The wine world loves to brag.
I hear Californians flex about farming at 2000 feet in their "High Elevation" vineyards.
Meanwhile, in Argentina’s Andes, some guys are growing grapes at over 10,000 feet.
These guys don't even care to look down at the rest of us.🧵
The CalchaquĂ Valleys sit on the Altiplano in northern Argentina.
A dry, rugged plateau surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in the Andes.
Vineyards like Bodega Colomé’s Altura Máxima are planted at 10,500 feet, with 20,000-foot peaks towering above them.
Farming at this elevation is a different game.
In this high desert environment, all of the water comes from snowmelt, moved through simple gravity-fed ditches carved into the rock and Tractors struggle to run in the thin air so most of the work is done by hand.
How can grapes even grow at this altitude?
- They’re closer to the equator, so the sun is stronger and more consistent.
- The dry air from the Andes keeps disease pressure low.
These brutal conditions do a few things to the grapes:
- Thicker skins
- Smaller berries
- Higher natural acid
- Slow sugar development
- Deeper color and structure
The vines get battered all season long and that can be a good thing.
Most every grape varieties can't take it.
Malbec survives because it handles UV, drought, and cold nights without breaking down.
Torrontés survives because it ripens fast and keeps its aromatics even under a punishing sun.
But how different do they taste from their neighboring, low elevation counterparts?
Malbec from these heights is darker, fresher, and tighter than anything you’ll find in the lowlands.
Torrontés turns sharp, floral, and piercing. It is electric compared to a coastal white.
Of course, vineyards this high are small by nature.
Yields are low.
Most of the wine stays local.
But if you want to hunt some down, look for bottles from Bodega Colomé or Bodega Tacuil.
I grow Pinot Noir at 6000 feet, in the highest wine region in North America.
Sometimes I think what I’m doing is crazy.
But these guys put me to shame.
They’re farming grapes at elevations that match the highest mountains around me.
I really need to get my hands on a bottle from here to compare.
If you enjoyed this, I would be so thankful if you could hit me with a reNost to spread the signal here.
Cheers🍷
