Altitude wines are wines of another dimension. All of them embody a very special characteristic, that of altitude. Altitude by definition is the relation between one point and sea level.

 

In the particular case of Argentina and Bolivia this means altitudes of more than 1,800 metres (the average altitude of wine producing regions lies at about 500 metres above sea level).

This geographical particularity gives some unique characteristics to the wines produced under these circumstances.

 Already, the ancient Romans used to say that Bacchus, God of Wine, liked cultivating vines in the mountains. History shows us that altitude provides a distinctive characteristic for wines. The higher you get the better the radiation from the sun, and the higher the amplification of temperature (warmer days and colder nights), which means an ideal climate for the cultivation of vines.

At altitude, the wind cleans the air, plants enjoy great health (the use of pesticides is not necessary), soils are poorer and stonier, melting waters coming from glaciers are purer and it rains less than in other regions. The harvest in the altitude vineyards starts at the end of February and finishes during the first days of April.
When we talk about altitude wines we are talking about the southern hemisphere and more precisely about two countries, Argentina and Bolivia. In spite of the attempts of some other countries to produce their own “heavenly wines” as well, only these two countries can pretend to fulfill the necessary conditions for producing such wines. One of the particularities of altitude wines is the composition of the grapes.

More precisely, it is the presence of terpenehydrocarbons, which are responsible for the development of the aromas that give their typical character to the different grape varieties. On their concentration in the grapes depends the aromatic potential and the varietal particularity of the wine.

“The higher up the vineyards are situated, the higher is the radiation of ultra violet rays of the sun, and the more terpenehydrocarbons are to be found in them, gives the grapes a better and more intense aroma,” explains the Bolivian oenologist Ivan Bluske. In the same manner the polyphenols reach a higher degree of ripeness, which is why the red grapes have a more intense colour, a deep red nearlyviolet or even blue.

Now what is the result of these conditions in the wine? Wines produced between 1,700 metres and 2,780 metres above sea level, generally speaking, have more intense aromas and a more typical taste of their grape variety. Depending on the vintage, they may even have a better structure, more body and flesh in the mouth.
In the same manner, the high intensity of light which benefits the vine also favours the ripening and maturation of anthicyanins (those are the pigments which give the colour to the wine).

The fermentation is done in the same way as for wines produced on a level closer to the sea, but the control of temperatures during the fermentation process is of vital importance for altitude wines especially with regard to the extraction of colour and aromas.
The difference which altitude wines present is mostly related to the higher degree of PH and acid that these wines contain, than those wines produced at lower altitude levels.


The vinification process is in the main similar to that of other wines even though there is a difference in the extraction of tannins and in the winemaking process. Concerning tannin extraction, generally speaking, altitude wines are particularly interesting because their tannins are sweeter and contain minerals and salts at a higher level than other wines do.

The altitude wines age earlier and their tannins are very pleasant, which enables them to be consumed in their first year, as they develop all their taste right from the beginning, and from then on.

With regard to the winemaking process, the most important difference altitude wines present is a particular micro-oxygenation. This process enables balance and structure to be given to the wines and the development of their positive qualities. And altitude wines really do have a lot of qualities.

“A real micro-oxygenation takes place even if the degree of oxygen in the atmosphere at an altitude of 1,885 metres is less important.

This favours the development of the colour of the wine during the winemaking process”, explains Bluske. A lot of these wines have great colour, nearly red violet and are well structured. They are rich in sweet tannins, have great body and well balanced acidity, so they are very full in the mouth.

 They are fleshy, with a very intense red fruit aroma, long on the palate and have a very nice aftertaste. The crianza wines, or wines made in oak barrels, are very complex because of the various aromas of vanilla, chocolate, tobacco, balsamico and menthol and their tasty flavours are in addition to the typical aromas of altitude wines.

Valle de Tarija is Bolivia’s main altitude wine-producing region. The vine has had a great impact in this region thanks to the perfect climate and soil conditions as well as thanks to the altitude. The production of wines in this region started with the arrival of the Spaniards and the Portuguese at the end of the 15th century.

