Argentina’s Pinot Grigio wines cover a wide range of flavours
Argentina seems to have given up on trying to make Torrontes its flagship white. I’m not sure this is great timing, as the craze for Moscato should give them plenty of room to market the not entirely dissimilar flavour set of Torrontes. (Torrontes is a cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Criolas, hence the similarity.)
In any event, they apparently have Pinot Grigio vines to spare these days, and that’s what’s on the shelves in Western Canada. The wine comes at all price points, from about $12 to $20, and at all dryness levels, so you can pretty much dial in your personal preferences.
As always, you do need to know that the Sask. Party, apparently mortified by cabinet drunkenness, has taxed wine here to levels that encourage shopping outside the province. Their random taxes have hit the Argentina section hard. Doubtless the reasons passeth all understanding for a mere wine critic. But if you like these wines and find yourself in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and even B.C., you will be pleasantly relieved at the till should you buy them there.
Ignoring the reality that is Wally World, here are four wines from which you should be able to find at least one that suits you. By the way, I tasted all four of these alongside my house Pinot Grigio, Santa Margherita, the inventor of the wine. Santa Margherita has less than 2 g/L residual sugar.
Finca Las Moras is a wine that, were it to come in a box, I would keep it in my fridge constantly. The wine is what I think of as a cottage/cabin wine. It’s not terribly intense. The aromas in the glass are mostly tropical fruits. The palate is dry with a crisp, clean finish. I can’t see guests turning this one down, and at this price, you can afford to keep a case in the cabin at all times.
Argento is a more interesting wine. The price on this one across Canada is all over the map, a $10 swing, which given a $19 price is extraordinary. The wine is pale, by far the palest wine here, almost silver in colour. The aromas in the glass are significantly fruitier than the European versions, but there is some minerality here as well. Juicy, some herbs; this is a very nice glass of Pinot Grigio.
Trapiche is a very large Argentinian winery, and unlike many of their country wineries, the word Reserva on their label actually delivers extra flavour. The palate here is significantly more complex, and I have a hard time identifying many of the threads of flavours. I suspect yeast selection has played a significant part in this wine. A bit herbaceous with some celery in the mix, there’s floral notes and a clean, light, balanced palate and finish. This would likely be my favourite, if only to solve the puzzle of the multilayered hints of flavour.
Graffigna is rather an exception to the above Pinot Grigio. The
aromas here are more melonlike, I’d say honey dew. It has a nice light body, with some fruitiness — pear and apple mostly, but there’s something else happening there influenced by the tiniest herbaceousness. It doesn’t have that slight muskiness of Santa Margherita, but were I trying to save a few bucks, this would be my replacement bottle.
Your preference depends on budget and desire for fruitiness.
WINE OF THE WEEK:
Graffigna Centenario Pinot Grigio Reserve 2015 $16
Finca Las Moras Pinot Grigio 2016 $11
Argento Pinot Grigio 2015 $19
Trapiche Reserve Pinot Grigio 2015 $13
Next week: Big Reds from Washington. Other wine news on twitter.com/ drbooze