Wines from Argentina and Chile. Quality at affordable prices.

Finding quality wines at affordable prices on the shelves of your local wine shop is not as hard as you might think. There really are quite a few delicious offerings priced right to be everyday drinking wines.

The wines of California and France are the most popular and recognized offerings in our part of the world, and that leads to higher prices due to consumer demand. There are some great value wines that come from these places, but it is easier to find a hidden gem in the South American wine section.

Several countries on the continent produce and export wine; however, most of what you will find on the shelves of your local wine shop will come from Argentina and Chile. These two countries are back to back on the southern portion of the continent, and the Andes Mountains provide the right altitude for the vineyards of the countries to thrive and produce good wine grapes.

Spanish missionaries planted the first vines around 1550 in Chile. The first grapes to be planted were most probably the pais varietal, and it wasn’t until a century later that the more quality Vitis vinifera grapes such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot were planted.

The Chilean wine industry has been rather stagnant for most of the history of the industry in the country. Today, there are almost 100 wineries in Chile, but as recently as 1995, there were only a dozen.

The Aresti Estate Selection Carmenere ($10) is a nice example of an offering using the great grape of the country. The carmenere is a varietal that was permitted in the Bordeaux region of France. The vines were wiped out by a phyloxera epidemic there, and the only remaining vines were in Chile where they were commonly thought to be merlot.

The wine exhibits characteristics of black cherry and plum with mint, vanilla, tea and coffee impressions. The wine has mild tannins and is easy drinking. This is a nice wine to have on hand for guests. The wine will complement a cheese platter, burgers or pizza.

Many of the top winemakers in the world are hopping on the Chilean wine band wagon and creating wines in the country. You can find Chilean wines created by such well-respected wineries such as Ch. Lafite Rothschild, Ch. Mouton Rothschild, Ch. Cos d’Estornal, Miguel Torres and Robert Mondavi.

The wine country of Argentina got off to a bad start when the first vines that were planted all died. With a decade and much patience, the fields of Argentina finally produced grapes capable of creating wine. The wine industry grew fast and expanded to be the leading wine-making country outside of Europe.

The influence of Italian wine makers is evidenced by the presence of sangiovese, barbera, nebbiolo and other Italian grape vineyards. However the great grape of the country is the malbec.
The malbec is used to produce varietal offerings in the Cahors appellation in France, but the most common use for this grape is as a blending wine. Argentina has the right conditions to produce some very fine malbec offerings.

A wine-making history of more than 100 years is rare in New World wines. It takes a special winery to have this much history in South America. Bodega Norton was founded in 1895 by Englishman Edmund Norton. Today, the company is owned by the Swarovski family (the Austrian crystal makers).

There are three different malbec offerings exported from Argentina to the United States from Bodega Norton. The bottle labeled Bodega Norton Malbec 2008 ($10-$15) is the wine that the company produces from its newest plantings. The full fruit traits of the grapes have not developed in these vines, so the wine is great for those who prefer mild fruit traits. This wine has nice floral aromas with traits of spice, wood and tobacco.

For those who like wines with more fruit impressions try the Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec 2007 ($15-$20). The floral aromas are well defined as violets, and the spice, wood and tobacco traits lay under black cherry and raspberry impressions.

Both of the Norton malbecs will be enhanced by a nice filet and sautéed mushrooms.

Look to the wines of South America to fill the holes in your wine rack. There are many hidden gems in the South American section of your local wine shop. Have some on hand for everyday drinking and also for your guests who appreciate fine wines
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SOURCE:
“Try wines from Argentina and Chile”
January 13, 2010
thenewsstar.com
http://www.thenewsstar.com
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20100113/LIFESTYLE/1130301
Write to Patrick Gerl at The News-Star, 411 N. Fourth St., Monroe, LA, 71201; or e-mail questions, suggestions and comments to patrick@tonoreswine.com.