By Gary Hewitt , Sommelier ( ISG , CMS ), CSW

Zorzal Wines , Mendoza

Zorzal Wines , named for an industrious mountain songbird , is a collaboration of Argentine owner-operators and Calgary-based Canadian investors with an avowed “ passion for wine and fun .” Zorzal ’ s brand new gravityflow winery is the highest in the high-altitude Uco Valley , south of the city of Mendoza and enticingly close to the Andes Mountains . Although new estate vineyards have yet to come into production , Zorzal ’ s young winemaker Juan Pablo Michelini , with guidance from his consultant brother , Matias , has crafted superb wines from locally purchased high-altitude grapes .

Zorzal is well regarded for a series of Malbecs , including the 2008 Climax , winner of the trophy for best Malbec in Argentina over US $ 50 . Zorzal also produces fresh , lively Rosé , Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay . Their ripe , refreshing Chardonnay , with only a kiss of fine oak , was the wine that first caught our attention and inspired us to bring Zorzal home to Manitoba .

Bodega Pulenta Estate , Mendoza

With their first child in tow , Angelo Pulenta and Palma Spinsati arrived in Argentina from Italy in 1902 , looking for “ the America .” Today , after two generations of hard work , grandsons Eduardo and Hugo run a modern family winery in the Agrelo subregion of Mendoza . The winery ’ s architectural restraint echoes sincere environmental respect and foreshadows the elegant , tautly structured wines that are vivid expressions of a range of notable French grape varieties .

Despite the French heritage of the grapes , La Flor Malbec , aged 6 months in French oak barrels , is reminiscent of a lively Tuscan red with bright fruit and a juicy finish , making it a perfect food partner . At the next level , the I Malbec not only ages but also ferments in French oak barrels . The result is a mouth-filling wine with firm tannins framing intense , lively fruit and offering excellent cellaring potential . This pair of impeccably made wines built on pure Malbec flavours provides an excellent example of a winemaker ’ s touch creating different styles .

Bodega Noemia , Patagonia

Bodega Noemia , in the southern region of Rio Negro , is a pioneering project . After a colourful life , including a stint in Copenhagen ’ s Freetown Christiania , the free-spirited pair of Countess Noemi Cinzano of the Argiano estate in Montalcino and her Dutch husband , winemaker Hans Vinding-Diers , now make Patagonia their home .

Hans turned a stint as a consultant for the local Humberto Canale winery ( from 1998 to 2002 ) into an opportunity to discover some of Argentina ’ s historical old-vine vineyards . Now , he loves to show off the vitality of his young biodynamic vineyards (“ touch the vines , feel their life !”) at their wonderful remote new winery . Noemia wines are entirely hand-made from harvest to fermentation and finishing : there are no pumps in the winery and wines are gravity-filled into bottles without filtration . The 2008 A Lisa is an intense , silky blend of mostly Malbec with a little Merlot and soupçon of Petit Verdot .

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