Everyone is revolutionized in the small wine projects of Córdoba. One of the greatest wine critics and promoters worldwide will come in February, tour two producing areas, talk with local viticulturists and, of course, taste products made in this territory and qualify them.
The arrival in the province on February 17 and 18 of the British Tim Atkin was confirmed to La Voz by sources from the Córdoba Tourism Agency where it is considered that beyond the qualifications and opinions that the specialist makes regarding Cordoba wines, it will mark a strong mark on this incipient activity.
Atkin’s visit is coordinated by Wines of Argentina (WofA), the entity that has promoted the dissemination of Argentine wine for 30 years (and which is chaired by the renowned winemaker Alejandro Vigil) with the area responsible for the dissemination of Caminos del Vino de Córdoba , commanded by Nora Cingolani.
Toured by zones
Atkin had already had contact with Cordovan wines from the Terra Camiare winery, in Colonia Caroya, but now, as part of a trip with a busy schedule, not only will he return to that emblematic location for the activity, but he will also travel to Traslasierra , one of the sites with unique geological characteristics in Latin America.
Cingolani indicated that as coordinated with WofA, the English critic and journalist, whose scores mark the fate of wines from around the world in the markets, will tour a winery in each area, but will also meet with producers from both areas.
In this context, he will also talk in a restaurant in Córdoba Capital with producers from the Calamuchita Valley and will share two dinners with them. According to the procedures that Atkin usually uses, in addition to tasting the wines “in situ” he also takes samples, with which he produces the expected qualifications.
Juan Cruz Borsotti, president of the Chamber of Wineries and Wine Producers of Córdoba, highlighted “the importance of having an international critic come” like Atkin and that he is “interested in our region because it encourages us to continue working in this search to position the province abroad.
The leader explained that exporting requires other more complex steps, but having these expert views on Cordovan wine allows us to “show the world that we have our history, our terroirs that are totally different from other regions, and quality.”
In the province there are regarding 25 wine projects, indicated the Chamber, within them, a dozen can be considered wineries, according to the qualification granted by the National Institute of Viticulture.
Atkin is, along with Robert Parker, one of the two most prestigious critics in the world. He is a Master Wine, the highest qualification awarded in the global wine industry through The Institute of Masters of Wine in the UK.
Coveted Atkin Points
Obtaining a score of more than 90 points in Atkin’s palate implies for any project in progress accessing a level of diffusion that opens up opportunities in the markets, “above all in Argentina,” said Borsotti.
“For this expert to visit us is a great step for Córdoba, which has already begun to appear on the wine map in some countries, as was the recent case of a fair in Brazil. Last year we made the formal invitation through WofA and now this long-awaited arrival of Atkin will materialize”, described Cingolani.
The wineries that he will visit are selected by the consultancy carried out by the British at the suggestion of WofA. In them, in addition to touring the terroir, you will taste two wines. In the three scheduled meetings with the producers, mostly micro, small and medium, the samples will also be tested.
Cingolani stressed that Cordoba wine “is in full growth.” “We say that this is the third stage of our wine: the first was with the Jesuits and the second with the presence of the Friulian community in Colonia Caroya. Now there is a permanent search for quality and that is what is corroborated with this trip only to Córdoba ”, he added.
Atkin is a deep connoisseur of Argentine wines through a relationship maintained for decades, especially with Mendoza.
For his 2022 report, he visited Mendoza, San Juan and Chubut and tasted 2,001 wines from 370 wineries, which resulted in a 280-page report, where only one received his famous 100 points. It was Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal Malbec 2019, Paraje Altamira, Mendoza.