Argentina confirmed its standing as a vinous powerhouse of South America at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA). The country increased its top-tier medal count (those scoring 95 points or higher) by almost two-thirds compared to 2024, scooping seven Platinums – two Best in Show awards among them – and 37 Golds. Argentina also claimed 195 Silver medals this year.
Delving into the detail reveals compelling stories, such as that of Criolla. This family of grapes was brought to the Americas by the Spanish during the conquista and, for the first time since the DWWA’s inception, a 100% varietal Criolla received a Gold medal – Durigutti Family Winemakers, Proyecto Las Compuertas, Criolla Chica, Las Compuertas, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 2024, created by bothers Héctor and Pablo Durigutti. Judges enjoyed its ‘enchanting fluidity of red berries, eucalyptus and mint’ and its ‘refreshing acidity, fine-grained tannins and smoky finish’.
Criolla varieties once accounted for about 90% of Argentina’s vineyards before they were sidelined in favour of ‘international’ varieties. Criolla Chica, also known as País in Chile, Mission in California and as Listán Prieto in its native Spain and elsewhere, is a pale-skinned red grape that has been cultivated in Argentina since the 17th century.
Plantings of Criolla Chica in Argentina had dwindled to about 360ha by 2018, but this variety, and Criolla grapes generally, seems ripe for a revival. Criolla Chica was granted quality status for red wines by Argentina’s Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura in August 2024.
‘Criolla is part of our country’s viticultural history’, says Héctor Durigutti. ‘For decades, it was pushed aside by a production model focused on volume and standardisation. Today it represents an extraordinary opportunity to speak of identity, biodiversity, and resilience.’
Two wines from the Durigutti brothers were also awarded Platinums – both also from the Las Compuertas GI of Mendoza in the foothills of the Andes. Durigutti Family Winemakers, Tinto del Pueblo Las Compuertas, Luján de Cuyo 2024 is a blend of 75% Malbec with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with an ‘abundance of plums, cherries and youthful violets’. Their Proyecto Las Compuertas Malbec 5 Suelos, Luján de Cuyo 2024 is made from heritage vines planted in 1914.
Héctor explains what the Las Compuertas project is all about: ‘Our aim has always been to interpret each place and express origin with authenticity. The Las Compuertas project is an extension of that philosophy, but with a deeper commitment: to preserve a unique viticultural heritage and to share it with the world through wines that speak of place, time, and culture. Today, we own 40ha that reflect the living history of Malbec, including century-old vines planted in the early 1900s. All our vineyards preserve ancient genetic material, including Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Charbono, Cordisco, Marsanne, Semillon and the distinctive Criolla Chica.’
Scroll down to explore Argentina’s top-awarded wines from DWWA 2025
Another story revealed by this year’s results is the continuing ‘rise’ of high-altitude vineyards. The two Best in Show wines both came from the cool, high-altitude Uco Valley zone of Gualtallary. Initially planted for sparkling wine back in 1992, Gualtallary is evidently a place to watch for top-rank reds.
Judges described Best in Show winner Bemberg Estate Wines, Pionero, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza 2022, the winery’s flagship, as ‘powerful and firm with nurturing acidity and a structure built for the long haul’.
Daniel Pi, Winemaking Director at Bemberg Estate Wines, says ‘Pionero was crafted as a tribute to Otto Bemberg, the family patriarch who came to Argentina from Germany in the mid-1800s. The idea behind the wine is to interpret the wine that Otto was probably drinking in those days … At that pre-phylloxera moment, Malbec was an important blending component in the red wines from the Right Bank, so we crafted a wine according to our humble interpretation: a Malbec-based blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc to support the structure and longevity.’ The wine was aged in new 300-litre French oak barrels as well as concrete vats and oak foudres ‘to preserve the fruit character’.
Argentina’s other Best in Show was awarded to Bodega Rutini, Single Vineyard Malbec, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza 2021 – a 100% Malbec with ‘head-turning’ fruit that judges described as ‘a slalom run in which the sweet cherries and berries of the aroma are joined by slightly sourer, wilder fruits like elder and sloe’.
Regional Chair for Argentina Paz Levinson said, ‘Uco Valley in general performed extremely well’, pointing out that Gualtallary ‘overperformed’, claiming six Golds. What makes the wines from this zone stand out? Daniel Pi says, ‘Our estate is located at the heart of Gualtallary, at almost 1,300m above sea level. Altitude is one of the drivers of the character of the area, located at the foothill of the main Andes, but there are other regions in Argentina with the same or higher altitude, but without the fine expression of Gualtallary.’
Levinson noted characteristic aromas in the wines from the region. ‘In Gualtallary and the Tupungato area, the aromas have a herbal component. When Malbec has this herbal component, it really shines. And they are very easy to make without oak, or using lighter oak, because they have the power and the tannins and the concentration, without needing to mature in oak for many months, or having to use new oak’.
This move away from oak-ageing, particularly for Malbec, is another important trend that Levinson singled out from this year’s results. ‘Of the 37 Argentinian wines awarded Gold or Platinum, 15 of them had no oak ageing; they were made using concrete or stainless steel, or they had no oak maturation – so that is a trend we are seeing, not just for everyday wines but for more “serious” wines.’
