(TDB) - If Argentina wants to gain a global reputation for truly top end wine it should focus on Cabernet Sauvignon, believes US consultant Paul Hobbs.

Although Hobbs has his own Californian winery, he balances his time with consultancy work, and has played a pioneering role in the evolution of Argentina’s wine industry ever since his first visit to Catena in the late ‘80s.

Speaking earlier this year about his experience of making wine in Argentina over the past 30 years, he said that he has “learnt a lot about how Cabernet behaves in Argentina,” but stressed that there was still much to be done with this grape in the South American nation, which is, of course, best known for Malbec.

“I don’t think Argentina has hit anywhere close to the high mark with Cabernet because all the attention has gone to Malbec,” he commented, when addressing a group of Masters of Wine, who visited the region in February this year.

“I think Argentina should invest more in Cabernet Sauvignon, because it is the international benchmark for all the great reds of the world,” he added.

Looking back, he recorded how Argentina’s “international presence was launched with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, which were then “muscled out by Malbec”.