Ancient Grapes, New Trends in South America
5/12/19 -
(Roberto Henriquez)
Much of what we understand here in the Northern Hemisphere about the wines of South America comes from relatively recent developments in big agriculture. In Chile, which in the 20th century radically expanded its agricultural production (much of it destined for winter-time supermarket shelves here in the US), four industrial macroproducers are responsible for 80% of the total volume of Chilean wine produced. Argentina is renowned for its Malbecs, many of which come from some of the world's largest wine producers.
Yet in each of these countries there are wine traditions stretching back centuries to their colonization by the Spanish in the 16th- and 17th- centuries. Increasingly, these winemaking nations are beginning to recognize the historic nature of their extraordinary country wines, and we would like to bring some of the best producers from the Southern Cone to prominence.
Starting in Argentina, today we would like to focus on Cara Sur, a collaboration between two husband-wife duos. High up in the foothills of the Andes, in the San Juan winemaking region (Mendoza's less famous northern neighbor), lies the Valle de Calingasta. Situated at up to 1500 meters above sea level (nearly 5,000 feet), the vines farmed are from 50 to over 80 years old, and trained in traditional Argentine systems: pergola, and parral. The first couple, Sebastian Zuccardi and Marcela Manini, hail from Mendoza, where Sebastian is from the family of Zuccardi, one of Mendoza's most famous producers. The second couple, Nuria Gargiullo and Pancho Burgallo, are avid mountaineers who live in the tiny town of Barreal, in the Calingasta valley, surrounded by these old vines. The name of the winery, "Cara Sur", means "South Face," in honor of the more difficult climbing route to the peak of Cerro Mercedario, a massive, 22,000 foot mountain that looms over the vineyards. Here in the valley where these ancient vines are found these four produce energetic, beautifully sculpted wines with high acidity and remarkable freshness.
In Chile, the wines of the Itata and Bio Bio valleys are a world away from the industrial vineyards of the north. Here, bush-trained vines with remarkable age have been cultivated for production in autochthonous styles for centuries. One of the area's leading producers in the quality revolution is Roberto Henríquez. After graduating with a degree in agronomy from the University of Concepción, Roberto traveled around the world making wine, finally landing a job with René Mosse in the Loire. Mosse greatly influenced Roberto, introducing him to the ideas behind organic and biodynamic vineyard practice. He has carefully selected which vineyards he draws fruit from, and using long-term fermage agreements, he farms all the vineyards himself, with the help only of some farm animals. He ages everything in the traditional manner: large, neutral casks of Rauli beech, a tree endemic to the forests of Chile. Some of these casks can be hundreds of years old. Using ancient farming and winemaking techniques, Roberto makes wines of extraordinary purity, profound simplicity, and ethereal refinement.
In addition to these fantastic producers, we have some other South American wines on offer as well. We hope you enjoy these startling wines, so new to our sensibilities here in New York, though they come from ancient traditions. We hope you enjoy! Andrew Farquhar
