How to pronounce?
Tor-ron-tez
Where does it comes from?
Torrontes originally comes from Mendoza; Argentina’s main winemaking region. Which is about 1,000 km to the west of Buenos Aires, by the Andes mountains and close to the Chilean border.
What does it smell like?
Torrontes has a nose that is very aromatic, much like Muscat. The main aromas are rose, jasmine, peach and grapefruit.
What does it taste like?
Although the nose might point you towards a sweet wine, Torrontes is dry. The wine will have a medium intensity on the palate, and an acidity that goes from medium to high depending on where it comes from. The sweetness also depends on where in Argentina it comes from but will generally be medium.
What food will it go well with?
The great thing with Torrontes is that it is super expressive! Really aromatic and a palate full of those fruity flavours.
It makes it ideal for dishes that have more intense tastes such as some Indian curry dishes, or some super aromatic Thai recipes.
But remember it still delicate and crisp so don’t go for heavy dishes or dark meats.
Where are the best regions for Torrontes?
Argentina, of course, but in Argentina, the best examples come from Salta.
The unique climate of this region helps Torrontes show a full array of aromas while keeping its acidity and not being too rich in terms of alcohol.
This is thanks to the altitude… Many vineyards there are more than 1,500 metres above sea level, some even going up to 3,000 metres!
What tastes similar?
If you enjoy Torrontes, I will firstly recommend Muscat. But ensure you go for dry Muscat as many Muscat wines are sweet.
Another grape variety you could also explore is Gewurztraminer, but again, ensure you go for dry examples.
And then you of course have Albarino from North Western Spain which can have a very similar freshness and fruit and be beautifully aromatic.
Torrontes is similar to other aromatic white wines including Riesling and Muscat Blanc (Moscato). The major difference between Torrontes and these aforementioned white wines is that Torrontes is commonly made in a dry style. This makes it a very interesting wine to enjoy because its salty lean taste is in opposition to its sweet perfumed aromas.
Best Torrontes Wines
First and a huge favourite of mine is the Colomé Torrontes from Salta. A superb wine that is amazingly affordable! Unbeatable value for money.
Colomé’s vineyards are actually the highest in the world at over 3,000 metres altitude.
Also high in altitude, there is the San Pedro de Yacochuya Torrontes which is grown at 2,000m.
Piatelli’s Alto Molino Torrontes, Porvenir Laborum Torrontes are also both 2 other great wines from Salta
And finally, Riccitelli’s the Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree is a lovely example from Mendoza
Anecdote
There are actually 3 different Torrontes grape varieties..
Riojano, Sanjuanino and Mendocino.
Riojano, is the variety used in Salta and Mendoza, and the variety you have most probably tasted.
