Barbera d’Asti
ORIGIN: Barbera d’Asti is one of the principal
wine-grape varieties in Italy. It is spread throughout
35 provinces, principally in Asti, Alessandria, Cuneo
and Pavia, in which it represents 40% to 64% of their
viticultural production. In San Juan (Argentina) it is
the most cultivated red variety, occupying close to 50%
of the surface area planted with red wine grapes.
SYNONYMS: In the Cuyo it is customary to call this
variety Barbera d’Asti, although its true name
is only Barbera. It is customary to call the variety
Bonarda or Barbera Bonarda, although the differences
between the two varieties are such that there should
not be any confusion between them.
CHARACTERISTICS: Barbera is a red variety with medium-sized,
blue-black berries. In Mendoza, Barbera follows Malbec,
Tempranillo and Bonarda in importance. In the Cuyo it
is considered the producer of quality wine with good
acidity and characteristic perfume.
Bonarda
ORIGIN AND SYNONYM: Bonarda’s name has been the
cause of confusion among the cultivated varieties in
the Italian Piedmont, where a variety called Bonarda
Piemontese or Bonarda d’Astigniano exists. Bonarda
Piemontese is the only true Bonarda. However, in Argentina
the variety called Bonarda or many times Barbera Bonarda,
is not the true Bonarda but one that corresponds to a
French variety called Corbeau francesa (better known
as Douce Noir).
CHARACTERISTICS: Bonarda has medium, well filled clusters.
The berries are blue-black, spheroid, with a soft pulp,
although its wine does not have a very intense coloration.
Bonarda and Tempranillo have comparable surface areas
planted and are the most important red wine grapes after
Malbec in Mendoza.
NOTES: It is very frequent to find it mixed in Malbec
vineyards, although there are numerous properties with
pure plots of Bonarda. It has been sought as an alternative
to Malbec, however its wine quality cannot be compared.
Cabernet Franc
ORIGIN: Southwest of France.
SYNONYMS: Acheria, Bouchy, Gros Bochet, or Bouchet
Franc (in Saint Emilion), Grosse Vidure (in Bordeaux)
CHARACTERISTICS: Cabernet Franc is a moderately productive,
black variety with medium-sized clusters that have small,
round, blue-black berries. The berry skin is fine and
the juice is sweet.
NOTES: Cabernet franc is a very old variety, so much
so that some authors attribute to this variety characteristics
of the Vitis silvestris or the primitive vines. The area
cultivated with Cabernet Franc in the Bordeaux region
of France is important, even though its wines are considered
not to have the quality of those coming from Cabernet
Sauvignon. Its cultivation is not very important in Argentina.
Cabernet Sauvignon
ORIGIN: Bordeaux/France
SYNONYMS: Petit Bouche, Petit Cabernet or Petit Vidure
CHARACTERISTICS: Cabernet Sauvignon is a black variety
with small to medium clusters and small, blue-black berries
with a soft pulp.
NOTES: In French Gironda it is considered the only
first class cultivar. It is the preferred variety in
the Medoc region of France. Clonal selection has served
to select more productive lines. It produces wines of
very high quality.
Carignane
ORIGIN: In France and Italy Carignane is considered to
have come from Spain.
SYNONYMS: Carignane is also known by the names Mazuelo
in Spain and Bois Dur in France.
CHARACTERISTICS: Carignane is a red variety with medium-sized,
red-black berries. In Mendoza, it is considered a vigorous
variety with good production. There are practically no
other plantings of this variety in the rest of the country.
In Europe, Carignane stands out for its resistance to
the winter cold. In general its wines have little colour.
Cereza
ORIGIN: Cereza belongs to the group of wine-grapes called “criollo” varieties,
known in South America since the beginning of its first
wine production. They have great diversity of form and
type and do not have any evident connection with European
or Asian varieties.
SYNONYMS: Cereza is not a well defined entity since
variations exist, fundamentally in the color and form
of the berries. In Mendoza it is frequently found mixed
with Criolla Grande or Sanjuanina.
