Torrontés
Torrontés is a name shared by several white grape varieties in Spain, Portugal and Argentina, though the best known today is the Argentine one, which yields fresh, highly aromatic wines. In Argentina it is the most planted white variety, and its peach and apricot aromas set it apart from other white grapes in the country.
History
The name Torrontés appears in several parts of the Iberian Peninsula from the late Middle Ages onward. In Ribadavia, in Galicia, white wines made from Torrontés and Treixadura were sold across Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, until exports were banned at the end of the 18th century. Its cultivation is recorded in the Salnés valley in 1772. In Andalusia it is documented in Chipiona in 1482, where it was used for wines called de romanía; it survived in the Marco de Jerez into the 19th century, but it has almost disappeared from there and is now concentrated in Montilla-Moriles. In central Spain it has been grown since at least the 16th century, when Alonso de Herrera mentioned it in his Agricultura general.
The origin of the name is uncertain. The most plausible explanation links it to Old Portuguese and to the idea of 'coming from the land or the terroir'. For a long time little was known about these varieties, until studies by Oliva Ruiz and Belén Bonillo in 1998.
In Argentina the grape became the country's leading white variety. There are three types: Torrontés Riojano, the most common and most aromatic; Torrontés Sanjuanino, of intermediate aroma and lesser planting; and Torrontés Mendocino, the least aromatic and least planted. DNA analysis has shown that all three are related: Riojano and Sanjuanino are crosses of Muscat of Alexandria and Criolla Chica (Mission in North America), while Mendocino probably comes from Muscat of Alexandria and an unidentified grape. The presence of Criolla Chica surprised researchers. Since the early 21st century its acreage has grown, partly through exports to the United States and the United Kingdom, and partly because the types are now better identified. It overtook Pedro Giménez and Ugni Blanc as the most planted white variety, a position it still held in 2008. Riojano is widely grown in La Rioja, where it is the most planted grape, and in Salta, on sandy high-altitude vineyards near 1,600 metres, where it keeps high acidity.
It is also grown in Chile, often under the name Moscatel de Austria, and in Samaipata, Bolivia. For years it was believed that South American Torrontés was the same variety as the Galician Torrontés, or Albillo Mayor, and the spread was credited to Galician emigration to Argentina. DNA evidence suggests there is probably no direct relationship between the two, and Jancis Robinson's later editions reflect this.
Culture
In Argentina Torrontés has become one of the signature white wines of the northwest, especially in Salta and La Rioja, and it is linked to everyday wines and to export. It is usually drunk young, as Oz Clarke notes that it does not age well and is often drunk within a year of the vintage. Its floral, fruity profile, with notes of peach and apricot, makes it a common choice for summer tables and light dishes, and wines labelled simply Torrontés are mostly the Riojano variety.
In Spain the grape plays a more modest role. In Galicia it is associated with the Ribeiro and Salnés wines, and in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha it is blended into dry white wines, as in Valdilecha, where it is combined with Airén. In Montilla-Moriles it keeps a small presence among Andalusian appellations.
Its aroma is often compared with Muscat and Gewürztraminer, with subtle spice beneath the floral bouquet. Jancis Robinson describes it as a wine for early drinking, not too heavy, high in acidity and intriguingly aromatic, though poorly made examples can taste bitter and excessively alcoholic. Oz Clarke notes that the size of the harvest also plays a substantial role in quality.