Travels in Argentine Wine Country: Bodegas Valentin Bianchi
By John Schreiner
June 2, 2008
One surprise in Mendoza, the capital of Argentina’s wine region, is how many Italian restaurants there are, and how authentic the cuisine is.
The reason becomes clear in visiting a winery like Bodegas Valentin Bianchi, now run by the third generation of a family that was part of the huge Italian migration to Argentina in the early 20th Century.
Valentin Bianchi arrived in Argentina in 1910. Eleven years later, after he had worked in railway administration, started a bus company and a timber company, he was elected to the city council in San Rafael. That’s a community a couple of hours by road south of Mendoza but still in the wine region.
Bodegas Valentin Bianchi - Mendoza
In 1928 Bianchi established his winery and vineyard, originally calling it El Chiche. It was renamed only in 1951 when his children became involved in the business. By the time he died in 1968, Bodegas Valentin Bianchi had become one of Argentina’s major wineries and he had been decorated by his native Italy for his success.
In the 1970s, the winery developed promising sales in Canada for its wines, with Seagrams acting as its distributor. That came apart during the Falklands war in 1982. Apparently, the distributor stopped ordering Bianchi wines, Argentina then having become unpopular in the former British Empire, which was on the winning side of the war.
The determined Bianchi family rebuilt its Canadian market by connecting with the late Brian Delf, a Vancouver wine agent. Brian’s company is now run by his daughter, Jennifer, who continues to represent Valentin Bianchi.
In fact, the winery credits her with helping them to create its Finca Los Primos label, now a familiar and very affordable brand in the Canadian market. Roughly translated, the label means “estate of the cousins.” It was inspired by the number of Bianchi members involved in what is very much a family business. Not many of the Argentine wineries with a long history remain in the ownership of the founding family.
The winery has a charming habit of honouring that legacy on its labels. Its finest red (made only in top vintages), is a Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Malbec and Petite Verdot called Enzo Bianchi. At $40 a bottle in the winery, it is one of Argentina’s most expensive table wines – but, at 90 points plus, worth every penny.
Enzo Bianchi was Valentin’s son and a winemaker. The founder’s great grandson, also called Enzo, is currently studying to be a winemaker and represents the 4th generation of the Bianchi family in the business.
Currently, the winery is managed by the third generation, headed by Raúl Bianchi. An avid hunter, Raul has turned his interest into a commercial sideline, processing and marketing smoked game and smoked salmon. One of my best Argentine lunches was at his board room table, enjoying his cold cuts with Bianchi wines.
According to the tasting notes I made on a range of Bianchi reds, this is one of the strongest Cabernet Sauvignon producers among the large wineries. The Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon ($19 in British Columbia) got 88 points while the Finca Los Primos Cabernet Sauvignon ($10) scored 85.
That’s not to downgrade Bianchi Malbecs, which are solid wines as well. I was told, however, that winemaker Francisco Martínez “loves Cabernet” and I think it shows. He and his team, however, have many other options to work with. In its 343 hectares of vineyard, Bianchi grows at least 11 different varietals, including Barbera, no doubt a sentimental favourite recalling the family’s Italian roots.
Wine touring in Argentina is growing rapidly. Bianchi alone gets about 100,000 visitors a year, a surprising figure given its distance south of Mendoza. However, there are regular flights from Buenos Aires to San Rafael, the city near the winery. In fact, the airport is just next to the winery, practically within walking distance.
John Schreiner recently visited leading Argentina wineries.
goodgrog@shaw.ca
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