Pedro Pelegrinapresident of Professional Council of Winemakers of San Juan, in charge of the organization of the meeting, highlighted: “It is an event that is celebrating its 35th anniversary, it is a reflection of the evolution of the wine industry in Argentina. Back in the ’80s it was demijohn wine, then varietals and blends began to appear, all that differentiation was achieved with advances in the sector. This year is special because we are under the rules of the OIV”.
The contest consists of several stages, hence the importance, since they take place throughout the calendar year. Although the awards ceremony took place on October 27, the schedule began in July and ended in August, with the call to wineries and the receipt of samples. Then, between September 4 and 29, the blind tasting was held. After the award ceremony already finalized, next November 24 (Argentine Wine Day) will culminate with an event at the House of San Juan in Buenos Aires to present the award-winning wines at the Tasting 2023.
According to Mario GonzalezPresident of COVIARthe Tasting of San Juan “It is one of the most traditional and oldest, where the uninterrupted work of the sector is shown, to show the quality that exists in San Juan. This speaks of a lot of work, since the tasting starts with the effort of the workers in the field, in the vineyard, from the harvester who receives the grapes, to the winemaker, to the commercial capacity, the entire chain takes a lot of effort and this type of events reward that effort and work. Viticulture generates added value to each of the activities and generates genuine employment,” he highlighted.
The XXXV National Wine Tasting of San Juan in numbers
In the XXXV Tasting of San Juan National Competition, all wineries registered with the National Institute of Viticulture (INV) participated. The samples competed in two categories: fractionated wines and non-fractionated wines. Both participated, according to the rules in force at the OIV, for the awards Grand Gold, Gold and Silver, where technological and scientific development was valued to obtain superior quality wines. In turn, the winemakers responsible for the production of award-winning wines also received a distinction in which their professional performance was recognized.
In the 2023 edition of the San Juan Tastingthey presented themselves 338 samples and 116 manufacturing establishments. In total, 118 awards were given to 56 wineries: 36 wines were awarded Silver (they received 89 to 90 points) and another 82 reached Gold (91 to 94 points). In turn, five wines obtained more than 95 points and won the Grand Gold.
He 89% of the participating wines were varietals and blends. 5% basic, another 5% sweet and 1% sparkling wines. 77% were red, 5% rosé and 18% white. Between the reds, the novelty was the orange trees: white wines that are fermented with the skins so that they acquire that particular color. The varietals that were presented were: Chardonnay, Malbec, Sauvignon blanc, Bonarda, Torrontés, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Pinto Gris, Carmenere, Ugni Blanc, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Tannat.
wine tasting 2023 4.jpg
The winners and prizewinners at the San Juan Wine Tasting 2023
The winners of the Great Gold in the XXXV San Juan Wine Tasting 2023 National Competition were: the Chico Zossi Family Young Varietals Torrontés Riojano 2022, from the Chico Zossi winery from Tucumán; POVOS Malbec 2023 San Juan de la Frontera winery; Black Mora Blend Malbec – Bonarda De Guarda 2020 Penaflor Group; Fairtrade Organic Malbec De Guarda 2021 La Riojana Cooperativa Vitivinifrutícola de La Rioja LTDA and Fuego Blanco Flinstone Cabernet Franc De Guarda 2021 from the Millán winery from Mendoza.
In this way, of the five Grand Gold delivered, San Juan obtained two with the Povos Malbec 2023 wines, the responsibility of the winemakers Ricardo Román, Carlos Domenech, Pablo Maturano and Franco Jauregui for Bodegas San Juan de la Frontera SA; and Mora Negra Blend Malbec – Bonarda De Guarda 2020, made by Gonzalo Abadía, Juan Ignacio Arnulph, José Escrivá, Diego Carrasco and Franco Beltrán for the Peñaflor Group.
For its part, Mendoza won the Great Gold with a Fuego Blanco Flinstone Cabernet Franc De Guarda 2021, made by winemaker Pablo Gómez Sabatie for the Millán SA winery. The Rioja achieved the medal with its Fairtrade Organic Malbec De Guarda 2021, made by Dr. Rodolfo Griguol and Lic. Leonardo Manzano for the La Riojana winery Cooperativa Vitivinifrutícola de La Rioja Ltda. While Tucuman won a Great Gold with its wine Familia Chico Zossi Varietales Jóvenes Torrontés Riojano 2022, made by Alberto Castro for the Chico Zossi Winery.
wine tasting 2023 1.jpg
San Juan, land of sun and wine, is renewed without losing its identity
Of course, this event is part of a series of efforts, both from the public and private sectors, to promote the wine tourism and give added value to San Juan wine and wine productionwhich today is in a special moment, reconverting the matrix of “table wines” to elegant, outstanding and refined wineswhich compete in all the tastings and markets in the world.
In dialogue with Ambitthe Minister of Production and Economic Development of Saint John, Ariel Lucero, spoke about this scenario of wine revitalization in his province. “The Viticultural activity is a driving activity for the San Juan economy., from the first migrants who arrived here. Each of the families is linked to the activity, directly or indirectly. Thus, wine for mass consumption, table wine, over time diversified and adapted to the needs of the markets,” he highlighted.
For this reason, he remarked, “today San Juan is in a process of conversion of viticulture to viticulture, of valleys, where today we have some characteristics. For example, the valleys of Pedernal and Calingasta They have received many investments, they are two of the ones that are booming today. But if we have to talk about places There is great work in the Ullum and Zonda Valleys. They are valleys with great capacity and oenological quality, which is why today the wineries, with new technologies and processes, offer quality products,” he added. bright Starsince “we are not only talking about the product, but about the environment, where there is an experience, along with the gastronomy, the landscape, etc.”
In the tour through the valleys, the farms and wineries, this evolution and reconversion is reflected, producing high-level wines. We must not forget one key fact: San Juan is the second producing province in the country, with the second most cultivated area of the total, with about 41,000 hectares, which are divided between wine-growing and wine-growing activities. “San Juan is the first producer and exporter of grape must and raisins, it was the first producer and exporter of grapes for fresh consumption, something that unfortunately was affected by current issues,” he explained. bright Star.
wine tasting 2023 6.jpg
Events like the National Tasting of San Juan They show all that work and effort, which year after year, adds more hierarchy to the province. Pedro Pelegrinapresident of the Professional Council of Winemakers of San Juan, explained to this medium that in these years “we have managed to visualize the valleys, like the Valley of Tullum, which is the one with the highest production but then we have Pedernal, Zonda Bajo, Zonda Alta, Calingasta and the truth is that none of those valleys are similar from the point of view of quality, they are different and that is an added value when the consumer looks for different and new things, each valley has its charm, not only because of the landscape, but also of wine quality, that is the strength of San Juan, its diversity of valleys,” he noted.
In that sense, Mario GonzalezPresident of COVIARexpressed: “San Juan It has a lot of history, it is the second producing province, in recent years it has been encouraged to occupy the place it deserves, that is, to be among the first levels of Argentine viticulture. It is very good that people know and make visible everything that happens in this province. Therefore, the support of COVIAR It is essential to sustain and promote an industry that generates so many jobs,” he stressed.
The fruit of this work arises from public and private support, to promote the development of San Juan viticulture, with so much potential. In recent years, loans have been provided with subsidized rates of 29.9%, financing more than 20% of winegrowing, according to official data. And to that are added the updates of the processes, something key in these moments in the world, where sustainability became a matter of State.
wine credit ministry of tourism of san juan (1).jpg
“We are working with IRAM, the UN and the IDB in improving energy processes, reduce the carbon footprint and carry out good agricultural practices processes and manufacturing in the sector, with regard to sustainability,” Lucero explained.
Along these lines, the official highlighted that this year “the minister Sergio Massa allocated 4,000 million pesos for a program to control the lobesia botrana plaguein joint work with Mendoza“, among other contributions, to achieve the best quality of the product” through the use of good agricultural practices, a quality standard that is widely observed today in the world, when consuming local products.
Another aspect that stood out Ariel Lucero It was the task of oenologists and specialists to recover the identity of the national wine, through exhaustive research and field work, where they sought to return to the roots, with heritage grapes, creole grapes that are part of an identity that cannot be erased and are part of the trends in wines. “Calingasta is working hard to recover typical varieties that today have found an international niche for generating foreign exchange, with wineries that have developed as Carasur, Dragons and Elephant”, he concluded.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
