2000 Grape Harvest in Argentina Looks Wonderful.

Business Editors and Food/Wine Writers

NAPA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2000

Argentina is just finishing its harvest season, and despite adverse weather conditions -- fewer sunny days and more rain than usual in early March -- the harvest promises to be a very good year in terms of wine production. The "flying winemakers" -- Argentina's wine advisers from around the world -- agree that 2000's harvest will be of excellent quality and full of "surprises."

Argentina's original pessimism in early March has turned into high expectations. As Michel Roland puts it, "Faced with unusual weather conditions, most producers were concerned. This season's weather in Mendoza was similar to that of France, where less heat kept sugar lower than usual. But today's outlook has changed, and we now see there was no reason for that concern. Insufficient maturity, clouds and cold weather are all gone, and the 2000 harvest promises some really interesting red wines."

"In a well-groomed vineyard you will find no rot," asserts Michel Roland, who explains that normally, grapes ripen rapidly in the heat of summer, yielding high levels of sugar. Under such conditions aromas do not develop fully. "This year, because of cloudy weather, sugar did not go up so rapidly. As a result, Syrah for instance has mature tannins and great quality without a high degree of alcohol. The grapes are healthy and we are simply waiting for their full ripeness."

Mendoza and other areas had substantial rain in March, but an important number of wineries in Argentina have taken extra care in the handling of their vineyards in order to prevent diseases. According to Michel Roland, "Well-supervised vineyards that had timely pruning and were adequately treated to prevent rot or disease have not shown any problems. Grapes harvested in late March and early April -- the harvest was delayed just a few days -- are of outstanding quality. If the weather continues to be good, with sunny days, calm winds and moderate temperatures, we will have very good wines."

"Rain at the time of harvest is not necessarily a problem," explains winemaker Jacques Lurton, who is also owner of a winery in Argentina. "If it rains on ripe grapes for more than a week, some serious problems such as botrytis may show up, leading to rot and loss of color. But the rain we got in Mendoza in early March fell hard and drained fast. Mendoza's usual dry weather soon returned, and it helped grapes recover."

Australian winemakers Steve Hagan and Nick Buttler, currently working in the province of La Rioja in the north of Argentina, also consider the year 2000 to be good in general terms for wines from Chilecito. "Compared to 1999, this year has been colder, but showers and hail have not had an enduring effect. Despite this year's unexpected weather conditions during the days prior to the harvest, the quality of the wines is excellent."

Peter Bright reports that despite a late start in this year's harvest -- a week and a half later than usual -- grape quality in San Juan is good. He particularly noted the Syrah for its color, tannins and flavors, with 13 to 15 degrees of alcohol. He also rates highly the Viognier, Chardonnay and Tempranillo from both San Juan and Mendoza. They are currently harvesting Malbec and will shortly begin to pick their Cabernet. "Both white and red grapes have done very well in both provinces. This year's grapes will be similar to that of '99," explains the expert.

The Grapes

Most of the whites have greater aromas than in other years, due primarily to lower temperatures earlier in the season. Overall ripeness is less than in 1999, but quality is satisfactory and acidity is good.

Chardonnay grapes grown in carefully supervised vineyards and then properly selected at harvest will make excellent wines, although production quantities may be smaller. "This year we picked Torrontes earlier than in the past to attain another dimension in the finished blend. We are aiming for more delicacy and citrus character in the wine, while still retaining its natural richness and length," said Steve Hagan and Nick Buttler.

According to Jacques Lurton, "We have had warm days and cool nights over the last three weeks -- absolutely perfect conditions to achieve a good maturity, especially in terms of color and sugar. We are picking grapes with an average of 13 to 14 degrees and a great intensity of aromas. Malolactics show rapidly, without an increase in volatile acidity, leading to a great harvest, especially in the finest wines. Odd as it may seem, because of the rain, we will have much more interesting red wines than in '99."

Michel Roland agrees that "Having lower temperatures during the growing season kept sugar lower than usual (13 to 14 degrees), allowing better maturity of polyphenols. The relation between sugar and polyphenols this year is excellent. I expect the 2000 harvest to yield a lot of delicious `surprises' in reds."

(information supplied by Wines of Argentina)