Crafting Criollas: Argentina’s Fresh Take on a Native Grape

A common refrain heard among Argentine winemakers when discussing wines made from criolla varieties is that the bottles “sell very well in all the trendy restaurants in Buenos Aires.” And the profile of most criolla wines is clearly built to hit that nerve. The reds – our focus here – tend to show delicate color, shy tannins, modest alcohol and, when harvested early or grown at altitude, refreshing natural acidity.

These wines are also very approachable. And their discreet structure and underlying tension make them a joy to drink – qualities we greatly appreciate at Jamessuckling.com.

Criolla varieties currently comprise about 30 percent of Argentina’s total vineyard surface, according to the National Agricultural Technology Institute. Once valued for their high yields, they fell out of fashion from the 1970s to the late 1990s because of their low alcohol and phenolic content, as well as a perceived lack of structure. Today, however, it is precisely these qualities that have motivated producers to give them a spotlight once again, as we found out during our tasting trip to Argentina earlier this year.

Criolla grapes are native to Argentina, with most of the varieties from the group originating from early crossings between listan prieto (also known as criolla chica in Argentina, país in Chile, and mission in the United States) and moscatel de alejandria. The most high-profile variety in the group is the white grape torrontes.  

They are part and parcel of Argentina’s winemaking tradition and have evolved as established winemakers have crafted increasingly distinctive iterations while learning how to work with criolla wines and unlock their full potential – always framed through the lens of drinkability. And these wines aren’t rare finds limited to Argentina – they’re widely exported to the United States and Europe, so you can easily seek them out.

“I was lucky to discover criolla in 2013, and by 2014 I was already making dry wines,” said Agustin Lanus, the owner-winemaker at Sunal estate and one of the pioneering proponents of criolla wines in Salta. “It reminded me of wines I had tasted from Greece and Croatia – made from indigenous varieties – with that special rusticity balanced by elegance, a pleasant herbal character and intriguing tannins.” 

His Sunal Criolla Valle Calchaquíes Exploración Luracatao 2022, which is grown at 2,000 meters altitude, is a vibrant example of these delicately rustic, discreetly substantial, luminous wines. 

In Argentina, the criolla family extends to varieties like cereza, criolla grande sanjuanina, torrontes riojano, torrontés sanjuanino and pedro giménez – as well as lesser-known grapes such as moscatel amarillo, uva anís, malvasia criolla and san francisco. Many of these continue to be grown in small, often high-altitude vineyards, typically in traditional pergola training systems. 

Even though criolla plantings exist in nearly every wine-growing region of Argentina, our tastings focused on some remarkable vineyards in Barreal, a tiny village about a four-hour drive north of Mendoza set at 1,500 meters elevation amid the imposing beauty of the frontal range of the Andes. Here, low adobe houses with tiny windows line the main road, which is half asphalt and half dirt.

“We first vinified criollas at university in 2008, and later in my parents’ garage in 2011,” said Barreal native Pancho Bugallo, the co-owner of the Cara Sur winery with his wife, Nuria Año Gargiulo, alongside another husband-wife combo, Sebastian Zuccardi and Marcela Manini. Cara Sur is one of Argentina’s leading projects focused exclusively on criolla varieties as well as bonardas – the latter being the country’s second-most-planted variety, behind malbec.

Zuccardi explained their motivations in starting the winery: “It’s a project of rescue, of rescuing vineyards in a forgotten valley,” he said.

Bugallo said that “it took us a couple of years to understand what we had” when they first purchased the Cara Sur property and the wealth of criolla varieties they found in the vineyard.

Their pergola-trained vineyards – planted on smallholdings bordered by tall poplars – stand in dramatic contrast to the breathtaking landscape of rugged, desertic Andean foothills that loom across the road. 

