Why everyone’s talking about Argentina’s Criollas and orange wines

Argentina is deserving of so many accolades. Not just since being crowned World Cup champions after beating holders France in Qatar in the most memorable final in recent history. But also because of its talent for cultivating wines that showcase unique skill and viticultural distinction.

Criolla are crossings of the varieties of vines first brought to Argentina by Spanish missionaries, but in truth the promise that these wines offer has been vastly undervalued. Now, a rescue mission to bring back Criollas is being demonstrated by savvy winemakers who know a thing or two about flavour. What was once lost is being found again. As Argentina regains pieces of its history, the future of such wines becomes more established. With so much diversity available, the next step will be securing the global recognition that these wines clearly deserve.

In Argentina, the term Criolla is most commonly used to describe the grape varieties of Criolla Grande and Criolla Chica, but is also additionally used as a way to identify a range of Torrontés varieties, namely Torrontés Riojano from a crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and Criolla Chica (País/Mission), Torrontés Sanjuanino and Torrontés Mendocino.

Other varieties such as the original Criolla Chica, Criolla Grande and Cereza have evolved in their use and perception and long gone are the days when these grapes were used to produce high-volume local wines without merit, now so many Criolla varieties are showing the promise of being respected globally for their exciting flavours.

Niven Wines, which sees winemaker Lucas Niven create wines with the assistance of the marketing nous of his family in the east of Mendoza has a distinctive maverick style that lends itself well to the varieties. Additionally, when it comes to experimenting with skin contact wines, this is where Niven really shows its prowess.

Niven creates not just Criolla wines, but some that fit the category of orange wines too and is no fan of the links consumers make between skin-contact Argentinian wines and the terms bandied about such as those used in natural wine marketing. Angie Niven, who heads up the commercial side of the winery, is integral in getting the wines tasted at events and fairs that are giving the family incredible kudos not just locally but internationally too. It is clear that the Niven family, who are all creatively gifted, play a big role in the appeal of Bodega Niven Wines. For instance, Luca’s other sister Luchi is an architect and also designed the label for the wine.

Amansado has carved out a reputation for being a boutique family winery that is passionate about breeding criollo horses and making wine. Essentially, safeguarding a few traditions and retaining a sense of character. The vision for the next generation has been to build a sustainable future while innovating. To honour this, the winery is always looking for the best expressions and highly regards its Criolla varieties which are easy to drink, fresh, and lively with good acidity.

“Our estates are and will forever be part of us, protecting and safeguarding them is our way of preserving our story,” says Amansado CEO and sales manager Eugenia Brennan who has been instrumental in developing the business. She explains how, in Argentina, its Pedro Ximenez is considered as a Criolla because it is different from the PX of Spain, disclosing how the varieties growing in Argentina could be ones named after the Spanish grapes rather than the same ones.

“It is very special here,” says Brennan explaining that the herbs that grow around the vines for these Criollas smell almost like honey and the family wants its plants and nature living together” Brennan says this is all about retaining something and respecting the land, she reveals: “The concept was to mix natural plants with the space, so we work sustainably and we do not want to interrupt the natural flora and fauna and it gives our wines an extra herbal quality.” She adds: “We use a few different fermentation techniques, because we want our wines to be fresh and juicy.” With our Pedro Ximenez you will find freshness. Here, we wanted to preserve something”.

Similarly restoring the reputation and use of unusual varietals is Alma Gemela from the sommelier Mariana Onofri who produces wines in Lavalle in Mendoza using Teróldego, Carignan and Monastrell whose skillset is turning heads in Argentina.

“The vineyard is in the north east of Mendoza,” says Onofri. Describing her Alma Gemela Pedro Ximenez, she points out that “this cross of grapes is produced from 30 year old vines that are made using native yeasts and low temperature fermentation. “I work on the lees before bottling” she says observing how these styles of wines have been desperately “undervalued” making her project something of “a rescue mission”.

