NYLON - April 2008 - (Page 148)

en route IN VINO VERITAS Don’t cry for Argentina, wine lovers. For bon vivants on holiday, the ﬁnancial crisis of 2001 hasn’t dimmed the allure of this country of tango and Borges, gauchos and the pampas. In fact, it’s more accessible and cosmopolitan than ever, with a populist female president and a new inﬂux of writers and artists lured by low prices and an enduring vitality (not to mention investors drawn by the beneﬁcent grape-growing climate). As long as Argentines keep on dressing up, staying out late and looking good, the music plays— and the wine ﬂows. There are many to thank for Argentina’s rich oenophilic tradition: the Incas, who ﬁrst cultivated the desert, engineering early irrigation systems that funneled mineral-rich melt water from the Andes; the Spaniards, who arrived in South America with grape vines in the 16th Century; the Italians, who brought palatable new European varietals in the 19th; the Argentines themselves, who consume about 45 liters of wine per capita, or 90% of what they produce. In more recent years, pilgrims from the University of California have sparked a wine-making revolution, introducing new scientiﬁc standards, from growing methods to production, that emphasize quality over quantity. The 2002 devaluation of the pesco lowered production costs, sparking millions of dollars in foreign investment in the wine business, thus ushering in a new era of wine tourism. The crucial element of the Argentine terroir is the altitude. Planting grapes at an average of 900 meters above sea level has a cooling effect that counterbalances the intensity of the Everyone knows Buenos Aires is cool (and cheap), but outside South America’s most glamorously hedonistic capital there’s an oenophile’s paradise waiting to be discovered. By Megan O’Grady. Photographed by Amy Farrier sun and concentrates ﬂavor. The arid conditions repel mold, insects, and other diseases that ravage grape vines elsewhere, allowing for little to no pesticide use. Growing conditions are so ideal that even such archetypically Chilean wineries as Concha i Toro have begun crossing the Andes to plant here, wine-sodden tails between legs. And no varietal flourishes under the intense Argentine sun quite like Malbec. A neutral blending component in Cahors and Bordeaux, Malbec came into its own in Argentina, where it produces world-class wines all by itself, thank you very much. Intense in color, velveteen in texture, and rich in fruit and spice, the country’s most famous grape has a big, sexy personality that complements a traditional parilla, or barbeque, of steak and offal. But Malbec isn’t the entire Argentine wine story. If Malbec is the bombshell of the family, Torrontés is her demure little sister: a white varietal that’s sweet in the nose and dry on the palate, redolent at its best of honeysuckle and jasmine, pear, and melon. While plenty of bottom-line winemaking remains—heavily oaked Chardonnays and Cabernets, not to mention misguided attempts at Pinot Noir (tragically, many wineries are planting this delicate, cool-loving grape in response to the Sideways craze), Argentine wine country is full of interesting contrasts, embodying a spirit of fun and tradition that, like its citizenry, refuses to take itself too seriously. With this in mind, we looked at two vastly different wine producers in two different regions of the country—each emblematic, in its own way, of the great Argentine wine epic. Location: Southern South America Population: 40,301,927 Ofﬁcial language: Spanish Currency: Pesco (approximately 10.8 to the U.S. dollar)

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of NYLON - April 2008

NYLON - April 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Par Avion Behind the Scenes Contributors Happily Ever After Mass Appeal: Punk Mass Appeal: Retro Mass Appeal: Glam Mass Appeal: Watches Haute Stuff Mass Appeal: Denim Private Icon: Shampoo Jeans of the Month Cult Of The Price is Right East Meets West Nesting: Flower Power The Observer Factory Girl: What a Girl Wants Hall of Fame Social Studies Poetry in Motion Beauty Street Style Fashion News Mania: Bottoms Up Directory: Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bella Donna Private Icon Counter Culture 'Tis the Season Beauty News Some Kind of Bliss Rocking Horses The Story So Far Personal Effects And This Bird Can Sing Young Offenders Geek Love Eyes Wide Open The Graduate Film Strips Culture Club En Route: In Vino Veritas Three of Hearts Head Trip The Shape of Things The Great Outdoors Star Maps Shopping List Bag Check

NYLON - April 2008

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