(TDB) - Argentine winemakers are betting on Cabernet Franc with one suggesting it could grow to become one of the country’s most important grape varieties – second only to Malbec.

Throughout Argentina many winemakers are upping their investment in the grape, planting new vineyards and producing single varietal wines, most prominently in Mendoza. Kaiken, owned by Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes, launched a new line of Cabernet Franc, Kaiken Obertura, in 2015 produced from the 2013 vintage, which was only its second harvest of the variety.

“I believe Cabernet Franc will be the second most important variety in Mendoza in the future,” Rogelio Rabino, winemaker at Kaiken in Mendoza, told the drinks business on a recent visit to the region. “Some people say Bonarda but for the quality wines it’s very difficult with Bonarda. It’s good for entry level and fruit but not for high-end wines. I think Cabernet Franc has a great future for premium wines.”

Despite growing optimism in the variety, the fact remains that Cabernet Franc accounts for less than 500 hectares of Argentina’s plantings, compared to Malbec, which has close to 40,000 hectares. So it will be some years before we can assess the grape’s progression.

“The crazy thing is that in all of Argentina there’s only 465 hectares total of Cabernet Franc,” notes Ignacio Torti, commercial manager at Kaiken. “Here we just have three hectares and make 400 cases a year. That’s all we are doing. Today we are having a boom with Malbec but we don’t want to run the risk of just being Malbec around the world. We want to show that we have more things to show than just Malbec”.

Based in Mendoza, Kaiken has vineyards throughout the sub regions of Agrelo, Vistaflores and Vistalba, and also in the northern Argentina province of Salta where it produces a white wine from Torrontés. Currently, the producer has just three hectares of Cabernet Franc planted, but Rabino intends to plant more in the future.