2009 GRAPE HARVEST IN ARGENTINA

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1 A.P.E.A.A. OFFICIAL REPORT 2009 GRAPE HARVEST IN ARGENTINA An ideal year for great wines, with the protagonism of professional vine growers and wine makers. A dry, warm year for healthy fruit and wine. Less quantity, more quality. REPORT ISSUED BY A.P.E.A.A., THE ARGENTINE ASSOCIATION OF FOOD AND WINE PROFESSIONALS OF ARGENTINA

2 CALCHAQUI VALLEYS (Salta Tucumán Catamarca) An optimal vegetative cycle that enhanced the region s quality. A cold, dry winter, suitable for vine vegetative rest. A cool spring, with a 20-day delay in budbreak and some frosts in lower areas that led to a decrease in yield and some sparse clusters. A very rainy end of spring, which affected the healthiness of some vineyards. The summer was cooler than usual, allowing slow but complete ripening. Long-cycle varieties suffered a delay in ripening. This cycle favored frutiness, good acidity and ripe tannins. White wines: intense fruitiness, complexity and elegance. Torrontes stands out. Fresh wines with better acidity and greater delicacy. Red wines: less alcohol, excellent stable color, greater concentration, black fruit, and round, juicy, ripe tannins. Improvements in vineyard management and wine making technology enhance more and more the quality of the wines from this region. The introduction of mechanical harvesters and a better harvest logistics boost the region s potential. LA RIOJA A year of dry weather and early ripening great for long-cycle varieties Normal winter and spring, with early budbreak. Beginning of summer with some rains in December. The weather then turned dry, with 20% less rainfall than normal. This improved the sanitary status and brought ripening forward by 7 days in early-cycle varieties and 10 days in long-cycle varieties. Excellent quality, with less aromatic intensity in whites and outstanding varietal expression in reds. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot excel. SAN JUAN A difficult year for vineyard health, yet well managed thanks to rational enological practices combined with good harvest logistics The winter was quite long but not as cold as the previous year. A cool spring start, with high temperatures towards the end of the season, which allowed for a modification in vineyard yield.

3 A very wet early summer affected the healthiness of the region s vineyards, with sharp outbreaks of powdery mildew (oidium) and downy mildew. This diseases affected fruit ripening and led to defoliation and serious dehydration. The province of San Juan was also very much affected by climatic accidents such as hail, which were detrimental to productivity and thus quality. After January 10 th, the summer turned very warm and dry, which brought harvest time forward and increased the sugar content in some varieties. Maturity was brought forward for all varieties. The best techniques put into practice include mechanical harvesting done at night, the application of cold and more efficient harvest logistics. As a result, some white wines display remarkable enological quality. The phenolic maturity of red wines was impaired by high temperatures during ripening. Outstanding white wines include Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. Among reds Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Malbec, Syrah and Bonarda stand out for their attractive colors, ripe fruit, spicy flavors, sweet tannins and complex bodies. Some vine growing undertakings from Valle del Pedernal in San Juan deserve special mention for their orientation towards premium high-altitude viticulture which is exploited by many prestigious wineries. Wineries in Valle de Zonda have also achieved remarkable results in the production of first fruit wines with high varietal expression. MENDOZA A great year for red wines Northern Oasis Optimal production for mass consumption wines and young varietals Some early frosts in April 2008 affected productivity. A normal winter with adequate vegetative rest. A cool early spring, followed by a very warm November, which affected fruit set and production. A rainy start of the summer with big hailstorms and outbreaks of powdery mildew and downy mildew detracted from the quality of some wines.

