CRITIC’S CORNER | Amanda Barnes

Based in Mendoza since 2009, Amanda Barnes is a leading authority on the wines of Argentina, and the author of the award-winning South America Wine Guide. She tells us why she’s so excited about the country’s current vinous path

In Argentina right now, we’re living through a golden era of new and more extreme terroir exploration, which is forcing us to redraw the country’s vinous map – from the dizzyingly high-altitude vineyards in Jujay, in the very north, down to the racy wines of Chubut in the deep south of Patagonia. Across the whole country, winemakers are moving towards an ever-greater focus on regional expression and more precise winemaking techniques, yielding fresher, brighter wines. 

What’s most exciting is the incredible work happening in the vineyards. With Malbec in particular, the focus is all about showing the intricacies of the different climate and soils – much like vignerons in Burgundy do with different crus. The winemaking today is edging closer towards more gentle techniques, aimed at making more elegant, sometimes ethereal, styles.

Beyond Malbec, there is a great diversity of other varieties to discover. I’m particularly enthused about the plethora of interesting white blends, which often include Semillon in the mix, as well as top-notch Chardonnay coming from the Uco Valley. I’ve also been following the growing movement towards fragrant light reds like Garnacha and Trousseau, as well as Criolla Chica. Even classic varieties like Cabernet Franc are being completely revitalised, with greater freshness and focus.

There’s also an exciting movement happening with the rediscovery of traditional regions. I’m a big fan of the revaluation of old vines and ‘unfashionable’ varieties in Eastern Mendoza and Río Negro – varieties and regions which I think are on the cusp of becoming cool again. The picture above is of me with a Criolla vine planted in 1831 at Colomé, in Salta, in the very north of the country. Hopefully it provides some idea of scale…

Amanda will be presenting a showcase of the new Argentina at the London Club on Monday 20^th May. She is also offering a 10% discount to Members on her award-winning book, The South America Wine Guide. Just add the code ‘Amigo 67’ when purchasing online.