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Browse by Country - Argentina

Until recently Argentina produced more wine than any other New World country. America's output has since overtaken it, but Argentina remains probably the most important wine-producing country in South America. Its potential is yet to be fully realised, but Chile no longer dominates the market as it did a decade or so ago. A great deal of the wine made is for domestic consumption and is pretty rustic and of low quality compared to some of the superb examples we see in the UK.

The economic climate of the country over the last century or so has dictated what progress and setbacks the wine industry has experienced. In boom years the industry prospered but the problems caused by economic depression meant that foreign investment declined and the industry suffered. In contrast to most other wine drinking nations, the amount consumed per head is actually declining. It is this decline that has prompted the country's better producers to improve the overall quality of their wines in order to exploit the export market, without which it would struggle to survive. Probably the most significant development in Argentina is the care now taken in the vineyards. Previously it was considered that as long as the grapes ripened the skills practised in winemaking (as opposed to vine growing) were enough to produce decent wine. In the 1990s this skill was expanded to include viticulture, and the importance of Argentina as a major player has increased to the point where some truly outstanding wines are produced. Although some decent wine was produced in the past a scant regard for thinning and reducing crops restricted the industry's progress on what was becoming a booming world market. Much more care is taken over suitability of sites for certain grape varieties, vines are maintained properly, irrigation is extensively used as the average temperature is higher than in many wine-growing countries, and the quality of materials used, such as rootstocks, fertilisers and oak, is much better than two decades ago.

A large percentage of wine grapes grown in Argentina are domestic varieties: Criolla and Cereza. These are white wine grapes and although plantings are extensive their popularity is on the wane as better quality grapes become more fashionable, and export markets beckon for those willing to upgrade to internationally renowned varieties.

It was Spanish settlers who first planted Vitis Vinifera vines in Argentina in the sixteenth century, although early plantings were of somewhat inferior grape varieties compared to those around today. Attempts at irrigation made winemaking possible, and the industry was reasonably healthy. The key event which led to the industry's development was the rail link between Buenos Aires and Mendoza in the mid nineteenth century. As more settlers arrived the expanding wine industry embraced new methods of vine growing and wine making, with the newly imported European grape varieties establishing themselves into the market. The ever-growing Argentine wine industry was founded and its value in world wine markets has never been healthier. Classic grape varieties make up a hefty percentage of wine made in Argentina; Malbec has found a particular niche in such a way that the phrase 'Argentinean Malbec' is one commonly heard in wine shops and tasting rooms across the globe.
Vineyards stretch along the backbone of the Andes Mountains with Mendoza the most important region (responsible for over 80% of Argentina's wine production), but other areas of importance are La Rioja and Rio Negro.

Search Results

Red Wine
PUNA Estate MALBEC 2021
Argentina
Malbec
Body: e - Full
Drink now, but will keep

Produced in tiny quantities this wine is layered with heady notes of violet, plum, red currant, and chocolate. It is silky smooth and bursts onto the palate with a bounty of ultra ripe dark fruits and wild herbs. Its location at such an altitude ensures the wine is ultra fresh with racy acidity to hold this glorious wine together.

Shop Price: £23.99
75.0CL
Only 1 left
Red Wine
Lorca Poetico SYRAH 2015
Argentina :: Mendoza
Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz
Body: d - Medium to Full
Drink now, but will keep

Syrah is one of Mauricio Lorca's favourite grape varieties; he loves its fickle nature, the bold influence it can bring to a blend and, most of all, the song it sings flying solo. This delicious Syrah packs a big, spicy, chocolate-infused punch in its youth but after a few years in bottle, as here, it mellows into a most sultry and complex wine, a delight if you fancy an askew take on the northern Rhône.
95% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Shop Price: £23.99
75.0CL
Out of stock
Red Wine
Tapiz RESERVE MALBEC 2019
Argentina :: Mendoza
Malbec
Body: e - Full
Drink now, but will keep

Aromas of red mature fruit combined with touches of vanilla and chocolate. Smooth in the mouthfeel, balanced, with velvety and sweet tannins

