introduction
Located in the heart of the Uco Valley, at the foot of the majestic Andes is Monteviejo, a beautiful winery part of the Clos de los Siete group. This 130-hectare property at an average altitude of 1,100 above sea level benefits from great weather and geographic conditions enabling vineyards, manually harvested, to be managed naturally.
The story of Monteviejo began in 1998 with Catherine Peré-Vergé, a dynamic and visionary woman, and Michel Rolland: two French personalities falling in love with Argentina! Monteviejo is still managed and owned by the passionate Parent family and count on Marcelo Pelleriti, a global reference, as general manager and enologist. The construction of the winery began in early 2001 and received its first harvest in 2002!
What's different
We’ve been amazed by the architectural designs of the winery and the restaurant: Monteviejo is a place where music, art, wine, gastronomy and culture connect! For instance, each year, they organize a Wine Rock festival since Marcello is a true music lover. What’s more, the restaurant is located in the heart of the winery with an exceptional view of the vineyards and mountain range from its terraces.
Work time
For one day, we joined the team sorting grapes after they’ve been destemmed: as there are still some leaves and stems with the berries, we watch them go on a conveyor belt and take them out. This manual and precise process increases even more the quality of the juice as you make sure that there’s no unwanted waste left. This step requires many employees and once again, there were only women. These women are employed for harvest time, during 2 to 3 months, and are essential to the winery.
What’s more, they rely on a gravitational system, do not resort to pumps for a gentle handling of grapes and to prevent damage during the process: the wine always follows its natural slope thanks to gravity (grapes weight) moving grapes through the different steps.
