This episode of “Wine 101” is sponsored by Alamos Wine. In Alamos Wine, we craft flavorful, approachable, and Argentine wines. Our flagship wine, the wealthy Argentinian Malbec, thrives in Mendoza’s Uco Valley, in which our distinctive growing conditions offer our Malbec incredibly concentrated notes of plum and blackberry. In the shadow of the Andes Mountains, each of our grapes reap the advantage of incredibly clean atmosphere, intense sun, frosty chilly nights and mineral-rich Andes snowmelt to offer water for the vine. Indulge at the adventurous soul of Argentina: Alamos wines.
In this event of “Wine 101,” VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers investigates the ironic, windy highlands of Argentina — home of some of the highest-quality Malbec on earth. The climate of Argentina, specifically the Uco Valley, is excellent for maintaining vine growth. The Uco Valley is known for creating wines which have a clearly structured profile and juicy taste.
The history of the way Argentina became a wine-producing superpower is rooted not just in Spanish colonial expansion, but also the enthusiasm and endurance of the South Americans that were indigenous to these areas. Tune in as Beavers narrates how Argentinian wine was — a narrative as labyrinthine as the plantations at Cuyo and Mendoza.
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Keith: My name is Keith Beavers and can be “Positions” the new “Thank You, Next? ” I mean, how near, right?
What’s going on, wine fans, welcome to Episode 5 of Season 2 of VinePair’s “Wine 101 Podcast. ” My name is Keith Beavers — I’m the tasting director of VinePair, also … hello.
I know we’ve talked about Malbec, also we dipped our toe in Argentina, but today we’re going to dive right into the high desert of Argentina and know what is this place we love a lot. Well, we love the wine. What exactly do we know about the place?
OK, so we know Malbec, correct? We all know how it must Argentina. We will need to chat about Argentina itself. There’so some intriguing stuff that you will need to know to comprehend what happened to reach the point of us falling in love with Malbec.
OK, I don’t understand mathematics very well, but at the end of the ‘90s and into the 2000s, like 2000, 2001, Argentina went into recession. For some reason, the Argentine peso is pegged into the U.S. dollar, and it devalues the Argentine peso. This is bad for the Argentineans because they have been exporting a few other goods, but they weren’t really exporting wine. But because of that cost being so low and attractive to American importers, the Argentine people chose to start exporting their Malbec into the United States. Before that, nearly all the products which we got into the United States in Argentina were cattle goods and dairy products. The Argentine people weren’t all about exporting wine. Their whole history of wine from that country is domestic, more so than many other countries, particularly in the New World and the Old World.
Back in 1960, there was a study done showing the typical yearly wine consumption per head per capita in Argentina was 23 gallons a year. At that same time, at the U.K., it was six. As we in America started falling in love with Malbec, the Argentinians were like, “Hey, welcome for people. Welcome to what we’ve been performing. ” It’s wild because Argentina is known as a New World wine region; it’s not European, also it doesn’t have very strict winemaking principles. However, the origin and the history of wine Argentina starts in the 16th century with Spanish explorers, subsequently conquerors, subsequently colonists. In the 16th century to the early 19th century, Argentina evolved into one of the biggest domestic wine businesses on earth. So by the time we fell in love with Malbec, there was so much going on.
The 16th century was very busy for exploring. There were lots of explorers departing Spain and Portugal and arriving to look for other places to reside. They ended up in Central and South America — specifically in what is now Mexico City, at what is presently in Mexico, and what is now Lima in Peru. These colonies from Spain were receiving equipment from Spain all of the time, but since they started to acclimate and shoot over this land, they started planting their vines because it was getting harder and harder to find decent wine from Spain to the area. It’d generally go bad by the time it got there. They started planting their own footprints, and lots of the vines were concentrated in Mexico City, also in Peru. A great deal of that is being performed by the Jesuit monks.
Here we are with monks . Obviously, it was the monks that cultivated and maintained and found the best places to grow vines. So from Mexico City into Peru, there was a bunch of wine being produced. There’s a bunch of land being defeated. We have what the Royal Crown is calling “New Spain. ” The wine action was intense. Peruvian wine was a huge deal — that the Jesuits were performing this, secular individuals were performing this. Wine was occurring in Peru.