Shop Price: £24.99
75.0CL
Out of stock
Red Wine
Catalpa ASSEMBLAGE 2018
Argentina :: Mendoza
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot
Body: e - Full
Drink now, but will keep

In each of the three ranges from this winery - Serbal, Catalpa and Atamisque - there is a blend, an assemblage. Catalpa Assemblage is comprised of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec in varying proportions depending on the vintage. 60% of this wine is aged for 12 months in new French oak barrels, 40% in stainless steel prior to blending and a further 6 months in bottle prior to release. Crafted in a fairly extravagant style this is a lovely, plump, velvet textured delight with clever use of oak in evidence, capable of developing very nicely for 8 - 10 years.

Shop Price: £25.99
75.0CL
Only 4 left
Red Wine
Benegas Single Vineyard MALBEC 2018
Argentina :: Mendoza
Malbec
Body: d - Medium to Full
Drink now, but will keep

From grapes grown at the family’s Finca La Encerrada vineyard in the Uco Valley where sandy, calcareous soils are known to imbue the wine with a subtle mineral complexity, this superb Malbec represents something of a stylistic bridge in terms of the Benegas story past and present. The power and concentration that we have always associated with this great old producer are there in spades, but so too is a new level of elegance and poise, with a deft touch of carefully balanced oak (12 months in new French) and a freshness which is simply joyous. Malbec has come a long way in the last 10 – 15 years and no wine tells the story better than this.

Shop Price: £25.99
75.0CL
Out of stock
Red Wine
Las Estelas PINOT NOIR 2021
Argentina
Pinot Noir
Ready to drink

On the nose, bounteous wild red fruits and the unmistakable whiff of forest floor; in the mouth silky tannins and fresh juicy fruit with a long finish. This is definitely New World Pinot Noir approaching its South American best and sees Argentina taking a seat at the top table.

Shop Price: £27.99
75.0CL
In Stock
Red Wine
Susana Balbo Signature MALBEC 2019
Argentina :: Mendoza
Malbec
Body: e - Full
Drink now, but will keep

From one of Argentina's foremost winemakers, Susanna Balbo leads the field with this superbly crafted malbec. Terrific quality of fruit, with a light touch of oak. Classy.

Shop Price: £29.99
75.0CL
Out of stock
Red Wine
De Angeles MALBEC 2017
Argentina :: Mendoza
Malbec
Body: e - Full
Drink now, but will keep

Deep ruby red in colour, lovely aromas of plums and sweet red berries, silky-textured in the mouth with incredible length. Elegant yet intense, fresh, complex, superbly balanced and, best of all, very moreish.

Shop Price: £30.99
75.0CL
In Stock
Red Wine
Atamisque Malbec 2019
Argentina :: Mendoza
Malbec
Body: e - Full
Drink now, but will keep

This is the flag-bearing Malbec from Bodega Atamisque, a winery that has come from nowhere in recent years to gain real respect and admiration from its peers, and no wonder with wines like this on show. Winemaker Philippe Caraguel has triumphed with this wine, which is so good and consistently good from vintage to vintage, perhaps due in part to the vines being 100% owned and managed by Atamisque. We sell much more of this, not inexpensive Malbec, to the UK trade than we do many others at significantly lower prices. Excellent is the word.

Shop Price: £31.99
75.0CL
Only 8 left
Red Wine
Ben Marco EXPRESIVO 2018
Argentina
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec

Expresivo is harvested from Gualtallary Terroir, which translates in mineral notes, firm fine grained tannins and great length. This wine has aromas
of blackberry, peppercorn tree with balanced natural acidity.

Shop Price: £41.99
75.0CL
Only 3 left
Red Wine
Cadus Single Vineyard 'Finca Las Torcazas' Malbec 2018
Argentina :: Mendoza
Malbec
Body: e - Full
Drink now, but will keep

From a high quality, old vine block in higher Agrelo, this is a serious expression of Malbec which is characterised by its rocky terroir and small batch wine making. Award winning Malbec from Argentinean specialists of this native grape. High altitude, single vineyard quality that is truly of place.

Shop Price: £43.99
75.0CL
In Stock