CHARACTERISTICS: Cereza is a red variety with large,
light blue-black berries and a meaty pulp. It is a very
vigorous variety with extraordinary production. It is
a very rustic variety, resistant to soil salinity. This
ability has made it valuable in San Juan where it is
widespread. It has been thought to be used as a rootstock
to graft Moscatel de Alejandría on since this
variety has very little resistance to salts.
Criolla Chica
ORIGIN: Criolla Chica is another of the so-called “criollo” varieties.
Diverse forms exist and it can be found in all wine growing
regions of South America.
SYNONYMS: In Peru Criolla Chica is known as Negra Corriente
and in Chile as Uva del País.
CHARACTERISTICS: Criolla Chica is a red variety with
red and rose-black, small to medium-sized berries. Its
more salient characteristics, that permit its differentiation
from the other criolla entities such as Cereza and Sanjuanina,
reside fundamentally in its leaves. In the Cuyo, Criolla
Chica represents somewhat more than 3% of the cultivated
area. Its wines have little colour.
Criolla Grande
ORIGIN: This variety is currently named Criolla Grande
or Sanjuanina. Together with Cereza and Criolla Chica
it makes up the group of wine grapes called “criollo” varieties
because of the antiquity of their cultivation in Argentina
and other countries of America.
SYNONYMS: The three entities
mentioned and others detected principally in the provinces
of the Argentine northwest present diverse forms with
more or less marked differences in leaves and fruit.
CHARACTERISTICS: Criolla Grande is a red variety with
red and rose-black, spheroid, medium to large sized berries.
It is widespread in Cuyo, where it represents almost
22% of the area planted and together with Cereza they
represent above 34%.
NOTES: Considering its high productivity it can be
estimated that presently the criollo varieties are still
responsible for the greater part of Mendoza’s wine production.
Cereza’s wines have little colour. They are generally
cut with other red varieties to achieve the organoleptic
characteristics that this variety does not possess.
Fer
ORIGIN: Fer is a variety cultivated in the French southwest.
SYNONYMS: In France, besides Fer nNoir and Fer sServadou,
this variety is known by numerous names depending on
the locality in which it is cultivated. In Mendoza, it
is very widespread in San Rafael where it is called Verdot.
CHARACTERISTICS: Fer is a red variety with medium sized
blue-black berries. In France it is a variety that is
diminishing in importance in relation to its first expansion.
It has very low production but produces an astringent
wine with good colour that withstands and improves with
age. The vineyards planted with this variety in Mendoza
show good comportment. There is still much to investigate
with respect to its wines.
Malbec
ORIGIN: Southwest France
SYNONYMS: Cots, Lutkens, Perssec , Malbeck. The varieties
of the French “cotts” stem from the end
of the 18th century and it is dubious to assign the focus
of its spread to Quercy or Touraine. What is certain
is that it has always been a Bordeaux variety. It has
had numerous local synonyms depending on the locality
and its disseminator such as Mr. Malbeck, from whom it
took its name. In Argentina it is known as Malbec. Years
ago, it was frequently given the name “French grape”,
although this name has been used with other varieties
such as Tannat and Merlot. It has sometimes been called
Verdot.
CHARACTERISTICS: Malbec is a black variety with medium-sized
clusters and blue-black, spheroid berries with a soft
pulp.
NOTES: Since Malbec is one of the more widespread varieties
in Argentina, it has been used as reference to comparatively
locate the development of other cultivars. Malbec constitutes
the principal variety in Mendoza. Until 1968 it represented
50% of the surface area planted with red grapes for wine
production. In San Juan it only represents 12%. Malbec
produces wines with a characteristic perfume and intense
colour. This variety has adapted excellently in Argentina,
producing wines of superior quality to others in the
world made from the same variety. Presently, due to its
excellence, it is becoming a very important testimonial
to the quality of Argentine wines on an international
level.
