Trivento – The success of Argentinian Winemaking
Trivento is a wine you have probably heard of, after all, it’s the UK’s leading Argentinian wine brand on the market. And that is saying something since Malbec from Argentina is huge at the moment and has been for some time.
The wine comes from the famous Mendoza region which lies at the base of the Andes range in the valley of the river Mendoza. Vineyards here can exceed 1,500 metres! The center of Mendoza is known as the ‘Primera Zona’ as it has the longest history of quality wine in Argentina and has a large number of leading producers concentrated around the area. It is also home to Argentina’s only two DOCs, one of which, Lujan de Cuyo, is where Trivento winery is based.
The Wines
Trivento have 4 key Malbec’s to their name as well as an interesting Rose Malbec, an uncommon white Malbec, a Pinot Grigio, Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Starting with the classic, the Trivento Reserve Malbec serves as a fantastic entry level wine at great value for money. It showcases the essence of Malbec and teases in hints with what can be done with more premium styles. You’ll find bright red and black fruits with a dollop of vanilla. Some sugar lends a sweet finish and makes it sip very smoothly.
The Trivento Private Reserve Malbec ups the game for someone wanting less focus on sweet elements and more on spiced nuance. The fruit flavour is also more pronounced with a good balance between black and red fruits again. The finish culminates in a woody spiced note and lingers nicely.
As the name suggests, the Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec is next level. They are single vineyard wines from vineyards over 100 years old and undergo 12 months oak ageing. The resulting wine has well concentrated fruit notes and powerful flavour. Complexity is dialed up by the oak ageing giving it a toasty element. The finish is long and velvety.
The masterpiece is the Trivento Eolo which is unfortunately not the easiest to find or afford but deserving of a mention. It comes from the Eolo vineyard which has vines over 100 years old and sit 1000 metres above sea level. It is a wine full of vintage and place expression with fig, dark chocolate, cigar box, cherries, and blackberries.
The Trivento Rose Malbec is a great way for Argentina to explore their primary grape variety and take advantage of the deep colour and body of the Malbec grape, giving their Roses a little more oomph than the French counterparts. The fruit is well displayed as a cornucopia of fresh berries and citrus.
The exciting Trivento White Malbec is only the second of this style I have tried and remains an interesting wine to drink and enjoy. You get a sense of the red fruits of Malbec lying underneath a citrussy overlay which mingles strawberry and lemon, cherry and apple in a crisp combo.
Trivento Reserve Pinot Grigio is fairly classic Pinot Grigio albeit with more emphasis on tropical than some standard industry versions. It is a great aperitif and party pleaser.
The Trivento Reserve Shiraz is akin to some of the spicy, bold Aussie ones you may be used to. Dark fruits and chocolate are uplifted by oaky magic which lends vanilla and smoke overtones to the wine. A touch of black pepper brings out the signature flavour of the grape variety.
The final wine worth mentioning here is the Trivento Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This is grown in the Uco Valley which is one of the highest regions of Mendoza. It is fruity and elegant with a nice, restrained balance between red and black fruit flavours. A period of oak ageing lends subtl spice and smoke to the blend.
Updated 13th October 2023