Argentina – the whites

Mar & Pampa wine bottle alongside lunch at Fierro Hotel Buenos Aires

See Travels in Argentina – the guide.

Last month in Argentina, mainly at the Wines of Argentina Awards judging but also elsewhere, I tasted some very impressive whites but grape and wine prices are always way below those for top reds, so there is little incentive for improvement. I learnt a useful Argentine phrase for those who are trying hard in difficult circumstances: ‘rowing with forks in dulce de leche’ [the characteristic Argentine caramel spread that has more or less the consistency, and sweetness, of Nutella].

Nevertheless some of the younger wine producers are really pushing the boundaries, as over...