Merlot
ORIGIN: For some authors the origin of Merlot is unknown,
for others it comes from the Bordeaux region of France.
SYNONYMS: Other names for Merlot vary according to
the different French localities, but the most frequent
are Braucol and Egeodola. The origin of the name Merlot
appears to be related to the “mirlo” bird. Be it
because this bird eats its grapes or because its berries
have a colour similar to that of the bird. In French,
this bird is called ”merle”. In the “patois” dialect
this sounds like “Merlot”.
CHARACTERISTICS: Merlot possesses medium-sized, conical
clusters. The berries are small, blue-black spheroids.
A white Merlot also exists, cultivated in French Gironda,
but for many authors this variety should not be considered
related to the red Merlot. According to the author Pierre
Rézeau, it is calculated that the cultivation
of Merlot has grown to 68,000 hectares in Europe since
the 19th century when it was considered a secondary variety.
Today it has become the principal variety of Saint Emilion.
NOTES: Merlot is also grown in Italy on the Venetian/Friulana
plain. As much in France as in Italy it is used to produce
light wines with strong colour that mature rapidly but
that do not age well. In Argentina it is mostly planted
in Mendoza. It produces wines of high quality that are
rather light and soft.
Petit Verdot
ORIGIN: Petit Verdot is a variety that has been known
in the Burgundy region of France since ancient times.
SYNONYMS: In Mendoza, it is common to hear of the existence
of Verdot. At times it is in reality blocks of Malbec
that under appropriate environmental conditions and special
cultural care reach an outstanding production. Classically,
two types of Verdot are recognized: Petit Verdot and
Gros Verdot.
CHARACTERISTICS: Petit Verdot is a red variety with
small, purple-black, ellipsoidal berries. It is a classical
French variety from the Burgundy region. It is considered
a fine variety; nevertheless its occurrence in national
plantings is very small. In the Cuyo it has only been
found in small blocks.
Pinot Noir
ORIGIN: Pinot Noir is one of the cultivated varieties
of greatest antiquity. It has been known since the time
of ancient Rome. It has characteristics of the primitive
wild forms (Lambruscas). Because of this it has innumerable
synonyms according to the French viticultural locale
in which it is grown, especially in Burgundy, Alsace
and the Champagne. At the same time, diverse forms of
this variety are known; the principals of which are without
a doubt Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. In general
terms, these principal forms are different only in the
colour of the berry. There are cited cases of plants
with clusters of various colours; berries of different
colours in the same cluster and to distinct colours in
the same berry.
SYNONYMS: Auvernat, Touraine, Noirien,
Noirin. In the Cuyo, the names vary: Pinot Blanc in the
Cuyo is probably Chenin Blanc and Pinot Gris is probably
a variety called Canari. The Pinot Noir cultivated in
Argentina is the authentic French variety of that name.
CHARACTERISTICS: Pinot Noir is an early maturing variety
with small, compact clusters. The berries are spherical,
bluish-black with thick skins and colourless juice. Its
cultivation in France is estimated at 23,000 hectares
and a worldwide area of around 50,000 hectares. It is
the classic red variety of Burgundy France, which is
considered its birthplace.
NOTES: Pinot Noir has always
been considered an aristocratic and refined variety.
Pinot Blanc is considered the white form of the Pinot
Noir grape. It produces a very fine, aromatic and delicate
white wine that disputes primacy with Chardonnay. The
Pinot Blancs from the French Alsace are notable. Pinot
Gris has very small clusters and diminutive, spherical
berries. Originally from Burgundy, it has been spread
under the synonyms of Auxerrois Gris or Pinot Beurot.
Pinot Gris produces whites wines when its juice is fermented
without the skins or light rosés
when the skins are incorporated. The variety that is
known as Pinot Gris in the Cuyo is in reality another
variety: Canari, a variety from Guyenne in the southwest
of France. Pinot Noir is the most celebrated of the three.
