The Peaks of South America

The history of wine production in South America is a long one, finding its origins in the mid-sixteenth century and the arrival of Cortes, who brought Vitis vinifera (the wine vine) - either in the form of cuttings or, more likely, as seeds in dried fruit - along with religious beliefs promoted through the perforation with pointy bits of metal those reluctant to covert.

It seems reasonably likely that those insistent prosthelytisers originally planted vines for use in their religious ceremonies. I suspect that it was some years before the local population thought of thanking them.

Vines in both Chile and Argentina are planted on the slopes of the Andes, altitude tempering the torridness of summer and providing extravagant daytime/night-time temperature variation, prolonging the growing season, lengthening the ripening period, bringing finesse, intensity and aroma to the end wine.

Additionally, Chile benefits in its isolation from never having suffered the devastation of Phylloxera, that vine louse that destroyed - at various points in history - much of the world's vineyard. This means that the vineyards of Chile are ungrafted. (N.B. The vine louse comes from North America, where the native, non-wine-producing vines are resistant to it. European vines have no such resistance and plant death came quickly once the invader attacked at root level. The solution was eventually discovered: graft Vitis vinifera onto the roots of the North American Vitis labrusca or similar, thus virtually all of the world's vineyards are now planted with grafted vines.)

When I first joined the wine trade, Chile was the Next Big Thing. Then it appeared somehow to lose its way. What it lacked was both figure-head wines at the top end and the ability to produce clean, expressive and consistent wines of good value.

A visit to the Wines of Chile tasting earlier in the year was both depressing and enlightening. Very many wines are still badly made: over-sulphured, over-oaked, under-wined. And yet there are some stunningly pure varietal wines at the lower end and at the top of the tree, whooee. Well, those wines at the top of the tree appear below.

Argentina is blessed with a great many exceptionally fine wine producers and many would argue that none is finer than that which appears in this offer.

Interestingly, Argentina and Chile (and, indeed, Uruguay) have adopted French varieties and attempted to make them their own. Argentina is rightly celebrated for the quality of its Malbec; from the grape the country produces world class wines. Less so Chile with Carmenère. Chile is perhaps more famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon and blends thereof, than it is varietal Carmenère. Uruguay has Tannat, a brooding, tannic grape producing brooding, tannic wines that are perfect with the reddest of red meat.

Achaval Ferrer

The Achaval Ferrer winery with the mighty Andes behind

Achaval Ferrer was founded in 1998 by a group of friends who had made their money in trade and industry. Their simple mission: to produce wines of the utmost quality; wines that were pure reflections of the soil of the vineyards from which they come.

This is very much an Argentine-Italian project, as winemaker Roberto Cipresso has his home on as estate in Montalcino in Tuscany, finding time at the opposite end of the year to make the wine at Achaval Ferrer.

“Does Argentina have a fine wine dimension? That’s a good question. I think I’d answer ‘yes’, and largely because of the amazing wines of Achaval Ferrer…” Jamie Goode on his website www.wineanorak.com

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price IB	Notes	Order
2006	Quimera, Achaval-Ferrer, Mendoza, Argentina	2011-2019	6x75cl	£108.00
2007	Finca Mirador, Achaval-Ferrer, Mendoza, Argentina	2014-2025	6x75cl	£300.00
2007	Finca Altamira, Achaval-Ferrer, Mendoza, Argentina	2011-2020	6x75cl	£300.00
2007	Finca Bella Vista, Achaval-Ferrer, Mendoza, Argentina	2012-2022	6x75cl	£300.00
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Altaïr

Altaïr vineyards

Altaïr started out as a joint venture between Laurent Dassault, owner of Châteaux Dassault and La Fleur in St Emilion, and Chile’s second largest wine producer: Viãs San Pedro. Since 2007, however, ownership has been 100% Chilean.

The vineyards here are planted on the slopes of the Cachapoal Valley, itself a subregion of the Rapel Valley, located in central Chile. Yields in the vineyards are kept very low; all harvesting is done by hand. In other words, despite the fact that Laurent Dassault sold his stake in the venture in 2007, his dream of producing a Grand Cru wine in Chile is still alive and very much kicking!

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price IB	Notes	Order
2004	Sideral, Altaïr, Cachapoal, Chile	2010-2014	6x75cl	£66.00
2003	Altaïr, Altaïr, Cachapoal, Chile	2011-2020	6x75cl	£168.00
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More mindless Chilean loveliness