Meet Karim Mussi… one of the best-known winemakers in the Uco Valley in Argentina. Karim is known for his Altocedro winery which he founded in La Consulta in 1999, but today he makes a host of labels including Abras in Cafayate, Alandes (Wines from Along the Andes), The Phoenician, Qaramy and Los Poetas.
Find out more about Karim Mussi wines in our winery guide
Get to know your winemaker: Karim Mussi interview
What made you fall in love with wine?
It was very spontaneous, not planned at all. My father was involved in the wine industry and I always admired wine, it would catch my attention every time. When I was a child I enjoyed visiting wineries with my dad and spending time at wine stores. Similar to going to the library, I would spend hours reading labels and looking at the label design and type of bottles.
Later on, I realized that this was a way of expressing interest and beauty. All of us can sense and express beauty for something, whether it is music, paintings, food, or good wine.
What is the one winemaking technique you really geek out on?
I see the vineyard and the winery as one whole thing. Grapes need constant care and attention, you can’t make good wine with bad quality grapes or be certain that you’ll make good wine from good quality grapes. All the work and effort you put into the vineyard has to be continued at the winery.
What I like the most is spontaneity, as it is depicted by the concept of low intervention, because you can make a pure expression of wine with very little but well-oriented intervention and a well-thought plan.
I always say that the best wine is simply fermented grape juice with minimal intervention but it’s not easy to get there. There’s a lot of silent work that is done at the vineyard and at the winery. I see it as a way of making wine that allows you to keep close to the wine and enjoy each step of the winemaking process.
What is your favorite pairing for one of your wines?
I like pairing our Paradoux Blanc, Altocedro Pinot Noir, and Altocedro Rose with a Lebanese or Mediterranean meal.
I also like any of the typical food from the north of Argentina with any of our Abras wines. For example, the Abras Camino Real with a good stew, humita, or empanadas.
I think all our wines are gastronomic wines. I don’t know a lot about wines but I do know a lot of food, and I consider that all our wines are best expressed and better enjoyed with food.
What is the one wine that you wouldn’t share with anyone else?
No, it’s the other way round! I would never have the best wines by myself. I always want to share good wines with people. If I think about it, the best wines I’ve had were probably because of the good company not necessarily because the wine was excellent.
I like beer and whisky very much too though. I see beer as a ‘non-intellectual beverage’, similar to watching TV to not think about your problems… And I see whisky as a beverage that is best enjoyed when you have it by yourself because it’s a moment for introspection and solitude.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I like to eat a ‘vauquita’ (a soft and creamy dulce de leche treat) with wine and chocolate-dipped orange peel with whisky.
Watch our Terroir Talk with Karim Mussi!
