Argentina and Veneto?

[bills]

Quick note on an interesting wine.

Masi has a winery called ‘Tupungato’ named after a daunting climbing target, a dormant volcano on the Chile-Argentine border.

They built a winery in Mendoza and grow local Malbec and Corvina and Corvinone varietals from North East Italy. They do the same sort of double fermentation as is used with Campofiorin with the Corvina slightly dried.

The result is a modestly priced and interesting wine. It has a medium colour, and a warm, slightly hot even, nose, although alcohol is noted as only 13.5%. There is good fruit and the same sort of ripeness as you get in Campofiorin, with hints of anise and dark fruit, ending with good length and a passing hint of bitterness, with good acidity.

The Corvina, although only a 30% component. seems to almost dominate the wine. I’d be interested to hear from anyone in Argentina what they think of outsiders playing about with ‘their’ varietals like this. Many times this sort of experimentation falls flat (almost all Italian varietals in California, for instance), but this comes off remarkably well!

[Gaucho]

There are a number of well known Italian names involved in a few well known brands produced here in Argentina. Below are a few that come to mind...

The family that owns Argiano has Patagonia based Bodegas Noemia. They make one of Argentina´s most expensive wines, Noemia Malbec. An interesting Malbec, quite different from what is made in Mendoza, as the Rio Negro Valley has some influence from the coastal area.

Roberto Cipresso is the chief winemaker of record breaking (96 points, WS) Finca Altamira from Achaval Ferrer.

Alberto Antonini is the creator of Alto Las Hormigas.