Diego’s Pick - May 2020
One of my main objectives when I decided to open a wine shop dedicated to Argentine wines in Amsterdam, was to offer the great diversity of grapes produced in Argentina.
This month I have chosen to introduce you to a very special Riesling.
This varietal is responsible for the noble wines of Alsace (France), Moselle and the Rhine Valley (Germany). It is perfectly suited in vineyards located on cold and steep slopes or on the banks of rivers. It resists the cold winters and survives the frosts that devastate other vines. It has the quality to preserve acidity well, even when it is overripe, which makes it an ideal strain for late wines. It is also cultivated successfully in Austria, Czech Republic, Luxembourg and Italy. With few exceptions, it is always grown in cool climate areas.
The wines from the authentic Riesling have an unmistakable aroma and usually show a soft natural sweetness that makes them very elegant. The grapes are small, yellowish and not too juicy.
German Riesling is generally characterized by its fresh and clearly distinguishable aromas when young, which harmonize with aging, especially when it reaches ten years of aging. According to local traditions, in the Moselle region, wine should be bottled in tall, narrow, green bottles.
Jancis Robinson, one of the most prestigious wine critics worldwide (read about her here), insists on defining this grape as "the best white grape in the world".
In Argentina, the origin of the vineyards is unknown: whether they are from the Rhine or from Alsace. But, this strain was already part of many of the generic white wines that were drunk back in the 1970s.
In the country riesling is scarce: about 300 hectares in total in Mendonza, Salta, Alto Valle del Rio Negro (Patagonia) and in Chapadmalal (close to the Atlantic Ocean) and only some wineries make it as a varietal.
Riesling from Viña Las Perdices, Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo (1,030 m.a.s.l.) is cultivated in an arid region with a warm climate, well-defined winters and high solar irradiation. Marked thermal amplitude, warm days and cold nights. Its soil is of alluvial origin, silt loam of medium depth, settled on a gravel layer.
"We wanted to rescue the variety, with its history and its future," says Juan Carlos Muñoz, winemaker of this family run winery. "Argentinian Rieslings are different from Germans, we don't have that extreme acidity. You have very few sunny days there, something very different from what happens in Mendoza."
Pale yellow color with subtle greenish tones. Aromas of white flowers, lime, apple and citrus and mineral notes. Complex, unctuous on the palate, voluminous, highlighting the characteristic acidity of the variety. Ideal to accompany all kinds of fish and seafood in its different presentations. Also as an aperitif for its correct acidity that gives it an admirable freshness.
Drink @ 8-10°
Alcohol 12.50%
Ripening First fortnight in March
Manual harvest in 17K boxes
Yield 7,000 Kg / Ha
Aging in stainless steel tanks, at controlled temperature, on fine lees for 180 days with weekly removals to increase the volume and complexity in the mouth
Storage 3-5 years
In addition to spring being the ideal season to taste it under the sun, I have chosen this wine, an unusual grape variety in Argentina with a different personality than those produced in the rest of the world, to introduce it here in The Netherlands.
At the end… Argentine wine is not only tinto!
Cheers!
Pictures credits to: www.facebook.com/lasperdices
