My first visit to Argentina was in the mid 1990's. I recall going with the expectation that since Argentina is considered a Latin America country the population would generally speak Spanish. I was surprised by how much Italian I heard both in Buenos Aires and traveling through wine country, but if you look at the history of Argentina it makes sense, especially in how it impacts their wine industry. In the late 19th century at the same time as many immigrants were arriving in the USA from Italy there was also an influx to Argentina. Many of the families arriving to both countries were farmers looking for better opportunities and included in both countries was a healthy number of vintners. If you look at Sonoma in California wineries such as Rochioli, Foppiano and Seghesio descend from this time. In Argentina the Graffigna family immigrated and settled in San Juan, opening Graffigna Winery in 1870, the oldest winery in San Juan and the second oldest in all of Argentina. Mendoza has gotten most of the publicity for wine regions in Argentina but San Juan has all the potential to match its southern neighbor in quality. As Malbec has gotten more and more popular I continue to believe Graffigna Centenario Malbec (Centenario is Graffigna's entry range) is one of Argentina's best values!
No comments:
Post a Comment