Taming Torrontes, Argentina’s volatile grape
Ā© Amanda BarnesĀ |Ā Marcos Etchart’s boutique winery, Yacochuya, in high-altitude Cafayate Just like an adolescent, the torrontes grape is unpredictable, idiosyncratic, and has yet to settle on a permanent style. ByĀ Amanda BarnesĀ | Written for Wine-Searcher When wine lovers think of Argentina, it’s usually the malbec grape that springs to mind. But that could beĀ set to change, […]
Touring Sicily’s vineyards…
Written for the Circle Update, Circle of Wine Writers Tasca dāAlmerita āYou are home!ā Conrad Maurigi said as we arrived. āIf only!ā would have been my response, not from being tired on last stop of the week but because Tasca dāAlmerita is a place of sublime beauty. Lolloping hillsides striped with green vines and studded […]
Mapping out Chilean wine and gastronomy
Ā Written for The International Wine & Food Society There arenāt many places that can boast the prodigious geographical diversity of Chile: deep forests buffeted by creeping glaciers; sun cracked deserts and white washed salt flats; snowcapped mountains, smoking volcanoes and the dizzying heights of the Andes; fertile valleys with rolling hillsides; and an enviable expanse […]
Capital of Cool
Written for WinesofChile.org Casablancaās elevation to Wine Capital status comes not only on the back of its awesome wines but also its capital of cool, Valparaiso. This funky port town shows the world Chileās wild side: arty, edgy and plenty of parties. A favourite of backpackers, Chilean students and beach lovers, Valparaiso is a mecca […]
Southern Cone Harvest Report 2013
Written for The Drinks BusinessĀ With most of Argentina experiencing outstanding quality and Chile encountering one of the strangest harvests in their recent history, this year’s harvest has been remarkable. Across Argentina the flowering period and harvest went by almost without a climatic hitch. In Mendoza, where the sun shines on average more than 300 […]
The Story of Chilean Malbec
Written for WinesOfChile.org Most people associate Malbec with Chile’s neighbour, Argentina, but little do they know that Chile has a possibly even longer history with the tasty varietal. There are some beautiful, gnarly old vines across the country and research by Pablo Lacoste actually suggests that the first Malbec vines arrived in Chile in […]
Argentine Wine Dragged Down By Red Tape
Written for Wine-Searcher.com on 26 Nov 2012 Public frustration with the economic policies of Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is on the rise – as evidenced by a recent series of mass cacerolazos, or pot-banging protests. Yet while the wine industry is at the forefront of the discontent, few producers will speak on record […]
Grape Expectations
Many people in the wine industry are returning to more artisanal and hand crafted forms of winemaking. You donāt need pavilion sized wineries and limitless funds to make great wine – just good taste and some common sense. Amanda Barnes learns a few tricks of the trade to make superb wine the simple way. For […]
Young Wine Writer of Year Award 2012: Runner Up
My entry to the Young Wine Writer of the Year Award (UK) which placed as Runner Up. The True Face of Harvest Carlos wiped the dripping sweat from his brow. His stout index finger brushed his right eye, and the vinegar he had doused on it stung the crease of his eyelid. He winced and […]
Argentine Architects Trailblazers in Winery Design
Bormida & YanzĆ³n, who celebrate their 40th anniversary this year, have been highly influential in determining the look of Argentina’s wine estates. Written for Wine-Searcher.com: Ā Posted Saturday,Ā 06-Oct-2012 It’s not so long ago that Argentinaās wineries were all made of traditional adobe walls (mud and straw) in oblong constructions. But in the past decade, the architectural […]
