Don’t keep your distance from Argentina’s splendid wines.
Don’t keep your distance from Argentina’s splendid wines.
It’s a tragedy when a country’s economic terroir interferes with winemaking, as was the case with Argentina in the last few years. High domestic inflation and export taxes deprived the rest of the world of stellar malbecs, cabernet sauvignons and syrahs. But under President Mauricio Macri’s leadership, Argentine wines are ripe for a comeback.
Warm days and chilly nights, together with melting snow and ice to irrigate the high and dry vineyards, make for velvety malbecs, bright, aromatic torrontes (the country’s delightful white grape) and fruity bonardas (Argentina’s grossly under appreciated “other” red). You may want to rely on expert guidance to experience what the fifth-largest wine producer in the world has to offer, and few retailers are better equipped for the job than Golden Hung Ho.
The home-grown wholesaler and retailer of wine and spirits has the widest range of Argentine wines in Singapore, and, in the past decade, has forged firm friendships with wineries like Grupo Penaflor and Bodega El Esteco. The latter is especially popular among vino-tourists, with 4 sq km of vineyards producing some of the region’s best and boldest wines in the Cafayate desert.
If you’re overwhelmed by the offerings, Golden Hung Ho provides complimentary tastings for the soon-to-be-wed, and consultations for private and corporate functions to suit various tastes and budgets. Or you can pick up a bottle of Terroir Series Finca Domingo Sarmiento Malbec 2009 from its shelves — a Panellist Pick at last year’s G Top 100 Wine Awards, and an excellent introduction to Argentina’s most famous grape. If you need another push, readers of The Peak get a 5 percent discount on this lovely vintage till Dec 1, 2016.
