#newwinethisweek week 5 – Torrontés, Argentina
It’s week 5 of #newwinethisweek and we’re going for something a little bit different this week. I’m sure you’re all fans of Malbec (even if I’m not!) but there is a grape native to Argentina of which I am very fond… Introducing the wonderful Torrontés.
Torrontés is a white grape variety that produces aromatic and fresh wines with wonderful fruity flavours of peach and apricot. It often has a soft floral note, which has caused many commentators to compare Torrontés to Viognier, current darling of the wine press. Torrontés is a grape with bags of personality and has the potential to be your new favourite white wine!
If you can, look for wines from Cafayate, in the foothill of the Andes; this is considered to be the best location for growing Torrontés, where the cool nights allow the grapes to retain their acidity and bright flavours.
Torrontés is a very easy-going wine, making it extremely flexible when it comes to pairing with food. It’s not a wine of great texture so go for light chicken or fish dishes, but it also pairs pretty well with spicy food – give it a try with a Friday night curry… I might!
I’m also please to say that Torrontés is widely available in UK supermarkets and wine merchants alike, so here are a few suggestions from me:
Dominio del Plata Torrontés 2012, Salta, Argentina (M&S £8.99)
Tesco Finest Torrontés 2011, Cafayete, Argentina (Tesco £8.99)
Michel Torino Coleccion Torrontes 2012, Cafayete, Argentina (Wine & the Vine £8.45)
Tilimuqui Single Vineyard Fair Trade Torrontés 2012, Famatina Valley, Argentina (Waitrose £7.99)
Faldos Nevados Torrontés 2013, Cafayate/Altamira, Argentina (The Wine Society £7.50)
Don’t forget to tell us what you think… Can Torrontés knock Albariño off the top of the #newwinethisweek leaderboard?
Posted on February 3, 2014, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 18 Comments.
Confessions of a Wine Geek
Excellent news! I look forward to participating this week 🙂
I look forward to reading your review! I have a feeling this one will be a very pleasant surprise for some!
Reblogged this on Please Bring Me My Wine and commented:
We’re back to the whites, we’re back to the new world, here’s the wine everyone’s talking about as the next big thing! Torrontés! Take it away Ant….
Reblogged this on Duff's Wines and commented:
This is a wine community thing where people (bloggers are people too, you know) drink a specific varietal or type of wine each week. This week it’s Torrontes from Argentina. Since I love Oh Susana Balbo, I’m popping the twist cap on her entry-level Crios. Play along at home if you want to experience some different wines.
I do enjoy Torrontes but I find the quality to be hit or miss. I guess that could be said of every varietal. Recent good finds have been; Lamadrid, Santa Julia and Tomero. Thanks for bringing exposure to this varietal!
Thanks for the feedback and recommendations! One of the things we are certainly learning with this project is that spending £10 instead of £5 is certainly worth while!
Another great opportunity to expand my burgeoning wine knowledge with previously untried grape varieties-fantastic concept guys. Wine Thursday has never been so much fun!!
So I went for the M & S Dominio Del Plato for a change-can’t pick the lazy Tesco option every week!
The nose on this is intensely fresh with pineapple and blossom characteristics, very different to what I’m accustomed to.
I wasn’t expecting the full bodied, buttery mouth feel on the palate at all, and I struggled to detect much acidity but the length is exceptional for a wine in this price range. Melon takes over from pineapple in the flavour stakes too.
In conclusion, a delightful ‘food’ wine (went great with chicken stir fry) and a very solid 8/10 awarded. Telling moment when the wife declared “can we get this instead of Kiwi Sav Blanc from now on?”
Thanks John… I’ve got the M&S one lines up for the weekend and looking forward to it a lot… Also off to see Jez on Saturday – first visit this year!
Really appreciate the feedback and hope to have plenty more surprises up our sleeves in the next few weeks!
Getting people to try something other than Kiwi Sauv Blanc was my number 1 priority too!!
Right then… Originally we were going out to eat some fine food with some good friends tonight, but the a Fish wasn’t feeling great so it was Chinese and Torrontes. The food match wasn’t perfect – the wine had a touch too much weight – but the Torrontes rocked!
M&S Dominio del Plata Torrontes 2012, Cafayate, Argentina (M&S £8.49)
From a very plain and boring label comes a fabulous wine. Very rich aromas that start with red apple and morph into overripe apricots, quince and a touch of eastern spice; cardamom and even a touch of ginger and cinnamon. Sweet ripe fruit on the palate with apricots, peaches and delightful ripe mango. Those eastern spices whisper in the background and there is fabulous weight to the wine. Really impressive with all the things I’m looking for; concentration, complexity and most important of all, balance. 9/10
Loved it this week Ant,
8/10
Mostly needed food though…
http://pleasebringmemywine.com/2014/02/09/nwtw-week-5-the-verdict-on-argentinian-torrontes/
It’s been great – first 5 weeks suggest to me that peeps are more prepared to experiment with white than red… Can’t wait fir reaction to week 6 selection…
Right, I had the Pora Py’a from Oddbins (£7.95). It had a fresh, zesty smell with a citrus (lemon/lime) nose. On the palate it was clean, vibrant and acidic; however it didn’t deliver much flavour at all – with a disappointing finish. It worked quite well with a spicy chicken dish that I cooked, but more because the taste was quite meek. I’m not ruling out Torrontes and will still try other producers to see what they say, but this was a tad underwhelming. Score 6/10.
Thanks for the review Tim – let’s hope week 6 works out better for you… Less than 24 hours to wait!
Week 5 worked out as it was a new grape for me – and that’s what it’s all about!
Here, here to that!
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