Argentina
Argentina is one of the World's biggest wine producing Nations with over 550,000 acres of vineyards. Almost a quarter of Argentina's wine is exported with Britain one of the most important markets.
There has been a large scale push towards quality over quantity across South America since the turn of the century and we certainly see that on our shelves and in our sales. The famous grapes from this beautiful country are Malbec for the reds and Torrentes for the whites.
Malbec appears more at home here than its natural home of Cahors in South West France where it is also known as Cot or Côt. In Argentina, Malbec can produce robust, fruity wines with enough depth of colour, structure and alcohol to benefit from maturation in oak. There are different expressions of Malbec from each of the Main Regions, Salta, Mendoza, San Juan, Patagonia, etc. Malbec is often combined with Bonarda. On its own Bonarda can make delicious wines with suggestions of wild fruit and balsamic and thrives in the warmer spots.
Torrontés produces aromatic, floral white wines with a sense of place. Originally it was mostly planted in the cooler Salta region but due to its popularity along with a better understanding of the right conditions for it to flourish, Torrontés can now be found throughout Argentina's wine regions. Torrontés produces steely, structured aromatic value-for-money wines.
