By a stroke of coincidence, while I was in Victoria (Vancouver Island, not Australia) today I got to try through this set of wines from Argentina star winery Catena, presented…
Pedogenic lime in arid vineyard soils – how does it affect the flavour of wine?
When it comes to vineyard soils, limestone is all the rage. But there’s one source of limestone in vineyard soils that isn’t much talked about. It’s the slow formation of…
A quick trip to Argentina, with Doña Paula
So we flew. From Santiago, over the Andes, to Mendoza. The two cities are quite close geographically, but very different. Mendoza, in the far east of Argentina, is mostly desert….
Tasting some interesting white wines from Argentina
This was a great chance to taste some diverse white wines from Argentina with three interesting Argentine wine people. There’s Edgardo del Popolo, who works for Susana Balbo and his…
White Stones and White Bones: terroir-based Chardonnays from Catena
It was very interesting to try these two high-end terroir-based Chardonnays from Catena, and then the next day to have a look at the soils that produced them. They both…
Dinner at 1884 Francis Mallmann, Mendoza
On my last night in Mendoza I dined alone. It’s something I rarely do on my travels: often I’ll use a free evening as a chance to skip a meal…
Some pictures from Mendoza, Argentina
I have been in Mendoza for two and a half days now, and it has been a remarkable time. I have been with Catena’s Instituteof Wine, a research department bringing…
In Argentina
I’m in Mendoza, Argentina. I just arrived, so the picture above is from my last visit, showing Catena’s high-altitude Adrianna vineyard. Today started around 5 pm yesterday when I left…
Chandon Brut, serious fizz from Argentina
Chandon have just launched their Argentine sparkling wines in the UK. They are really impressive, made in a rich but balanced style. Retail price is around £16, which is expensive…