The holistic circle embodies the fertility of the «pachamama» or «mother earth».” the miracle is revealed from the heart of the Cafayate desert in a mystical and magic way, in order to provide us vines with excellent quality. I like this quote from the winery web site, I think it explains well the philosophy behind it and explains the colorful labels: “ Amalaya means «Hope for a Miracle» in native language. It was built high up in the desert, where nothing was growing before. The second winery, Amalaya, is much, much younger – it was founded in 2010 as a project by Bodegas Colomé, with the idea to grow more than just signature Malbec and Torrontés, but the other old world varietals as well (like Cabernet Franc, for instance). Today, Bodegas Colomé sustainably farms highest elevation vineyards in the world, including Altura Máxima, located at the 3,100 meters (about 10,170 feet) above sea level (mind boggling, if you ask me). The pre-phylloxera Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon vinies were brought in directly from Bordeux in 1854, and they still produce fruit today, which is used for the Reserva wines. Wine production at Bodegas Colomé dates all the way back to 1831, when the winery was built high in the Andes Mountains. The wines I got to try were produced by two wineries, both part of Hess Family Wine Estates collection. So yes – new region and high altitude vineyards – I’m definitely game. High altitude usually means a large difference in day and night temperatures, which makes grapes to concentrate flavors. Poor soils and lack of water make vines to work hard, which is then manifested in flavor. I’m always interested to learn about the effect of extreme conditions on the grapes and wines. In addition to unknown appellation, the wines were coming from the high altitude vineyards – not just high, but the highest in the world. Then I was offered to try a few Argentinian wines from the appellation I never heard of – Salta, located all the way up in the northwest. But don’t feel bad as a bare minimum, it makes two of us – Mendoza was the only appellation I knew in Argentina until a few weeks ago. May be I couldn’t hear and you said “Uco Valley”? That would be a good answer, though Uco Valley is a high altitude sub-appellation in Mendoza. Let’s start with the question: name winemaking region in Argentina, other than Mendoza.
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