Vibrant Whites from the Cool Terroirs of Argentina

BY JOAQUÍN HIDALGO | AUGUST 16, 2022

There aren’t many places in the world where the vineyards are as continental as Argentina. Over five hundred miles from the Atlantic on the east and separated from the Pacific by the Andes on the west, the mountain valleys and deserts would seem to be the ideal place for reds. And they are, but this is Argentina we’re talking about; a country that’s forever been a melting pot of crazy new ideas, some of them rewardingly creative, others more on the destructive side.

Bodega Bemberg, in the heart of Gualtallary, Valle de Uco, works with Chardonnay from their estate vineyard planted following the mosaic soils of the area. With their avant-garde architecture, the winery opened in 2020.

If one looks at the wine scene in Argentina today, one of the most striking things about it is the number of whites being made. For this report alone, I tasted 370 bottles. That would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. We’re witnessing a process inspired by the continental nature of the region with producers opting decisively for a specific set of flavors that thrive here. In the white blend category, the boundaries become a little more blurred, but the core remains: these are concentrated whites – in contrast to the sea-influenced whites one finds in most of the rest of the world – where altitude and precise ripening allow for the preservation of heightened freshness, low pHs and fruity, ripe flavor profiles. The power and energy are reliably consistent beyond the variations that arose between the 2020s and 2021s, the former a warm year and the latter a cool one.   

The technical teams at the wineries are continuing to indulge their imagination to its fullest. Producers focusing hardest on whites are extensively experimenting; this includes everything from solera-aging with flor inspired by Jerez and Jura, to working dry Rancio wines in Roussillon and unusual varieties such as Marsanne and Riesling, wines with no added sulfites, co-fermentations of grapes you wouldn’t find together elsewhere, fermentation in different kinds of wood and exploration of the virtues of amphorae and Clayvers. Every bright new idea has a wine at the end of it. And yet, that’s also the Achilles heel of this new trend; while many of the white blends and Chardonnays are presenting distinctive new flavors, the inexperience of some producers and lack of focus mean that behind a vanguard of genuinely successful innovations, there follows a rearguard of less favored inventions. But that’s how creative processes work: trial and error.

The Agrelo Vineyard in Luján de Cuyo, owned by Susana Balbo Wines, in the early fall of 2022, shortly after the harvest. Balbo bottles some Torrontés that are redefining the varietal style using grapes from another vineyard, in the cooler Paraje Altamira.

The Three Key Pillars of the White Wine Trend

The white wine revival is structured around three key factors. The first is a degree of exhaustion in the domestic market with red wines. Today, local consumers are getting more excited by the novelty of whites (it is important to remember that Argentina is effectively closed to imports from overseas) and are interested in the new flavors being offered. This new market provides wineries with a forum in which to try out different styles; the best will then move on to the export market. The second key factor is that this trend coincides with the maturation of high-altitude vineyards. I have written about this before, but a refresher wouldn’t go amiss: between 1995 and 2020, new vineyards were planted at elevations between 3,300 and 5,250 feet, where conditions are as cold as those found in Burgundy and Champagne, but the sun is plentiful, and the soils are extremely varied. These include 3,200 hectares of whites in the Uco Valley (60% planted after 2000) of which Chardonnay is most prominent in terms of both quantity and quality. The third factor is more global in nature: not many countries are producing the style of continental but refreshing whites found in Argentina today, and it’s a segment that seems worth exploring. This has led some wineries to focus specifically on the export market. Together, these three factors are defining a trend that is growing in terms of both volume and range, with plenty of new wines appearing.

Bodega Riccitelli in Las Compuertas, Luján de Cuyo, produces whites from different high vineyards in the Uco Valley. Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are planted up to 6,200 ft in the La Carrera district.

High-Altitude Chardonnay