Torrontés is a wine that not many will have heard of, but it’s really beginning to make some serious waves amongst the “dinner party” sets (to be fair, I’m in that set I guess too, so not taking the ride here).
To know why Torrontés is becoming so popular, you need to know a bit about Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. I’ll try keep this as brief as possible…
Long and short of it is that Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio have quite famous tastes. Sauvignon Blanc is usually made to be very fruity, very refreshing, and fairly sharp. Pinot Grigio usually has floral smells, and the wine is a bit more reserved in the mouth. Torrontés sits perfectly in the middle of this.
First time you smell a Torrontés you just get it. You know why people are loving it. There’s that intense fruity smell (like Sauvignon Blanc), but this is paired with floral smells too (like Pinot Grigio). The body (heaviness in the mouth) and acidity (mouth watering–ness!?) are slap bang in the middle, and so if that’s a thing you look for in a wine, or even look to avoid, it’s pretty inoffensive. Anyone can love this wine!
To be fair, this wasn’t always the case. Until really recently it was considered a fairly crap wine. Usually it was way too bitter with nowhere near enough acidity (refreshing to drink) to make it a drink that you’d even consider going back to. Luckily there’s been plenty of research and investment in the last few years, and we’re now in touch with another fantastic varietal.
Cheers
Other posts in NWTW Week 5:
#NWTW Week 5: Argentinian Torrontés (includes voting poll)
