Today we were gathered at Riley’s for an intimate wine paired lunch with José Zuccardi, Director of Familia Zuccardi, during his latest visit to Vancouver.
Over lunch José shared insights into the wines that have helped establish Familia Zuccardi as one of Argentina’s most acclaimed producers, as well as the growing international recognition of Mendoza’s Uco Valley.
Zuccardi is of the biggest wine families out of Argentina and José was recently nominated wine executive of the year by Wine Enthusiast magazine. He is a second generation wine producer, leading the 100% family owned Zuccardi estate, with his father being the founder. He was also the one to start irrigation in Mendoza, with water coming from the melting of the snow atop of the Andes mountains.
The family’s original patriarch started this wine journey with a passion for vinegars, putting in 50 years at the winery starting in 1956. They started producing wines for others before selling their own wines in the domestic market in the 1980’s. Then in the 90’s they expanded into the export market.
Argentina is the fifth-largest wine producer in the world, and are famous for creating bold, high-altitude wines shaped by the dramatic backdrop of the Andes Mountains. Wine is a part of Argentinian culture, 75% of all the wines produced in Argentina is for its people to drink themselves. They don’t consider wine alcohol, but a part of life and something to have with food.
Zuccardi produces mountain wines at the foothills of Andes mountain. This altitude provides low temperatures and more sunlight, with less atmosphere. The defining characteristic of Argentinian winemaking is altitude. Because the vineyards are planted high above sea, the grapes receive intense, unfiltered sunlight during the day and crisp mountain air at night. This slows down ripening, allowing the grapes to develop deep, concentrated fruit flavours, while maintaining a vibrant, refreshing acidity.
As guests trickled in we were welcomed with a glass of Zuccardi El Camino De Las Flores 2024 as our reception wine. The name translates to “The way of the flowers”. This is a 100% Chardonnay with grapes cultivated from the Uco Valley, 1,400ft above sea level. It under goes lactic fermentation in concrete vats, to keep the freshness of the wine and all the acidity in the grapes.
All the wines we would be trying today are of a smaller production and will be available in a month’s time. I didn’t get the traditional oakiness of a Chardonnay, but instead quite a bit of saline and a tartness of lemon that tickled the tongue with a short finish. I thought this did well to open up the palate for our three course to come.
For all their wines their goal is to have as little intervention as possible in order to be able to taste the character from the terroir, to best showcase the region. Ideally to feel the identity from the place and its people. There is high importance placed on where the grapes come from and not just the method used to produce them.
The Zuccardi four pillars are to always increase in quality, embracing both tradition and innovation, while being friendly with the environment. They want to ensure that the practices used today will continue to leave the land the same as when they started, if not better. They do this with natural products and an organic certification, and being of service to communities where they work.
As bread with Riley’s famed lobster oil dip hit the table José unpacked a personal travel-sized bottle of olive oil to share. Whereas one of his sons followed in his wine foot steps, the other found his calling in olive oil and this was a showing of his labour. This was bottled in 2026, made from olives picked in April and May. What sets this apart is that most olive producers sell the larger ones as is, however his son Miguel used big olives for this oil. They are more expensive olives due to their size and you only get 14% oil from each, which is actually 2% less than the smaller olives normally pressed. However what you do get is a more concentrated product that is bolder in flavour, which we learned first hand through this impromptu taste test.
Guests had their choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert. The following is what I ordered and enjoyed.
My body was craving greens so I ordered the Kale “Caesar” Salad to start. This was with baby kale, crispy chickpeas, and lemon. All tossed in a Parmesan vinaigrette and topped with brioche croutons. The salad flowed well off of the welcome wine and the saltiness of its the cheese paralleled our pairing with this course.
Argentina’s star grape is Malbec and we saw it featured in the Zuccardi Concreto 2023. José emphasized that this would be Malbec not as we know it, but real Malbec “without the makeup”. It is not big, bold, or over structured, but soft with a chalky texture and fresh elegance to pair with food. It is named “concreto” because it is finished in concrete vats.
The results is a wine high in acid with a metallic edge and leeds on the nose. The cold nature of concrete comes through in this. I got pencil shavings on the nose, followed by a long finish playing well off of my plate of bitter greens.
An up and coming rising star grape is the Cabernet Franc and we got a taste of what Argentina offers with the Zuccardi Polígonos San Pablo Cabernet Franc 2020. The grapes are grown at a high elevation, giving them access to plenty of good air and defence against frost in spring. I got raisin on the nose and notes of unripened berry. It was highly tannic with a savoury finish, once again lending itself well to food.
For my entree I went with the Steak and Frites. 7oz prime beef striploin, foie gras butter, red wine jus, and a rocket and parmigiano salad. The steak was excellent, well prepared with a good char. I didn’t get the luscious-ness of foie gras, but instead found that the flavour of meat was allowed to shine. Just as tasty were its side of double fried, crispy French fries.
For this course we got another two glasses of wine to compare and contrast, then picking our favourites to pair.
Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal Malbec 2022. These Malbec grapes are grown in stone amongst a more extreme condition, hence “gravel” in its name. I found this very clean on the nose with a light and juicy, lingering finish. This was the sweetest glass so far. José held true to his promise of showing us how they have changed the way we see Malbec.
Also a Malbec, but located at a different parallel we had Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal 2022. Here the grapes were grown with even less top soil, alongside limestone that contains calcium. From this I got juicy bounce in the mouth and a deep lip puckering tang that hit the back of the throat. It was dark berry juice without any of its sugars. You really enjoyed the flavour without any sweetness.
For dessert, I got the lemon tart with basil oil, crème fraîche, and raspberry. This was a great pallet refresher, and a bright way to end tge meal. Although if I was looking for dessert be more complementary with the wine, I should’ve gotten the devil’s chocolate cake.
Our dessert pairing was Zuccardi Aluv Paraje Altamira 2019. This was a blend that I didn’t find complimentary to my dessert choice. It was grassy on the nose and it fought against the herbal notes above. I found it better a stand alone.
In short, this is a great way to discover more about Argentinian wines, from one of the top producers in the region.
Riley’s Fish & Steak
200 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6C 3L6
rileysrestaurant.ca
