Proof Of Identity

Malbec, Tannat and Carmenre have each found a signature style in South America. Alistair Cooper MW assesses their importance and asks what the future holds for these varieties.

ONE MIGHT EXPECT South America’s rich wine culture and heritage to be firmly Hispanic. Yet it is the gallic trio of Malbec, Tannat and (arguably) Carmenère that have established themselves as the key signature grapes on the opposite side of the Atlantic. Historically each variety has played an important role in the evolution of the French wine industry, yet they have since been relegated to little more than bit-part players in their homeland. How did these grapes become so firmly ensconced in the vineyards of South America, and what does their future hold?

For several hundred years, both Chile and Argentina were dominated by variations of la uva negra (the black grape) brought here by Spanish settlers during the 1550s. There are many synonyms and mutations of the grape, which is now referred to as país in Chile and Criolla Chica in Argentina. This hardy, high-yielding variety is thought to have been brought from the Canary Islands, where it is known as Listán Prieto.

The key period that shaped the modern vinous Latin landscape was 1850-1880. It was then that French varieties were definitively introduced, the result of a desire to improve quality and emulate the great wines of France, and specifically the Médoc. In Chile, French botanist Claude gay established the first vine nursery in Santiago in 1830. Twenty years later, Silvestre Ochagavía Echazarreta was the first to commercially plant French varieties at his eponymous winery in 1851. A host of other illustrious names followed, including Errázuriz, Cousiño and Concha y Toro.