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Argentine whites are ‘a business opportunity’, says Susana Balbo
White wine blends will play a crucial role in Argentina’s winemaking future, according to pioneering winemaker Susana Balbo.
Speaking at a tasting event in London hosted by Balbo and her son and head winemaker José Lovaglio Balbo to celebrate 25 Years of Susana Balbo Wines, Balbo introduced eight vintages of the premium Susana Balbo Signature White Blend showcasing its quality and potential.
Balbo said: “All over the world, consumption is 50% red and 50% white, and yet Argentina’s export average is 92% red, and just a remaining 8% white.”
According to Balbo, this has meant that the market has lots more to offer and she insisted: “Argentina has been losing a business opportunity” and explained how “there are many small terroirs, so we can find, research and choose from a wide variety. It’s challenging, of course, because we have 4,000 kilometres of mountains, the altitude is up to 7,000 metres”.
Following this assertion, Lovaglio Balbo explained how Susana Balbo has been doing things differently and really focusing on high quality white wine blends, especially using Torrontés, which he reminded his mother has much expertise in.
Lovaglio Balbo pointed out: “Whereas most of the Argentine wineries focus on reds, around 40% of the wines that we sell are white wines, and have a very high focus on higher end wines. We have this blend where we specialise in Torrontés. As a company, we’ve made a commitment to pursue excellence with Torrontés as opposed to the more traditional varieties such as Chardonnay. We produce Chardonnay. We produce Sauvignon Blanc, but the core of the innovation for us is Torrontés. It is part of my mother’s history. She’s considered to be a reference in handling Torrontés, and this comes back to her first job and the first place where she was able to work as a winemaker, which was in the northern province of Salta.
Lovaglio Balbo explained: “In this place, she was able to prove to herself that she could lead a team of workers and develop her own style. This place had a lot of Torrontés plantings that were old vines, and so she’s credited for developing a style that is more gastronomic, more subtle, more suitable for an international palate”.
Argentina may be red wine country, but recently its whites have been taking on a focused, fresh and distinctive personality as db has outlined in many of its previous reports looking at its potential and moves in this direction, really flexing its abililty and showcasing what it does best.
Highlighting just how well Susana Balbo Wines has cultivated that image of confidence, db also previously spoke with her to find out more about how she approaches certain grape varieties, but also her endeavours across the industry.
Balbo’s courage, hard work and unwavering passion for Argentinian wine has earned her numerous top awards and accolades for her wines and huge respect for her wine business leadership, which has included three terms as president of Wines of Argentina.
Outside of wine, Balbo is known for her past and present social commitment roles, which have included national congresswoman for Mendoza and now include goodwill ambassador of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), a position through which she promotes development, inclusion, and empowerment.
Looking at how far the business had come, Lovaglio Balbo added: “It is an honour to be here, accomplishing 25 years of existence of this wonderful project that my mother has pioneered. We are a family of winemakers that has an unrelenting focus towards quality and the discovery of new wines and new regions. We’re in a constant process of discovery, and it has been an honour to follow in my mother’s footsteps in this adventure and by representing, creating and discovering Argentine wines.”
During the event, Balbo also unveiled a special 25th Anniversary wine – Nosotros Library Edition Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. Describing the wine, she explained: “It comes from the same region as the whites and yet is a Cabernet Sauvignon that has depth and fluidity but is also very subtle.”
Balbo quipped: “I think it’s very easy to make outstanding wine with Malbec. However, a Cabernet Sauvignon is challenging” but admitted “I like a challenge” and hinted that, in winemaking terms, it was a show of skill and suggested that making some wines were like kicking a ball around, but making a great Cabernet Sauvignon is more “like playing a game in the Premier League”.
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