Argentine wine: Andean altitude in the glass
132 botellas, de 9,40 € a 330 €, mediana en 28 €People often come here looking for a fleshy, reasonably priced Malbec. This section offers some, but above all it tells another story: a vineyard that climbs. From 600 metres in the Andean piedmont to over 3,000 metres in the north-west, the vines gain in freshness what the sun gives them in power, and the wines gain an acidity that carries their substance.
Mendoza supplies most of the choice, Salta the most aromatic whites and Patagonia the finest reds. The tables below will help you find your way.
Riglos - Gran Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
A high-altitude Cabernet Sauvignon, powerful and precise, revealing the freshness and depth of the Gualtallary terroir.
Ways into the section
Mendoza
The province that supplies most of the selection, from entry-level plain wines to the high parcels of Uco. A single Andean piedmont, irrigated by snowmelt.
El corazón del viñedoValle de Uco
The best-stocked area in the section, and the highest in Mendoza. Cold nights, pebbly soils, taut wines, from entry-level Malbecs to the most expensive bottles.
De 10,50 € a 330 €Luján de Cuyo
The country's first delimited area, planted with old Malbec vines between 900 and 1,100 metres. Rounder, warmer reds than those of the Valle de Uco.
Cuna del malbecSalta y Cafayate
El extremo noroeste y sus Valles Calchaquíes, donde la vid sube por encima de los 3000 metros. Torrontés florales y tintos densos nacidos bajo un sol implacable.
El viñedo más altoPatagonia
El gran sur vitícola, del paralelo 39 al 45: Neuquén, Río Negro y Chubut. Viento constante, veranos cortos, malbecs viejos y pinots noirs finos.
Neuquén, Río Negro, ChubutMalbec
The red that made the country's reputation: plum, violet, velvety tannins. About half of the Argentine selection, in every style and price bracket.
La variedad reinaTorrontés
Dry despite its scent of rose and lychee, it almost always comes from the heights of Salta. A white for aperitifs and spicy food, to be served well chilled.
Desde 10,90 €Menos de 20 €
La sección vista desde abajo: malbecs de bodega, blancos de Mendoza, algunas bonardas. Muchas de estas referencias se venden por lotes, ideal para llenar una caja sin arruinarse.
Desde 9,40 €
De Mendoza al gran sur: lo que cambia la altitud
Altitude is the common thread of Argentine winemaking. Higher up, the vines receive more intense radiation, which thickens the skins and deepens the colour, and colder nights, which preserve acidity. At the same latitude, a few hundred metres of elevation change a wine more than a change of grape variety.
| Región | Dónde está y qué se da allí | Variedades que se dan bien | What it means in the glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendozala provincia madre | Andean piedmont between 800 and 1,500 metres, a desert irrigated by snowmelt. | Malbec, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay | The bulk of the choice, from everyday wine under €10 to single-parcel cuvées. |
| Valle de Ucola zona mejor surtida | Lo más alto de Mendoza, de 1000 a 1600 metros, noches frías, suelos de cantos rodados. | Malbec, pinot noir, chardonnay, cabernet franc | Tension and clean fruit, from €10.50 to the most expensive bottles in the section. |
| Luján de Cuyocuna del malbec | Primera zona delimitada del país, de 900 a 1100 metros, muchas viñas viejas. | Sobre todo malbec, cabernet sauvignon | Más redondo y cálido que el Uco, de 9,90 € a 59,90 €. |
| Salta and the Valles Calchaquíesel viñedo más alto | Extremo noroeste, de 1700 a más de 3000 metros, sol abrasador y noches heladas. | Torrontés, malbec, tannat | Very aromatic floral whites, thick, deeply coloured reds, from €14.50 to €79. |
| PatagoniaNeuquén, Río Negro, Chubut | Much lower in altitude but from the 39th to the 45th parallel south, with constant wind. | Pinot noir, malbec viejo, chardonnay | The finest reds in the country, rarely under €16.50. |
Region is not among the filters on this page, which cover colour, price, format and producer. The pages in the first column take their place.
