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Amanda Barnes: My top 10 South American wines of 2021

From the cool climate Chardonnays of Chile to high-altitude Malbec from Argentina, via old-vine Chenin and Semillon, plus sparkling wines from Uruguay, expert Amanda Barnes picks her favourite bottles of the year.

For the first year in over a decade, I haven’t been based in South America due to the borders being tightly shut until November 2021.

That, however, didn’t slow my enthusiasm for tasting new releases – even if the shipping container chaos did! Nor did the pandemic slow down South America’s most creative winemakers, who continued to forge ahead with inexhaustible innovation.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and score Amanda Barnes’ top 10 South American wines of 2021


What has excited me most about South America’s wines over the last couple of years is the restless search for wines reflecting interesting terroirs, purer regional expression and greater freshness and transparency.


Amanda Barnes’ top 10 South American wines of 2021


The South America Wine Guide written by Amanda Barnes was published in 2021 and features in the Decanter pick of Best wine & spirits books for 2021


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