Argentine winemaker Lorena Mulet has specialised in sparkling wine since the beginning of her career and today is in charge of winemaking at Bodega Cruzat, one of the top sparkling wine producers in South America. Cruzat leads the premium market with an entirely traditional method production, including their icon wine Millésime which spends a decade on the lees. The vineyards are in the Uco Valley, including Vista Flores where their superb Single Vineyard Finca La Dama Blanc de Blanc comes from. We get to know more about Lorena in this interview.
What made you fall in love with wine?
I am really keen on the winemaking process and Mendoza has lots of opportunities when it comes to viticulture and winemaking. I like microbiology, the transformation that’s done by microorganisms in wine. I mean you can get wine out of grape juice and I’m seduced by that magic.
What is the one winemaking technique you really geek out?
When you make sparkling wine, it’s very important to make a good quality base wine. That’s why during harvest, I spend more time at the winery than at my house. The pressing and the health of the grapes will determine the quality of your base wine and I’m quite obsessive when it comes to these two steps of the winemaking process.
I’m also very keen on malolactic fermentation because there’s an unexpected transformation that occurs in the wine and I like playing around with the liqueur d’expedition and testing the impact of the dosage.
Learn how to make sparkling wine in the traditional method with Lorena Mulet
What is your favorite pairing for one of your wines?
I like pairing Cruzat Finca La Dama with a tasty salmon or risotto.
What is the one wine that you wouldn’t share with anyone else?
I guess that would be the Cruzat Millésime…
What is your guilty pleasure?
I really like sparkling wine with gin!
Find out more about Bodega Cruzat in our winery guide
