Killka is an Argentinean wine produced at the winery of Bodegas Salentein, located at the foot of the Andes Mountains nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. Embraced by the sun and mountain winds, the winery is surrounded by the striking Andean landscape and Killka’s equally impressive collection of contemporary Argentinean Art and 19th and 20th century Dutch artists.
Bodegas Salentein is also home to the Salentein, Portillo and Grand Vu Blend collections of wines.
Argentinian Wine History
The production and consumption of wine in Argentina dates back to over four hundred years ago when the first specimens of Vitis vinifera were brought to the Americas by the Spanish colonizers in the early 16th century. In 1551, the first vines were planted in Argentina, spreading rapidly in the central, western and northeastern areas of the country. Favored by the optimum soil and weather conditions of the Andean region, the wine making industry experienced rapid, extensive growth.The Catholic priests who came to these lands planted vineyards near their monasteries to ensure the provision of wine for the celebration of Holy Mass. During the XIX century, European immigrants introduced new vine growing techniques and grape varieties, which found an ideal environment for their development in the Andes and the R?o Colorado Valley. Between 1850 and 1880, Argentina eventually got to join the international economic networks. (Read more about Argentina’s wines online.)
About Winemaker Bodegas Salentein
The goal of Salentein is to make high quality Argentine wines, while respecting and supporting the people, nature and community from which the wines are created. The company?s lasting commitment to the people of Argentina combines investments, employment opportunities, and training with lessons of hope. Salentein faces national challenges with vitality and a long-term global perspective. Salentein lies in the province of Mendoza, the most important wine growing region of Argentina, with some 150.000 vineyard hectares (370.500 acres) and more than 900 wineries. He is a leader in cultivating global awareness of the emerging premium wineries of Argentina. A new vision of quality ?with plantings of classical varietals, preservation of old vines, application of European artistry, and advanced technology? is yielding world-class wines.
Salentein’s Products
The luxury range wines of Bodegas Salentein are well-structured and elegant, characterized for their deep colors and rich and complex aromas and flavors. All wines are aged in French oak barrels. Salentein, Portillo and Killka wines have earned recognition for their one-of-a-kind taste.
Salentein Reserve
The Salentein Reserve Malbec 2012 is known for its intense and complex outstanding aromas of red fruits, black berries, as well as delicate floral notes. In the mouth, its entry is sweet and mild. It is a fruity and fresh wine with good intensity. In the middle mouth, it is wide with a lingering finish.
The Salentein Reserve Chardonnay2013 displays a limpid and bright light yellow color with greenish hues. It contains a complex aroma with notes of spring white flowers, citrus and tropical fruit. In the mouth, its entry is gentle. It is a sweet and unctuous wine in the middle mouth with a long and persistent finish.Its natural acidity makes it a fresh wine, while the contact with the lees as well as its oak ageing grant it elegance and unctuousness.
Portillo
The Portillo Merlot 2011 contains an aroma of red and black fruits, mingled with an intriguing hint of spice in its intense ruby red wine. The palate bursts with fruit, showing a remarkable presence of soft, silky tannins and a long finish. Ideal with pork, pasta in light sauces, risotto and semi-hard cheeses.
The Portillo Sauvignon Blanc 2014 which displays a yellow color with strong greenish hues has an outstanding aroma of white peach and grapefruit. In the mouth, it is a mild wine with very strong acidity, which makes it very fresh with middle caudalie.
Killka
The Killka Malbec has an intense and bright red purplish color. Its nose is pretty fruity with outstanding aromas of plum and red fruits combined with violet hints. In the mouth, it has a gentle and sweet entry with mild tannins and lingering finish.
The Killka Torrontes displays a yellow color with bright greenish hues, as well as mineral aromas combined with citrus fruit, apple and vanilla notes. In the mouth, its entry is unctuous with balanced acidity and lingering finish.
About Bodegas Salentein’s Winery
The magnificent winery, designed for both form and function in the shape of a cross, allows for customized gentle handling of the grapes, reducing the distance wine needs to be moved between wine making steps.Each of the wings is a small winery with two levels-a ground level that houses stainless steel tanks and French wooden vats for fermentation and storage, and an underground level for aging wine in oak casks. The two levels allow wine to flow from the tanks to the barrels by a traditional gravity transfer system. The four wings converge in a circular central chamber, which resembles an amphitheater and was inspired by ancient classical temples.
For more information about Bodegas Wines, please visit Bodegas online.