Argentina
is synonymous with good wine. Highly praised around the world,
Argentine wine is one of the gastronomic attractions that you can't
miss when visiting the country.
Wine,
the joy.
In his “Sonnet to Wine”, Jorge Luis Borges wondered: “What
realm, what age, what silent alignment of stars, what secret day
unmarked in marble gave rise to the brave and singular notion of
inventing joy?” The poet associated wine with joy. The joy that is
never absent from an Argentine table. The joy that is shared with
friends and accompanied by a good barbecue. The joy that stimulates
the senses and leads us to discover the mystery of grape.
Argentine
wine. Argentina
is among the leading wine producing countries in the world due to its
excellent soil, water, and climate conditions for the production of
fine wines with high-quality grapes.
The advantage of these wines over others is their antioxidant
properties. Due to the height of vineyards, the small amount of
rainfall and the fruitful exposure of crops to sunlight, Argentine
wine is considered one of the healthiest wines in the world. The main
producing regions are: Cuyo (Mendoza and San Juan), the Northwest
region (Salta, Catamarca, and La Rioja), and Patagonia (Río Negro).
A
bit of history. Grapevines
were introduced in Argentina with the Spanish conquest. In 1493,
Christopher Columbus brought the first varieties to the Central
American Antilles Islands, but they didn't flourish due to the
tropical climate. It was only after 1543 that the city of Salta
received the grapevine through the Upper Peru and, subsequently, a
better settlement was found in Cafayate. With the foundation of
cities such as Mendoza and San Juan, some vineyards arrived from
Chile and later they spread throughout the country. The expansion of
the harvests was closely related to the spreading of Christianity
since the clergy needed wine to celebrate mass. In 1852, Domingo
Faustino Sarmiento, the thinker from San Juan, invited the French
Michel Aimé Pouget to take his enological and agricultural knowledge
to Mendoza. That is how Pouget introduced the first French
varieties-Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and the famous Malbec in
Argentina.
The
best vines. The
major red vines of Argentina include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda,
and Malbec—of course. The first one is a dark red and tannic wine
with notes of pepper, blackcurrant, strawberry, and licorice. The
second variety is less acid than the first one, more fruity and
light, and offers notes of red berries. The third—and the most
important variety in the Argentine wine industry—is an intense,
fruity, and very tannic wine of a ruby red color with shades of
purple, and notes of red berries. On the other hand, the major white
vines include: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Torrontes. The first
variety is a fine and aromatic wine, quite persistent in the mouth,
that offers notes of citrus, butter, almonds, and toasted bread. The
second wine has richness and body, and its herbal aromas remind us of
recently cut grass, honey, sponge cake, pineapple, and red
grapefruit. The last—and the most renowned variety among Argentine
white wines—boasts an intense aroma with hints of tropical fruits
and white flowers. Currently, the Torrontes only exists in Argentina
and is mainly grown in the Cafayate Valley.
Wine-tasting
in Buenos Aires. To
discover the exquisite flavors of our grapes, Tangol
invites
you to taste the best boutique wines that are grown in Argentina. The
travel agency offers
a wine-tasting tour for you to enjoy the pairing of five wines with
five regional dishes. Traditional dishes and wines that will
introduce you into the Argentine culture through the palate.
Tangol
has two offices: one at 971 Florida St., Ground Floor, Suite 31
(downtown) and the other at 831 Defensa St., phone number: 4363-6000
(San Telmo).