Home » Features » By Region » Page 2
Category:

By Region

Different vine training methods in Bouchon vineyard in Maule. Including wild vines, VSP and bush vines
ChileChile FeaturesVideosMaule VideosMaule

Bush vines, VSP and Pais salvaje: All three systems used at Bouchon’s vineyard in Mingre

by Agustina Abal
written by Agustina Abal

Maule in Chile is a historic wine region with a great history over hundreds of years in which different vine training methods can come in and out of fashion, from bush vines to the more common VSP training. In this video with Bouchon Family Wines winemaker Christian Sepulveda, Amanda Barnes interviews him about the different training methods that they have for grapes including País and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the benefits and challenges of each.

They also look at a completely wild training system… the natural occurrence of their ‘Pais Salvaje’ vineyard, where Pais vines grow wild around the trees in the river creek.

Watch this video to see how Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP), bush vines and wild vines are all within metres of each other!

 

Bush vines, VSP and Pais salvaje: All three systems explained by winemaker Christian Sepúlveda

 

Continue Reading
0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Guide to the wine regions of Argentina: Salta, Cafayate, Caclhaqui valleys, Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Patagonia, Buenos Aires. The ultimate wine guide to Argentina
Featured ArgentinaArgentina Wine GuideArgentina Features

Guide to the wine regions of Argentina

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Check out our ultimate Argentina wine guide and get to know everything about the terroir and the wine regions of Argentina. 

 

Guide to wine regions of Argentina
Facts on Argentine wine
Northern Argentina wine regions: Salta, Catamarca & Jujuy
Cuyo wine regions: Mendoza, San Juan, San Rafael, La Rioja
Patagonia wine regions: Neuquen, Rio Negro & Chubut
Central & Atlantic Argentina wine regions
Map of Argentina’s wine regions

 

Most of Argentina’s wine regions are located along the western edge of the country, in the foothills of the Andes mountains that form a natural frontier with Chile. The foothills offer the ideal natural landscape for vineyards to be able to thrive in the desert, as they slope gently downwards and are irrigated by the rivers carrying snowmelt from the Andes down to the arid plains below.

From Río Negro in the south to Salta and Jujuy in the far north, most of Argentina’s wine regions share this dry, warm and sunny mountain climate and gradually sloping alluvial soils. However in recent years we’ve seen a steady growth and diversification of Argentina’s wine regions, expanding further south into Patagonia as well as eastwards into the Pampa and Buenos Aires.

The wine regions of Argentina: Salta, Cafayate, Caclhaqui valleys, Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Patagonia, Buenos Aires
Colomé vineyard in Salta. Photo by Stephane Rampon

 

Key Facts on Argentine wine

  • Hectares planted: 197,965
  • Producers: <900 wineries; 23,699 vineyards
  • Production: 1.1 billion litres of wine (2020)
  • Wine regions: Jujuy (42 ha); Calchaquí Valleys (4,468 ha); Catamarca Valleys (1,721 ha); La Rioja (6,539 ha); San Juan (31,960 ha); Mendoza (149,002 ha); San Luis (107 ha); Neuquén (1,764 ha); Río Negro (1,526 ha); Chubut (87 ha); La Pampa (279 ha); Córdoba (261 ha); Buenos Aires (148 ha); Entre Rios (49 ha); Misiones (12 ha); Santiago del Estero (1 ha)
  • Most-planted varieties: Malbec, Cereza, Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Criolla Grande, Syrah, Torrontés, Pedro Giménez, Chardonnay, Tempranillo

 

The wine regions of Argentina


Northern Argentina

Jujuy

At the northernmost tip of Argentina, Jujuy is, in a word, extreme. Bordering southern Bolivia and the edge of Chile’s Atacama region, Jujuy has both jungle and desert salt flats but it is largely dominated by the high plateau of the altiplano which scales up to altitudes of over 5,000 metres.

The wine regions and vineyards of Jujuy are mainly in the narrow 80 km-long mountain valley and canyon of Quebrada de Humahuaca and the warmer valleys in the south known as the Valles Templados. Although there aren’t many vineyards in Jujuy (the region has just 42 hectares to date), Jujuy claims some of the highest-altitude vineyards in the world.