Obviously, all this action has humans moving further south — they go south from Peru into Chile and into Argentina, and they bring with them both vines and monks. These Jesuit Mothers are pretty intense. They’re all over what is now Argentina’s territory. They’re seeking to convert the indigenous people for their religion. They’re setting up missionaries. In 1557, the first documented vineyard was planted in a town called Santiago del Estero. It’therefore the first city founded by the Spanish settlers in this land. To this very day, they call that city Madre de Ciudades, so “the Mother of All Cities. ” In 1561, the city of Mendoza was set just at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Very rapidly, north of Mendoza, at a place called San Juan, vines begin to get planted. This moment right here is where people started realizing the potential of the wine-growing region.
So by the end of the 16th century, both “New Spain,” or even South and Central South America, have a good thing about them. There’s wine being produced in Peru. There’s wine being produced in Mexico City. Now, there’s wine being produced in this new place called Mendoza. It’s a self-contained domestic wine industry. It was going really well — it was going so good that they weren’t purchasing wine from Spain anymore. So over in Spain, the wine merchants are enjoy, “Wait a moment, what’s going on? Our orders are drying up. ” So that they approached King Philippe II and they were such as, “Hey, will you do something about this? Since we’re not making any money off this New Spain. ” King’therefore enjoy, “OK. ” And at 1595, he actually sends out an edict banning all of wine production from New Spain: You are able to ’t increase vines and you’re able to ’t make java unless it’s for the Catholic Church. Nice loophole. But — and that is so good — New Spain dismissed it. They were like, “What are you going to perform? This is too big over here. You can’t mess with this. ” They lasted to simply make wine.
In Argentina, wine is the main economic activity of the new country. A middle class starts to develop into the west of Mendoza at a place called Cuyo. A great deal of wealthy families go to the region, which is that the foothills of the Andes. They start planting there. The plantations begin being planted all over the surrounding areas of Mendoza, essentially creating a number of the wine areas we know today in Argentina, like San Juan, and Salta. This is all before Malbec even enters the chat. The main variety of grape they were working with is a Spanish grape called Listán Prieto. And at some point that grape moves into the Canary Islands, which is another hub for the explorers, and that avocado becomes known as Palomino. Then at some point, they reach the New World, into Mexico City, and the grape becomes recognized as the Mission grape. Then they proceed down into Peru, into Chile, and the grape is called Pais. By the time the avocado gets to Argentina, it’s called Criolla Chica. I know it’s perplexing. It’s ’s a lot of names. It’s just one grape, a beige. A white grape that they were playing was called Moscatel p Alejandría, which generates them very sweet, aromatic wines. And at any point, Criolla Chica and Moscatel p Alejandría cross-pollinate and a new range pops up. It’s mad. It’s much like an Argentine variety. They ended up calling it Torrontés, also it actually thrives in Salta, which people ’ll get into. By the end of the 19th century, there have been more vineyards. There have been export avenues going to distinct parts of South America. They started using irrigation channels which the indigenous people had built to capture the snowmelt in the Andes to work with as a water resource.
To this day, they do exactly the same thing. Winemakers start using oak barrels. The secular part of wine production grows more popular. At some point, the Jesuit Mothers are kicked from South America, and also the Royal Crown of Spain starts distributing all of the missionaries and the winemaking facilities into the bourgeoisie and other clergy members. Mendoza was flourishing. Cuyo was flourishing. I think there have been 8,000 people dwelling in Cuyo. San Juan was flourishing. In the end of the 18th century, Argentina had done a lot with wine. Regrettably, at the beginning of the 19th century, a civil war broke out. Because of the civil war, wine trade across South America dried up. This is what really started the attention on domestic consumption in Argentina. During the civil war, a lot of Argentinean people went over to the Andes and found refuge in Chile.
And if you remember, at the Malbec episode, there was just one guy who did this. His name had been Domingo Santiago Sarmiento. If that name sounds familiar, we talked about him at the Malbec episode in the previous season — he meets with Michel Pouget and another guy called Claudio Gay. He motivates them to return over the Andes to start and bring vines with them to help make the wine industry from Argentina. This is after the civil war is over and it’therefore safe to return into Argentina. An agricultural college is initiated, vines are planted, and this ushers in a new era of Argentine wine, the one which people ’re pretty knowledgeable about. This is really where Malbec just takes over everything. Here can be the spiritual home of Malbec. It’s just so crazy these wine areas have been established. But when they implanted Malbec into those areas which are already recognized, for example, oh, my gosh, Malbec takes to the dirt like you wouldn’t believe — and not just in one place. Mendoza is big and there are hot, low-lying places. There are foothills and high-elevation places. However, Malbec took to it all gave Argentina different types of Malbec, based on which it’s grown.
