How some Argentina winemakers now give prominence to the “terroir”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In Argentina, winemakers have turned to making products that reflect the philosophy of the wineries, the work of their winemaking teams, and, above all, that speak of their regions of origin.

This is how wines from Patagonia, the Northwest, and the Cuyo region can be identified. And, in turn, within Mendoza, the areas are increasingly differentiated, as the wines reflect the qualities of each place.

Wineries such as La Celia, a pioneer in the Uco Valley, are great exponents of developing projects where wines express their origin. The protagonist is the “terroir”, and the intervention in the winery is minor.

Since 2013, La Celia’s winemaking team, led by head winemaker Andrea Ferreyra, has been working on the development of a new line of wines: its Terruño Line, composed of three wines that reflect the full potential of the Uco Valley and was launched to the domestic and international market in September this year.

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THE TERRUÑO PROJECT

The winery started years ago an exciting project, with several stages of in-depth studies of its vineyard in Uco Valley, where the vineyard was characterized and subdivided according to soil types.

From there, they conducted soil conductivity studies, explored the differences within the same plot, harvested at different maturity profiles, and made a winemaking process in the winery, separating these small lots. After aging and comparison, they found the vineyard plot they were looking for.

Thus were born the wines Paraje Altamira, La Consulta and Eugenio Bustos, from the Terruños Line, a unique line that carries the best interpretation of their vineyard in the Uco Valley in their DNA. Each of these wines is represented by the grape variety that is best suited to the location:

• Paraje Altamira, 100% Malbec from a 1-hectare plot;
• La Consulta, 100% Cabernet Franc from a 1-hectare plot; and
• Eugenio Bustos, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon also from a 1-hectare plot.

Its exclusivity is guaranteed by the origin of these wines, which come from these small plots  of Paraje Altamira, La Consulta, and Eugenio Bustos, from which 2,400 bottles of each were obtained that at the moment can be obtained only in its online store.

“La Celia is located in a place with extraordinary agro-ecological characteristics. This place is unique, with three different geographies in a single vineyard. Although the origin of the soils is the same, alluvial and calcareous, being at different altitudes and having a different composition, the wines will express themselves. This differential allows us to produce wines with a quality of texture and refinement highly valued,” said Andrea Ferreyra.

La Celia’s Terruño line is a great exponent of this growing trend in which winemakers throughout the country seek to give more prominence to terroir. This year the 2017 vintage was released to the market; the 2018 and 2019 vintages are in the process of bottle aging; and the 2020 and 2021 vintages are in barrel aging, all coming from these three estates.

“We are restless souls who are driven by learning, and we are constantly seeking to explore new places within our vineyard, the goal is always excellent, and with that objective in mind, we work every day in the winery,” concludes Ferreyra.

With information from La Nacion

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