For a country that takes such pride in its produce (and needs no excuse for a fiesta), it’s remarkable that Argentina’s food and drink festivals are only just gathering pace. Naturally, beef and wine are still the headline acts, but are joined by an increasing number of more specialist events. Here is a look ahead to the best Argentina festivals and fairs in 2012 aimed at the food and wine enthusiast in everyone.
Where do you stand on the cork versus screw cap debate? Perhaps, like several of the recent dinner guests around my kitchen table, you really don’t care, so long as the wines taste good and keep on flowing. Or maybe you are more in tune with the “natural is best” camp. So what are the facts lying behind both points of view?
While Chileans are investing in the Argentinian wine industry, there is a strange lack of investment the other way around. Andrew Catchpole investigates.
Buenos Aires is awash with great places to sample a fantastic spread of Argentina’s wines. And while there is nothing quite like touring the far-flung vineyards of Mendoza and elsewhere to really get a sense of why the wines taste the way they do, back in the capital you can immerse yourself in a wealth of choice at a growing number of superb wine-focused bars and restaurants.
Question: how did Argentinian wine, so recently the object of pitying amusement from wine buffs, become profitable, fashionable and, more to the point, drinkable? Matt Chesterton talks to Ian Mount to find out.
One of the most fascinating and compelling reasons for diving into the treasure trove of New World wines lies not just in the drum-roll of longer established flagship varieties and styles, but also with the emerging stars awaiting discovery.
If you’ve chosen to visit Buenos Aires, you probably enjoy a splash of vino colapso. But don’t let a tiny thing like not speaking Spanish affect your wine tasting in Argentina, as plenty of English-speaking sommeliers are based in BA. Here, three top sommeliers talk about my favourite subject, Argentinian wine
Travelling through Argentina’s vast and beguiling landscapes leaves no doubt as to the incredible variety and contrasts found in this country’s wine regions. From the dizzying heights of northerly Salta, to the wind-swept southerly climes of Patagonia, experience Argentina’s terroir.
Most wine lovers will have munched on meat and Malbec and tangoed with Torrontés and summery fare but Argentina’s wines offer many other food-friendly temptations besides. And one of the most exciting finds is Argentine Pinot Noir.
Not so long ago, Argentine winemakers believed their greatest export triumph would come from well-known international varieties like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet. After all, these were the grapes demanded by wine drinkers in the West, rather than something called Malbec or Torrontés – Argentina’s most planted white variety. Of course, it is hard to ask for something if it is not on the menu.
And that is definitely no longer the case with Malbec, whose popularity abroad has given Argentine winemakers a boost in self-confidence. Having scored with the country’s top red grape, many are now looking to repeat the success with Torrontés…
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