Uncorked: Vitner promotes Argentina worldwide

More than a century after his grandfather, Leoncio Arizu, planted the first vines for Bodega Luigi Bosca in the foothills of the Argentine Andes, Alberto Arizu finds, as he travels the world, he still has to explain that Argentina does, indeed, make wine.

Long a top-rated winery in the Mendoza region, Luigi Bosca for years has exported more than half its wines. Still, promoting them at the London Wine Fair, he found himself drawing world maps to demonstrate even to knowledgeable wine fans that Argentina is at a proper latitude to produce good wine.

Selling wine in such developing markets as China and Russia also is a challenge.

"People are very rich or very poor. There's nothing in the middle. The Chinese and the Russians drink all the best wines," he said — even if they don't really understand them. On the other hand, he says, he once watched a Chinese diner dilute his Chateau Lafite with 7-Up.

Even the wine-savvy United States is a challenge.

"The East and West coasts and big cities like Chicago are quite sophisticated about Argentine wines," he said. "But smaller cities in Indiana, Ohio have very little experience."

Arizu believes malbec is the grape putting his country on the world wine map.

"You can grow cabernet sauvignon everywhere. In Argentina, we have fantastic conditions for malbec."

The best, he says, comes from Lujan de Cuyo, near the Andean city of Mendoza. Bosca's top single vineyard, "Finca de Nobles," at nearly 3,500 feet, has the cool days, cold nights and long growing season that create concentrated wines that are not harsh, he says.

Arizu's winery now is releasing its top wine, Icono, with 54 percent malbec and 46 percent cabernet sauvignon. The grapes are hand-selected, vine by vine, from vineyards averaging 90 years old, and given 18 months of aging in French oak barrels.

"We want it to be an expression of balance, complexity, elegance and harmony, not of power," he said.

Highly recommended

2005 Luigi Bosca Icono, Las Compuertas, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza: black raspberries, cloves and espresso; big, smooth and balanced; opulent; $130.

2004 Luigi Bosca Malbec/Verdot "Finca los Nobles," Lujan de Cuyo: intense aromas and flavors of mulberries and licorice; crisp acids, mellow tannins, long finish; $50.

2004 Luigi Bosca Syrah, "El Paraiso" Vineyard, Maipu, Mendoza: intense red plums and bittersweet chocolate; smooth and ripe; $17.

Recommended

2002 Luigi Bosca Cabernet/ Bouchet "Finca los Nobles," Lujan de Cuyo: black cherries and cinnamon; ripe tannins; $50.

2006 Luigi Bosca Pinot Noir Reserve, "El Paraiso," Maipu, Mendoza: black cherries and cinnamon; very dry; firm tannins; $19.

Nonvintage Luigi Bosca Reserva Brut Nature sparkling wine, Lujan de Cuyo (60 percent chardonnay, 40 percent pinot noir): light, frothy, steely, with lemon-lime flavors; $20.