This month’s Explorer Wine Club explores Argentina, a country best known for Malbec but increasingly defined by range, altitude, and precision. Argentina’s vineyards stretch from high-elevation desert valleys to cooler Andean foothills, producing wines that balance ripe fruit with freshness and structure. This selection reflects that evolution, opening with a lively sparkling rosé that highlights the country’s growing confidence beyond still reds, moving into a pure, site-driven expression of Malbec, and finishing with a savory Syrah shaped by mountain climates and long growing seasons. Together, the wines offer a snapshot of modern Argentine winemaking — expressive, regionally focused, and far more diverse than its reputation once suggested.
Alma 4 ‘Almacita’ Sparkling Rosé NV
This refreshing sparkling rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir. It opens with bright notes of strawberry, watermelon rind, and a hint of rose petal, carried by a fine, lively mousse. The palate is crisp and dry, with red fruit freshness and a subtle mineral edge. Pair with chèvre crostini or smoked salmon dip.
The Producer: Alma 4
Alma 4 is a sparkling-wine project created by four classmates who met at Argentina’s national winemaking university in the 1990s. After learning about the méthode traditionelle (second fermentation in bottle), they wanted to try making Argentine sparkline wine in this manner. Their first production was just 300 bottles and an experimentation of different grapes and aging techniques. The quality of those early wines, and the enthusiastic response encouraged them to turn the experiment into a long-term project. Over the following decades Alma 4 has focused on making traditional method sparkling wines from distinctive vineyards, refining their style, and keeping their friendship strong.
The Region: Uco Valley (Mendoza)
The Uco Valley lies southwest of the city of Mendoza and climbs steadily toward the Andes, creating one of Argentina’s most dramatic wine landscapes. Elevations often exceed 3,000 feet, and the combination of intense mountain sunlight and cool nights shapes the region’s overall style. The valley is broad, with varied soils, reflecting its glacial past. Though long farmed for fruit and grains, the Uco Valley has become a hub for modern Argentine winemaking, attracting producers who value altitude, clarity of flavor, and a strong sense of place.
This 100% Malbec shows the fresher, more lifted side of the grape. Aromas of blackberry, violet, and black cherry lead into a bright, medium-bodied palate with lively acidity and fine, chalky tannins. Fermented and aged in concrete, it keeps its fruit pure and unadorned, emphasizing texture over oak influence. It’s an expressive yet easygoing style of Malbec, and pairs well with cheese empanadas, grilled vegetables, or mushroom tacos.
The Producer: Zorzal
Zorzal was founded in 2008 by the Michelini brothers – Matías, Gerardo, and Juan Pablo – who helped redefine what cool-climate Argentine wine could look like. Their approach emphasizes native yeasts, minimal intervention, and vineyard expression, often using concrete eggs and long, gentle macerations. From the beginning, they gravitated toward Gualtallary for its altitude and distinctive soils, believing it produced wines with clarity and natural tension. Though each brother now has additional projects, Zorzal remains one of the most influential names in the Uco Valley’s new wave, known for honest winemaking and a strong sense of place.
The Region: Gualtallary (Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza)
Gualtallary is a remote, high-altitude zone in the northern part of the Uco Valley, sitting within the larger district of Tupungato. It is known for its strikingly poor, chalk-influenced soils: patches of limestone, gravel, and sand that originated from ancient alluvial flows off the Andes. The area is cool and exposed, with steady winds and large day–night temperature swings. Because of its combination of elevation and distinctive soils, Gualtallary has become one of Argentina’s most studied viticultural areas, prized for wines with definition and precision.
This is 100% estate Syrah from a single vineyard in Los Chacayes, hand-harvested from high-density vines. The nose shows dark plum, cassis, and blackberry. The palate is smooth and medium to full-bodied, with a velvety mid-palate and a long finish of dark blue and black fruits, supported by firm but polished tannins and subtle oak. Pair with grilled lamb, roast beef, or a lentil stew.
The Producer: La Cayetana
La Cayetana is owned by Emilia Armando and Eduardo Soler, who bought a neglected 19th-century manor in 2014 and began restoring both the house and its surrounding vineyards. The estate was once a 168-acre vineyard planted in the 1860s and was a social hub that hosted everyone from cardinals to generals during its prime. After decades of abandonment, Emilia and Eduardo rebuilt it as a small, grower-focused project, replanting vineyards and reviving old gardens and olive trees using traditional farming methods and a long-term sustainability mindset. Today the property functions as both a working vineyard for their Ver Sacrum and La Cayetana labels as well as a lived-in home with a small restaurant and tasting room.
The Region: Los Chacayes (Uco Valley, Mendoza)
Los Chacayes sits farther south in the Uco Valley and has a noticeably wilder, more rugged terrain than many neighboring zones. Vineyards are planted on fractured stones and coarse rock deposits left by hillside erosion; these irregular surfaces force vines to anchor deeply. The area is sunny and dry but has strong breezes funneled down from the Andes that moderate daytime warmth. Los Chacayes has gained recognition for the character of its landscape and for the concentrated, expressive fruit its rocky slopes tend to produce.
