| Jancis Robinson, Wine Spectator and Forbes praise Argentinian wines |
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| martes, 04 noviembre 2008 | ||||||||
 Jancis Robinson Shining Malbec The number one UK wine critic awarded 17 and 18 points (out of 20) to several Argentinian Malbecs. In the article published in the Financial Times and her website, Robinson said that this varietal outshines all others. In an exclusive interview with Áreadelvino.com, Robinson indicated that, in view of the crisis of world markets, she "can't see that Argentine wine will fare any better or worse than any other countries' wines. They are not especially keenly priced relative to those of, say, southern France, Spain and Chile." However, she affirmed that "the promotion of Argentine wines in the UK is admirably focused and run by people who care and know about wine." With regard to the jewels she found among the tasted wines, she released a list with wines that were granted 18 points, including brands such as Noemia, Catena Zapata, and Achával Ferrer. "It is difficult to exaggerate how much Argentine wines have changed in the last few years... a recent tasting of almost a hundred of the country's finer wines suggested that even in Argentina, where - most unusually - there is no shortage of either sunshine or water, many of the most ambitious winemakers are consciously seeking more finesse in their wines. The key to this has been a noticeable trend to planting vines ever higher up in the Andean foothills, and further and further south, away from the equator. In the south of the country, Argentine Patagonia with its subregion Río Negro is now a serious wine producer in its own right. And a significant proportion of Argentine vineyards are now at more than 1,000 metres above sea level..." "The Malbec grape, so disappointing elsewhere, is now the acknowledged king of the Argentine wine scene. Catena may now pride himself on persuading his joint venture partner Baron Eric de Rothschild of Ch Lafite of its merits, but it was only very recently that Catena himself was favouring the Cabernet Sauvignon of Bordeaux over Malbec, more readily associated with Cahors in France. For most of the 1980s and 1990s the ubiquitous Malbec was scorned in favour of the supposedly more sophisticated Cabernet, but now it is properly valued as offering a uniquely vibrant yet haunting expression of Argentine sunshine," Robinson argued in her article. In addition, she indicated that "Malbec also, usefully, matures in bottle much faster than Cabernet Sauvignon - it is much lower in tough tannins, even though it is much higher in colouring matter. In the old days, Argentine Malbec was typically made in the image of Bordeaux, or of a Spanish or Italian red with an emphasis on mass and chew. Today, more and more winemakers are aiming for something a bit more burgundian, scented and sensual, often with much more judicious use of new oak." The wines that obtained outstanding scores were:
- Achaval Ferrer, Finca Mirador 2006 Mendoza Forbes and the best South American wines In an article titled "Twenty Exceptional South American Wines", journalist Richard Nalley claimed that "Malbec, a minor Bordeaux blending grape, was once best known, if it was known at all, for making France's Cahors wines. It is lucky to have survived in Argentina. As recently as the 1980s, it was being ripped out by the tens of thousands of acres to make room for more fashionable grapes, such as chardonnay. In Argentina, malbec's gift is that it readily makes a likable $10 wine but can also make luscious, exuberant, distinctive wines, usually in blends, when given the royal treatment." Among the 20 wines selected by the magazine, the following Argentinian wines stood out:
- Viña Eleodoro Aciar 2005 Malbec, bodega Trapiche More positive reviews from Wine Spectator The October edition of the most influential wine magazine in North America highlighted the quality of eight red wines from Argentina. Eight Argentinian red wines were featured in the 85-94 score segment by Wine Spectator magazine, which implied they were rated as good and very good. This focus on Argentinian wines open up more spaces for them in their highest value market: the United States. These scores will be published in the October edition of the specialized magazine and the rating was based on samples submitted by local wineries in the past three months. The wines with good scores were those located in price segments ranging from u$s13 to u$s75. Cheval des Andes Mendoza 2004 leads the ranking, with 92 points. This wine is sold at approximately USD 80 in the North American market and at AR$250 in Argentina. Andrés Belinksy, export manager of Cheval des Andes, explains that this wine is made jointly by two wineries: Terrazas de los Andes (Mendoza) and Chateau Cheval Blanc (St. Emilion, Bordeaux, France), one of the most prestigious wineries in the world. "These wines are produced in Mendoza with the combined work of the winemaking teams of both wineries," he points outs. According to Belinski, "this is a unique wine, launched in 2003, only 5 years ago. The harvests released were 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. Exceptionally and only in some markets we have launched limited editions of the 1999 and 2003 vintages". This singular wine has done very well in international markets, but the US is its major market, despite the winery's presence in over 50 markets in the Americas, Asia and Europe. On this occasion, the best rated wines were:
- Cheval des Andes Mendoza 2005 with 92 points
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