Written for the Drinks Business, February 2015
Argentina has long been known for its lush, ripe Malbec, and there’s no doubt that those wines are still in full swing. However there is a tide of change in the style of not just Malbec, and the new generation of winemakers are at the helm of this emerging direction. Moving away from the continental climate of the flat lands, winemakers and agronomists are seeking higher altitude micro climates in the Andes and new varieties are surfacing (including a new wave of whites). Here are some of the winemakers that are blazing a new trail in Argentina:
Matias Michelini (Passionate Wines, Super Uco)
Perhaps the most radical of Argentina’s winemakers, Matias Michelini was fondly known as ‘the green Michelini’ for many years and his colourful winemaking still makes him the compelling anti-hero of the Argentine wine scene. Pioneering a lean style of wine with often electric acidity, Michelini has been at the forefront of Uco Valley winemaking and in particular Gualtallary’s development over the last decade.
Although still consulting to larger projects including Sophenia and Zorzal, it is in his own experimental passion project – Passionate Wines – where he is making waves. A firm believer in biodynamic viticulture, Passionate Wines very much start in the vineyard and almost invariably end in concrete. The ever-growing collection includes an exuberantly aromatic, bone-dry orange wine (Torrontes Brutal), a 40-day co-ferment of Malbec and Cabernet Franc from 8 harvests (Demente), and a Pinot Noir fermented in a large, refurbished oak vat that in a previous life was a dog house. “I take lots of risks when I make wine, and I lose all the time, but it is all part of the game – it is an exquisite exercise. I want to make wines without rules, and without limits.”
Perhaps the only winemaker in the country that has a problem with Argentina’s regulatory board for having too little alcohol in his wines (whereas his neighbours struggle to keep below 15%), Michelini’s belief is that the best balance and expression of the Uco Valley’s mountain wines is through earlier harvests and zero correction in the winery. With minimal intervention and non-mechanised, artisan techniques (his young children are often deployed to crush grapes), Michelini strips away all the smoke from the winemaking process and shows us that the true magic is in the vineyard. Rule-breaking, opinion-splitting and making some of the most original wines to come out of Argentina, Michelini is one to keep your eye on.
Sebastian Zuccardi (Zuccardi)
A leading winemaker of the new generation, Sebastian Zuccardi is the tireless Head Winemaker for his winery Bodega Zuccardi and sister winery Santa Julia. Despite managing a team of 7 winemakers and producing over 16 million litres between brands, Zuccardi Jnr has his eye firmly on the details. As one of the forerunners of the micro terroir studies in the Uco Valley and pushing through the GI regions, the new family winery in Altamira has been specially designed to vinify small vineyard lots with 17 amphorae and 62 concrete vats custom designed for the purpose.
One of the most important features in the winery for Zuccardi is the experimentation and research lab where his young team of winemakers and international interns test out new concepts. “It is the kindergarten of the winery,” says Zuccardi, who started the lab over 7 years ago. “It is here where we came up with all of the ideas for the new winery.” Zuccardi’s experiments have led to a sparkling red Bonarda (a variety he champions for Argentina), and unusual varieties such as Ancellota and Caladoc. While he dabbles in different varieties, Zuccardi’s vision for the future is not about variety, but place. “The challenge of my generation is to work in geographic identification. To talk about the Uco Valley is too big, the future of Argentina is in the villages… Malbec is not the important thing, the most important thing is the place, and Malbec is the vehicle to express our region. Burgundy took 800 years, but maybe we will take less.”
Zuccardi is indeed well on his way, and his top wines show an elegant and stylish interpretation of Mendoza’s future. With Zuccardi’s visionary winery opening in less than 6 months, and a new Finca range about to be launched, there is plenty more to see from Sebastian Zuccardi yet. At only 34 years old, he is at the top of his game and not slowing down.