Torrontes – the other white wine…

I am a big fan of wines made from obscure grape varietals, or at least from varietals that have not made it to the consciousness of the wine drinking general public yet. Varietals like Tannat, Egiodola, Counoise and Torrontes. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Cabernet, a Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay for that matter, but I also love the discovery and enjoyment of not so popular wines, which could also be great wines depending on the winemaker and its appellation, but no one knows about them yet, outside of few oenophiles and geeks.

For example, most Americans don’t know about Torrontés, the white grape varietal that has become synonymous with Argentina along with Malbec. Torrontés is a delicious white wine with low acidity and a tropical nose which offers relief from the summer heat when it is served chilled. The technical name for the most common type is Torrontés Riojano. DNA testing has shown that Torrontés Riojano is a close relative of Muscat Alexandria, the ancient grape varietal reputedly enjoyed often by Cleopatra. It is believed that Spanish colonist brought it to the new world, since Torrontés is common in Spain as well.

In Argentina, around 33,000 acres have been planted with Torrontes grapes and that makes about 10 percent of all the white wines planted in Argentina and about 20 percent of all white wines sold in Argentina.

During my last trip to Argentina, I had a chance to taste, once again, many wonderful wines, including of course Malbec and Torrontes wines. During my meetings with various winemakers and winery owners, I was informed that, and my taste buds confirmed this, that the best Torrontes wines come from Mendoza and Salta regions of Argentina. Of course Mendoza is the Napa Valley of Argentina. Salta on the other hand is a wonderful wine growing region as well along with La Rioja, San Juan and others.

Mendoza is the leading producer of wine in Argentina, with its vineyards at altitudes between 1,970-3,610 feet above sea level on the slopes and in the shadows of the Andes Mountains. Salta on the other hand, is 750 miles north of Mendoza where the weather is warmer, since you’re closer to the equator. Therefore, Torrontes wines from Salta tend to be sweeter then Torrontes wines from Mendoza.

What to look for in a nice Torrontes wine? First make sure it is well chilled; between 50 to 54 degrees. Color: Pale yellow color with golden tones. Nose: Intense aromas of white flowers, roses, jasmine with gentle touches of citric fruits and white peaches. On the palate: Vibrant acidity and silky long finish. You may not have all of these elements in all Torrontes wines, but the good ones will have most of these elements.

You can enjoy Torrontes by itself or with Asian dishes or with spicy dishes in general, shellfish or with fruits.

Go out and pick a nice bottle of Torrontes today from your favorite wine store; it should run you between $10 to $15 and enjoy it with family and friends. Cheers!

Santa Rita Hills Tasting

I was at the Santa Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance tasting in Glendale this afternoon and here are the highlights:

• 07 and 08 Cargasacchi Pinot Noirs
• 09 Cold Heaven Viognier and the two new Pinot Noirs “Makepeace” and “Nevertell”
• D’Alfonso-Curran Pinots
• 09 Gypsy Canyon Pinot Noir “Trois”
• Longoria Pinots
• Pali Summit Pinot
• 09 Prodigal Chardonnay
• Sweeney Wine Co. 777 Clone Pinot and 777 + 115 Clone Pinot
• Zotovich 07 Pinot

Pinot Dayz...

Yesterday was the 2nd Annual Pinot Days in Santa Monica. Steven and Lisa Rigisich once again did a great job of putting this event together. However, I am not sure why they limited the trade tasting to two hours. Two hours is just not enough time to taste all or majority of the great wines that were there. In two hours yesterday I was only able to cover maybe half the wineries that were there. Not fair to the wineries and not fair to us, members of the trade.

Yesterday, I focused on the wineries and the wines that I had not tasted before. I love wine tasting events; it gives me a great opportunity to meet wonderful people and taste the efforts of their hard work.

There were three wineries, new to me, that stood out yesterday. Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, MacRostie Winery and Vineyards and Pacific Coast Vineyards were my three “finds.” Not only these wineries had great pinot noirs, true to their appellations, but the people behind the wines were great also; pleasant, helpful and nice to talk with, unlike some other winery representatives, who don’t have the people skill and the personality to be dealing with the public.

It was a good day yesterday; any day one starts tasting great wines at 11:00 a.m. is a good day. So go and visit wine tasting events and wineries, meet the people who’re not only pouring their wines, but their heart and soul into your glass and enjoy. Cheers!