Voice of the Vine – ARGENTINA ROCKS
 
– By Lou Campoli –

We are always on the lookout for the best wine values we can find. This is especially prevalent in light of the escalating prices of everything else going on around us. While some of Argentina's wines command prices usually reserved for the elite of the industry, many of its wines are very affordable for everyday consumption.
.Year after year, Argentina ranks somewhere around fifth in the world in wine production. But until recently, much of Argentina's wines were consumed in Argentina. In the last ten years or so, wines from Argentina have increasingly been available in our marketplace. With this focus on increasing exports came the increased focus on improving the quality of its wines, and the Argentine producers have been successful at doing just that.
We recently presented three Argentine wines at an Argentine food class, and what an educational evening it was. The food was prepared by Sally Maraventano at her cooking school Cucina Casalinga in Wilton. She specializes in Italian cooking, and because there are so many Italians in Argentina, the class didn't seem like too much of a stretch.
The appetizer course consisted of empanadas, some filled with lobster, some with beef and others with cheese. The wine we chose to accompany the empanadas was 2007 Bodega Colomé Torrontés. Torrontés is a white grape grown predominantly in Argentina, and it makes an incredible versatile white wine. It was first planted in Argentina in the 1800s. This wine was imported by the Hess Collection Winery of California. It was medium-bodied, not unlike a viognier. It showed notes of tropical fruits, orange blossom and apricot, with hints of honeysuckle on the clean, crisp, refreshing finish. It is an ideal wine as an apéritif and as an accompaniment to seafood, shellfish and Asian fusion meals.
The first course was gnocchi di patate (potatoes) with freshly made tomato sauce. Gnocchi and other pastas are popular first courses in Argentina. This is not surprising, based on the number of Italians living there. We matched the 2005 Crios de Susan Balbo Syrah-Bonarda with this course. We are all familiar with syrah wines, but maybe not those from Argentina.
While you may occasionally see wines made totally from bonarda, it is a great blending grape. Bonarda was originally brought to Argentina from northern Italy in the 1800s. This red wine is unfiltered, and exhibits deep earthy notes with black cherry, black raspberry and plum overtones. The full, spicy finish makes it an excellent accompaniment to grilled pork tenderloin and other white and red meats. It also has the acidity to match well with tomato-sauced dishes.
Susana Balbo is Argentina's premier female wine maker. She makes wines under her name and also under the Crios ("offspring" or "children" in Spanish) name. Her Crios wines haven't quite grown up to the quality of her Susana Balbo label, but are excellent wines made with the same care and attention. The Crios label shows three connected and overlapping hands
(based on a Mayan artifact), representing Susana and her two children.
For the second course we enjoyed grilled skirt steak, served with freshly made chimichurri sauce:
 
½ c. olive oil
1½ c. red wine vinegar
2 T. sweet to sharp, to taste, or 1 t. cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley leaves, minced
1 t. crushed black peppercorns
2 t. dried oregano
Salt to taste, not more than 1 teaspoon
 
Mix all the ingredients (or use a food processor to chop roughly and blend) and store in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to use. Serve in a small sauceboat at the table. Makes about 2½ cups.
Matching beautifully with the steak was the 2007 Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec. The malbec grape is originally from the Bordeaux region of France, and it is grown in many countries in the world. It was brought to Argentina in the early 1800s, and Argentina now makes arguably the best malbec wines in the world. This red showed fresh berry, black cherry, and red currant flavors, with touches of toasty oak and spiciness on the long finish. Enjoy it with grilled red meats.
These three wines represented especially good values, all in the $15 range. Of the three, the malbec is probably the one with which you are most familiar. We recommend venturing out beyond the usual and trying torrontés and bonarda wines; we think you will enjoy them immensely.
Argentina also produces wines with which you are more familiar, such as pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and sauvignon blanc. Wines from this country really do represent some of the best wine values on the market today. Try them and enjoy them!