Amanda Barnes

Author: AmandaB

  • Decanter: South America’s winemakers take flight

    Decanter: South America’s winemakers take flight

    Winemakers in South America are embarking on a new era – one of quiet self-confidence and curious self-discovery, bringing forth some of the most exciting and individual wines yet.

    Distinctive regional personality is at the core of this new movement and it highlights a strong departure from the varietal – and style-driven wines that dominated the South American wine scene in the early 2000s.

    As the role and influence of foreign consultants diminishes, there’s a new breed of ‘flying winemakers’ on the ascent – natives who are shaping the wines and industry in South America, and beyond.

    Read the full article in Decanter.

  • World of Fine Wine: The emerging Grand Crus of South America

    World of Fine Wine: The emerging Grand Crus of South America

    There has never been a greater focus on the idiosyncrasies and individual identities of South American terroir. The top wines of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay reflect a growing movement towards showing regionality over variety, and their winemakers are championing the top sub-regions through ever-more focused expressions. 

    With this riveting explosion of terroir-driven wines, there are a handful of wine regions that have come to the fore for their supreme quality but also, and perhaps more profoundly, their distinctive regional identity.

    Appellations in evolution

    Being part of the ‘New World’ can be both a blessing and handicap. While the lack of stringent rules can offer great creative freedom, it also begs the question whether no formal classification impedes chances of global recognition and reaching the upper echelons of the fine wine market. 

    There is no formality of a Cru, Growth or Pago system in South America, instead the wines are free of ranking — labelled only by variety, vintage and region. Conceptually, however, the wines have gone through a monumental evolution in the last three decades.

    For full article, read on The World of Fine Wine.

  • Decanter: Cabernet Franc Panel Tasting

    Decanter: Cabernet Franc Panel Tasting

    September 2023 Edition.

    Cabernet Franc is undoubtedly a rising star of the Americas. Although still niche, it has been steadily rising in the
    ranks and playing a greater role in each of the major wine countries. Its leafy, peppery, fresh, fragrant style can offer the ideal counterpart to the richer styles of heavyweight champion varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Tannat and Merlot.

    Read the full article on Decanter.

  • Club Oenologique: Rising stars of South America

    Club Oenologique: Rising stars of South America

    Summer 2023 Edition, Club Oenologique

    A new generation of winemakers are pushing the boundaries in South American wine. Pioneering new — and ever more extreme — viticultural regions, delving into unusual grape varieties, and diving deep into a kaleidoscope of orange, pink and sparkling wines. 

    There has never been a more innovative time in South American wine, but nor have the wines even been so refined. This generation of winemakers aren’t only looking onwards and upwards to create new wines, but also taking an introspective look and reviving the heritage wines and varieties of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

    While there are many commercial wineries seeding great change in the wine scene, there has also been a blossoming of smaller, family-run projects putting quality and authenticity at the core of their mantra. It is here, in the family-sized projects, where we are also seeing women taking on a greater role — both in the cellar and managing the nuts and bolts of business.

    These are ten projects which might not be on your radar yet, but certainly should be. They are at the forefront of the thrilling wine scene in South America — driving change with energy and conviction, not afraid to dare to do something new but equally at ease with redefining the classics. 

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  • World of Fine Wine: Stars in the southern sky

    World of Fine Wine: Stars in the southern sky

    The diverse and widespread wine scene of South America has never been more exciting. Its winemakers are fearlessly taking new directions while revaluing the strengths of the past. New wine regions are being pioneered at a swift pace in once-unimaginable places, while old vines in neglected regions are finally getting some of the attention they deserve. Amanda Barnes reports.

    Once considered a continent of mainly meaty reds, South America can no longer be painted with such a broad brush, as sparkling, white, pink, and orange wines are also coming to the fore. Here are some of the winemakers, at wineries both large and small, who are leading us into the future of South American wine.

  • Decanter: Uruguay’s coastal whites

    Decanter: Uruguay’s coastal whites

    That Uruguay became famous for its brooding, dark black Tannat wines is perhaps surprising. With an Atlantic coastal climate and endless, golden sandy beaches, you would have thought that Uruguay was bound to be white wine territory.

