wines, particularly the Single Vineyard Las Secouyas Chardonnay with its depth, texture, high acidity and super creaminess on the palate.
This compares to its Primus Chardonnay, made from a blend of grapes from different plots at 1,300m, which is more concentrated, but still has freshness running through it with great acidity and vibrancy.
Gabriela García, Salentein’s head of research and development
"Wines that taste completely differently even though they are made in the same way," adds Gabriela García, Salentein’s head of research and development.
Galante says he has been making white wines in Argentina since the early 1990s, when he made his name working for the Catena’s, when the influence was very much the deep, rich, Californian style.
Chakana is also making a number of organic and biodynamic white wines, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, which it ages for five months on lees. It also has a very distinct, perfumed, skin maturated Torrontes under its Estate range from the Uco Valley.
Argento can even claim to have a white Malbec in its range with the Artesano de Argento Malbec White.
Age and potential
It is Catena’s Adrianna Vineyards in Gualtallary in the Tupungato Alto Region of the Uco Valley, first identified by Nicolas Catena in 1992, that first captured the imagination of Argentine producers and what could be achieved at high altitude. The Adrianna vineyard is in a dried river bed at an elevation of 5,000 feet and has helped set the benchmark for what white wines can be produced in the region thanks to the quality and long standing performance of its Adrianna White Bones and White Stones Chardonnay.
The ageing capacity of the white wines from the Uco Valley is a whole new area of growth for premium Argentine producers
We had the opportunity to taste a number of vintages going back 10 to 15 years and it was interesting to see how they have maintained their freshness, vibrancy and acidity even after all these years.
There are also big strides being taken to age white wines and resist the need to release them into the market too early.
Bemberg is really leading the way here and holds back its premium white wines by up to five years, meaning its best wines are yet to be made or released, argues wine director Daniel Pi. Some of its red wines are held back up to six or seven years in bottle.
“We want ideally our wines to age for up to 30 years,” he adds.
High quality
“It is now easier for us to make high quality white wines,” says Laura Principiano, Zuccardi’s head winemaker, who says it does not do malolactic fermentation with its whites “as we want to keep the natural acidity” and “freshness, vibrancy and tension” in the wines.
She says the calcium carbonate in the soils of the Uco Valley, and particularly in Gualtallary, are crucial in making its premium and top white wines. The proximity of the vineyards to the Andes ensures it maximises the calcium carbonate content.
Laura Principiano, Zuccardi’s head winemaker, says her approach is all about maintaining freshness and vibrancy in the wines
All of which is helping the Zuccardis make £100 plus white wines which would have been unheard of 10 to 15 years ago - like for its Finca Las Cuchillas made from its San Pablo site which retails at £120, or its Botanico, made from 100% Chardonnay from its Paraje site in Altamira which retails at £70. Wines that are also benefiting from ageing in concrete and in bottle and are regularly achieving high 90+ scores.
Its why it is focusing its new vineyards in San Pablo in the Uco Valley on white grape varieties, says José Zuccardi, where the combination of altitude, sunlight, and the unique soils combine to make super premium white wines.
Sparkling styles
There are also interesting steps being taken to develop more sparkling styles. Salentein’s Cuvee Exceptionnelle Brut, for example, is made using a Charmat style from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. But its growth is currently limited by the supply of suitable grape types and water restrictions.
“We have the climate and the conditions to be doing more with sparkling wine, particularly in our cool climate areas,” says Morales. “We are also seeing more demand for it from consumers.”
It is even planting 1.5 hectares of Champagne grape varieties - Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - at its 1600m plus test site in San Pedro in the Uco Valley.
Chakana’s Brut-style Nuna wine comes from organically grown Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier varieties and claims to be the only Demeter-certified sparkling wine in Argentina.
Otronia's Patagonia Chubut vineyard is also making a very moreish sparkling wine made from 100% Pinot Noir.
Sense of place
“The widespread use of concrete eggs and other vessels in the fermentation process has helped raise the quality of Argentine white wines across the board,” stresses Galante, “be it for entry level or luxury white wines. The constant movement of the wine around the concrete tank helps to give it that finesse and quality,” he adds. “Its sense of place.”
José Zuccardi says Argentina was one of the first countries to really adopt using concrete eggs and tanks which has had a big impact on the qualty and freshness in its wines
The Zuccardis, for example, have not bought a new oak barrel for some 11 years to ensure any oak used in the fermentation or ageing process makes no difference to the “expression of place” in the wine. It has even patented its own concrete amphora.
“People say you need to have oak to age a wine, but we have been making and ageing wines in concrete for some time,” says José Zuccardi.
It is testimony to how far Argentina has come as a wine producing country that the red wines, and the Malbecs, in particular, that have made its name around the world are now being matched by the quality, diversity and pace of change in its white and sparkling wines too.
But as with any wine producing country you can only really understand what is happening by experiencing it for yourself and it was thanks to the generosity and time of the producers, winemakers, agronomists and all the people we met during our week in Argentina that we have been able to share those experiences in this four part series.
You can read the three other reports in The Buyer's Argentine series here.
- You can read the first report - analysing Argentina's Mountain Wines - in the four part series here.
- You can read the second report on re-inventing Malbec here.
- The third report on sustainability and water management is here.
