Dry Aromatic over £10

And the winner is...

Terrazas de los Andes, Selection Torrontés,

Salta, Argentina 2010 (13.5%)

A heady, exotic nose with apricot fruit and lush floral

characters. Broad, weighty and creamy palate with

balancing acidity that sustains the persistent finish.

UK: £11.99; Ave, Cmb, WFM, WRa

Although it stood unopposed in thefinal round, this wine thoroughly deserves its Trophy. In addition to completing a brace of victories for Torrontés, the win highlights what a fertile breeding ground Salta is for the variety.The Terrazas team works with vineyards at various sites in Mendoza.Its motto: ‘the ideal altitude for each grape variety’. When it came to sourcing Torrontés, the team travelled north alongside the Andes to Salta, favouring its unique combination of unusually high altitude and sub-tropical latitude. ‘We found in Cafayate the perfect oasis for Torrontés, where it can reveal its maximum expression of floral and fruity aromas, high acidity and perfect balance,’ explains Hervé Birnie-Scott, Terrazas’ estate director. ‘We use a traditional pergola vine training system, to protect the berries from the intense sunlight with several layers of leaves.’

For more information, subscribe to Decanter magazine, and receive your Awards issue, here.

Written by