Torron-tial Downpour

Over the next year, I'd like to look at some slightly less-known varietals that are becoming more widely available. I'm also going to try to demystify a few regions I think we all should know more about. Our first stop in 2008 is south of the Equator -- the Naked Vine's return to Argentina.

When I last wrote about Argentina, I mentioned chardonnay as their premier white grape. During a warm, albeit rainy and dreary stretch in January when neither of us really felt like leaving the house, we recently sampled a few bottles of Torrontés, long considered their signature white and now finally arriving in the States.

As a true wine-making varietal, Torrontés is grown almost exclusively in Argentina. Neighboring Chile grows a little, but is mainly used to make pisco, a type of brandy. The exact origins of the grape are unknown, although it's believed to have come from the Eastern Mediterranean.

What are these wines? They're halfway between Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc to my taste. They're usually quite fragrant -- lots of floral and citrus. They range in style from light-to-medium bodied. They're made to finish relatively dry and crisp. They're excellent wines to have on their own and their acidity makes them flexible with food. Like many Argentine wines, they're generally good values. If you want to break out of a white wine rut, here are some ideas for exploring this newly-available quaffer:

Nōmade 2006 Torrontés -- At first sniff, the Nōmade struck me with its very pretty nose. As I mentioned, these wines can lean towards Viognier in scent, and this is no exception. The bottle label suggests orange blossoms, and I wouldn't argue. It smells a little like lavender to me, also. The flavor, however, is nothing like a Viognier. While fruity, it's not nearly as "thick" as a Viognier. It's rather light bodied and crisp with some sauvignon-ish grapefruit flavors. The finish is medium-dry with a lingering hint of that perfumey nose. I could see this being really good with spicy Thai or Korean food. $12-14.

Lurton 2006 Flor de Torrontés -- The Lurton has a much more subtle scent. The nose is more tropical than perfume, more sliced peaches than peach blossoms. The body is considerably lighter and less fruity overall, although there is some acidity still there. The finish is gentle, but a tad watery and a little tart. While it wasn't my favorite of this varietal, it was refreshing enough to be a decent pool wine come summer, although finding something for that purpose that would fit the bill a little better probably wouldn't be difficult. $9-11.

Alamos 2006 Torrontés -- I've been very happy with the red wines, especially the malbec, from Alamos. Their Torrontés is an interesting addition to their exports. The nose of the wine is in-between the previous two in strength. There's more of a citrus character -- oranges and grapefruits -- to go with those typical peaches. The body of this wine is quite light and somewhat acidic. If not for the nose, this could have been a pinot grigio. The finish is similar to a pinot grigio, also. I'd pair this up with the typical pinot grigio foods -- seafood and creamy sauces, as well as almost any kind of spicy cuisine like curry. Interestingly, we'd made some pasta with red clam sauce, and the wines we had on hand that we thought would pair…well…didn't. We went with this Torrontés. It wasn't bad in a pinch. $8-10.

Wine School! (Class #6 -- Chardonnay)

Chardonnay, the ubiquitous white.

Chardonnay is the United States' most popular wine -- and perhaps the most popular in the world, but I haven't been able to run down the exact ranking. (If anyone has a reference, send it along!) Walk into almost any neighborhood bar or five-star restaurant anywhere in the country. Nine times out of 10, the "house white" will be a Chardonnay.

The history of Chardonnay is somewhat unclear, but there is a town of the same name in Mâcon in the Burgundy region of France. A group of monks in Chardonnay were the first to cultivate the grape for "mass production and distribution." Today, almost any white from Burgundy will be almost entirely produced from the Chardonnay grape.

Chardonnay is an incredibly versatile grape that grows almost in any soil and in any climate. While it's a hardy, flexible grape -- the flavor changes radically depending on its terroir. Chardonnays from cooler climates tend to be crisper and tarter, while warmer climes produce fruitier, creamier styles.