    In a country where cows outnumber people three to one, and beef is a staple at almost every meal, it was perhaps a cultural steering that led wineries to make Tannat their champion variety. It certainly pairs well with the local asado (barbecue), and the thick skins have proved an asset in the country’s often rainy climate. Tannat’s naturally stable nature, with high acid and feisty tannins, probably also helped it become the most desirable variety on which to lean.

    Read the full article in Decanter, September 2022

  • Decanter: South American sparkling

    Decanter: South American sparkling

    In recent years, the Champenois have spread wings around the world – from Napa, California to Ningxia, China. But the first major investment of a Champagne house abroad was in Argentina. MoĂ«t & Chandon’s first outpost beyond France was Chandon Argentina in Mendoza, in the late 1950s.

    It was a bold statement. But one that paid off. Chandon, although now joined by subsidiaries in Brazil, California, Australia, China and India, remains the most profitable and largest of LVMH’s sparkling wine houses outside Champagne. Not only did Argentina prove to be great for producing sparkling wine, but for drinking it, too.

    Read the full article in Decanter, September 2022

  • Decanter: Premium South American whites

    Decanter: Premium South American whites

    I’m giving scores of above 90 like I’ve never given before!’ exclaimed fellow panel taster Dirceu Vianna Junior MW, as we were getting to the end of a long, but delicious day of tasting. ‘I have been involved with Decanter for more than 10 years and I cannot remember such a success rate.’

    Vianna was not alone in his enthusiasm. Together we tasted 75 wines, and 72% of those wines scored 90 points or above. At Decanter, that means it is a wine that has complexity and precision – a benchmark wine. Anything that touches, or even nearly touches, Gold at 95pts is not only exemplary but thrilling. And we tasted some thrilling wines.

    Read the full article in Decanter, September 2022

  • Wine Enthusiast: Old school is the new cool

    Wine Enthusiast: Old school is the new cool

    This is how we always used to make wines in Argentina… TorrontĂ©s was an orange wine before it was a white wine,” explains MatĂ­as Michelini as he plunges his bare hands and tattooed forearms into a bin filled with TorrontĂ©s grapes. Foam appears around the grape skins while a posse of family members (MatĂ­as is one of four brothers, each of whom have four children) and friends mill around him. Wicker baskets filled with recently picked grapes are animatedly being poured into large vats as the teenagers foot stomp them to the sound of bachata music.

    “These are family wines and handmade wines—it’s nothing new really,” says Michelini. It might be nothing new, but there’s undoubtedly a new movement underfoot in South America as winemakers bring old winemaking techniques and grape varieties back to the fore. And with them, they are bringing a wave of vibrant and juicy wines.

    Read the full article in Wine Enthusiast, May 2022

  • Club Oenologique: Cult Vineyards

    Club Oenologique: Cult Vineyards

    As the terroir focus in South American wine continues to sharpen, the spotlight is increasingly being cast on the vineyard, says Amanda Barnes, with certain sites not only becoming known for their distinctive wines but also accruing cult status for themselves.

    Until the 1990s, when it came to the wines of South America, brands and winery owners ruled the roost. Then, an era of flying winemakers in Argentina and Chile made the consultant winemaker the sales teams’ marketing pin-up, soon to be overshadowed by the local star winemakers. In recent years, however, the most exciting advances have been through the turbocharged quest to best represent ‘the place’ in the glass – whether that place is a subregion, appellation, single vineyard or even a single block. And as winemakers push beyond the traditional wine regions on the balmy valley floors, single-vineyard wines are becoming thrillingly diverse – from the wind-battered depths of Patagonia, to the lofty heights of the Andes Mountains or the edge of the bracing Pacific Ocean.

    Here are eight of the most remarkable examples, all made from relatively new vines and subregions that are leading the pack in South America for unique, terroir-driven wines.

    Read the full article in Club Oenologique, November 2021