With a glass of Chardonnay in hand as I type, Im filing this weeks column from the Mendoza wine region of Argentina, snug in the eastern foothills of the Andes, 2,000 feet above sea level. For three nights Im staying at La Vendimia Ranch, owned by the family, pioneers in Argentinian wine.
Im here for Malbec Camp, sponsored by Trialto, a local wine importer who brings in Catena wines. A few days are shared in the region by a bunch of debaucherous Canadians during harvest to really get to know the Malbec grape and her wines, the darlings of Argentina. Over the next few days well be doing everything from harvesting and sorting to crushing and processing.
My inner wine-geek was pretty stoked at todays welcome lunch, an opportunity for us to get to spend time with Laura Catena, the current head of the winery and her father, Nicolas Catena, a legendary pioneer of Argentinian wine.
Nicolas was named Decanter magazines 2009 Man Of The Year, to recognise his place in changing the face of this countrys wines. While it was his grandfather and father who stayed true to Malbec, knowing the French grape originally from Cahors did well at this high altitude, it was Nicolas who grew tired of the oxidative style that was typical of local wines up until the late 80s.
After spending a good amount of time meeting with Robert Mondavi in the late-eighties, Nicolas saw that the future of wine was in adopting more of a traditional French style, as California had in the past, emulating Bordeaux reds and Burgundian whites. He then took things further, planting vines at higher altitudes, playing around with different microclimates and recognizing the importance of strong marketing initiatives.
Hes an incredible man who now owns many different brands in this country, including the eponymous Catena wines which account for the biggest dollar value of any Argentinian export wine. I say incredible in particular, because as I type away, hes in the kitchen one room over helping the staff put away the dishes from our lunch.
The wines are the most important part though, since if they sucked, all of the history and accolades mean nothing.
Thankfully, the Catena brands reputation for value and consistency is well-deserved.
Here are two for your table this weekend:
Catena Alamos 2010 Chardonay | Mendoza | $14.99 | BC Liquor Stores
Incredibly bright with super-juicy pineapple, mango and apple. Theres an elegance supplied by five months in French oak, rounding those edges with a whisper of butterscotch. Great with fish or poultry.
Catena Zapata 2009 Malbec | Mendoza | $21.99 | BC Liquor Stores
Classic Mendoza Malbec, with dark fruit, black licorice and a touch of dark chocolate. If you serve it with a hint of a chill, youll be serving it the proper Argentinean way, as long as theres a bunch of meat on your plate!