What each grape variety needs on the plate
The Argentine reflex is the asado: meat grilled over a wood fire, salt, nothing else. The country's reds suit it well because altitude leaves them acidity beneath the flesh. But our selection goes further than the grill.
| El vino | What it brings to the glass | Con qué servirlo |
|---|---|---|
| Malbecel pilar de la sección | Ciruela y violeta, tanino aterciopelado, color denso, grado generoso. | Ternera a la parrilla, cordero, quesos de pasta prensada. |
| Cabernet sauvignonel secundario de peso | Casis, hoja de tabaco, tanino recto y algo severo. | Entrecot, pierna de cordero asada, verduras a la parrilla. |
| Cabernet franc el salto de gama | Frambuesa, pimiento maduro, acidez marcada, boca esbelta. | Carnes blancas, pimientos rellenos, embutidos finos. |
| Pinot noirla firma del sur | Cereza, sotobosque, tanino fino; domina el estilo patagónico. | Pato, setas, pescados grasos. |
| Bonarda | Juicy black fruit, discreet tannins, to drink young. | Guisos, pizza, salchichas a la parrilla. |
| Chardonnayde altura o del paralelo 45 | Cítricos tensos, boca salina, madera casi siempre discreta. | Ave en salsa de nata, marisco, quesos de pasta blanda. |
| Torrontésel blanco emblemático | Nariz de rosa y moscatel, boca seca y viva. | Aperitivo, cocina especiada, pescado blanco al limón. |
Serve the reds at around 16 °C: any warmer and the alcohol takes over from the fruit. The whites show best at around 10 °C, slightly less cold for barrel-aged Chardonnays.
Quién firma estas botellas y a qué nivel de precio
Two houses dominate the section: Matias Riccitelli, who works Mendoza as much as the old Malbec of Río Negro, and Doña Paula, whose range runs from entry-level wines up to parcels in Uco. Next come Atamisque and Bousquet in Uco, El Porvenir in Salta, Caelum in Luján de Cuyo, Malma in Neuquén and Otronia, on the 45th parallel south. All of them feature on our estates page.
The top comes down to a handful of bottles: the Adrianna parcel cuvées from Catena Zapata, including Mundus Bacillus Terrae at €286, and Domaine Nico's Le Paradis Pinot Noir at €330. Between these extremes and the €9.40 at the entry level, the median is €28.
El formato antes que el precio
Only a minority of wines can be bought by the single bottle: most of the section is sold in lots of 2, lots of 3 or cases of 6, with two magnums for large gatherings. The price shown follows the chosen format, so it does not always correspond to a single bottle. The selector on the product page shows what is actually available.
El equipo de Le Baroudeur du Vin
What people ask us about Argentine wines
¿Con qué vino argentino empezar?
A Mendoza Malbec at €15–25 gives the measure of the country: ripe black fruit, supple tannins and enough freshness to stand up to a barbecue. For a white, choose a Torrontés from Salta, dry despite its floral nose. These two bottles are enough to grasp the gap between the north and the Andean piedmont.
Why is altitude always mentioned when talking about Argentina?
Because the vineyards range from 600 metres to over 3,000 metres in the Valles Calchaquíes, a span unique on this scale. At altitude, the radiation thickens the skins and concentrates the colour, while the cold nights preserve acidity. Hence powerful wines that remain easy to drink, with a lively backbone beneath the flesh.
¿El malbec argentino se parece al de Cahors?
No. The grape does indeed come from South-West France, but the Andean sun and the temperature range between day and night give it riper fruit, more velvety tannins and a deeper colour. Cahors remains more austere, more marked by limestone. Argentine Malbec is also drunk younger.
¿Qué es el torrontés?
It is the country's emblematic white, born of a cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Criolla Chica. The nose suggests rose and lychee, but the palate stays dry and fresh, especially when the vines grow high up, around Cafayate. Torrontés is served chilled, as an aperitif or with spicy food.
¿Se puede comprar una sola botella?
Only for some of the wines. Most of the selection is sold in lots of 2, lots of 3 or cases of 6, and a few cuvées are also available in magnum. The format selector on the product page shows what is available and at what price. Check it before confirming your basket.
What budget should you allow for a good Malbec?
The median for the section is €28 a bottle, and entry-level prices start at €9.40. Between €15 and €25, you will find well-made estate Malbecs, whether barrel-aged or not. Above €50, you are paying for specific parcels, old vines and low yields.
¿Se guardan mucho tiempo estos vinos?
The entry-level wines are drunk within three to five years; that is what they are made for. Single-parcel Malbecs, high-altitude Cabernet Francs and Catena Zapata's great Chardonnays last ten years and sometimes longer. Each product page gives an ageing window, which is more reliable than a general rule.
Mendoza o Patagonia: ¿qué diferencia hay?
Are there organic wines in this selection?
Yes. Several estates in this section are certified, including Otronia in Chubut, El Porvenir in the Valles Calchaquíes, Malma in Neuquén and E's Vino in Mendoza. The dry, windy climate of the Andes limits vine diseases: organic farming is simpler there than in Europe.