At Alma Gemela, Onofri also makes an Amber Wine which has spent six months in maceration, saying that she is still “amazed by the stability” and suggests it as the perfect wine for pairing menus because it really gets wine fans thinking about flavour.

Getting people to think about flavour is certainly her plan too. For Onofri, she describes this as one of the liberties of being a craft producer. “I think when you are small and a bit crazy, you just go for it,” she says, adding: “I knew it would be difficult to communicate. But I also knew it wouldn’t be easy and yet again, sometimes there is nothing to lose.” Onofri explains: “I launched this wine in Buenos Aires and in one week I sold the whole production. It received a fantastic reception, so I feel blessed that there is a new generation of consumers that always want something new”.

Thibault Lepoutre who makes wines at Bodega Piedra Negra for Mundo Revés, agrees with the sentiment and says that a lot of this has to do with people from cities seeking out new flavourful wines that are simply delicious.

Lepoutre explains: “There are a lot of new consumers in Buenos Aires and so these wines work very well there because they want something fresh and easy-drinking.” For Lepoutre, who showcases the winery’s impressive Le Petit Voyage, he reminds that there is scope for Criolla to become more widely respected globally and adds: “We sell it in Mexico and England too” adding that “people like these kinds of wines” and want to see more of what Argentina has to offer”.

Producer Paso a Paso is hugely behind the movement of Criollas as well as orange (naranjo) wines too with its wines being described as garage and field blends that artfully show how skin contact and yeast can interplay to give way to new flavours.

Norberto Paez, co-owner and winemaker says: “Criollas are still the most important part of the portfolio for Paso a Paso and it is good to see Criollas are now being enjoyed in export markets that want light, low alcohol low fruit options available to them”. Paez explains that Paso a Paso creates its wines in stainless steel, using low sulphites and reminds that the wines are unfiltered, which people love to see when they look into the bottles. In essence, he hints how that haziness suggests “authentic flavour” and a lack of processing that people crave and seek out now.

“Lots of people care,” Paez says, adding that this can often lead them to seeking out wines that are reflecting the land’s natural appeal.

According to wine producer Matias Morcos who also showcases an eponymous Criolla as well as an orange wine, the time has come for the younger generations to show the older traditional ones that there is newfound excitement in finding flavour.

“We are in a little revolution . We believe we can make something very interesting here as well,” says Morcos, adding: “We see an opportunity for younger people to begin opening wines up to a new moment in the day. “The idea is to open up these wines as a style” Morcos says, explaining that there is a resurgence in not just making strong Georgian style orange wines, but elegant wines and Criollas that show off the best of the Argentinian climate.

“We believe orange wines give Argentina another way of showing how it can make white wines” and how “we can make things more complex” with “no filtration or clarification”. Morcos may be onto something.

Lorena Mulet, winemaker at Bodega Cruzat also has a plan to broaden the scope of the style to answer demand for Criollas and orange wines, by also considering how sparkling wines could help open the category up further and reach new drinkers. She explains how the winery produces only sparkling wine using a traditional method and uses only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. One of the wines – Cruzat Chardonnay Naranjo – is made with 100% Chardonnay and is extremely popular.

Mulet reveals that the project, which began in 2019 with just 5,000 bottles has become so successful that the winery now produces 15,000 bottles. The grapes, which are from the Uco Valley, are harvested and enjoy six months of being in contact with the lees. The resulting sparkling wine’s orange colour is “obtained from the base wine from the skin being in contact” and makes it “the first orange sparkling wine in Argentina”. Here, she admits, that the journey has been quite a ride.

“We started with Pet Nat orange sparkling wines and now we have launched a low alcohol sparkling wine which has 9.4% abv,” says Mulet who says that, in truth, “the weather provoked the low alcohol” because it meant the winery was pushed into doing an early harvest. But the situation has certainly paid off, she observes, adding that this is the best part about creating wines like this because it keeps things experimental and you’re always learning and tasting something new. Indeed, she asserts, when it comes to creating wines like these, “everything is serendipity”.