Basket

View Cart Checkout

Search

 

We have some truly superb new reds from small family boutique vineyards. The quality of these wines has to be sampled to be believed! With the Euro increasing the price of Italian wines, Argentina is set for a boom in trade.

Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world and until recently was a large consumer too. However economic crisis and spiralling inflation have helped reduce their domestic consumption. At the same time a shift in political attitudes opened up Argentina's borders and investors from the USA and Europe invested heavily in vineyard and winery projects. The results were a dramatic improvement in quality and the replanting of some traditional grape varieties with International ones, and the introduction of Argentinian wines onto the Inernational market. Argentinian grapes of note include Torontes for the white and Bonarda and Tannat for the red. They are best known for their excellent reds made from the Malbec grape, which ripens far better in the Argentinian climate than it ever could in it's native France. Argentina lies between the same lines of latitude as South Africa, South Australia and New Zealand and has a similar climate. Add to this glorious sunshine, the cooling effect of the vineyards at altitude in the foothills of the Andes and Argentina has the natural attributes to produce truly world class wines. Their image has suffered due to the mass produced cheap plonk featured in the supermarkets for the last few years. But be brave, take the plunge and try some of their top end wines. They are beautiful wines and represent superb value for money.

 

 

Bodega Benegas The El Trapiche vineyard was established by Tiburcio Benegas back in the late 1800s when he brought the first French vine stock to Argentina. He was Governor of Mendoza at the time, when he also borrowed five million pesos to establish the bank of Mendoza. From this financial base he set about expanding the vineyards with dams and irrigation, which led to the creation of the Mendoza wine industry, widely regarded as the best and most prestigious in all Argentina. Tiburcio's aim was to produce wine of the highest quality, and for this he returned to Bordeaux to source French oak casks and equipment, and to further his knowledge and bring back French oenologists with him. Tiburcio's sons continued expanding the Trapiche winery which was regarded as the best in Argentina for the first 70 years of the 20th century. The enterprise grew and was eventually split up and sold off. In 1998 Federico J Benegas Lynch resumed the family tradition of wine making at the 40 hectare Finca Libertad vineyard, the best of the family's original vineyards with the old French vine stock. He's restored the old winery building and is now making sensational wines to rival and surpass those of his father and grandfather. Federico and his lovely wife, Carmen, are driven by a passion to produce the best wine possible. Jane and I really hit it off with them as they recognised our passion for good wine, and our appreciation for the superb wines they're producing. Steven Spurrier is a big fan and Robert Parker has asked if he can come and see them, which is already a remarkable achievement. I highly recommend these wines.