At Durigutti Family Estates, Héctor Durigutti uses a range of vessels for vinification. ‘Our aim is for each wine to express the vineyard – not the winemaker,’ he says. ‘In the winery we use diverse materials – uncoated concrete, large oak foudres, ceramic vessels and seasoned barrels, always seeking fruit purity and elegance and an honest reading of the terroir.’
Value was another key story for Argentina this year. Of the 37 Golds for Argentina, eight counted as Value Golds, including two that figured in the Top 30 Value Golds list – Domaine Bousquet, Finca Lalande Organic Malbec, Tupungato, Mendoza 2024; and Santa Julia, Family Reserve Malbec, Mendoza 2024. ‘
‘Argentinian wines are not the cheapest and not the most expensive, but they have a very good quality/price relation,’ Levinson confirms. For quality, variety, winemaking nous and sheer ‘interestingness’ – as well as for value – this South American powerhouse seems set to continue to excite.
DWWA 2025: Argentina’s top winners to try
Bemberg Estate Wines, Pionero, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza 2022
Best in Show, 97 points
What a story Gualtallary is telling us all. As we pointed out last year, this high-altitude zone of the Uco valley was initially planted in 1992 for sparkling wine, and was thought (back then) to be far too cool for reds. Fast forward 33 years, and it’s beginning to look like one of the very best of all Southern Hemisphere locations for deep, perfumed, structured red wines. Could it eventually prove a South American challenger to Napa? In three or four decades, we’ll know. It first appeared in our Best in Show selection in 2022; three short years later, we’re up to five appearances, including both of this year’s Argentinian winners. This wine is a blend rather than a pure Malbec: Cabernet Sauvignon provides 36 per cent with the 10 per cent balance from Cabernet Franc. It’s midnight black in colour, with ample refined aromatic warmth and a sense of fine-wine layering to the aromas, too. On the palate, the wine is wealthy and ample but not in the least heavy or clumsy, and it remains profoundly aromatic with a creamy blackcurrant lift. The tannins are graceful and fine-grained, and the fruit subsides in a flourish of resonant, cool-toned, swishly bitter-edged acidity. Almost the acidity of dark chocolate – but not quite, and no cocoa either: pure fruit to the fore all the way. Alcohol 14.5%
Rutini, Single Vineyard Malbec, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza 2021
Best in Show, 97 points
Our second Gualtallary red this year is a pure Malbec from the cool 2021 vintage. It, too, is a very dark black-purple in colour, with disarmingly pure blackcurrant, black cherry and blackberry fruits just smoothed but not dominated by oak. That oak, by contrast, is barely visible on the palate at all, so dominant and head-turning is the fruit: a slalom run in which the sweet cherries and berries of the aroma are joined by slightly sourer, wilder fruits like elder and sloe. As that nuance suggests, the acidity is ample, ripe and supportive, working with the fine-milled tannins to keep the fruit well-trimmed and enduring. It’s four years old at present and still an infant, so much lies ahead: this would make a grand dinner-time bottle at any point over the next ten years. Alc 14%
Bemberg Estate Wines, La Linterna El Tomillo Estate Chardonnay, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza 2023
Platinum, 97 points
A remarkable complexity of honeyed blossom, juicy mandarin and toasted hazelnuts which flutter and float over the elegant structure. Serious and stylish with an agile acidity and delicate flinty note which flows through to the end. Alc 13.5%
Bemberg Estate Wines, Pionero, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza 2021
Platinum, 97 points
A mesmerising blend of ripe blackberries, blueberry pie and plum compote enmeshed in cocoa powder tannins and a lip-smacking leathery texture. Powerful and firm with nurturing acidity and a structure built for the long haul. Alc 14.5%
Durigutti Family Winemakers, Proyecto Las Compuertas Malbec 5 Suelos, Las Compuertas, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 2024
Platinum, 97 points
Multitudes of cherries, blackberries, plums and blueberries entangled in a lavish sage and lavender fragrance. Silky smooth and finely textured with svelte tannins whilst retaining a vigour and verve which flows unswervingly to the finish line. Alc 13%
Durigutti Family Winemakers, Tinto Del Pueblo Las Compuertas, Las Compuertas, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza 2024
Platinum, 97 points
An all-encompassing, tantalising display of abundance: plums, cherries and youthful violets with a vivid black olive and graphite savoury energy. Velvety and voluptuous with gossamer tannins and a salivating acidity leading to a moreish earthy finish. Alc 13.5%
Etchart, Single Vineyard Malbec, Cafayate, Salta 2024
Platinum, 97 points
Archetypal high-altitude Malbec exuding all the classic hallmarks: plums, blackberries and cherries underpinned by a lively herbal core. Snappy and energising, a spicy balsamic character saunters over the palate and conjoins with a stony mineral note to end. Alc 14%
Finca Flichman, Microterroir Gravel & Stone Malbec, Tupungato, Mendoza 2021
Platinum, 97 points
Incomparable splendour and sophistication emanates with layer upon layer of violets, blueberries, liquorice and dark chocolate which infuse with the rapturous tannins and bracing beam of acidity. Ample and mouth-filling with a refined mineral length. Alc 14%
Zuccardi, Regiones Cabernet Franc, Altamira, San Carlos, Mendoza 2023
Platinum, 97 points
Thrillingly fresh cherry and blueberry fruit garnished with a delectable mountain herb fragrance which undulates over the nervy seam of acidity and sublime harmony of tannins. A joy to savour, only improving sip by sip. Alc 14%