However, modern winemaking only started in 1960, when industrial progress enabled an increase in the production of wine and Singani (the latter is a typical brandy of this Andean country made from Moscatel de Alejandria grapes).

Today Bolivia’s vineyards cover about 2,500 hectares, of which about 80% are planted in Valle de Tarija. Tarijeno is divided into three appellations: Valle de la Cuenca del Rio Guadalquivir, Valle de la Cuenca del Rio Camacho, and Valle de la Cuneca del Rio Santa Ana.
The soils of this region are perfect for winegrowing: aluvial, deep, clay loam or silty clay loam, with good slopes, permeability and drainage, well structured and with organic matter”, explains the expert, Ivan Bluske.

Plantation in the high trellis system is actually one of the characteristics of altitude vineyards.With regard to the grape varieties, Moscatel de Alejandria represents 80% of the production.

This variety has to be drunk fresh as the wines made from this variety are mainly common white wines and the traditional Singani. The remaining 20% of the vineyard area is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Tempranillo, Merlot, Garnacha, Syrah, Barbera, Tanta, Sangiovese, Rubi Cabernet, Franc Colombart, Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Xarello and Parellada. With rainfall quantities between 300 and 600 millimetres per annum, the vineyards in Tarija are watered by water from the rivers which run through the valleys where the vineyards are situated.

These vineyards are located at an altitude of about 1,700 metres at the lowest part of the valley, as for example in Calamuchita, la Choza and la Angostura, and at about 2,783 metres at Tomayapo. Similar altitudes are to be found in the Cuenca del Rio San Juan del Oro region, which is the limit of Tarija with Chuquisaca and where communities can be found at 2,400 metres as in Ovando, in Carrizal at 2,423 metres and in Tojo at 2,700 metres. In these regions, situated above the San Juan del Oro river, viticulture is a very old tradition and one finds very dense plantings of bush vines at about 4,000 vines per hectare.

Today, about 1,800 families owe their livelihood to wine growing in Tarija, where you can find eight big bodegas, and even one limited company listed on the Bolivian stock market, but there are also some 40 artisan producers. The bodegas are classified according to the kind of wine they produce. Some of them produce wine, others Singani, and still others both products.
During the last few years, the bodegas have made some important technical advances and investments in order to improve their winemaking techniques. The use of oak barrels has become more and more widespread, which indicates that the producers want to improve the quality of their wines, using all the natural potential of the altitude wines in order to create a new style of wine, the Reserva and Gran Reserva.

Singani has been the object of important technological changes as well. With the technical improvements that have been made, the Singani producers want to emphasize the particularities of the soil, the climate and the aromas which are typical of their region.Nevertheless, the bogdegas of Tarija are mostly known for their production of red wines rather than for their white wines or Singani, because of the market’s demand for red Bolivian Wines.
Still today exports remain low and occasional, but there exist some bodegas which export to countries such as Switzerland, Germany, Spain, the Untited States and Peru, but the actual value of these exports does not generally exceed 150,000 $ per annum.

The most important altitude wine bodegas of Bolivia are Viñedos y Bodegas Campos de Soçlana, Bodegas y Viñedos La Cabaña, and Bodegas La Concepci_n. The latter is situated in the very heart of the Valle de La Concepción and covers a surface of about 100 hectares. 75% of these vineyards are situated at an altitude of between 1,700 metres and 2,100 metres above sea level.
The grape varieties used for the production of the red wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah and the grape varieties used for the production of the white wines are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Franc Colombart. Some of the vines in this area are more than 150 years old and grow in vineyards encircled by Molles, the typical trees of this Bolivian region.

With a production capacity of 2,000,000 litres, they produce wines under the name of Concepción, and Singanis under the name of el Rulero. Ever since 1999, the year when the company was marketed on the Bolivian stock market, Bodegas La Concepción has been characterized by its particularly innovating approach to viticulture.

