Argentina needs to “focus on whites”

Argentina needs to start focusing more on its white wines, according to one of the country’s top producers. As reported on thedrinksbusiness.com, Alberto Arizu of Bodega Luigi Bosca believes there is a real opportunity for high-end white blends in Argentina, and Chardonnay from the Uco Valley.

Speaking at a lunch hosted by Bancroft Wines at Gaucho in Piccadilly, Arizu (above) said: “We’ve shown the world that Argentina can do reds, now it’s time to prove our worth with our whites. Chardonnay is the second most important white grape in Argentina and we’re discovering new areas to plant it, like Lujan de Cuyo. Argentinian Chardonnay has a unique character to Chile and other New World examples."

Arizu cited the bodega’s Gala 3, a premium blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling, as an example of what Argentina can do outside Torrontés. “We’re one of the few bodegas to be working on premium white blends, and are reducing the amount of time our Chardonnays stay in oak.” He pinpointed Chardonnay from the Uco Valley as having improved “tremendously” in the past few years, producing some of the best examples of the grape. “The quality has gone through the roof. You get more freshness at the higher altitude,” he said.

Though he also sees a chance for Torrontés to quench a global thirst for freshness. “We need to ride the wave of the global demand for fresh, aromatic, dry whites – Torrontés is ideally placed to satisfy this thirst,” he said. Arizu also spoke of the importance of seeking out and shouting about Argentina’s best micro regions for Malbec. “Malbec differs greatly depending on where it’s planted. Those from the Uco Valley are floral and fresh, the Vistalba and Lujan de Cuyo examples are red fruited, while Malbecs from Las Compuertas are full bodied, spicy and complex.

“We need to communicate these terroir differences to consumers so they understand the diversity of styles of Malbec. We’re not shouting about it enough,” he asserted. Malbec aside, Arizu is keen to focus on Pinot Noir and Syrah in Argentina, both of which have huge potential but remain largely undiscovered. “Our challenge will be to develop these grapes in the most suitable terroirs, like Maipú and San Juan for Pinot,” he said.

Arizu described the Asian market as “where Brazil was 20 years ago,” but spoke of the “great potential” Argentinian wine has in China with the new generation. “They are better educated about wine and more open-minded to trying new things. The best way to promote our wines will be with the quality/price message,” he said. “A Wines of Argentina office opened in Beijing last year, which will be hugely important in spreading the word about our wines in Asia. More wine brands need to have a presence in China in order to open the category up,” he admitted.

Divine bovine dinner at Gaucho Piccadilly

Last week was a poetic affair. Not only did we have Burns Night, where drams of whisky were clinked in celebration of the works of Scottish bard Robert Burns, but at Gaucho Piccadilly, proceedings also got a little lyrical. R&R Teamwork's inimitable Rupert Ponsonby turned bard for the night, at the restaurant's Divine Bovine dinner; a paean to beef. Dressed in a gaucho guise finished off with a red felt fedora fashionably tipped forward, Ponsonby swaggered to the stage and recited his self-penned Ode to a Cow (below) with passionate conviction.

Whilst watching the bovophile in action, the journalist opposite me, Financial Times columnist and published poet Harry Eyres regaled me with stories of unrequited love, and suggested I look up the poems of Horace, Sappho, Elizabeth Bishop and Thomas Wyatt, who wrote on how to live life in the face of mortality. And that's the beauty of poetry. There's a sense of urgency about it - a sense of time's fleeting nature being valued, and every second enjoyed.

Ode to a Cow

I love you cow, your rump, your tongue, I love the fact you’re so well hung. I love it when you touch my lips, especially when you come with chips.

I love your liver, crave your heart, in sausages you play your part. I love the shimmering of your skin, and pinkish succulence within.

I love the juices in your tail, that rich dark meat, my Holy Grail. I love your sirloin, yearn for fillet - with preferably someone else to grillit.

I love you blue, or in the raw, your rippling muscles I adore. And chopped up fine in steak tartare, I crave for more, like Oliver

I dream of beef, yes, fantasize, far more of cows than women’s thighs, but chicken, pig or boudin noir, will find no place in my boudoir.

Cheval des Andes tasting at Ham Polo Club

Last Wednesday Nicolas Audebert, winemaker for the Mendoza-based Terrazas de los Andes, flew into town to host a vertical tasting of Cheval des Andes – a joint venture between Terrazas and Château Cheval Blanc in St Emilion.

The tasting, quite appropriately, took place at Ham Polo club in Richmond, where Audebert must have felt at home. He's such a polo nut he built a polo pitch in the middle of one of his vineyards in Mendoza.

We all sit down in the club house and Audebert emerges, looking like a movie star (Ed Burns with a bit of Matthew fox thrown in) in a brown leather jacket with a pristine beige pashmina around his neck. He's even got designer stubble. I never get like this with winemakers but I'm all of a flutter, and unable to take my eyes off him. He launches into describing the five wines on show, comparing a single varietal to a violin, and a blend to an orchestra. He seems particularly fond of this comparison, and uses it several times throughout the tasting. 'Malbec is more interesting when it's blended', he admits.

First up we try the Terrazas Torrontes 2008 from Salta. I'm not a Torrontes fan - it's like chomping on a wedding bouquet, but this is light and fresh with good acidity and a lovely orange blossom finish. We move on to the Terrazas Reserva Malbec 2007, which is bursting with red currants, sour cherries and violets. Smooth on the palate, the tannins are wonderfully soft, making way for the peppery finish.

I'm trying my best to concentrate on the wines, but my eyes keep wondering back to Nicolas, still in his leather jacket and pashmina. It looks like he's just landed his own private jet on the polo pitch and I half expect a pair of Biggles goggles to fall out of his back pocket.

After the Terrazas duo, he talks us through a trio of Cheval des Andes, which he describes as 'a South American first growth', made from a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The 2006 is inky purple, with an attack of pink grapefruit, violets, black cherry, black currant and vanilla. Cabernet dominant, it's silky on the palate, with fine grain tannins, smoky tobacco notes and hints of rosemary and mint on the finish. It needs time to develop. These are definitely wines for laying down.

Next up is the 2003, which wins us all over. Deep ruby, it has a warm, almost Port-like nose - you can smell the heat of the vintage, with cherries, raspberries, chocolate, leather, figs, dried fruits, tobacco and spice all in the mix. Seven years of ageing and it has come out of its shell magnificently, with a velvety palate and sweet spice on the finish. 'We used lots of Petit Verdot to give it freshness', Audbert says.

Lastly we try the 1999. A bright garnet colour, it smells like an aged Bordeaux. As soon as I get stuck in, I realise how long it's been since I tasted an old claret, and how much I miss it. This is all about the secondary notes: leather, meat, game, pencil shavings, cedar and cigar box, with tobacco, laurel and chocolate on the palate developing into a mushroomy, olive finish. There is so much going on in the glass.

It's exciting to see such complex, ageworthy wines coming out of Argentina. And that is where Audebert's challenge lies: what to take from Bordeaux and what to keep from Argentina in the blend. It would be boring to make wines that ape Bordeaux, but equally, with his classic training, he is trying to achieve the perfect balance between New World power and juiciness of fruit, and Old World elegance and freshness – the best of both worlds. After the tasting Audebert swaps his leather jacket for a polo shirt and mounts his trusty steed for a 4 chukka polo match against the Gaucho restaurant team, while we all dive into juicy steaks followed by mountains of dulce de leche ice cream.