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Bonarda grapes are most popularly grown in Argentina, where it comes runner up to Malbec as the second most popular red wine. The grape though, can be traced back 3,000 years to Northern Italy and was believed to be brought into Argentina by Italian immigrants.
Bonarda is also known by 'Douce noir' in France where it is grown in the Savoy region.
When drinking Bonarda wine expect it to be a black-inky purple colour with aromas of black fruit and plum. The flavour profile is one of lovely notes of black cherry, plum, leather and light tobacco. It's medium-bodied with a lovely soft, smooth finish.
Italian immigrants are the most likely to have brought the Bonarda wine grape variety to Argentina at the end of the 19th century, and it was often confused with Barbera and called Gattinara (after a different Bonarda grape variety from Italy's Piedmont region). This confusion was ended when the INV officially renamed the grape 'Bonarda Argentina' in 2011. It is a low-alcohol and low-tannin variety, making it easy to blend with other wines without overpowering them, such as Malbec. Blending with Bonarda also helps to lower the alcohol in Malbec from a warm vintage, and its deep colour maintains the depth of the blend.
However, it is a difficult grape to ripen and needs lengthy hang time to reach phenolic maturation, making it challenging to grow in cooler climates. Eastern Mendoza is the best area for Bonarda growth due to its warm temperatures, but it can also do well in high-altitude regions like the Calchaqui´ Valleys, San Juan and Mendoza. Bonarda is an extremely versatile variety and it's used to create many different styles of wines, from juicy, Beaujolais-style reds to delicate and aromatic sparkling whites (Blanc de Noir).
When made well, its supple, succulent character makes it a very enjoyable wine and according to Sebastián Zuccardi, one of the younger winemakers, Bonarda Argentina is key to the country's viticultural landscape.