It was in 1999 that they commercialized for the first time their most successful, Cepas de altura de la Concepción. According to the owner of the bodega, “This is the best wine that has ever made from altitude vines”.

A little later they started to commercialize Singani Añejo de Rulero, the traditional Bolivian brandy aged for seven years in French oak barrels made in the style of Cognac. The Bodega has thus been proving its specialization in high quality wines, and in particular by underlining the character and identity of its wines, so different from those of other Bolivian wine producers.
In addition to the typical qualities of altitude wines, it is a combination of excellence and tradition which has helped Bodegas la Concepción to place itself amongst the best, most exclusive and famous Bolivian wine producers and to become the most recognized Bolivian Bodegas on an international level.

If we want to talk about Argentinian altitude wines we have mainly to talk about three regions: Valle de Uco, the upper region of Rio Mendoza and North Argentina. The latter is the largest of the three regions and is subdivided into several smaller regions: Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca and La Rioja.
In North Argentina the vines can best express themselves in the valleys of the Cordillera, as for example in Cafayate (Salta), Andalgalá and Tinogasta ( in Catamarca province) and Chilecito ( in Rioja) where the altitude varies between 1,000 metres and 2000 metres above sea level. It’s a region which is just perfect for winemaking and the producing of wines, even though its surface represents only 5,48% of the total Argentinian vineyards.

One of the most traditional regions is Valle de Calchaquíes in Salta. This region is situated in the extreme North of the country at 25° latitude and an altitude of 1.500 m above the sea level.

Its main appellation is Cafayate, where the average annual temperature is 15°C. In this region, vineyards cover a surface of about 1,500 hectares and the main grape variety is Torrontés, a grape which has a very special taste similar to Malvasía. But other white and red varieties are cultivated in this region. The most important ones are Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Tannat and Bonarca.

In Valle de Cafayte you can find one of the Bodegas with the best international reputation: Bodegas El Porvenir. This Bodega is a hundred years old and was founded by a family of Italian immigrants. Today the Bodega is the property of a family of Bodegeros of the region who wanted to get involved in the production of altitude wines and invested heavily in high technology.

This innovating project created by the oenologist, Luis Asmet, enabled them to use vineyards containing vines more than 40 years old. Some 80 hectares of vineyards are situated at an altitude of a breathtakingly-exciting height of 1,750 m surrounding the bodega. On this soil are grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Tanta and Torrontés. The latter is particularly typical for the region.
With an average production of some 150,000 bottles per annum, the bodega is specialized in the production of high quality wines which it sells with great success under the names of de Laborum and Amauta. On each one of these bottles, produced in a limited edition, is printed the brand of the company: a Holy Inca Cross, representing the traditional Andean know-how, basis of the magic of Valle Calchaquí.

“En el Porvenir de los Andes”, which is the complete name of this historical bodega, and which can be translated into English as “The future of the Andes”, we produce altitude wines in line with the same values of respect for nature and “Pachamama” “Mother Earth” as our ancestors did”, claim the owners.

Ever since its founding, the aim of Bodegas el Porvenir has been to distinguish itself by its features of production, wine making and commercialization of a wine from a “ bodega boutique” or “ wineshop bodega”, explain its creators. According to them “there has always been a methodical control from the harvest and selection of the fruit to the winemaking and bottling right up to the stocking of the wines.”

In the middle of Cafayate you can find the actual building of the bodega.A very elegant mansion that has been restored and has kept its old sun-dried brick walls which were built by their ancestors. Covering a surface of 1,000 square metres, the building has been divided into two different parts, one for the wine making and the other for the aging of the wines in barrel.

The wine making part received the ISO 9001 quality norm and is equipped with the latest high tech “made in Italy”. In what concerns the barrel hall, there is a total of 450 barrels of new American and French oak in addition to the famous “quercus petrea” of Romania.

TOP OF THE PAGE