Argentina Essential Guide
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Copyrighted material, May 2021 GET TO KNOW VINE CONNECTIONS Leading Importer of Premium ArgenƟne and Chilean Wine and Japanese Sake In 1999, Vine ConnecƟons pioneered the Įrst naƟonally imported porƞolio of arƟsan wines from Argen- 1 Ɵna. Of the iniƟal 5 brands and 12 wines released, the least expensive was $24 retail. In 2001, Vine ConnecƟons became the US’ premier Japanese ginjo sake importer, oīering sake from 11 family-run breweries spanning the length of the country from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Today, VC represents 2 15 family breweries and more than 30 diīerent sake. In March 2013, Vine ConnecƟons introduced the world to “The New Chile” with a porƞolio of 9 family-run 3 wineries with 11 brands from 12 diīerent regions within Chile. The prices ranged from $15 to $200 retail. In 2001, Food & Wine Magazine named Vine ConnecƟons one of three “Importers to Watch.” The com- pany was also recognized as an “Importer You Can Trust” by Slate Magazine (2009) and Details Magazine 4 (2010). In 2014, Wine Enthusiast Magazine nominated Vine ConnecƟons for “Wine Importer of the Year.” When Ed y Nick started Vine ConnecƟons, they told themselves, “When people who represent us go into an account, we never want them to have to worry about the quality of the wine in the boƩle.” This 5 mantra sƟll drives their daily pursuit to represent the best wines & sake at all prices. MEET ED MEET NICK 1. I have been a wine lover since college and have worked in the 1. At 16, I lived in Fixin, France as an exchange student. Every wine business since 1986. I am geƫng preƩy good at it, but I sƟll night I would enjoy a boƩle of Burgundy with my host family, learn something new every day. which was my Įrst step into the world of wine. 2. My wine career has been in retail sales, wholesale sales, naƟonal 2. While aƩending Berkeley, I needed a job and found an opening at the North Berkeley Wine Co. I have never worked outside of brand markeƟng, direct-to-consumer, and naƟonal imporƟng. the wine industry since. 3. My boss once told me, “Edward, you should spend more Ɵme 3. I started Vine ConnecƟons as a brokerage/distributor in 1995. drinking Mouton-Cadet and less Ɵme drinking Mouton-Rothschild.” My Įrst client was Billington, the importer for Catena, and I grew That was 1993, and I have been my own boss ever since. California into a top-3 market. 4. I like wines that have the following three characterisƟcs: 4. I met Ed aŌer hearing a KFOG radio ad for his direct mail company 1) balance, 2) balance, 3) balance. "Passport Wine Club" while driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. 5. My favorite hangover quote: “You can never say, ‘I drank too much 5. I have been in the wine business for almost 30 years, but it feels wine last night.’ You CAN say, ‘I drank A LOT of wine last night!’” like yesterday when I was driving cases of wine in my Nissan Sentra making sales calls and deliveries to Southern California. Jujuy PARAGUAY 20°S 1 2 3 N 4 Salta 5 6 W E 7 NORTH Catamarca 8 10 9 S 11 12 13 Tucumán La Rioja 14 15 17 16 20 18 19 BRAZIL 21 N 22 A 23 24 CUYO E San 25 Juan 26 C 27 28 30°S O 29 URUGUAY 30 C 31 I Mendoza F 32 I C Mendoza A P Santiago ATLANTIC ATLANTIC Buenos Aires OCEAN 33 51 CHILE 34 La Pampa 50 36 35 37 49 Neuquén 38 39 40 A Río Negro E S E N I 40°S T PATAGONIA N ARGENTINA 41 E G 42 43 44 R WINE REGIONS A 46 48 45 Chubut 47 50°S 1. Humahuaca 19. Chilecito 33. Rio Colarado Upper Valley Altitude: 8,900 - 9,800 ft. Altitude: 2,500 - 4,200 ft. Altitude: 1,000 - 1,200 ft. JUJUY LA RIOJA LA PAMPA 2. Tilcara CUYO 20. Felipe Varela 34. San Patricio del Chañar Altitude: 7,500 - 9,200 ft. NORTH Altitude: 3,300 - 3,800 ft. Altitude: 1,100 - 1,400 ft. JUJUY LA RIOJA NEUQUÉN 3. Tumbaya 21. Jáchal 35. Rio Limay Lower Valley Altitude: 5,600 - 7,500 ft. Altitude: 3,100 - 4,000 ft. PATAGONIA Altitude: 850 - 1,000 ft. JUJUY SAN JUAN NEUQUÉN 4. Cachi 22. Iglesia 36. Rio Colorado Upper Valley Altitude: 7,600 - 9,500 ft. Altitude: 5,100 - 6,600 ft. Altitude: 1,000 - 1,200 ft. SALTA SAN JUAN RIO NEGRO 5. Molinos 23. Tulum 37. Rio Negro Upper Valley Altitude: 6,500 - 7,600 ft. Altitude: 1,800 - 2,800 ft. Altitude: 590 - 870 ft. SALTA SAN JUAN RIO NEGRO 6. San Carlos 24. Ullum 38. Rio Negro Middle Valley Altitude: 5,000 - 6,300 ft. Altitude: 2,500 - 3,000 ft. Altitude: 390 - 520 ft. SALTA SAN JUAN RIO NEGRO 7. Cafayate 25. Calingasta 39. Rio Colorado Lower Valley Altitude: 5,100 - 6,600 ft. Altitude: 4,400 - 5,700 ft. Altitude: 230 - 330 ft. SALTA SAN JUAN RIO NEGRO 8. Colalao del Valle 26. Zonda 40. Rio Negro Lower Valley Altitude: 5,500 - 6,100 ft. Altitude: 2,500 - 2,800 ft. Altitude: 13 - 53 ft. TUCUMÁN SAN JUAN RIO NEGRO 9. Amaicha del Valle 27. Pedernal 41. Comarca Andina Paralelo 42 Altitude: 6,300 - 7,300 ft. Altitude: 3,800 - 4,600 ft. Altitude: 660 - 890 ft. TUCUMÁN SAN JUAN CHUBUT 10. Santa Maria 28. North Mendoza 42. Piedra Parada Altitude: 6,000 - 7,600 ft. Altitude: 1,900 - 2,300 ft. Altitude: 1,300 - 1,400 ft. CATAMARCA MENDOZA: Las Heras, Lavalle CHUBUT 11. Belén 29. Central Oasis 43. Paso del Sapo Altitude: 3,700 - 4,700 ft. Altitude: 2,000 - 4,300 ft. Altitude: 1,300 - 1,320 ft. CATAMARCA MENDOZA CHUBUT •Maipú: Coquimbito, Cruz de Piedra, Fray Luis 12. Tinogasta Beltrán, General Ortega, Gutiérrez, Las 44. 16 de Octubre Valley Altitude: 3,600 - 6,700 ft. Barrancas, Lunlunta, Luzuriaga, Maipú, Rodeo del Altitude: 1,100 - 1,200 ft. CATAMARCA Medio, Russell, San Roque CHUBUT •Luján de Cuyo: Agrelo, Carrodilla, Chacras de 13. Pomán Coria, El Carrizal, La Puntilla, Las Cumpuertas, 45. Rio Pico Valley Altitude: 2,500 - 3,200 ft. Luján de Cuyo, Mayor Drummond, Perdriel, Ugarteche, Vistalba Altitude: 1,900 - 2,200 ft. CATAMARCA CHUBUT 30. East Mendoza Altitude: 1,600 - 2,300 ft. 46. Los Altares 14. San Blas de los Sauces MENDOZA: San Martin, Junin, Altitude: 1800 - 850 ft. Altitude: 3,100 - 3,600 ft. Santa Rosa, Rivadavia, La Paz CHUBUT LA RIOJA 31. Uco Valley 47. Sarmiento 15. La Costa Riojana Altitude: 2,800 - 5,300 ft. Altitude: 870 - 980 ft. CUYO Altitude: 4,200 - 5,600 ft. MENDOZA CHUBUT LA RIOJA •Tupungato: Cordón del Plata, El Peral, El Zampal, El Zampalito, Gualtallary, La Arboleda, La 48. Rio Chubut Lower Valley 16. Famatina Carrera, San José, Villa Bastias, Zapata Altitude: 33 - 160 ft. Altitude: 4,500 - 6,100 ft. •Tunuyán: Campo de los