Along with the generations of families which make these wines. These are people which came from France, Italy, Spain, and as soon as the railroad was built, they forced their way in to Mendoza, and they started planting roots there. That’s why a number of the wineries that you hear about in Mendoza possess non-Spanish names, because all of that European wine skill and influence was in Argentina for a lengthy moment. Since Argentina went through some hard times, quantity became more significant than standard at some point, but that was just a very brief second in time.
Let ’s talk about everything you’re going to see on the American market from Argentina, fairly far from the form of Malbec. This is the way diverse Argentina is, and nearly all the wine growing region is located in the west part of the country, against the Andes Mountains, because that’s where a number of the finest wine-growing soils are, really poor soils. The matter about Argentina is that it ’s a high desert. The elevations of a number of these vineyards can get up to 5,000 feet above sea level. It’s high up there, and it’s very cool. There are a good deal of rather poor soils throughout the wine growing region, if it’s Mendoza, or even Salta, or San Juan. You get small rain in this area. Some areas have more than others — I think it’s an average of 12 inches per year. All that, with summers which can reach up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Mendoza is definitely the biggest wine producing region in Argentina, and the very important. This region is responsible for 70% of all of the wine output of Argentina.
The manner Mendoza works out is that there ’s not a really controlled appellation system. There isalso, however, it’s very loose — it’s actually in development today. But in general, Mendoza is split into departments which are then subdivided into districts, then within the districts, you’ve got real single wineries. There are names for every one of these. It’s ’s not official yet, but they’re operating on it, also it’s forthcoming because there is so much terroir to chat about in Mendoza alone. To the east and north of Mendoza are about six departments: Lavalle, Las Heras, Santa Rosa, La Paz, San Martín, Rivadavia. These departments are furthest away in the Andes. It’s a more low-lying location. Tons of sun, obviously (this area gets a lot of sunshine no matter what) and more fertile soil. In this area you can get Malbec, but you really see Tempranillo and Bonarda, and they make those really fantastic everyday red wines. They’re amazing. There’s more focused wine being produced in this field. However, this can be a great source for good, regular Argentine red wine. South and west of Mendoza are just two divisions, Maipú, then closer to the Andes, Luján de Cuyo. Together that is known as that the prima zona — the very first location. It’s one of the oldest wine districts in Mendoza. This is where all of those wealthy people back in the afternoon were building homes and wineries above the Andes, in Cuyo.
Maipú and Luján p Cuyo both have approximately seven districts within their departments, which is where that really helped specify Malbec from Mendoza. Luján de Cuyo reaches a higher elevation and makes more refined, structured wines whereas Maipú is a tiny bit lower region, and a little more fertile, which makes big, round, succulent Malbecs. These would be both Malbecs we know. We all know the juicy stuff, and we know the structured stuff. That’s where it all began.
But one hour and a half south of Mendoza, there is a valley called Uco Valley. This area is very unique, not just in Argentina, but in wine generally. You’ve the department of Tupungato with four districts inside that, and then you’ve got single vineyards inside. You’ve got the department of Tunuyán with its four districts and only wineries inside. And you’ve got San Carlos with its four districts and only wineries inside.
This location is a focused study in the way vines, soil, and climate interact with each other. The varying soils of the area are pretty overwhelming. The fact that we have three divisions, four districts every day, with only wineries within them reveals that there is such a varying land makeup, they all need to be defined. As stones, and glaciers, and ponds are formed in hills, it displaces a lot of soil. These are called alluvial fans, also towards the base at the foothills of mountain ranges, in some specific areas of the Earth, there are a substantial amount of alluvial fans, which means all of different kinds of soils end up along with each other — it’s chaotic. It’s almost like Burgundy, but a tiny bit different because it’s a mountain range rather than a massif.
You could sit down with a Malbec from every one of these areas, and you would know the distinct differences between these. Malbec has a lot to offer you. It has a lot of beautiful dark fruit. Occasionally herby notes, sometimes just a tiny bit of pepper, but pleasant, big structure to it, great tannins. There’s a separation of character that Malbec wants to show us, and Uco Valley does that.
