AnuvaBlog

Torrontés: the Next Malbec

                Since 2004 no other country has seen the meteoric rise in volume, value and market share figures that Argentina has in the import segment of fine wine to the U.S. Over the last two years while all other segments of imported wine are down in both value and volume—except for Argentina’s across the Andes rival—Argentina has seen value increase in 2008 by 26.6% (U$ 500m) and volume by 15.6% (18.1m 9L cases), and through 3Q 09 value is up 8.8% and volume 8.9%. (It’s important to note that over 50% of all wine sales in the U.S. are done in 4Q of any year due to the Holidays)

                The majority of the reason for this growth during a recessed world economy is due to the great value that is Malbec. But of recent, Argentina’s ace in the hole has been its little known white wine called Torrontés (pronounced tohr-own-TAYS).  Torrontés, a grape variety of Spanish origin has found a home in the arid high altitudes of Salta, La Rioja and San Juan. The dryness and altitude factors enable Torrontés to achieve its best expression while maintaining its acidity, something that it loses at lower altitudes and with too much rain. When achieving its fullest personality a Salteño (from Salta) Torrontés—widely considered to be the best region—such as one from Carinae Vinos, will have an exuberant nose of honeyed orange blossom, jasmine and citrus while the mouth remains dry and crisp with flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, apricot and tropical fruits. This Salteño version is contrasted only slightly by its Riojano (see Aguijón de Abeja) and San Juanino (see Serrera Torrontés) counterparts that exhibit more delicacy and elegance. All Torrontés pair extremely well with light pastas, fishes and salads. For specific pairings try a nice apricot or fig jam over triple cream brie; prosciutto wrapped honey dew or cantaloupe; or peach, raspberry or mango sorbet with lightly flavored biscotti.  

It is this humble author’s opinion that this unique flavor profile of Torrontés combined with the newness factor that will ultimately be responsible for its growth in the U.S. and world markets over the next decade. Compared with the overly ubiquitous (yes, I just used those two words together) Chardonnay that has led to an ABC (“Anything But Chardonnay”) philosophy amongst many an aficionado, slightly fatty Viognier or off-dry Gewurztraminer—the three varieties that Torrontés is most often likened to—Torrontés has the sweet floral nose of the latter two that Chard lacks, better acidity that Viognier, and is dryer and more food friendly than Gerwurztraminar while generally being a better bang for your buck than any of the three.  This flavor profile and price point translate to sales potential.

 In the first nine months of 2009, exports for this varietal have grown 42% in value and 40% in volume.  At Anuva’s own wine tastings in the U.S. and here in Buenos Aires our wines that most frequently get a “I’ve never tried anything like that” response is Torrontés. Interestingly, the next most likely wine to get a response like that is our Bonardas.

What is Bonarda? Where Malbec is peaking and Torrontés is on its way up, Bonarda is still completely off the map. Think a nice smokey-chocolate nose with hints of raisin and fig. In the mouth, juicy blueberries and hints of pepper with an aggressive mouthfeel. This is the varietal that most often gets “wows” from wine professionals at our wine tastings. It blows away the normal flavor profile of a deep colored, full bodied red. Mairena Bonarda has been one that gets great reviews from critics and neophytes alike. Look for Bonarda to start selling well in the next 2-3 years.  

Well, in a down economy it seems like wine tastings are the way to go. Anuva has done no less than 60 tastings in the last 75 days (all this with our 3 man team) featuring our collections of malbec, torrontes, and bonarda.

It seems like Anuva and Argentina are in line with the trend for the “value” wine purchasing that so many have headed toward in the last quarter of 2008. Wine connoisseur, enthusiast, novice and newcomer have all appreciated our wines and our service and I am proud to say that we had an excellent 2008.

Lessley Anderson, a wine and drinks writer for Chow.com recently featured a post on Anuva Vinos. Check out the link below!

Put a Bow on These Bottles
By Lessley Anderson
Wines are chosen by a panel of local experts through blind tastings, and you can reorder anything that you like. It’s a great opportunity to learn about fun regional Argentine varietals other than Malbec, such as the rich, …
http://www.chow.com/wine_and_drinks/6817

(Photo Source: Chow.com)

Walking into The Beaumont on 150th last night, I felt at ease with the marble inlay and incredible decor of this gorgeous apartment building. My comfort and Janis’s wonderful ability to host (and project her voice) made this evening quite wonderful and enjoyable for all comers.

Although we did have a sock lady with lights on her ankles leave without trying any wine. Hmm. I got over that in about 3 seconds though, as we did have so many that were really appreciative.

