Argentina: Where Extremes Offer Up Unexpected Surprises

BY JOAQUÍN HIDALGO | FEBRUARY 20, 2024

In a country the size of Argentina—comparable in land area to the entirety of Western Europe—there are many territories with favorable climate and soil types for making wine. However, Mendoza’s lion's share of Argentine grape production means the province tends to define consumer expectations of the profiles of wines from Argentina as a whole. But what happens when one ventures into lesser-known corners of the country? Then, it becomes a tale of the unexpected.

A postcard from the interior ravines within the Calchaquí Valley. At over 2,000 meters above sea level, vineyards coexist with very cool nights and tropical sunshine in an environment reminiscent of colonial times.

This review features a number of notable rarities. It is a story of extremes. There’s a Malbec grown on the Tropic of Capricorn at the astonishing elevation of 11,800 feet, and several Pinot Noirs from the most southerly vineyards in the world, planted in the Patagonian steppes at a latitude of 45° 30’. Between them is a distance, the equivalent of that from the US’s northern border with Canada to the southern border with Mexico.  

Viable vine growth and wine production in these extremes are only made possible by carefully balanced equations of elevation and latitude. I tasted 240 wines from Argentina for this report, from everywhere other than Mendoza. This includes geographies as different as the forested sierras of the center of the country, coastal, ocean-adjacent sites and others from the northern Andes and the southern steppes. The result is a vast and fascinating spectrum of styles—delicious in many cases and not quite up to the mark in others.

First, it would be wise to get our bearings.

The golden hour over the Trapiche Costa y Pampa vineyards in Chapadmalal, Buenos Aires province, in the Humid Pampa, 6 kilometers away from the Atlantic Ocean shore. The dominant note is the green of the fields.

The Northern Valleys

Northern wine country in Argentina is comprised of a series of connected valleys. Vineyards start at 4,900 feet above sea level and rise in some places to heights of 12,000 feet and even higher near the Tropic of Capricorn. The elevation would be just an interesting factoid, were it not the main reason behind more moderate temperatures—the key to allowing vines to grow. At these extreme heights, thermal accumulation in the harsh Andean sun makes it possible for grapes with short and medium ripening cycles to mature. These are desert areas, sunny and freezing, where vines develop in a state of extreme environmental stress. As we know, when vines are pushed to the limit, they impart distinctive flavors. 

The Northern Valleys have musical names like Calchaquí (which spans the provinces of Catamarca, Salta and Tucuman), Quebrada de Humahuaca (located in the province of Jujuy) and Pomán (in Catamarca). Here, the influence of pre-Colombian cultures is still tangible and vibrant, especially in the local textiles and folklore. Wine came to these ravines in the middle of the 17th century with the Spanish conquest and never left. Every remote home in these areas has a fig tree and vines planted in the garden, with the latter almost always being the Criolla variety, with which locals make a rough homemade brew. Some producers, however, have learned to get the best out of Criolla, as is true of the 2021 Sunal Ilógico Criolla or 2022 Bodega Kindgard Criolla Quebradeña Sacha Tigre, whose grapes come from old, long-forgotten vines.

One of the most picturesque vineyards in Traslasierra, Córdoba, in the geographical heart of Argentina, belongs to Achala Wines. The Sierras Altas (seen in the background) are an ancient formation that contributes weathered granite and gneiss with calcareous veins to soil formation. As seen in the picture, the vineyard coexists with the spiny native forest.

The landscape up north is otherworldly. The mountain slopes are packed with large cardon cacti and pre-Colombian terraces that prove perfect for wine growing. While the Calchaquí Valley was the biggest center of wine production throughout the 20th century (with 10,362 acres under vine), the Quebrada de Humahuaca, which rises up into Bolivia, is where a few investors have been developing vineyards, with new plantings currently spanning about 148 acres.

But it’s still the Calchaquí Valley that sets the tone. Wherever water is available, you’ll find vines. In the Province of Salta, Cafayate is the epicenter and hosts most of the traditional wineries, from Etchart to Domingo Hermanos and El Esteco. A quiet town where one can spend a pleasant afternoon in the shade drinking potent wines accompanied by empanadas or roasted goat, it has the best range of hotels in the region. Cachi is another lovely destination, more colonial in style and higher in elevation. Between them, the Calchaquí River winds along an 80-mile stretch (a four-hour drive by car due to the twisty roads), passing different towns and vineyards.

Planted on ancient pre-Columbian terraces, El Esteco’s La Turbina vineyard, on the outskirts of Cafayate, is unique. Located at over 2,000 meters with a south-facing exposure, it is a cool place where Garnacha reaches rare tones.

The Cabernet Sauvignons of the Calchaquí Valley offer power and a distinctive aroma of roasted red pepper, reminiscent of the region’s dark, spiced, chutney-inflected Malbecs and perfumed whites made from Torrontés (a native grape related to Muscat). Some of the most interesting wines in this report, such as the 2021 Colomé Cabernet Sauvignon 1831, the 2020 El Esteco Cabernet Sauvignon Finca Notables and the 2020 Almacén de la Quebrada Malbec Pucará, come from the Calchaquí Valley.