“Wine is a peep-hole on a man”, Alcaeus, c. 625-575 B.C.
Now the fifth-largest wine producer in the world, Argentina’s per capita wine consumption a few decades ago was a paltry 26 gallons per year. For most of its history, the country produced wines that were rough, unremarkable and cheap. Late in the 20th century, they began to follow diminishing consumption patterns, and by 1997, they quaffed a more modest 10.4 gallons per capita annually. Enter explosive inflation along with political instability, and something had to give.
Most enlightened winemakers looked to Chile for solutions and felt that it was time to both reinvent the wheel and improve quality. A variety of grape vines were planted, but the one that got primetime billing was Malbec, which was historically used as a blending grape in Bordeaux, France. It was like an instant love affair, and Malbec quickly became Argentina’s poster child in the USA and in Europe. I predict that these entertaining and soft wines will rapidly become world standard bearers.
And now on to my tasting, which, as has been the case previously, subjectively uses “A”-“F” scoring. Most of these wines are available at various stores, including Discount Liquor, Downer Wines, Otto’s and Ray’s:
1. New Age White Wine NV, $8.99: Cute label with a fetching female shown on the reverse. Slightly frizzy with a lightly flowery nose. At first blush, I would’ve thought it was a cousin of Asti Spumante from Italy. With 50 percent Malvasia and 50 percent Sauvignon Blanc grapes, this beauty was fruity and light with a delightful finish! A-
2. Lurton Torrentes 2007, $7.99: Medium to shallow body with light fruit and a light finish, this well-performing grape from the Lurton Bordeaux family showed well and would be decent for a light summer picnic. C+
3. Elsa Bianchi Malbec 2008 (I also spotted a display of this at Consumer Beverage in Hales Corners), $7.99. Medium body with a jammy, fruity nose and good depth. Good fruit and short finish. Nice. B
4. Terrazas “Andes” 2008, $11.29: Purple hue (Sounds like a take-off on Hendrix) with a heavy body. Deeply fruity and almost explosive with a long, spicy finish. With a bag over my head, I would have guessed this as a Zinfandel. A
5. Achaval Ferrer, $16.99: Dark garnet color with heavy body and a flowery, deep nose. Nice fruit and depth with a nice finish. B-
6. Norton Reserva 2006, $17.99: Deep purple with a medium-plus body. Lusty, robust nose with nice fruit. B
Today’s winner was the Terrazas “Andes” 2008. For the price, I almost awarded it the Value King trophy though it took a quick back seat to the exciting and exuberant New Age White.
Cheers!