4 White wines: Chenin, Sauvignon, Torrontes, Chardonnay and Semillon were correct and elegant, a little light, but well-balanced. Red wines achieved good color and intensity and are fruity, persistent, delicate, ideal for consumption within the year. Syrah, Tempranillo and Bonarda deserve special notice. Eastern Oasis Less production, with remarkable quality A short, rather mild winter. A dry spring with uneven budbreak and Zonda winds that resulted in coulure in early-cycle varieties. A dry, warm summer brought harvest time forward by 10 to 20 days, overall. Acceptable sanitary quality. Very healthy medium- and long-cycle varieties. Mild cases of dehydration in vineyards under water stress. Early ripening. White wines: fresh, with no oxidation, good balance and a pleasant mouthfeel. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Torrontes and Chenin stand out. Red wines: good, stable colors, clean aromas without reduction, and soft tannins. Malbec, Syrah and Bonarda excel. High Mendoza River Basin Oasis A memorable year for red varietals. Adequate winemaking practices brought out the best in white wines Early frosts in the fall of 2008 may have affected bud productivity and fertility. A mild winter with few frosts, suitable for normal vine vegetative rest. A cool, dry spring with good, early budbreak. A dry, very warm November which allowed for fruitset and berry development. Some hailstorms affected the region, also hit by heatwaves and high humidity in January, which led to some outbreaks of powdery and downy mildew. The summer was rainy at its onset, and then turned very warm and dry, bringing physiological maturity forward by 20 days in early- and medium-cycle varieties. Maturity was normal for late varieties. Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon are remarkable exceptions, as they ripened earlier than usual. This region is constantly at the forefront in vineyard and winemaking technology: better water management, lower canopy-yield ratios, improved harvest logistics, rational winemaking equipment specific for each varietal.

5 High alcohol content, low malic acidity in some red varietals. Intense color, concentrated fruit without jamminess, balanced acidity. Highlights: Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda, Petit Verdot and Tannat. White wines with very attractive colors, delicate flavor, soft tropical aromatic hues, good freshness in the mouth. Valle de Uco Above 1000 masl., exceptional quality wines with great aging potential, exempt from saignée Early frosts in the fall of 2008 and the subsequent sprouting resulted in a lower accumulation of reserves and thus a lower crop level for this harvest. Winter was normal with few snowstorms in the foothills and normal vegetative rest. A cool, dry spring allowed for good budbreak, flowering and fruitset. November December: high temperatures generated a few outbreaks of powdery mildew. A warm summer brought forward the ripening of early white varieties and favored the normal development of red grapes with great varietal and aging potential. An earlier phenolic and physiological maturity of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon was also observed in this region. The most outstanding enological results were seen among the Cot wines: Malbec, Tannat, Petit Verdot. Very remarkable qualities characterize Syrah, Tannat, Petit Verdot, and there were some amazing Cabernets. White wines: Sauvignon Blanc with positive mineral character, and fresh, light body. Chardonnay with broadness and length in the mouth and plenty of ripe stone fruit. Southern Oasis A year of elegant and delicate wines A mild winter, with adequate vegetative rest. A normal spring, pleasant and cool, allowed for good budbreak, flowering and fertilization. Very good sanitary quality in grapes, in spite of some climatic accidents.

6 High temperatures in December and January made it necessary to bring the grape harvest forward, and there were even a few atypical cases in which the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest took place before the Malbec s. In this region, a constantly growing integration can be seen between grape growers and winemakers in a search for quality, efficiency and mutual benefit. The presence of agronomists assisting vine growers has been a constant improvement observed over the last years. White wines with early maturity: delicate, with marked varietal typicity. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc excel. Red wines: deep colors, complex and elegant, with good alcohol-acidity balance. Malbec and Merlot stand out. Neuquén Río Negro (Patagonia) A very favorable year for the region s sustained quality A cold dry winter, normal for the region and for the vegetative dormancy of the vines. A cool spring with late, nonsignificant frosts, and no rains. Good temperatures for the flowering and fertilization of most varieties and exceptional for Malbec (no coulure). No cryptogamic diseases occurred. An atypical dry, warm summer, with high maximum temperatures, brought forward the ripening of early varieties. The end of summer was long and mild, which favored the complete ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon. New undertakings and advanced technology enhance more and more the quality of the wines from this region. There are plans for the development of new varietals of commercial interest such as Torrontes. White wines: marked varietal definition, tropical fruit, very well-balanced in the mouth and good acidity. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc excel. Red wines: excellent color, ripe fruit, good balance and harmony in the mouth. The varietals Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc stand out.

7 A.P.E.A.A. s Communications Committee would like to make an acknowledgement once more to the viniculture professionals who have contributed with their knowledge, and through rational management, to make Argentine wine a solid, commercial and distinguished product. Communications Committee A.P.E.A.A.