Casarena winery in Mendoza has replanted an old Malbec vineyard in their new Naoki vineyard, in a rather interesting terroir! Winemaker Martina Galeano talks about the terroir of Luján de Cuyo, as well as the particularities of their ‘elephant cemetary’ vineyard and the fascinating story of rescuing some older vines. She also explains in this interview why Lujan is a great wine region not only for Malbec but also Cabernet Sauvignon.
Christian Sepúlveda, winemaker at Bouchon Famly Wines, talks about the secrets of viticulture when it comes to working with old vines Pais under dry-farming methods in Maule.
Christian says that of the most important secrets to getting a good maturity is to have happy vines to make sure they’ll give you the best quality. A dry-farmed vineyard can experience a lot of stress, and managing that stress is key to getting balanced acidity and fruit concentration. Amanda Barnes interviews him not only about the age of the vines, but how he knows when these vines are performing their best.
Fabiana Bracco, winemaker at Bracco Bosca winery in Uruguay, shares with us her love for Moscatel and how they are refocusing on this grape variety, which is the second most-planted variety in Uruguay after Tannat, and turned it into fine wine. Moscatel has always been considered a grape used for table wine but Bracco Bosca winery is using it to produce a dry and elegant wine.
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Fabiana, we are in the middle of your Moscatel harvest and one thing I love about your Moscatel wine is that you are rescuing this grape that is so important to Uruguay but few people are making it into fine wine. Can you tell me about your journey with Moscatel and how you’re championing this traditional grape variety?
This is probably the most adventurous thing we’ve done in our winery, rescuing a grape that was almost abandoned or under-estimated like Moscatel. What we are trying to do is a white wine with a grape that is the second most-planted grape in the country and was introduced by the Jesuits when they arrived to the country.
Today, after Tannat it’s the most planted variety in Uruguay but it has always been used for table wines. When I started the winery, I wanted to do something different with this grape and I wanted to give Uruguay something different with Moscatel so we are vinifying a very dry and elegant Moscatel. We are 8km from the sea so the wind helps us grow healthy vines and produce high-quality wines.
Want to deep dive into the wine region of San Pablo? Winemaker at Salentein, Jorge Cabeza, deep dives into San Pablo wine region in the Uco Valley and how the conditions in the area are best for cool-climate grape varieties such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, but can also ripen Malbec.
San Pablo is characterized by getting an average annual rainfall is around 500 and 600 millimeters, with cooler temperatures because of the high altitude, more humidity, and less sunshine. All of this leads to delicate wines with lower alcohol and a certain freshness, and wild forest, character. Find out more in this terroir interview!