These vineyards – and the philosophy behind them – capture much of what’s unfolding in Argentina today around criolla varieties and what are commonly referred to as bonardas. In Paraje Hilario, you’ll find vineyards planted with criolla chica, moscatel rosado, and torrontes sanjuanino – all true criollas, direct descendants of criolla chica and moscatel de alejandria. 

Their Cara Sur Criolla Chica Valle de Calingasta La Totora Paraje Hilario 2023, from a single vineyard of 80-year-old vines, is a great example of a precise, saline criolla full of red fruits and dried flowers, and what the variety is capable of achieving in terms of delicate balance.  

Matias Michelini, the owner of his namesake estate, is one of only a few winemakers to have worked with criolla grapes across Argentina. He reflected on his early encounters with the variety: “I made my first criolla in 2014 from a criolla grande vineyard in Tupungato. It was fresh and really drinkable. Then I discovered the ones from the north – first in Salta, and then in Jujuy, where criolla chica dominates. That’s when I realized the variety’s potential for depth and seriousness.” 

The Matías Michelini Criolla Valle de Uco Vía Revolucionaria 2023 is primarily a blend of criolla grande and cereza, and is one of the finest examples of this type of criolla that we encountered.  

Criolla chica, which is found mostly in Barreal, Salta and Jujuy, is often coplanted in small, traditional vineyards that resemble tiny regional genetic archipelagos. Diversity here is a result of spontaneous crossings, but also from the grape’s own natural variation – much of it preserved in old, isolated, pergola-trained ungrafted plots, often in unregistered vineyards within private orchards. Some of these vineyards may be as old as 200 to 300 years. 

“These grapes have survived for centuries under extreme conditions, often cared for at the back of farmers’ homes by people who were not part of the formal wine world but who preserved them out of tradition and affection,” explained Daniel Manzur, who, along with Michelini, runs and owns Bodega El Bayeh in the Quebrada de Humahuaca, in Jujuy in northern Argentina. “Today, we return to them with technical respect but also with gratitude.” 

Located in a dramatic Andean corridor just 260 kilometers from Bolivia and more than 1,300 kilometers from Mendoza, El Bayeh sits at the northern edge of Argentina’s wine map, where an extreme landscape and altitude meets this isolated viticultural tradition. Their red El Bayeh Quebrada de Humahuaca Pequeños Parceleros de la Quebrada Tilcara 2023 is made from small garden vineyards in the Village of Tílcara planted at 2,700 meters elevation. It's a wonderfully ethereal, subtle red.  

“Until last year, criolla chica was legally classified as a common grape, so it wasn’t permitted to include the name or origin on the label,” explained Santi Mayorga, the head winemaker at Nieto Senetiner and Cadus Wines.

This shift at the institutional level marks a clear turning point, suggesting that criolla chica, and by extension criolla-based wines, are becoming a recognized and established part of Argentina’s wine landscape. 

Mayorgas’ Cadus Criolla Chica Mendoza Tunuyán Appellation 2023, which is aged in a combination of steel, wood and concrete, is a transparent yet substantial expression of Vista Flores in Valle de Uco. 

The distinct, transparent and fluid style of criolla wines, paired with their historic importance and the presence of ancient vineyards, is what initially attracted many younger winemakers. 

 “It’s interesting, this journey that the criolla grape takes – separate from malbec – and it speaks to the history and tradition of Argentina,” said Pancho Lavaque, the co-owner of both Vallisto and Bodega Lavaque. 

Thibault Lepoutre, the French co-owner and winemaker at Mundo Revés as well as the head of Bodega Piedra Negra, reflected on his connection to criolla wines:  “As a Frenchman, I enjoy light, uninhibited reds – and the fact that this grape isn’t found in France or Europe, except in the Canaries, makes it all the more stimulating.” 

 In this context, criolla wines embrace an alternative Argentina in the sense that they are historically grounded and stylistically distinct – and not just a superfluous novelty. 

– Jacobo García Andrade, Senior Editor

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated by the tasters at JamesSuckling.com. Note: You can sort the wines below by vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.