The people which are producing wine are so into the ground, it’so ridiculous. They dig holes, they study, they plant. It’s a very sustainable area too. A good deal of the winemakers there are performing sustainable winemaking. It’s a beautiful place. These perfumes, I have to say, they’re not inexpensive. This, I believe, is Argentina’s Napa Valley. There are less expensive wines being made there, but Uco Valley is all about structure and attention. These Malbec are all amazing. It is possible to locate Malbecs in Uco Valley which are up of 70, 80, 90 dollars each bottle because there’s a little production, because they want you to, they want you to feel that the terroir. They’ve their departments, and their districts, and their single vineyards are what they call paraje. That’s their name for unmarried vineyards, which is the term they’re expecting to become a part of the new controlled system they’re attempting to create. Therefore it could be: department, district, paraje (or single vineyard.) This is really where it’s all really happening. It’s really exciting.
You’re going to see wines from all over Mendoza around the American market. It’s ’s not just Malbec — there’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, there’s Merlot, there’s Syrah, there’s Chardonnay, there’s Sauvignon Blanc. They’re doing all kinds of stuff in Mendoza, however, Malbec just kind of reigns supreme because of the way it can express itself in different ways throughout the region.
North of Mendoza, all of the way towards the southern border of Peru in northern Argentina is a valley called the Calchaquí Valley. This valley is big, and it spreads over a few states. The most crucial of those states, simply because we view it largely on the American market, is a place called Salta. This department makes Malbec, in addition they develop Cabernet, Syrah, Bonarda, even a grape called Tannat, which is actually doing very well in Uruguay. However, it’therefore the incredibly aromatic, tender, sometimes fizzy white wine produced from the Torrontés number that excels in this field. You’ll remember Torrentés is the variety which was discovered in Argentina which was a cross involving Criolla Chica and Moscatel p Alejandría. Well, this region is over 5,000 feet above sea level. There’s actually a vineyard 10,000 ft above sea level in this field. It gets 300 days of sun. It’s extremely windy, which is excellent for a white wine grape which produces a lot of sugar. It’s very aromatic. If it was grown in almost any other place (and sometimes it really is ) it could be a small bit cloying and intense and a small bit syrupy. However, in Salta, Torrontés is Incredible. It’s fizzy, it’therefore bright, it’so lively , it’s tender. There are such smacks of candy that hit your palate. However they’re not cloyingly sweet. They’re just kind of sweet candies. They’re beautiful wines, and also you also ’ll discover them over the American market.
You will find other wine sections in Argentina, but these are those that we ’re going to see on the American market. This is only the beginning. Argentina is currently in the middle of a huge development. It’s definitely going to be very exciting. But should you get a chance, try to locate some of those higher and focused Malbecs, or perhaps Cab Francs or perhaps Cabernet Sauvignons, if they’re from the Uco Valley or from Luján de Cuyo, provide them a chance. Spend a little money on a Malbec. Allow it to show you what kind of structure and beauty it might have, then get one for like $9 and have yourself a burger night, you know what I mean?
So, as usual, there’s more about Argentina I want to tell you, but I don’t want to waste all of your time. We have more to talk about, so head on the market. Love Malbec from Argentina, knowing just a little bit about how it all happened.
@VinePairKeith is my insta. Rate and review this podcast where you buy your podcast from, it really helps to get the word out there. And for some credits that are totally amazing. “Wine 101” was produced, edited and recorded by yours truly, Keith Beavers at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I would like to give a huge shoutout to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for producing VinePair. Big shoutout to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for producing the most amazing logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme tune. Listen to this. And I want to thank the total VinePair team for helping me learn something new daily. See the following week.
This episode of “Wine 101” is sponsored by Alamos Wine. In Alamos Wine, we craft flavorful, approachable, and Argentine wines. Our flagship wine, the rich Argentinian Malbec, thrives in Mendoza’s Uco Valley, where our distinctive growing conditions give our Malbec incredibly concentrated notes of plum and blackberry. In the shadow of the Andes Mountains, each of our grapes reap the advantage of incredibly clean atmosphere, intense sunlight, frosty chilly nighttime, also mineral-rich Andes snowmelt to offer water for the vines. Indulge at the adventurous soul of Argentina: Alamos wines.
Ed. Be aware: This event has been edited for length and clarity.
The article Wine 101: Argentina appeared initially on VinePair.
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