GG_N54_FR-web

ARGENTINA
GRAPE
MARTÍN KAISER, HEAD OF WINEMAKING AND VITICULTURE AT
DOÑA PAULA, CLAIMS “MALBEC HELPED US FIND A STYLE OF WHAT
A GOOD RED WINE SHOULD BE”
Doña Paula is a Chilean-owned project that settled
in Mendoza and produces a long list of labels with
the varietal, such as Selección de Bodega, Parcel
Alluvia, Parcel Los Indios, Altaluvia, Single Vineyard
El Alto, Estate, Los Cardos, Rosé and Unique. In
addition, in some blends, it uses Malbec as a majority
grape in five wines: 1100, Estate Black Edition,
Estate Blue Edition, Smoked and Los Cardos Red
Blend. Doña Paula has a strong focus on foreign
markets -70% of its exports are Malbec – and 60%
of its vineyards are planted to the variety.
As Kaiser explains, overseas, Doña Paula highlights
the fact that the terroir where they source their
Malbec is very different to most of the world’s major
regions. “We have areas with relatively cool summers,
but with great sunshine, which produce fruity wines
with pleasant tannins. This style is highly sought after
by global consumers who find Malbec easy to enjoy
and feel it pairs well with a wide range of foods”.
Another advantage is that it is a relatively easy variety
to farm in the vineyard: “The vines are very rustic and
adapt to soils of all types. They even tolerate some soil
pests, such as phylloxera and nematodes, better than
other fine varieties. Malbec is also tolerant to conditions
conducive to fruit diseases that occur in some
summers with higher rainfall”, concludes Kaiser.
STAPHYLE: PIONEERING HIGH
ALTITUDE MALBEC
MALBEC ACCOUNTS FOR 70% OF DOÑA PAULA’S EXPORTS AND 60% OF ITS VARIETAL
RANGE IN THE VINEYARD
The Staphyle winery has blazed the trail for high-altitude
Malbec wines in Potrerillos, a mountainous
area in the foothills of the Andes, in Luján de Cuyo.
Here, its vineyards border the Potrerillos reservoir,
a relatively new landscape for winegrowing in
Mendoza.
Sebastián Olalla, the winery’s CEO, explains that
“for Staphyle and Argentina, Malbec is the ultimate
iconic varietal and it represents 75% of our exports”.
Logically, 60% of Staphyle’s vines are Malbec, and
vineyard management is designed to cater to its
portfolio, which includes Malbec in every range,
from entry level to luxury wines.
Staphyle’s Malbecs are already exported to 28 countries,
and Olalla stresses the importance of having a
98 WINTER 2023 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE