South America has gradually become one of the world’s largest and best-loved wine producers. Like Australia and New Zealand, it has taken time to develop and grow its market, but it now makes up a huge proportion of the wine that is available to us through our supermarkets, retailers and wine distributors.
In Latin America, the two countries which produce the most wine by far are Argentina and Chile. Both have wine traditions which go back to the times when they were Spanish colonies and hence viticulture is very much part of the region’s history. In this article, we will look at both countries, both historically and as to their position in today’s wine market.
Argentina now stands proudly in the top five of the world’s biggest wine producers. It has a high consumption within the country itself, Argentines are very fond of red wine to go with their high consumption of local red meat, and exports have risen over the years, making it one of the world’s most exciting New World wine regions. Initially, wine making was introduced to the country by the Spanish, but the industry has been influenced by immigrants such as Italians and Germans, whose love of viticulture has transformed the Argentine wine making patterns and helped make it a successful Export business.
Because of the extensive history of wine making in the region, Argentina has seen the evolution of many local grape varieties, including Torrorité’s (white wine), Malbec (red wine) and Corbeau (also red). Malbec is the favoured Argentine variety, and it has also been found to be the most successfully exported variety. The other industry that has grown on the back of wine making is wine tourism, which means Argentina is the place to go for a different kind of wine holiday than you get in California, France, Italy and Germany.
Wine making in Chile has a similar kind of provenance to that of Argentina. However in Chile Bordeaux varieties arrived in a big way as early as the mid 1800s, and Chile is now one of the top wine producers in the world. Traditionally, Chilean vineyards were in semi-arid regions which are irrigated by water from the Andes, but there has been a surge in interest in the cooler areas, for instance the Llegda Valley which is starting to become recognised for its Pinot Noir.
New World Wines are generally grown in hotter climates than their more Northerly cousins. The grapes tend to get riper, and therefore the resulting wines tend to be more alcoholic – something to keep an eye on when drinking these nectars. The wines are also fuller in body and therefore go well with highly spiced foods and red meats.
For a great range of South American wines, or just to browse wine in general, it is a good idea to consult an independent online wine retailer. You can browse wines in your chosen price range, and you can research before you buy.
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From wine elves to classy pitchmen, American winemakers have tried just about everything to challenge the dominance of French vintners. And yet, with infamous labels like Ripple and Thunderbird, Yankee wines had long endured the reputation of being good for just one one thing—getting blitzed. So it must have seemed like a cruel joke in 1976 when a British wine merchant arranged The Paris Tasting, a one-of-its-kind competition that pitted mighty France versus lowly America in a blind taste test judged entirely by Gallic wine experts. But as viewers of the movie Bottle Shock and the documentary Mondovino can tell you, the unthinkable happened: America took home top honors for both red and white wine. The Paris Tasting made Mike Grgich an instant legend, but back then, even the maker of the winning white couldn’t believe he had won. “I said are you sure it’s me?” recalls Grgich. How could this American, an immigrant who fled communist Yugoslavia, shock the world? The French wanted to find out, so Jean-Noël Fourmeaux, an official government wine taster became a wine spy. He headed to California to discover how, in the span of a couple of decades, American winemakers progressed from Thunderbird to Grgich’s award-winning white. Fourmeaux encountered a freewheeling atmosphere of technological and cultural innovation—one that attracted the likes of Squire Fridell of Glen Lyon Vineyards, a winemaker who has his own reason for smiling at America’s emergence as a leader in wine <b>…</b>
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About Author
Fiona Muller -
About the Author:
Fiona Muller has been writing for over 20 years. She is a qualified journalist and has worked in food and drink writing for the last few years. For more information on wine, go to www.laithwaites.co.uk
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