Andes, Colonia Las CHUBUT LA RIOJA Rosas, El Algararrobo, El Totoral, La Primavera, Las Pintadas, Los Árboles, Los Chacayes, Los 49. Médanos 17. Vinchina Sauces, Villa Seca, Vista Flores Altitude: 98 - 112 ft. •San Carlos: Chilecito, El Cepillo, Eugenio Altitude: 4,600 - 4,900 ft. Bustos, La Consulta, Paraje Altamira, Pareditas, BUENOS AIRES LA RIOJA Tres Esquinas, Villa San Carlos 50. Ventania Hills 18. Castelli 32. South Mendoza Altitude: 690 - 1,600 ft. Altitude: 4,200 - 4,300 ft. Altitude: 1,400 - 2,900 ft. BUENOS AIRES LA RIOJA MENDOZA: San Rafael, General Alvear ATLANTIC 51. Tandilia Hills Altitude: 690 - 1,600 ft. BUENOS AIRES VINEYARD MAP GUAYMALLÉN Downtown 7 Mendoza [BN] MENDOZA TO SALTA Mendoza River 846 miles ARGENTINA MAIPÚ 12 13 [MB] [MB] [CS, MB] 12 9 [MB,CS] Perdriel TO BUENOS AIRES Agrelo 648 miles 14 LUJÁN DE [MB] 11 [CS,MB] 8 9 [CS,MB] CUYO 15 [BN] 10 [MB] [MB] RIVADAVIA 16 4 [CF, MB, CS] UCO VALLEY [MB] Ugarteche N El Peral W E S 2 Mt. Tupungato 40 Tunuyán River 21,560 ft [CH, PN, MB] GualtallaryTUPUNGATO VINEYARDS 1 LUCA 9 CASARENA / AREYNA 5 [MB] 2 LUCA G LOT 10 CASARENA NAOKI’S VYD Los Arboles 3 11 14 LUCA LABORDE CASARENA OWEN’S VYD ANDES MOUNTAINS [MB] 4 LA POSTA PAULUCCI 12 MENDEL TUNUYAN 5 LA POSTA FAZZIO 13 LUNTA Vista Flores 6 14 14 LA POSTA PIZZELLA GRAFFITO 8 1 [MB] 7 15 TO SANTIAGO, CHILE [MB, CS, [CS] LA POSTA ARMANDO BODINI 225 miles CF, SY] La Consulta 3 [PV, MB] [SY] 8 TIKAL 16 CHAMAN / REGINATO [MB] 16 Paraje 1 1 [MB] Altamira 12 6 [SE, MB, [MB] BN - Bonarda SALTA CS, PV] CH - Chardonnay CF - Cabernet Franc ARGENTINA Eugenio Bustos CS - Cabernet Sauvignon MENDOZA MB - Malbec MENDO ZA PN - Pinot Noir CHILE PROVINCE VARIETALS SE - Semillon SAN CARLOS SY - Syrah TO PATAGONIA 10 miles 513 miles # Vineyard River higher elevation Highway Route 40 lower elevation Andes Mountains WINEMAKING ACROSS THE ANDES Aconcagua Peak 22,841 ft elev. Salta - Argentina’s highest vineyard Buenos Aires 10,000 ft elev. 653 miles Chile’s highest vineyard ~7,200 ft elev. Rain Shadow hot & dry r Uco Valley i a ~5,000 ft elev. l o o c ‘Costa’ ‘Entre Cordilleras’ ‘Andes’ Mendoza ~ 2,500 ft elev. c ool ~ 1,000 ft elev. H air + fog um bo ldt Current ~200 ft elev. [alluvium, sand & clay] sea level Pacific [decomposed granite, schist] [alluvium, sediments] [colluvium, sediments] Ocean ~100 miles wide ~900 miles wide CHILE ARGENTINA First Planted: 1548 1551 First Bordeaux Varietals: 1851 1853 Total Wine Production: 6th largest wine producer 5th largest wine producer Total Acreage Planted: 350,687 acres 504,485 acres Winemaking Latitudes: 27˚ S (Atacama) 22˚ S (Salta) 41˚ S (Osorno, Patagonia) 39˚ S (Neuquen, Patagonia) Winemaking Elevations: 1,000ft (‘Costa’) 2,500ft (Mendoza) 200ft (‘Entre Cordilleras’) 5,000ft (Uco Valley) MAIN VARIETALS MAIN VARIETALS 7,200ft (‘Andes’) 10,000ft (Salta) 30.5% Cabernet Sauvignon 26% Malbec 4% Tempranillo 7.5% Carmenere 10.5% Sauvignon Blanc Average Rainfall: 2.76 in (Elqui), 50.2 in (Malleco) 7.87in (Mendoza) 12% Bonarda 4% Chardonnay 6% Syrah 9% Pais Fun Fact: 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 4% Merlot 8.5% Merlot 3% Pinot Noir Chile’s vineyard area dedicated to Cabernet Argentina produces 75% of the world’s Malbec.