Argentine Wine Variety Catches Fire in US; Malbec, Tapiz Satisfy Search for Exotic New Flavors.

SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 1999--

In Argentina, Malbec has been the national favorite among wine varieties for decades. Yet its rich, robust flavor is just now winning the attention of serious wine drinkers in the United States.

Critics and collectors have begun to savor Malbec for its blackberry richness, its aggressive aromas and the earthy pepper taste that set it apart from the perpetual parade of Cabernet and Merlot.

One reason Malbec is the up-and-coming varietal is the string of Gold Medals and critical praise won in the US this year by Tapiz, a reserve-style Malbec made in Mendoza, Argentina.

Tapiz claimed a Gold Medal in May at the Riverside International Wine Competition in California. That distinction follows Gold Medals in February at Jerry Mead's New World International Wine Competition in California and the Florida State Fair.

Wine and Spirits magazine, in a February review of the 1997 Malbec, said "everything about it is beautiful and pure." The Wall Street Journal on May 14 lauded the flavor of Tapiz, and called it the best value of the six Malbecs in its tasting.

Malbec is nothing new in the wine world. It was widely planted in Bordeaux in the 19th century, before the devastating spread of phylloxera. It remains mostly a blending grape in France. Only after migration to the New World did it realize its full potential.

"Malbec is to Argentina what Zinfandel is to California," said Burke Owens, a wine critic and importer in the San Francisco Bay Area. "It's an Old World varietal that got no respect. In the New World, it has come into its own."

The 1997 Malbec comes exclusively from older, low-yielding vines along the Andes. The vines thrive in the finest ground in Argentina, high in the foothills of Lujan de Cuyo's acclaimed Vistalba district. Some of the vines are more than 120 years old.

The result is concentrated blackberry and black pepper flavors in a big, bold wine that matches perfectly with rich steak and other mainstays of the robust Argentina cuisine.

Tapiz operates independently in Argentina as Vinas de Tupungato. Its sales have grown 71 percent this year compared with the same months last year, helping accelerate the American love affair with a varietal that speaks with a distinctly Argentine accent.