SOUTH AMERICAN WHITES: BEYOND THE BIG TWO

‘Today, vines such as Viognier and Albarino are being rescued’

There was a time when the panorama of South American white wines was limited to one grape, the perfumed and robust Moscatel de Alejandría, the grape that the Spanish conquerors brought to that side of the world at the beginning of the 15th century. Moscatel and, later, Torrontés (a cross between the red Listán Prieto and Moscatel, made in Argentina) were the only white varieties in South America for almost 350 years. Things changed in around the middle of the 19th century, when the first imports of European grapes included Semillon, Chenin Blanc and Riesling. Right after this new wave, Muscat and Torrontés were left aside, giving way to the new reign of these varieties which brought flavours that seemed much more elegant and sophisticated, by the standards of those times. The old Moscatel and its cousin Torrontés were both relegated to country wines, consumed in taverns.

However, by the end of the 1980s, everything would change again. The fashion for Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay around the world at that time would lead to producers again doing away with the old (notably Semillon and Chenin Blanc) to concentrate on the new. In Chile, for