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Sauvignon Blanc

Falernia Sauvignon Blanc

by Helen J Conway October 1, 2021

More about Viña Falernia

Viña Falernia is responsible for starting the fine wine revolution in Elqui Valley. The winery is under the hand of two Italian cousins from the Trentino region, businessman Aldo Olivier and winemaker Giorgio Flessati.

Some of the most notable wines to look out for include the Gran Reserva, Antakari, Donna Maria, Number One and Single Vineyard.

This Falernia Sauvignon Blanc is a classic Elqui-style Sauvignon Blanc from emblematic local producer Viña Falernia.

Learn more about Viña Falernia

October 1, 2021 0 comment

Best Malbec from Argentina, Best Cabernet from Chile, Best sparkling wine from Brazil

Chile Argentina Wine

Analysis of top rated and best wines in South America on Vivino

by Amanda Barnes March 13, 2019

written by Amanda Barnes

There’s something I quite like about the Vivino Wine Style Awards, and that is that the winning wines are entirely selected by consumers. Based on the reviews of 35 million users (although some are undeniably more prolific than others!) each year the Vivino tech team take a look at the reviews and ratings of all the wines on the app and tot up the scores to see which wines in which categories came out on top. This includes several categories for the best wines in South America.

This is the fifth year of Vivino’s awards and, as the most-downloaded wine app in the world, it takes into account 120 million ratings. Anyone can add their rating and each opinion holds equal value – no matter if you are a first-time wine buyer or a seasoned wine drinker with 1,000 bottles in one’s cellar.

Vivino is effectively the TripAdvisor of wine, for better or worse. On the downside, a few ratings could destroy the ranking of a wine perhaps because the consumer misunderstood the category or was drinking a faulty bottle. However, on the positive side, the Vivino Wine Style Awards are an unparalleled barometer of what wines are accessible in the global market and which offer enough enjoyment and relative value to be worth the coveted five-star rating.

Appealing to the mass market is also nothing to be sniffed at, and it is certainly harder to make a wine that excites thousands of different palates than a wine that appeases to just one critic. Winning a Vivino Wine Style Award shows that all the cogs of that winery are working together: excellent market positioning, good marketing and global reputation, and, last but certainly not least, making a damn good wine that everyone enjoys.

Here are the highlights of South America’s best-rated wines on Vivino, and arguably the consumers choice of the best wines in South America, with my own verdict of the winners and category.

March 13, 2019 0 comment

Mendoza Argentina Wine Guide Argentina Features Wine

Matias Michelini – Mendoza’s man for mountain Sauvignon Blanc

by Amanda Barnes December 13, 2017

written by Amanda Barnes

New World Sauvignon Blanc is best known as coming from the coast – whether it is the coast of California, the bay of Malborough or by the Pacific breezes in Chile. However, with very few coastal vineyards, Argentina’s Sauvignon Blanc is in a league of its own, as one of Argentina’s top winemakers proves.

Making up less than 1% of Argentina’s wine production, Sauvignon Blanc is still on the fringe but Matías Michelini has garnered national and international acclaim for his Montesco Agua de Roca Sauvignon Blanc and with Sophenia Synthesis – Argentina’s first icon-level Sauvignon Blanc.

Matías has been one of the biggest proponents of Sauvignon Blanc in Argentina, having started making the variety in 1996 (in Luigi Bosca). It wasn’t until he began experimenting in Doña Paula though that he found an affinity with the variety, and an affinity between Sauvignon Blanc and Mendoza:

“My first real advances in the variety were at Doña Paula in 2001,” says Matías. “At this time we were all looking for an aromatic explosion, we wanted it to be like the Sauvignon Blanc of New Zealand or Chile. But today that has changed a lot, we understand that our viticulture is very different – we don’t have the sea, but we do have a great mountain range.”

Matías describes it as ‘mountain Sauvignon Blanc’, and it is this distinction that has led him to discover his trademark style: “After many years of frustrating attempts, we started to look for the mountain character in our wines. The Uco Valley has cold nights which mean that Sauvignon Blanc, which is very sensitive to heat, has found a special place where it can mature slowly and take its character from the soil.”

So what is the character of Uco Valley ‘mountain’ Sauvignon Blanc? “Austere and electric, with tension and freshness, is there anything more similar to a mountain that that?” responds Matías.

While Uco Valley Sauvignon Blanc may be a mountain wine, for Matías the best pairing is one of juxtaposition: “the best food pairing is one of duality – wine from the mountains that seeks the companionship of fresh seafood from the coast.”

As summer reaches a peak here in Mendoza, a cool glass of mountain Sauvignon Blanc couldn’t be more mouthwatering!

December 13, 2017 0 comment

By Region Wine

What to drink from Chile & Argentina this holiday season

by Amanda Barnes December 22, 2015

written by Amanda Barnes

As Christmas and New Year parties are firmly upon us, you might be wondering what wines you should be uncorking from South America this festive season. Here’s a quick guide to some wines from Chile and Argentina to impress and enjoy over this holiday season.

A show stopping white for a classy party…

If you are having a classy affair for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, you might want to look at one of the very classy Chardonnays coming from both countries. While Chardonnay was in recent memory a variety that people turned their nose up to (thanks to a popular uprising of ABC: ‘anything but chardonnay’), it is now back in fashion and Chile and Argentina are making some seriously stylish Chardonnays. You’ll need to spend over $30USD on a good bottle, but you won’t be disappointed: from the steely and mineral Chardonnays from Limari on the Chilean coast (try Talinay by Tabali, and Quebrada Seca by Maycas de Limari and De Martino), to the handsome old world elegance of Aconcagua Costa (try Las Pizarras by Errazuriz), and over to the rich yet savory Chardonnay of the Uco Valley (try Catena Zapata White Bones/Stones, El Enemigo, and Lindaflor by Monteviejo). These Chardonnays aren’t just for ladies though – they can all stand their own, and even follow a red on the dinner table.

Party bubbles…

If you are looking for more of a party pop (that you can afford to pop more than once!) then pick up a sparkling pink Pais from Maule (Santa Digna Estelado by Miguel Torres), or one of the many charmat method bubblies from either side of the Andes (from Mendoza try Cruzat or Reginato, and from Chile try Undurraga‘s Brut Nature from Limari).

If you are planning to make New Year’s Eve a night to remember, and want to impress someone special, then go for one of the more complex champenoise method sparkling wines that have a more structured and rich mouth feel from years of aging on the lees (from Chile try Morande‘s Brut Nature, and from Argentina Cruzat‘s Cuvee Nature or Rose or their newly released 5 year old cuvee). For something a bit more unusual, try Bodegas RE‘s sublime Virgin.

Christmas Day reds…

Although you might be eating Turkey, something calls for a big, dramatic red on the table for Christmas Day. South America might be a long haul flight from Bordeaux, but it doesn’t stop them making some darn fine Bordeaux blends. Malbec is the dominating component in Argentina, and Cabernet Sauvignon is in Chile. Some top pours include Matervini from Salta, Ultima Hoja from Bressia in Mendoza, Domus Aurelia from Maipo Chile, and Sena from Aconcagua.

A wine for Boxing Day leftovers…

When you have had a little too much to eat, and probably too much to drink, from the celebratory Christmas binges the day before, you need something a bit lighter and refreshing to accompany your hangover and table of leftovers. Try chilling a Chilean Pais (try Pais Salvaje), a light Argentine Bonarda (try Bonarda Pura by Passionate Wines), or a fruity Cinsault from Itata (try Don Cande by Koyle).

If you are by the beach…

You lucky thing! Spending Christmas and New Year in the sunny Southern Hemisphere is a very sunny affair. You’ll need refreshing whites to cool you down, and you need not look any further than Torrontes and Sauvignon Blanc. Torrontes from Argentina has a flirty, floral quality that is perfect pool-side (try Colome and Dominio del Plata), and Chilean Sauvignon Blanc from the coastal regions of Casablanca and San Antonio has those tropical and herbal notes accompanied by a good bite of acidity that make them ideal for washing down fresh seafood and ceviche by the seaside.

Whatever the weather, and whatever your mood – here are a few suggestions from South America to get your New Year off to a good start. Salud!

December 22, 2015 0 comment

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