Wine guide
Patagonia fine wine
Argentina is currently one of the most undervalued countries when it comes to fine wine. Although investors have been slow to add Argentine wines to their portfolios (or cellars), yet experts believe the the future is bright for the South American country.
Wines - even icon wines such as Noemia - are still a long way off making auction headlines. To date, the most expensive wine is Viña Cobos's Nico Cabernet Sauvignon, aka Volturno, at a very reasonable €200 a bottle (investors note that the price is rising steadily and above average, as demand far outstrips supply). While Volturno might not command quite the same gravitas as a Lafite or a Margeaux (or even Screaming Eagle), there is certainly place for it in the Argentina fine wine market.
Not only is the Volturno unusual for the prices it commands but it also stands out as a Cabernet in a country where Malbec reigns supreme. Winemaker Paul Hobbs does add up to 37% Malbec to the Cabernet blend and in doing so he has caught the eye of wine guru Robert Parker who consistently gives its 98 points. Hobbs’ American ventures are undoubtedly to thank for the wine’s popularity (and hence its price) overseas.
Volturno, Noemia et al banished the tired old cliche that Argentina was only capable of producing a fruit bomb. Creative producers today work with single vineyard varietals which produced a new wave of subtle, structured wines and hopefully have changed the general thinking on Argentina’s potential in the fine wine stakes. These viticultural geniuses have shown the rest of the world that the combined high altitude, ideal ripening conditions and modern winemaking skills can indeed make for age-worthy wines that have their place on the world grand cru stage.
However, with great terroir comes great potential. With mega names such as Cheval Blanc jumping on the Argentine fine wine production with the opening of their Cheval des Andes vineyard in 1999, the household name was sending a clear message to the rest of the world; Argentina is here to stay.
Currently, the country is best known for its red wines, especially old-vine full Malbec reds, or its Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon blends. While there is some white wine production, our advice, for the time being, is to focus on the powerfully aromatic and intense red wines.
Wines - even icon wines such as Noemia - are still a long way off making auction headlines. To date, the most expensive wine is Viña Cobos's Nico Cabernet Sauvignon, aka Volturno, at a very reasonable €200 a bottle (investors note that the price is rising steadily and above average, as demand far outstrips supply). While Volturno might not command quite the same gravitas as a Lafite or a Margeaux (or even Screaming Eagle), there is certainly place for it in the Argentina fine wine market.
Not only is the Volturno unusual for the prices it commands but it also stands out as a Cabernet in a country where Malbec reigns supreme. Winemaker Paul Hobbs does add up to 37% Malbec to the Cabernet blend and in doing so he has caught the eye of wine guru Robert Parker who consistently gives its 98 points. Hobbs’ American ventures are undoubtedly to thank for the wine’s popularity (and hence its price) overseas.
Volturno, Noemia et al banished the tired old cliche that Argentina was only capable of producing a fruit bomb. Creative producers today work with single vineyard varietals which produced a new wave of subtle, structured wines and hopefully have changed the general thinking on Argentina’s potential in the fine wine stakes. These viticultural geniuses have shown the rest of the world that the combined high altitude, ideal ripening conditions and modern winemaking skills can indeed make for age-worthy wines that have their place on the world grand cru stage.
However, with great terroir comes great potential. With mega names such as Cheval Blanc jumping on the Argentine fine wine production with the opening of their Cheval des Andes vineyard in 1999, the household name was sending a clear message to the rest of the world; Argentina is here to stay.
Currently, the country is best known for its red wines, especially old-vine full Malbec reds, or its Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon blends. While there is some white wine production, our advice, for the time being, is to focus on the powerfully aromatic and intense red wines.