To keep things simple, you can expect to run into three basic flavor profiles of Chardonnay: minerally, oaky, and buttery. Here's an illustration of each:

Louis Jadot 2005 Mâcon-Villages (France) -- $9-11
Alamos 2005 Chardonnay (Argentina) -- $9-11
Kendall-Jackson 2005 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay (California) -- $12-14

First up is the crisp taste of the Louis Jadot. In French wine nomenclature, the best wines are named after their particular chateau or town where the vineyard is planted. Pouilly-Fuissé is known as the home of the best white Burgundies. The name actually refers to two towns, between which lie the vineyards. These wines tend to run $25 and up. However, "Mâcon-Villages" means that the grapes can be from anywhere in Mâcon -- the region in which Pouilly and Fuissé are located. For my money, a Mâcon-Villages is every bit as good at less than half the cost.

This wine has a very light nose -- citrusy and light, with a little scent of something like licorice. The taste is very clean and a little tart, like green apples. The finish is very crisp and pleasant. This is a classic French Chardonnay, which tastes almost more like Sauvignon Blanc than Chardonnays from other places in the world. It's extremely refreshing and light.

Next, we'll let the Argentinean Chardonnay give us the "oak" profile. Over the last several years, Argentina has become known for Malbec on the red side, and Chardonnay on the white. As with much of South America, you can find great wine values from there without trying too hard.

The Alamos starts with a nose of ripe peaches, but the taste shifts radically. As crisp and light as the French version is, this one is much bigger. The flavor is of peaches, toasted almonds, and smoke. You can't miss the oak here. You'll know exactly from here on out what someone's talking about when they mention oaky. The finish is smoky and lasts a long time.

Finally, bring in the butter. California chardonnays almost became parodies of themselves through much of the 90's, as the winemakers went completely overboard with "oaking" their wines. They've settled down a bit, and the "buttery" Chardonnay is becoming more common among California wines. As I mentioned in Lesson #2, the "buttery" flavor is from a process called malolactic fermentation. Some California winemakers are swinging to the other end of the spectrum and producing "unoaked" Chardonnays -- their attempts to get back to the Burgundy tradition.

The Kendall-Jackson smells sweeter and heavier than the Alamos, much more like peach cobbler than peaches. The flavor has a little bit of sweetness and some more of that peach flavor, but it's got a very creamy vanilla taste as well. Again, in comparison to the Alamos -- the oakier wine had a stronger flavor, but the buttery one was richer and fuller. There was a little bit of oak on the finish, held in check by the creaminess.

What to eat with these? If I were drinking one on its own, I'd go with the Louis Jadot. I'd also have this with just about any kind of lighter fish or shellfish dish. An oaky chardonnay will pair more effectively with something smokier, like grilled chicken or veggies, or even a filet if you want white with a steak. The buttery chardonnay -- predictably, goes more effectively with creamier sauces, richer fishes, and almost anything you can picture with butter.

We made a rich fish dish when we did our tasting. The Sweet Partner in Crime liked the Kendall-Jackson, although I thought the Alamos made an interesting pairing. So, in short, experiment and find what you like. There's a Chardonnay out there for almost everyone.

Next up, we dare return to big red territory -- Syrah.

Class dismissed.

Don't cry for me, Argentina -- just send more wine...

Another journey south of the Equator, readers. This time, the other side of the Andes is our destination -- the world's fifth largest wine producer, Argentina.

The history of Argentinean wine closely mirrors that of its neighbor, Chile, from a couple of installments ago. Spanish missionaries planted the first vines during the mid-16^th century. The city of Mendoza was founded in 1561 in the heart of the premiere wine growing region -- it remains the core area for the nation's wine industry. The industry began to flourish in the early 1900's, but declined after Juan Perón was deposed in 1955.

Until the late 1980's, Argentina's vineyards focused mainly on producing large quantities of table wine for the country as well as concentrated grape juice -- which became a major Argentinean export. As Argentina's political and financial situation stabilized, an influx of money, modern technology, and oenological (WineSpeak for "the study of wine") know-how changed the face of the industry. With standards up to world-class levels, high-quality product began to emerge from the mountain slopes.

