By Dereck Foster, for the Herald

A funny thing happened on the way to my cellar the other day. I suddenly came to the horrifying conclusion that I was starting to find our local wines to be boring! With very few exceptions indeed, I was beginning to take the stand that I was not too worried as to what wine I would select to put on my table that day. Leave aside the Ricardo Santos — I admit to a perhaps over estimation that his is the best Malbec being made today —and  a bubbly that goes by the name of Angelie — and I suddenly discovered that the label on the bottle I am about to uncork does not impress or influence much one way or another. What has happened?

The reason is as surprising as it is unusual. It is not that Argentine wines are repetitive, or poor or carbon copies of each other. Not indeed. The problem with local wines, today, is that they are just too darn good! This may be the joy of a wine drinker, but it is surely the bane of a wine critic. This one, at least.

There was a time when I would receive a constant stream of wine samples, and I would find myself trying to separate the good and very good (a minority) from the mediocre and even poor (by far a majority). I would be able to pounce upon a too obvious presence of wood (frequently) or an excess of acidity (only a little less obvious) and deliver my judgement to an impressed (so I assumed) readership.

Today, I still receive a stream of wine samples. I still uncork with a modicum of expectation, not so much at finding a poor wine — one does not wish anybody a dud — but yes in the expectation of finding one that is so far ahead of the rest that one’s fate in natural miracles is restored. Such expectations receed almost daily. One finds one good wine after another in the glass, and one sits back and begins to wonder what can one say that does not sound like a paid  blurb for the winemaker. It is a situation sufficient to drive one to (soft) drink.

It is no secret that almost since I began writing this column I have never had a very enthusiastic relationship with Cabernet wines. Amongst other defects (to my way of thinking), they always evinced far too much oak in their composition. Today, while not surrendering my appetite for Malbec, I am coming round to enjoying a number of Cabernet wines that are as soft and fruity and seductive as I had never drunk before. Strike one against one of my favourite bete noirs (as different from Pinot Noir, which I love). A good example is the Beviam Reserve Cabernet 2006, which is made by Cavas del 23. and which I have recently tried. Smooth, soft, full bodied but tranquil, it is a delicious wine that does not allow me to detect any possible defect except perhaps the price which, at a suggested 57 pesos is not economical but about par for a wine of this restricted production. And here is the only flank that is still open to possible criticism. But even here the matter is not clear. What is costly for one, expensive for another, is sometimes reasonable for a third, so even here it is difficult to divide the sheep from the wolves.

Perhaps if we switch to Malbec we find a clearer example of price differences and importance. I am referring to the FLM Gran Reserva 540 Malbec 2002, made by  Finca Los Maza, a highly alcoholic (14.5%), but extremely well balanced wine that does not reveal its true alcoholic character until the bottle is almost empty. Here I am prepared to say that we have an excellent wine that, for all its excellence, is overpriced at its suggested 180 pesos. But again, there are enough potential buyers out there to make my comment more a matter of  subjective opinion than oenological analysis. At the other end of the table we come to another Malbec which can be found for no more than 14 pesos. This is the Mi Buenos Aires Querido that I mentioned last week, made by Bodegas Carlos Gardel. Considering that the price is economical and the quality of the wine a well balanced medium affair without any notable virtues or defects, this wine must figure amongst the list of good boys.

On the basis of this quick review one factor seems to stand out above all others. Wine criticism would seem to be much more based, today, upon price than upon oenological quality. While this works in the consumer’s favour, it does make life all that much tougher for the wine critic, especially when one notes that the price of a certain wine fluctuates wildly, be it a supermarket, a neighbourhood almacen, a wine store or a restaurant wine list.