FFW 2021 Wine Catalogue

South America

This continent has been planted with Vitis Vinifera since the conquistadors arrived and needed wine for their missionaries and troops. Quite gruesome was Cortes’ order that colonists should plant 1,000 vines for every 100 dead indigenous people. ‘Pais,’ or what in Califormia is tellingly called ‘Mission,’ is a grape variety widespread across the continent, still making up a third of its production today. In the modern era though it is French (or The two top producing countries are Argentina and Chile, with producing regions spanning a wide array of latitudes and where the Andes mountain range plays a key role. On the equivalent latitudes to Beirut in the northern hemisphere, Mendoza, Argentina and Chile’s Central Valleymake use of the altitude and the cool nights it brings – highly important in developing aromatic complexity. Until the 1980s most production was of bulk commercial volume. The Argentinian cultural approach to wine was and is much like that of Spain and Italy. More recently though, quantity has dropped and quality has increased as smaller growers produce artisanwines. In Argentina one of the key ingredients has been the rise of Malbec – a grape allowed in Bordeaux and foundmore regularly in Cahors. Few have donemore for Malbec’s rise than Nicolas Catena . ‘international’ as they are often described) varieties that have pushed the boundaries of quality.

Through painstaking research and across many vintages he identified whichMalbec clones were best suited for the variedmicroclimates of Mendoza. In the Andes’ rain-shadow, Mendoza relies on irrigation from snowmelt to provide enough water for the grapes. We are keen followers of the joint venture between Catena and Baron de Rothschilds (Lafite), Bodegas Caro . Just a 50-minute flight across the Andes to Santiago and Chile’s Central Valley one finds a much wetter climate. Pinned between cold mountains (the Andes) and a cold Pacific current (the Humboldt) there is a huge array of microclimates here with varying degrees of temperature and

NEWWORLD SOUTHAMERICA

rainfall to accommodate a large variety of wine-styles. The viticultural zone here is bordered by the Atacama Desert in the north, and the

wetter southern area of Bio Bio. Further south rainfall is deemed too high and sunlight too

low. Grapes grown in Chile aremostly French. Vina Errazuriz produce high quality wines for everyday drinking and some excellent wines at the premium end. Its owner is Eduardo Chadwick (Decanters’ Man of the Year 2018) who also oversees Chile’s ‘icon’ wines – Vinedo Chadwick and Sena – both of which command high global release prices as investment wines. Almaviva , a Rothschild (Mouton) and Concha y Toro joint venture is another key quality producer. Tom Meade

CLASSIC GRAPE VARIETALS Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon

FAVOURITE PRODUCERS Amancaya, Catena, Sena, Trapiche and Cheval des Andes

136

WINE CATALOGUE