Hello and good tannic day for everyone!
Photo Credit: wilmatechera via Compfight cc
Ain’t this a beautiful time to enjoy a robust, full bodied wine? For those who love this type, any time just feels perfect. And because of this, today we are going to get to know better the story this grape, and making focus in the one from Salta, which is rather distinctive and gives some of the best tannic wines out there, wines that from time to time we use at our line up at our Buenos Aires Wine Tastings and in my opinion the best that this country has to offer (just talking about Tannat, don’t want misunderstandings here, my head could roll, literally).
So in order to tell the story properly, we have to start from the very beginning. Let’s take a look on the origin of this variety:
Tannat has its origins in southwest France, where the biggest Basque-French community is located. Over there, they produce different types of Tannat varietal wines, red, roses and even whites (what in France are called Blanc de Noirs, very rare to try one that is fully white in color). The most important region to grow this grape is known as Madiran, which it has its own AOC (Controlled Origin Appellation), which states that the vines have to be between 40-60% Tannat, and the rest could be Cabernet Sauvignon, Fer (local grape) or Cabernet Franc. The best wines in the region tend to be the 100% Tannat, or mixed with a tiny percentage of the cabs.
Tannat Vineyards in Uruguay
The development of the story continues not that far from Argentina, now we have to move to Uruguay. Here, this variety is known as the flagship red wine of the country, and is very difficult (if not impossible) to find a winery that does not produce Tannat. To explain how it got here I am going to use my own words from a previous blog on Uruguayan Tannat: “During the 19th century the European immigration to Uruguay brought people from all over the old continent to settle in this country, and the Basque French colonizers that decided to stay in the northeast in the late 1800´s brought in new grapes that helped develop the wine industry at a bigger scale, and of course they brought the Tannat from Madiran, a grape that adapted perfectly to the climate and soil conditions of this territory.” The Tannat in Uruguay presents a really interesting tannic concentration with an immensely present flavor of dark fruits, without a doubt wines that are perfect for the traditional grilled Chivito Uruguayo (Baby goat).
And finally, we get to the end of the story, that takes us to the one and only Cafayate, located in Salta, northwest of Argentina. As the Tannat develops in an excellent way in soils that are not that absorbent of big masses of water, this part of the planet goes perfect with it. We have to remember that there is almost no rain during the year here (120 to 150 mm per year) and the soil is very poor, making the grapes struggle a lot more to survive and concentrating more flavors for the wines.
Salta’s vineyards at the feet of the mountains
Nowadays, the winemakers in Salta are convinced that Tannat will be the representative red grape of the region. Despite the fact that the climate is perfect to grow it, the results in the last years are a perfect proof that the different styles of wines that can be made with this grape are countless. Even the stainless steel stank versions are incredibly fruit forward and the natural tannic composition makes it a strong wine to handle beef, salty and spicy cheeses and stews. Of course you do have the ones aged in oak barrels, and even fermented beforehand in oak tanks. Those are the best for bigger dishes like lamb, the Chivito from Salta, a nice piece of traditional Asado Argentino (Short ribs) or creamy cheeses like camembert or brie. The cellar potential of this ones is magnificent, so if you are of the kind that likes keeping the wine for special occasions, this is the wine for you. Although they age well for a long period of time, even the oldies still are very intense (in the good way!), sooo delicious.
At Anuva we always trust in the ones from El Porvenir de Cafayate Winery. When we want to have a glass on its own, we always go for the young and vigorous Amauta Absoluto Tannat , a marvelous example to start a dinner if you are not a big fan of white wine. And for the main dishes, which usually are beef based as we are in Argentina, we move forward to the Laborum Malbec, very intense flavor of red fruits and plums with a perfect mix of spices due to its aging in oak barrels, a big boy indeed.
Now you know why the tannat is becoming so popular in Argentina. If you ever visit Cafayate do not forget to try as much Tannat as you can! And when you come visit us, remember me about this blog and we will have a glass together!
Thanks very much for reading my wine loving amigos. Until another Wine Reviews post!
Un abrazo gigante
Diego