Argentina exported less than 10% of their total production until the late 1990's, and Argentine wine was almost impossible to find in the United States until that time. Word got out around the world as quality improved, and exports explored. Argentina is now a major player on the world market -- and with the combination of value and quality, I see no change in that status anytime in the near future.

Argentina's climate is extremely well-suited for grape growing. Altitude, low annual rainfall and humidity, lots of sunshine, and excellent soil give Argentina many natural advantages. Its geography also provided it with protection against our old friend phylloxera -- which has also never been an issue with Argentine vines.

Argentina's wines are generally bold and uncomplicated, although there are some more subtle wines being produced in small quantities (and a considerable markup, unfortunately). Argentina is best known for the success of the malbec grape -- a little-used French blending grape that became a star in Argentina. Argentina also grows cabernet sauvignon and merlot among its reds, and they've started experimenting with shiraz, tempranillo from Spain, and Italian sangiovese (used to make Chianti). In the white family, Argentine Chardonnay is considered a strong up-and-comer in the wine world. They do small quantities of Sauvignon Blanc, but Chile seems to do a much better job with that particular grape, in my experience. I also had a chance to try a Torrentes recently, which is known as Argentina's "big white." I'll come back to it later on, but it's got a very fruity, balanced taste -- somewhere between a Riesling and a pinot grigio.

A few tasty selections:

San Felipe 2005 Chardonnay -- The label inscription states: "A perfect balance of lush fruit and soft spice" -- and the flavor comes close to following suit. The nose is a combination of flowers and green apples. The initial taste lives up to the "spicy" promise, almost peppery, but that fades quickly. The mid-taste is quite tart for a chardonnay, and the promise of fruit certainly is there. If it were lighter in body, I'd almost think this wine could have been one of those Chilean sauvignons that I hit before. There's a very nice round citrus flavor. The finish is, again, spicy -- cloves maybe. This is certainly not a complex chardonnay by any stretch, but for $6-7 a bottle, it's certainly a very nice, interesting white. With chicken or shrimp, it'd be quite good, and a gazpacho or other cold soup would go wonderfully with this.

Pascual Toso 2004 Malbec -- Malbec! Malbec! Malbec! I can't state enough what a great varietal I think this is, especially if you're going to be doing anything on the grill. I touched on the Altos in my first column, and I thought I'd compare it to the same varietal from a different winery. The nose of this particular malbec hits you with a raspberry and pepper scent, but with slightly less aroma than the Altos. The mouthfeel of this, however, is richer than the Altos -- with smooth, rich raspberry and vanilla flavors. The finish has a little bit of pepper, but a lighter tannin than the Altos, making it a fantastic wine to pair with a big steak (like the New York strip, lightly marinated in soy sauce and thyme with a side of grilled asparagus I did with this one). You'll find this for $8-10, and it's well worth it. There's also a reserve Pascual Toso malbec, which I've heard really good things about. Long and short -- if you find a malbec that says it's grown in "Mendoza," you've probably got a winner on your hands.

Funky Llama 2004 Shiraz -- As I mentioned, one of the newest grapes on the Argentine scene is shiraz. Most of the shiraz sent up from Argentina tends to be in the lower price points -- so you'll find some very decent, inexpensive selections. Funky Llama usually competes with many of the inexpensive Aussie wines at many stores -- you'll often see them placed side by side. Big hitter, this llama. This wine is extremely fragrant and blackberry-jammy -- stronger even than the malbec. In WineSpeak, they'd call this wine "fruit forward." Nice tart blackberries and licorice mix with a medium tannin to give you a big initial taste. It's not as "round" as a cabernet or some other shirazes, but it's still solid. The finish is a quite peppery and a little dry. There's nothing complicated about this wine, but for $4-7 a bottle, you're certainly not going to be complaining. Anything earthy is going to go well with this -- roasted eggplant, beef curries, brisket, or ribs of any sort.

A side note: sorry for the publication delay this time around. I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Maine which I'll touch on in a bit…

Until next time: Saude!