Argentina
ARGENTINA & CHILE
TIM AHART
Wine Regions
Wine Regions
Mendoza (70% of all production)
San Juan
La Rioja
Salta
Catamarca
Rio Negro (Patagonia)
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Grape Varietals
Whites
Reds
Chardonnay
Torrontes
Sauvignon Blanc
Viognier
Semillon
Riesling
Malbec
Bonarda
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Syrah
Wine Facts
* The climate is temperate, soils are typically alluvial
and sandy.
* The average elevation of an Argentine vineyard is
over 2,950 ft. (900 m) above sea level. At this height
the overnight temperatures are low enough to make
big, deep, full flavored reds and aromatic whites,
especially in the north.
Wine Facts
* Argentina is the fifth largest wine producing country
in the world.
* Argentina has very diverse grape varietals due to
19th century immigration from Spain and Italy.
* Prior to the mid 1990’s Argentina was not seen as a
true wine producing country. It was happy with
producing vast quantities of mediocre wines for their
own consumption.
Wine Facts
* People in Argentina eat more beef than people in any
other country -- about 130 pounds a year per person,
or about 50 percent more than the average American.
* In November 2010, the Argentine government
declared wine as Argentina’s national drink.
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Bodega catena zapata
* Nicola Catena arrived in Mendoza from the
Marche region of Italy in 1898 and planted his first
Malbec vineyard in 1902.
Bodega catena zapata
* His son Nicolas Catena came to the U.S. in 1980 as
a visiting professor at Berkeley. During his time in
the San Francisco Bay area, he was inspired by
California wines.
* The business continued to grow under his son
Domingo until the Catena family became one the
largest vineyard holders in Mendoza.
* Upon returning to Argentina, he introduced modern
winemaking and viticultural techniques to Argentina,
including the use of small French oak barrels, drip
irrigation, extremely low yields and
plant-by-plant selection
Bodega catena zapata
Chile
* He produced the 1996 “Catena Alta” Malbec which
received 94 points from Robert Parker (Wine
Advocate).
* The company’s major breakthrough was the in
2004 when the “Nicolas Catena Zapata” became
the first Argentine wine to recieve 98+ points from
Robert Parker (Wine Advocate).
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Wine Regions
Wine Regions
Valle del Maipo (most known and productive)
Valle de Casablanca
Valle de San Antonio
Valle de Leyda
Grape Varietals
Whites
Reds
Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Riesling
Viognier
Cabernet Sauvignon
Carmenere
Merlot
Syrah
Pinot Noir
Carmenere
* Cuttings of Carmenere were imported by Chilean growers
from Bordeaux during the 19th century, where they were
frequently confused with Merlot vines.
* Carmenere wine is deep red in color with aromas of red
fruits, spices and berries. The tannins are gentler and softer
than those in Cabernet Sauvignon and is a medium bodied
wine. Carmenere imparts a cherry-like, fruity flavor with
smoky, spicy, earthy note. Other aromas might also be
reminiscent of dark chocolate, tobacco, and leather.
The wine is best drunk young.
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Wine Facts
Wine Facts
* As with Argentina, Chile has benefited from an influx
of foreign investment.
* Rot and mildew of vines is not unknown, but much
rarer here than in Europe or even Argentina on the
other side of the Andes.
* Chile’s day-night temperature variation is unusually
wide and is definitely a factor in the clarity of the fruit
flavors.
Wine Facts
* Soils vary enormously in Chile even within small
zones, but there is some clay (Merlot’s best friend), as
well as loam, limestone, and sand with some volcanic
areas.
* Maipo is essentially red wine country where
Bordeaux varietals produce the best wines. As with
Bordeaux, these wines have also proved to be age
worthy.
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