2013 Bonarda Estate, Chakana

Wine Variety: Oh what a tangled web! The vine grown as Bonarda in Argentina (that country's second most widely planted grape) is, in fact, a variety that has proven, via DNA examination, to be a Savoie grape called Douce Noir (sweet black). It's name has led to confusion with Dolcetto in northern Italy and, indeed, Bonarda Piemontese; it is related to neither. Not only is this Argentine Bonarda Douce Noir, but so too is the Californian Charbono. By far the world's biggest plantings of this variety are in Argentina.

Wine Region: Wine grapes arrived in Argentina via various routes in the 16th century. Mendoza is the largest and most important wine region of the country. The climate is dry, with vineyards being irrigated. This huge region, in the west of the country only a short hop over the mountains from Chile, has both low-lying and more lofty vineyards, and produces everything from jug wine to serious wines for the cellar.

Wine Producer: Chakana was founded in 2002, producing wines from fruit grown in Mendoza at 960 meters above sea level. Soils are alluvial, with vines rows orientated to prevent sunburn of the fruit in times of peak sunshine. By 2011 Chakana was producing 1.5 million bottles of wine a year.