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Winery
Alto Limay
Varietal: Chardonnay
For most people, the Chardonnay grape varietal is one of the quintessential white wine grapes. It isn't difficult to understand why; Chardonnay may well have started off in regions of France (where it is still used widely today in both single variety white wines as well as sparkling Champagne wines) but it is now grown in every wine producing country in the world. Indeed, it was the New World that took Chardonnay to some exciting new extremes – this relatively neutral grape has the fantastic ability to carry much of its terroir in the bottle, resulting in a fascinating range of flavors and styles. Furthermore, Chardonnay is one of the few white wine grapes which is well suited to aging, as can be seen in some of the excellent produce consistently coming out of Burgundy, and elsewhere in the world. With everything from buttery, creamy characteristics to vibrant tropical fruit notes, Chardonnay will never cease to surprise and impress.
Region: Patagonia
Patagonia is a rather fascinating and somewhat unlikely New World wine region. Despite being mostly in Argentina, it bears little to no resemblance whatsoever to the more famous Argentinian region of Cuyo, being instead at a low altitude, much further south, and considerably colder. However, unusual weather conditions, and a benevolent mountain wind known as 'La Zonda' help wineries in Patagonia produce highly characterful wines, which generally have far more in common with traditionally French and German wines than their New World counterparts. Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, amongst others, all grow very well in this chilly and windswept place, helped by the mineral rich soils and the expertise of the vintners, many of whom have been working the land of Patagonia for several generations.
Country: Argentina
It is said that the first Argentinian vines were planted in the Mendoza more than four hundred years ago by European settlers, and despite these early wines being used primarily for religious purposes, the fervor for wine making never left the area. Today, Argentina is keen to demonstrate its technological prowess when it comes to vineyard cultivation, by combining traditional methods of irrigation left over from the Huarpes Indians with modern techniques in order to make the dry, arid desert an ideal environment for growing grapes. Indeed, these ancient irrigation channels, dug hundreds of years ago and still in use today, bring mineral-rich melt water from the Andes via the Mendoza river, something which gives the grapes grown in this region some of their character. The primary grape of this and other regions of Argentina is the Malbec, which is highly susceptible to rot in its native France, but which thrives in the dry and hot climate of South America, producing rich and plummy wines which are highly drinkable especially when young.