Synonyms: Pinot Noirine, Franc Maurillon, Bourguignon,
Auvernat. Pinot Noir’s notoriety is very old, above
all in Burgundy and in the Côte d’Or. At
one period Pinot Noir was planted mixed with other varieties
like Gamay. In 1395 Duke Philippe Le Hardi gave the order
to pull out the Gamay and leave only Pinot Noir in the
red vineyards of Burgundy. The variety is found in Argentina
but in scarce quantities. It produces wines of high quality
but its production is still poor.
Sangiovese
ORIGIN: The variety planted in the Cuyo as Sangioveto
or Sangioveto Grosso has very particular characteristics
that make it totally different from the variety that
is known as San Gioveto, Sangioveto or Sangiovese in
Italy.
SYNONYMS: For some authors in most circumstances the
variety that is called Sangioveto in the Cuyo is actually
the Italian variety Buonamico or Bonamico. This is a
variety cultivated from very ancient times in Tuscany.
CHARACTERISTICS: Sangioveto is a red variety with reddish-black
berries. In the Cuyo it has been widely planted because
it is a red variety with good production, qualities,
that until now have been sought after. The colour of
its wine is not very intense.
Syrah
ORIGIN: The origin of Syrah is widely argued. One of
the more modern and credible hypotheses is that it is
a variety originating from the Vienne region of France,
whose ancestor is the famous Vitis allobrogica mentioned
by the likes of Plinio. A legend also exist saying that
the Knight of Stérimberg brought the variety to
the zone of Hermitage on his return from the crusades.
That is to say, a theory exists that would attribute
a Persian origin to the variety and for that the closeness
with the name of the city of Shiraz or Chiraz.
SYNONYMS:
Shiras, Sirac, Syrac, Sirrah, Syra, Syras, Petite Syrah.
The name Syrah has been rare in Argentina. It is commonly
known in error as Balsemina or Balsamina.
CHARACTERISTICS:
Syrah is a very productive red variety. Its clusters
are small to medium-sized and compact. The berries are
elliptical and a beautiful blue-black colour. The skin
is fine but resistant and the pulp is juicy and agreeable.
According to the author P. Rézeau,
Syrah is one of the high-quality black varieties. It
produces meaty wines, well coloured, of great varietal
characteristic and aromatic potency. They are wines that
develop great class while aging.
NOTES: In Italy, Syrah
is one of the French varieties that has reached a special
importance, improving the wine production in some regions
of Tuscany. In Argentina, Syrah is considered a producer
of fine wines with good colour, fine perfume and varietal
characteristics, perhaps of the intensity and quality
of those produced with Malbec. At present, Syrah is one
of the representative wines of Australia where it has
developed an excellent level of quality.
Tempranillo
ORIGIN: Tempranillo has been cultivated since very ancient
times in the province of La Rioja (Spain) which can be
considered its origin.
SYNONYMS: Cencibel or Jacibera (Spain), and Valdepeñas
(California, United States).
CHARACTERISTICS: Tempranillo
has large, well-filled clusters with bluish-black, spheroid
berries and a soft pulp. Many authors indicate that the
variety cultivated in the Cuyo as Tempranilla or Tempranillo
coincides in all of its characteristics with the Tempranillo
of La Rioja/Spain.
NOTES: Tempranillo is very important in Spain. In Alava
it constitutes 70% of all the varieties planted and it
is also extensively grown in Logroño and Palencia.
The wines attributed to it are felt to have great delicacy.
Some time ago in Mendoza, Tempranillo had a huge boom
as a red variety with great production. Today, it still
occupies the second largest area planted to red wine-grape
varieties.
Tannat
ORIGIN: Tannat is an old variety from southwestern France.
SYNONYMS: It is little known in the Cuyo and it does
not have any other local name.
CHARACTERISTICS: Tannat is a red variety with small
to medium-sized, bluish-black berries. Tannat is important
in the French southwest where it produces a fine wine
that permits long periods of aging. According to statistics,
there are only 80 hectares of Tannat in Mendoza and thus
it has little influence in wine production.
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