Featured wine of the month – Amalaya Torrontes Riesling
Dry, fresh and fruity– this is summer in a glass…
Amalaya translates as ‘hope for a miracle’ in the indigenous language of the now extinct tribe, the Calchaquí. The winery is situated in Cafayate, Calchaquí Valley in Salta in the far north of Argentina at nearly 1,828 metres above sea level. They are dry grown and their very deep roots give the fruit impressive concentration.
Torrontes has also been found to be a native grape variety to Argentina, even though it shares a name with a Spanish grape from Galicia. However, these are now known to be distinct grape varieties. And the Argentinian Torrontes may be one of three closely related varieties.
The makers of Amalaya are Hess Family Wine Estates, who are very well known for their Napa Valley wines. Interestingly, they also produce some outstanding high altitude vineyard red wines as well as this delicious white. The Colome vineyard, also in the region of Salta, is one of the highest vineyards in the world.
This is, of course, a blend with Riesling which does incredibly well in cool climate vineyards. And are rather floral and delicately structured when grown at such heights.
In the sandy, poor quality soils in these vineyards, the roots of the vine grow very deep to ensure that they can absorb the vital water that they need. This growth of roots, means that the fruit is very concentrated. That is because the vine has less energy to put into growing large quantities of grapes, so the low yield of grapes that are grown are exceptionally high quality.
About the Amalaya Torrontes Riesling:
The trophy winning Torrontes/Riesling is silky on the palate, refreshing and bursting with aromas of citrus, blossom and grapefruit. It is fuller in body but still light and ever so fresh. It is dry, yet it is also fruity.
Drink this wine lightly chilled around 8-10oC. This enhances the freshness and allows the perfume to shine.
Serving suggestions:
Fresh and aromatically perfumed, this is an excellent choice for matching with seafood, salads with fresh cheese, Asian spices, and chicken.
Available now for £13.99 click below to purchase!
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