Thankfully, we got an extra hour of sleep too.

Thanks Akasha and Kelly so much for having us over.

It was a birthday party atmosphere last night with much discussion about how we select our wines and how we import them.  Anecon Torrontés seemed to be the early favorite but it was surpassed by Mudai Pinot Noir and the Don Juan Reserve.

We sang happy birthday toward the end as I quickly though over the idea of wine pairings with the cupcakes that were present. What goes with pink frosting over vanilla cake?

Many thanks to Matt and Tatiana for organizing this event in their lovely home.

Lourdes was especially excited to have an even closer view of the Empire State Building which glowed red last night.

We had a full menu to go with the usual smattering of Torrontés, Bonarda, Malbec and other wines. Especially popular was the Mudai Pinot Noir. We found some great cheese combinations with the Bonarda especially. Combining the Bonarda with the brie we decided–after a supremely intellectual discussion of the subject of food/wine combining (”Eat what tastes good”)–brought out a decidedly pronounced black cherry flavor on the palate. A wonderful experience.

Equally wonderful was the dark chocolate with the Don Juan Reserve blend.

All the great food combining brought up the subject of biodynamic wines. We almost got Kelly to show us his biodynamic wine dance that evening, which apparently he may be taking off-Broadway shortly. He declined to comment how far off-Broadway.

First, thank yous to Carlos and Randy, two wonderful gentlemen who have been extremely generous and kind to us here at Anuva.

Last night saw a small gathering of friends and neighbors at Carlos’ house, exemplifying exactly what wine is all about: bringing together good people and good conversation. After getting the rooftop tour from Carlos, which was a delight for Lourdes’ first day ever in NYC, we went downstairs to pour wine. (Said Carlos as we traipsed his Zen styled roof terrace (from left to right in a near 360 degree panorama): “…the Empire State building, the Chrysler building, Mid-town, downtown, Martha Stewart’s house, Calvin Klein’s house, Tom (Brady) and Gizelle’s house. Oh right, and Bono lives there.”)

Besides the Zaino and Cavagnaro Malbec’s, and the Reserve Don Juan which always capture the attention of our crowds, Mayol Bonarda got a lot of “wow’s” and “very nice’s” from our guests. I am convinced that this has to do with the unique nature of the varietal Bonarda in general. It is something that simply doesn’t exist in the U.S. on a broad level. We hope to change this.

The surprise last night was the arrival of Amy. How was I to know that they had invited former faculty from my high school to this gig? After learning that she had switched from teaching English in Portland, OR (my home town), to becoming a professional photographer, we drank wine and continued the festivities.

The “Vinos y Bodegas 2008″ fair was this last weekend here in Buenos Aires and many a person turned out. One of the things that always amazes me about the vast majority of Argentine bodegas (wineries) is how few of them do any blending. All of them have a Malbec and most have Cabernet, Syrah, Chardonnay, Merlot and maybe some Bonarda, Torrontés, Pinot Noir, Tannat, Sauvignon Blanc, or other varietals, but they sell them only as that: varietals.

Certainly varietals make for great wines and also play to that genre categorization feature that people tend to like in their products (i.e. knowing what they are going to get), but it leaves out the possibility for more personalized “winemaker” wines. I love it when you get a wine like Don Juan where the winemaker explains to you how many iterations he went through in determining the 70/11/10/9 split of Malbec/Syrah/Bonarda/Merlot. This is what makes great wine.

I think that for starting out and for understanding each of the varietals and how typicity works, that single varietal wines are fine. More than fine. Many are great. I would have to say that blends often take the best aspects of many wines that a winery or winemaker does and brings them together to form a masterpiece.

Last week we had several upstanding citizens of the English speaking Expat community over to sample Anuva’s wines. What a hit it was! We had a total of 9 Americans and Brits here and while our discussion began about wine, winemaking, wine tasting and drinking, and the malbecs, bonardas and blends we were drinking, we ended up talking about politics, travel and business ideas.

The biggest hit, not surprisingly, was the Don Juan from Las Perdices which was the reserve wine served that night. It’s a complicated mouthful of 14 months of oak aged malbec blended with syrah, bonarda and merlot. Full, velvety and luscious.

A great treat for the tasting was a spicy sausage brought by one of our British members. Caked with pepper, this is one of the few foods I have found in Argentina that actually makes my body temperature rise. And what a combination with the Malbecs and the Bonarda. The pepper of the sausage really brought out different characteristics in all of these wines. Just goes to show there is always something new to learn about wine, food and their combinations. Especially with good company.