WINE
Getting out the word on Argentina
Posted on Thu, Jul. 03, 2008
By FRED TASKER
Long a top-rated winery in the Mendoza region, Luigi Bosca for years has exported more than half its wines. Still, promoting them at the London Wine Fair, he found himself drawing world maps to demonstrate even to knowledgeable wine fans that Argentina is at a proper latitude to produce good wine.
''We have to create ways for Argentina to compete in the world,'' Arizu says. ``We can't just talk about our own wine.''
Selling wine in such developing markets at China and Russia is a challenge.
''People are very rich or very poor. There's nothing in the middle. The Chinese and the Russians drink all the best wines,'' he says -- even if they don't really understand them. On the other hand, he says, he once watched a Chinese diner dilute his Chateau Lafite with 7-Up.
Even the wine-savvy United States is a challenge.
''The East and West coasts and big cities like Chicago are quite sophisticated about Argentine wines,'' he says. ``But smaller cities in Indiana, Ohio have very little experience.''
Arizu believes malbec is the grape that is putting his country on the world wine map.
``You can grow cabernet sauvignon everywhere. In Argentina, we have fantastic conditions for malbec.''
Since the country is nearly 2,500 miles long, and malbec grows nearly from one end to the other, its styles are diverse.
``It ranges from friendly, fresh and light to big and powerful, but it always has sweet, ripe tannins.''
The best, he says, comes from Luján de Cuyo, near the Andean city of Mendoza. Bosca's top single vineyard, ''Finca de Nobles,'' at nearly 3,500 feet, has the cool days, cold nights and long growing season that create concentrated wines that are not harsh, he says.
Arizu's winery now is releasing its top wine, ICONO, with 54 percent malbec and 46 percent cabernet sauvignon. The grapes are hand-selected, vine by vine, from vineyards averaging 90 years old, and given 18 months of aging in French oak barrels.
''We want it to be an expression of balance, complexity, elegance and harmony, not of power,'' he says.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
• 2005 Luigi Bosca ICONO, Las Compuertas, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza: black raspberries, cloves and espresso; big, smooth and balanced; opulent; $130.
• 2004 Luigi Bosca Malbec/Verdot ``Finca los Nobles,'' Luján de Cuyo: intense aromas and flavors of mulberries and licorice; crisp acids, mellow tannins, long finish; $50.
• 2004 Luigi Bosca Syrah, ''El Paraíso'' Vineyard, Maipú, Mendoza: intense red plums and bittersweet chocolate; smooth and ripe; $17.
RECOMMENDED
• 2002 Luigi Bosca Cabernet/Bouchet ``Finca los Nobles,'' Luján de Cuyo: black cherries and cinnamon; ripe tannins; $50.
• 2006 Luigi Bosca Pinot Noir Reserve, ''El Paraíso,'' Maipú, Mendoza: black cherries and cinnamon; very dry; firm tannins; $19.
• Nonvintage Luigi Bosca Reserva Brut Nature sparkling wine, Luján de Cuyo (60 percent chardonnay, 40 percent pinot noir): light, frothy, steely, with lemon-lime flavors; $20.
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