Argentine Wines

Foreword – The History of Wine in Argentina – Argentine Wine in the World – Varietal Wines versus Blended Wines – Grape Varieties in Argentina – Predominant Red Grape Varieties in Argentina- Predominant White Grape Varieties in Argentina – What is the Clone of a Vine? – The Wine Areas – Wine Production – Stages in Wine Production – The Production of Sparkling Wine – Brut or Demi-Sec? Which One Should be Chosen? – “Champagne” in Argentina – Serving Sparkling Wines – The Wine Life Cycle – The Three Main Defects of Wine – The Storing of Wine – The Cork Oak – What Happens in the Bottle While the Wine Ages? – Change of Colour – Wine and Wood – Oak Barrel Maturation – Large Oak Cask Maturation – Maturation in Stainless Steel or Concrete Tanks – Label Interpretation – Big Bottle Sizes – Flavours that can be Distinguished – The Glasses – Glasses and Flavours – The Glass and the Sight – Glasses and Aromas – Cleaning Crystal Glasses – Corkscrew – Capsule Cutter – Thermometer – The Drop Stop – The Decanter – Decantation and Montchenot – The Pliers – The Home Wine Cellar – Where Should you Store your Wine? – Food, Wine and Friends – Food and Argentine Wines – The Four Phases of Wine Tasting – Aromas of the Main Varietals – Glossary ‘ The vine may be very good, and the winemaker may be very good, but the resulting wine can be miserable, if Nature is not on man’s side’ Raúl Riba D’Ave