Garage wine is a trendy term that gets thrown around a lot, but – in my experience at least – in Argentina and Chile it doesn’t exist as much as you’d expect. Or at least, the producers of truly garage wine are rarely worth writing about and quite difficult to get your hands on. Paso a Paso wines is an exception to the rule – winemaking partners Norberto and Sebastian make barely 10,000 bottles a year (which makes them ‘artisanal’ according to the INV) and yet you’ll likely see their wines in many wine bars and restaurants in Mendoza and Buenos Aires.
My first taste of Paso a Paso wines (which means ‘step by step’) was at a wine fair years ago, with their Bonarda – it was the first commercial Bonarda on the scene from the southern Uco Valley and offered a cool climate interpretation of this soft Argentine variety which is usually produced in warmer climates to the east and north of Mendoza.
When Norberto and I sat down to taste and drink his wines last Wednesday, I was thrilled to see how this garage wine production has indeed spread to a couple garages and diversified into several different varieties (although Bonarda remains their stronghold).
This is a case of two impassioned young winemakers making it on their own and holding true to something they believe in: “We don’t ever want to make more than 5,000 bottles per label, and we want to focus on Argentine varieties,” Norberto told me. What I enjoyed most about our tasting was certainly the more ‘Argentine’ elements of the wine – the attention to Bonarda (of cool and warm climate) and the delicious white blend of Criolla varieties. I’m personally really excited to see Argentine winemakers reclaim their own ‘native’ Criolla varieties – they have a fair bit of catching up to do compared with Chile next door – and I think this white blend is perhaps one of the most exciting Argentine Criolla wines to date.
Paso a Paso wines embody an adventurous and bold new generation of Argentine winemakers who are focusing on artisanal wines and stripping back to the roots of Argentine identity.
Paso a Paso wine tasting notes
Las Criollas de Don Graciano – Criollas Blanco 2017. 337 bottles. $300 pesos
This label is specially made with a local producer of table grapes, Don Graciano in Montecaseros in San Martin. It’s a blend of white Criolla grapes (50% Criolla Chica, 25% Moscatel Rosado and 25% Torrontes Sanjuanino*) from older parral vines from the 70s. The wine has a bright nose of citrus rind, bruised orchard fruit and white blossom and in the mouth is very textural with a mouthwatering, saline finish. It’s a great wine and adds to the exciting collection of white blends appearing in Argentina today. Hopefully, they will make more than 337 bottles this vintage when they plan to add some Pedro Ximenez to the blend.
*Torrontes Riojano is usually the Torrontes grape chosen for white wine production, however Norberto prefers the texture you gain from Torrontes Sanjuanino which is also slightly less exuberant in the nose.
Paso a Paso Vino de Garage – Bonarda 2017. 5,100 bottles. $300 pesos
This is the wine that arguably made Paso a Paso known. A cooler climate Bonarda from El Cepillo in the Uco Valley, this was the first Bonarda on the market that came from such a cool spot (the long cycle variety tended to be grown in warmer areas in the east). You notice that freshness in the nose with a herbal spearmint and eucalpytus note as well as some floral aromas and classic Bonarda red berry notes. This is a fresher wine (just 12.4% alcohol) and has layered aromatics with a juicy finish. A fresh vision of Bonarda.
Paso a Paso Vino de Garage – Malbec 2017. Blend de Terruños. 4,800 bottles. $300 pesos.
“We have a Malbec because we are in Argentina…” admits Norberto, “but we wanted to experiment with it!” Each year they produce a different Malbec to add to their portfolio (it’s hard to sell wine in Argentina without one) and 2017’s Malbec was a blend of terroirs – with 70% coming from Perdriel, 25% from Vistaflores and just 5% from Gualtallary. This Malbec has the darker plum notes and concentration from Perdriel, the structure and intensity of Vistaflores and a touch of peppery freshness from Gualtallary. There’s no oak influence here – just pure Malbec.
Bonarda with no name. 2017. $200-250 pesos.
This was a preview of a Bonarda they made in Santa Rosa, in a warmer climate region to the east. Norberto and Sebastian wanted to make a more affordable Bonarda for their friends and this is it. Freshly squeezed blackberry notes jump straight out of the glass and it makes your mouth water like a child anticipating their first sip of Ribena. This is pure fruit (which is the charm of Bonarda) and in the mouth, it is aromatic and easy-drinking.
Los Abandonados by Paso a Paso Wines. Cabernet Franc 2015. $650 pesos.
This wine falls into ‘the abandoned’ line which also has vineyards rescued from abandonment. In this case though the wine was abandoned, and left in a concrete egg forgotten in a corner. It was only recently that Norberto and Sebastian tried it again and found a wine that sent them, and some of their tasting friends, wild. It’s 100% cement, 0% oak as Norberto puts it and this Cabernet Franc has mellowed over time and in the nose it is a gentle mix of dark cherry and plum with light floral notes. In the mouth it is also smooth but has length and a fresh finish.
2v2t Blend by Paso a Paso Wines 2016. 1398 bottles. $650 pesos.
2 varieties, 2 terroirs – this is a blend of 80% Bonarda from Santa Rosa and 20% Petit Verdot from Barrancas, and it is one of their top wines. It’s remarkable that Petit Verdot is just a fifth of this blend because for me it really stands out – it fills in the fleshiness of the Bonarda with perfume, spice, tannin and acidity. The wine is full bodied with warmer alcohol (still just 13.5%) and riper fruit notes but there are also some notes lilac and sage, and a spicy finish. This wine really benefited from decanting (or trying it the next morning in my case!)
Find out more about Paso a Paso wines online
You can purchase Paso a Paso wines at Wine O’Clock in Mendoza (our kind hosts for the tasting) and other wine shops in Mendoza and Buenos Aires.
