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ARGENTINA<br />
GRAPE<br />
MARTÍN KAISER, HEAD OF WINEMAKING AND VITICULTURE AT<br />
DOÑA PAULA, CLAIMS “MALBEC HELPED US FIND A STYLE OF WHAT<br />
A GOOD RED WINE SHOULD BE”<br />
Doña Paula is a Chilean-owned project that settled<br />
in Mendoza and produces a long list of labels with<br />
the varietal, such as Selección de Bodega, Parcel<br />
Alluvia, Parcel Los Indios, Altaluvia, Single Vineyard<br />
El Alto, Estate, Los Cardos, Rosé and Unique. In<br />
addition, in some blends, it uses Malbec as a majority<br />
grape in five wines: 1100, Estate Black Edition,<br />
Estate Blue Edition, Smoked and Los Cardos Red<br />
Blend. Doña Paula has a strong focus on foreign<br />
markets -70% of its exports are Malbec – and 60%<br />
of its vineyards are planted to the variety.<br />
As Kaiser explains, overseas, Doña Paula highlights<br />
the fact that the terroir where they source their<br />
Malbec is very different to most of the world’s major<br />
regions. “We have areas with relatively cool summers,<br />
but with great sunshine, which produce fruity wines<br />
with pleasant tannins. This style is highly sought after<br />
by global consumers who find Malbec easy to enjoy<br />
and feel it pairs well with a wide range of foods”.<br />
Another advantage is that it is a relatively easy variety<br />
to farm in the vineyard: “The vines are very rustic and<br />
adapt to soils of all types. They even tolerate some soil<br />
pests, such as phylloxera and nematodes, better than<br />
other fine varieties. Malbec is also tolerant to conditions<br />
conducive to fruit diseases that occur in some<br />
summers with higher rainfall”, concludes Kaiser.<br />
STAPHYLE: PIONEERING HIGH<br />
ALTITUDE MALBEC<br />
MALBEC ACCOUNTS FOR 70% OF DOÑA PAULA’S EXPORTS AND 60% OF ITS VARIETAL<br />
RANGE IN THE VINEYARD<br />
The Staphyle winery has blazed the trail for high-altitude<br />
Malbec wines in Potrerillos, a mountainous<br />
area in the foothills of the Andes, in Luján de Cuyo.<br />
Here, its vineyards border the Potrerillos reservoir,<br />
a relatively new landscape for winegrowing in<br />
Mendoza.<br />
Sebastián Olalla, the winery’s CEO, explains that<br />
“for Staphyle and Argentina, Malbec is the ultimate<br />
iconic varietal and it represents 75% of our exports”.<br />
Logically, 60% of Staphyle’s vines are Malbec, and<br />
vineyard management is designed to cater to its<br />
portfolio, which includes Malbec in every range,<br />
from entry level to luxury wines.<br />
Staphyle’s Malbecs are already exported to 28 countries,<br />
and Olalla stresses the importance of having a<br />
98 WINTER 2023 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE