Torrontés is a white grape variety, mostly produced and known in Argentine wine, producing fresh, aromatic wines with moderate acidity, smooth texture and mouthfeel as well as distinctive peach and apricot aromas on the nose.Robinson, Jancis ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 47, 246 Mitchell Beazley 1986 Three Torrontés varieties exist in Argentina: Torrontés Riojano, the most common, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torrontés Mendocino. It is primarily Torrontés Riojano that has received attention for the quality of its wines, and is the variety used for most Argentine wines simply labeled Torrontés.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 187-188 Oxford University Press 1996 The three grapes are relatively similar but do have some noticeable differences. Torrontés Riojano and Torrontés Sanjuanino both tend to have large loose bunches of pale grapes while Torrontés Mendocino, however, has smaller, tighter bunches of darker yellow grapes. Torrontés Riojano is the most aromatic of the three, with aromas reminiscent of Muscat and Gewürtztraminer wines. The least aromatic, and least widely planted, is Torrontés Mendocino with the aromatics and plantings of Torrontés Sanjuanino falling in between.Oz Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 267 Harcourt Books 2001 All three Argentine Torrontés varieties belong to the '' Criollas'' group of grape varieties, which is a term used for presumably American-born cultivars of the European grapevine '' Vitis vinifera''.J. Robinson (ed) ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'' Third Edition, Oxford University Press 2006, pg. 703, Around in Argentina have been planted with Torrontés Riojano, and with Torrontés Sanjuanino. Plantings in the very high altitudes (1700m+) of the Calchaquíes Valleys in the far north of Argentina have recently met with success. The vine is highly productive and is just under ten percent of all white grape plantings, however as a varietal, it made up almost 20 percent of all white wine sold in Argentina in 2008. The Salta region in northwest Argentina is particularly noted for its Torrontés as the grape thrives in cold dry, windswept conditions.

History and relation to other grapes

Recent research using

DNA profiling DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding. DNA profiling is a forensic tec ...

has shown that the different Torrontés are genetically closely related but distinct grape varieties, and that Torrontés Riojano, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torontel (also known as

Moscatel Amarillo Muscatel ( ) is a type of wine made from muscat grapes. The term is now normally used in the United States to refer to a fortified wine made from these grapes rather than just any wine made from these grapes. This fortified muscatel became popu ...

) are all separate crossings of Mission (originally reported as

Criolla Chica : Pais is a red wine grape that has played a prominent role in the Chilean wine industry. Up until the turn of the 21st century, it was Chile's most planted variety until it was overtaken by Cabernet Sauvignon. Today it is most commonly used in ...

) and Muscat of Alexandria.Torrontes Riojano
Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 2010-07-14Torrontes Sanjuanino
Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 2010-07-14Torontel
Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 2010-07-14 Torrontés Mendocino was found to probably be a crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and another, so far unidentified grape variety.Torrontes Mendocino
Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 2010-07-14 While the Muscat-like qualities of the Torrontés varieties meant that a relationship to Muscat of Alexandria had been expected, the presence of Mission or Criolla Chica in the pedigree was unexpected to the researchers. For many years it was believed that the Torrontés of South America was the same variety as the Torrontés grape from

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

in Spain, also known as

Albillo Albillo or Albillo Real is a white Spanish wine grape varietyAlbillo Real
,

Indeed, even wine expert

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

, noted as much in her 1986 book on the world's grape varieties. However, recent DNA evidence shows that there is probably no direct relationship between the Argentine and Spanish Torrontés varietiesAlbillo Mayor
Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 2010-07-14 and more recent editions of Robinson's wine books acknowledge the new findings. There is also a less common red wine grape called Torrontés, which is also known under the synonyms Tarrantes and Turrundos.

Wine regions

Torrontés is grown throughout Argentina and its acreage is steadily increasing. Part of its increase in numbers comes from the increase in Argentine wine exportation where the grape has found considerable success in the United States, United Kingdom and abroad but also from a better understanding and identification of the different Torrontés varieties that allow for better accounting of plantings. For most of its history (including into the late 20th century) Torrontés lagged behind

Pedro Giménez Pedro Giménez is a white Argentine wine grape that is rapidly declining in plantings. Despite the similar name, the Spanish wine grape Pedro Ximénez is a different variety with ampelographers not yet certain if the two grapes are in any way rel ...

and

Ugni blanc Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it h ...

among white grape varieties in Argentina. But by the early 21st century, declining plantings in those two varieties and the growing popularity of Torrontés allowed it to surpass them and become Argentina's most widely planted white variety where it continued to be as of 2008. The different Torrontés varieties have developed niche in different areas of Argentina. Torrontés Riojano is widely grown in the La Rioja and Salta provinces of northern Argentina and is, in fact, the single most widely planted variety (both red and white) in La Rioja. In Salta, the grape is often planted in high altitude, sandy vineyards that are often more than above sea level. Here, the harsh growing conditions allow the variety to attain high acidity and assertive flavors. In the arid

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

province, Torrontés Sanjuanino is found but is planted to a much less significant amount than Torrontés Riojano. Torrontés Mendocino is, by far, the least widely planted variety and is mostly found in the southern province of Rio Negro.

Outside of Argentina

Torrontés is grown in Chile. However, the exact number of plantings (and of which variety) are not completely known. In 1996,

noted that there were several hundred hectares of ''Torontel'' grown but that some of these plantings may actually be the Galician variety. Additionally, Torrontés is known in Chile often under the synonym ''Moscatel de Austria'', which is believed to be Torrontés Sanjuanino. According to wine expert Oz Clarke, most plantings of Torrontés in Chile are Torrontés Riojano and the grape is primarily used in the production of the Chilean

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

, '' pisco''. Torrontes is also grown in Samaipata,

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Spanish Torrontés

While DNA evidence shows that there is probably no relationship between the Galician variety of Torrontés and the South American variety, consumers may still see Spanish wine labeled as Torrontés from the Galician wine region of

Ribeiro Ribeiro is a surname common in Galicia, Portugal and Brazil. It is also a wine-making region of Southeast central Galicia. In Portuguese, it literally means "small creek" or "by the river". In Galicia the surname was often Castilianized as ''Rivei ...

as well as other '' Denominación de Origen'' such as the Gran Canaria of the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

(most likely the Terrantez variety of

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), Montilla-Moriles and Madrid.

Wine style

According to wine expert Jancis Robinson, Torrontés has the capability of producing wines of high quality, but its success is dependent on the skill and care of the winemaking process, particularly in maintaining suitable acid levels to balance the wine. At its most ideal, Robinson notes, Torrontés are ''"wines for early drinking that are not too heavy, are high in acidity, and are intriguingly aromatic in a way reminiscent of but not identical to Muscat."'' But poorer made examples can come across as bitter and excessively alcoholic. Wine expert Oz Clarke, also notes the dependency on careful vinification for the quality of Torrontés but also notes that the size of the

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

yield can also play a substantial role. While the aroma of Torrontés is often associated with Muscat, Clarke notes that many examples can be very similar to Gewürztraminer with subtle spice notes mixed with the floral bouquet of the wine. Clarke also notes that the wine tends not to age very well and is often consumed within a year of its vintage date.

Synonyms

The three Argentine Torrontés varieties are known under the following names: * Torrontés Riojano is also known as Malvasia (cf. malvasia), Torrontel, and Torrontel Riojano. * Torrontés Sanjuanino is also known as Moscatel Romano, Moscatel Sanjuanino, and Torrontel. * Torrontés Mendocino is also known as Chichera, Loca Blanca, Palet, Torrontel, Uva Chichera and Torrontés Mendozino. In Chile, the variety is also known as Torontel and Moscatel de Austria.

References

{{wines White wine grape varieties Argentine wine