Argentine sparkling wine was the country's best kept secret but now with 40% export growth year on year, it seems the truth is out. Charlie 0'Malley and Nathan Frye go in search of some fizz and find the best of what is out there.
Chandon: ln 1955 the president of French wine giant Nioet Chandon, Robert Jean de Vogue, made an enlightening trip to Argentina. He was impressed by the prodigious amounts of wine imbibed by the locals - an impressive 90 litres per capita annually, 50% of which was white. He also took note of their strange habit of adding ice cubes and soda water to each glass. "Wow," he thought, "this country is ready for champagnel"
And so began the story of Chandon in Argentina, the original foreign wine investor. lt just so happened that Argentines took to champana like ducks to water and joined the list of one of the top 3 consumers in the world. They ignored the prissy custom of drinking it on occasions only. Why keep it for weddings or anniversaries when you can have it any day of the week, before dinner, after dinner, in the shower. By 1985 Chandon was selling 4.5 million bottles of the stuff. Studying Argentine taste, the company developed a new champagne category called extra brut. lt was light, friendly and very drinkable. By 1995 sales topped a staggering 15.5 million dollars. Indeed sparkling wine became synonymous with the era, known as "the pizza and champagne years", referring to the boom of the Menem presidency. Chandon Argentina became one of the most profitable arms of the mother company in France - a winery dating back to 1743 and the biggest house in Champagne region.
The company has similar subsidiaries in Brazil, Spain, Australia and California. The Argentine outfit didn't stop at making sparkling wines however. Their Valmont label. a light, fresh and fruity claret, became the most widely sold still wine in South America. A recent addition, Latitud 33, looks set to do the same.
Never one to lie back on its barrels, the winery sensed early on the new direction of Argentine wine was towards distant horizons. In 1998 they created a separate winery to satisfy this export need. Terrazas de los Andes refers to the different altitudes or terraces of its vineyards in Perdriel, Vistalba and Tupungato, each individually suited to the growing of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Chardonnay respectively. A huge 19th century building in Perdriel was refurbished: no mean feat considering the original building had no foundations, no steel reinforcing and was held together with absolutely no cement.
Thankfully Terrazas wines have a lot more structure and are leading an export drive. More than 70% of Terrazas output is for overseas and Chandons exports in general jumped to 25% from 2% in 1998 and are set to continue increasing.
Such sales are attracting wine tourists from all over the world and both the Chandon winery and Terrazas are two of the most popular wineries to visit inthe Mendoza region. A marvellous tasting room at Terrazas overlooks the winery and is made from oak beams originally used in the giant oak vats of yesteryear. An additional attraction is a boutique guesthouse with 6 luxurious rooms and a dining room with 5—star cuisine.
ln tune with the times, Chandon is now part of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, othenzvise known as Moet Hennessy Luis Vuitton. This multi-billion dollar operation owns more luxury brands than Kate Moss has tank tops, including Christian Dior, Donna Karan, Tag Heur and Givenchy. The LVMH drinks cabinet is a heady mix of Hennessey cognac, Glenmorangie whiskey, Dom Perignon and of course Chandon. Sounds like a great party.
Bodegas Chandon is situated in Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza. Visits by appointment only. Tel. (0261) 490 9968. www.chandon.com.ar
Terrazas de los Andes is on Thames y Cochabamba, Perdriel, Lujan de Cuyo. Visits by appointment only. Tel. (0261) 488 0058 www.terrazasdeIosandes.com.
Septima: When you make your way to Bodega Septima there will be no doubt whether you have arrived. This bodega, the 'seventh' in a line of eleven international wineries owned by the Codorniu company is a modern sandstone-colored edifice flanked by massive stones and blessed with a fine view of the Andes. Winemaker Ruben Calvo oversees the production of Septima's wines and takes special pride in his exceptionally tasty and reasonably priced 'l\/|aria' sparkling wine. The components of this sparkling wine are 80% Chardonnay (all sourced from the cool climate zone Valle de Uco) and 20% Pinot Noir; the wine's 9 — 11 grams/liter of residual sugar places it firmly in the Brut category Years ago we were fortunate enough to taste the base wines (the tart still wines that are blended together before undergoing a second fermentation in the bottle) for Calvo's 2005 'l\/larla', which showed great promise. Ruben hopes to add another sparkling wine to the 'IVlaria' line made entirely of Pinot Noir, it should make a tasty accompaniment to your favorite Patagonian salmon.
Bodega Septima is located in Agrelo, Luian de Cuyo, Mendoza. Visits are by appointment only. Tel. (0261) 498 5164. wwvv.bodegaseptima.com
Luigi Bosca: Bodega Luigi Bosca is a long-time player on the local wine scene, best known for their high-end 'Finca Los Nobles' line of wines they have branched off into many directions and to many quality levels. Winemaker Jose Hernandez Toso is the firm hand in command of Bosca's ultra-premium and attractively bottled sparkling wine 'Boheme.' This full-bodied offering uses all three traditional Champagne grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) the latter grape providing the boldly rich and youthful fruitiness to the blend. ln a unique move, Jose places a portion of the base wine in French oak for a spell before conducting the second fermentation. As with many wines made in the traditional method 'Boheme' spends 24 months on its lees following its second fermentation, adding nuance and complexity to the finished wine.
Luigi Bosca is located in Mayor Drummond, Luian de Cuyo, Mendoza. Visits are by appointment only. Tel (0261) 498 0437. wvvvv.luigibosca.com.ar.
Rosell-Boher: Alejandro Martinez Rosell's team at Rosell-Boher are dedicated to making very special ultra- premium wines. This operation annually creates up to 30,000 bottles of sparkling wine solely produced by the traditional method, they are striving to blend the spirit of Champagne with the soil of Mendoza. This small operation sources its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from both Maipu and the cooler climes of Tupungato further south, all the while investing time and energy into isolating the best clones for these specific regions. Everything detail is labored over, free-run juice from whole clusters of grapes undergoes a generously slow 45-60 day fermentation followed by 18 to 40 months of lees contact following the second fermentation, this is the royal treatment. The Brut line of sparkling wine is produced every year, the Grand Cru line is produced only in the finest vintages and most people will sooner see the Sasquatch and Loch Ness Monster embroiled in a game of Bacci Ball than a bottle of the rare 100% Pinot Noir Rose (making up less than 9% of their overall production). Each line from Rosell Boher is bottled in imported French glass and can be obtained in only a few select locations. Recently the winery has been acquired by New Zealand entrepeneur Eric Spencer and has a promising future.
Rosell-Boher is located in Ghacras de Curia, Luian de Cuyo. Mendoza. Visits are by appointment only. Tel (0261) 496 1715. www.roseIIboher.com
Lagarde: Founded in 1897, the Pescarmona famiIy's Bodega Lagarde has long been a qua|ity—minded traditional producer. Each wine that passes through their doors is estate produced and bottled and only 40% of total production makes it out of the country. Looking like a young version of nostalgic American pop singer Donny Osmond, winemaker Juan Roby Stordeur does an effective job of producing Lagarde's top—quaIity 'Extra Brut' sparkling wine. All of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes for this pleasantly dry product (only 4.5 grams/liter of residual sugar) are sourced from the Tupungato region. Like Luigi Bosca's 'Boheme,' the 'Extra Brut' from Lagarde spends 24 months on its lees following its secondary fermentation; but unlike many bubbly wines in the world the 'Extra Brut' sees no malolactlc fermentation, leaving it a laser-bright and exquisitely crisp sparkling wine. incidentally, Lagarde also makes an ltaIian#style l\/loscato Giallo-based bubbly produced by the Charmat or 'tank' method. Never mind the technical details with this one, it's seductively sweet peaches and white flower aromas will make you happy that this ha|f—bottle-only product doesn't leave Argentina!
Lagarde is located in Mayor Drummond, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza. Tel (0261) 498 0011/3330 www.largarde.com.ar
Champagne or Sparkling Wine?
All wines from Champagne are sparkling wines but not all sparkling wines are Champagne. True Champagne can only be produced within the official delimited region of Champagne, France and only by the traditional method. Many producers around the world work to imitate the style and complicated production methods of Frances Champagne region in their own backyards, a few Mendocino producers have decided to join the party. There are a number of local examples of wines that have bubbles. Many are often produced by either artificial gas injection, the creation of a second fermentation (the fermentation that creates is the bubbles) in a tank or by adding a heavy dose of dish soap (this is my special recipe). Though these examples may prove to be pleasant quaffing wines they rarely have the complexity and delicate touch of those made in the traditional method, a method whose main 3 defining characteristic is the second fermentation that T occurs right inside the very bottle that ends up on your table! 'SparkIers' made by this proven process are slowly becoming more popular around town and are creeping their way into wine shops around the globe.