The wine regions of Argentina: Salta, Cafayate, Caclhaqui valleys, Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Patagonia, Buenos Aires
Vineyards in Jujuy
Calchaquí Valleys

The Calchaquí Valleys is one of Argentina’s most extraordinary wine regions and it has, remarkably, been producing wine for hundreds of years, despite the challenges of its high altitude and remote nature.

Old vines can be found throughout this string of mountain valleys which runs north to south, spanning over 270 km and three of Argentina’s provinces: Salta, Tucumán and Catamarca. The Calchaquí Valleys may only represent 2% of the country’s vineyards, but it claims a disproportionate share of Argentina’s wine awards — and with good reason, I say. High-altitude viticulture can be hard work, but it certainly reaps the benefits of distinctive personality and I never fail to be impressed by the incredible value and quality of Calchaquí wines.

Read more in our Guide to the Calchaquí Valleys wine region

Valleys of Catamarca

With over three-quarters of the province covered by mountains, Catamarca’s wine regions are unsurprisingly defined by their mountains and moderated by their altitude. Although Catamarca’s vineyard area is impressive in size, the wines are sadly less so. The province is a major producer of juice – so you won’t find as much wine coming out of Catamarca as you might expect – and also jug wine. Some of the better known wine regions of Catamarca are within the Calchaqui Valleys.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Mauro Von Siebenthal, owner at Von Siebenthal winery in Aconcagua, Chile, talks about two of the winery's emblematic wines, Parcela #7 and Toknar
AconcaguaSantiago Videos

Tasting Von Siebenthal wines with Mauro Von Siebenthal

by Agustina Abal
written by Agustina Abal

Von Siebenthal is one of the best-known wineries in the region of Aconcagua, and it tells the story of expat Mauro Von Siebenthal who decided to sell up in Switzerland to chase the dream of making fine wine in Chile.

It was a large risk to take, but Mauro was convinced by the pedigree of Aconcagua terroir (helped by the reputation of his vineyard neighbour, Errazuriz) and his love of the rich red wines the region can make so well. He set out to make Von Siebenthal wines some of the most celebrated in Aconcagua.

In this interview, we find out why Von Siebenthal focuses on the Bordeaux varieties of  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, and taste through two of the winery’s most emblematic wines, Parcela 7 and Toknar.

 

Tasting Parcela 7 and Toknar wines, an interview with Mauro Von Siebenthal

Continue Reading
0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Serra da mantiqueira wine region in Brazil
Brazil FeaturesTravel BrazilWine Region GuidesWineBrazil Wine Guide

A new frontier for Brazilian wine: Serra da Mantiqueira mountain wines

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Two of my ultimate vices, wine and coffee, are rarely produced in the same area but in Brazil’s Serra de Mantiqueira region, coffee plantations and vineyards can be within metres of one another. As can banana trees and grapevines for that matter. This is the new frontier for Brazilian wine — the high-altitude wine regions of Serra da Mantiqueira which spans across Minas Gerais, São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro.

The ultimate guide to the Serra da Mantiqueira wine region

The Mantiqueira mountains, which span 320 km and reach a peak at 2,798 m.a.s.l., have a special mesoclimate that makes a wide range of cultivations possible. This mountainous wine region is not only a haven for wildlife and a mecca for outdoor adventure sports but it is also fast becoming a hub for some of the more interesting wines being produced in Brazil. This is not because of its tropical climate but, in fact, because of its dry, sunny and mild winters.

Winters… Have I lost you? Why mention winters, when surely for wine production it is the hot, wet summer that matters? Up until just a decade ago, that was exactly the problem with these wine regions — the summer and ergo the time for harvesting the grapes was hot and humid, meaning that only early-ripening varieties like Riesling Itálico or those harvested early for sparkling wine could be picked in time before the summer rain set in.

But Serra da Mantiqueira has become renowned today for some of the most exciting red wines in Brazil. This is thanks to the development of the innovative winter harvest technique has been a game-changer for the region. By switching the harvest period from summer to winter, growers are able to take advantage of the spotless blue skies, sunny days and cool nights of the winter months to make wines of character and concentration — creating a boom in quality wines and a real buzz about the potential of this region. It has rapidly changed the shape and reputation of Brazilian wine.

Syrah is undoubtedly the champion of this new wine region for now, although I’ve tasted promising winter harvest Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier too. That said, Syrah is the ideal pairing for the rich pork dishes so typical of the Mantiqueira mountains.

Continue Reading
0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts
Close