Mendoza Winery - Finca La Celia
Uco Valley Argentine Wine Estate blends Old, New & Even Kosher Wines
May 27, 2008
In 1890 cattle rancher and horseman Eugenio Bustos was so incredibly wealthy and powerful that he not only owned a 10,000 hectare estancia in Mendoza's Uco Valley, he convinced the government to put the railroad literally at his back door and had them build a fort nearby to protect it. He imported Malbec vines from France and planted over 1000 hectares, becoming one of the pioneering Malbec growers in an area now world-famous for the varietal.
Old Winery, New Attitude
More than one-hundred years later, Finca La Celia, named after Bustos daughter Celia, owns 600 hectares of land but is no longer in the Bustos family. The estate was purchased in 2000 by Chilean drinks group, Vina San Pedro. But new ownership and new ideas are propelling this very old winery into the future with high-tech winemaking equipment, rigorous ISO certification and new products like kosher wines.
Antique Winery Renovation
Touring any winery during harvest can mean hazards like forklifts, hoses and pools of water on the floor. When the winery building dates from 1890, you can bet there are special problems. However, careful restoration of this old building has succesfully retained the charm of yesteryear while ensuring that it can withstand the earthquakes that are common in this high-altitude valley at the foot of the Andes.
Fruits of the Vine
In contrast with the traditional winery bulding, the professional tasting room complete with individual sinks for dumping or spitting, is completely modern. A tasty array of local cheeses is provided along with a selection of wines from the La Consulta and La Celia Reserva lines and culminating with flagship wine Supremo, a Bordeaux-style blend. The vast majority of the 4.8 million litres of wine currently made by Finca La Celia are for export to more than 35 countries around the world with the USA and Europe being the top markets, according to guide Leonor Bianchetti.
Kosher Wines - A New Market
Although not available for tasting, La Celia is forging into new markets with the growing niche product of kosher wines. The English-language magazine Wine Republic, based in Mendoza profiled Finca La Celia's kosher wine operation in a recent article entitled Horse Whisperers and author Luke McMahon describes the unusual thermoflash equipment required to heat the wine to just below the boiling point as looking like "it is on loan from the international space station." In addition, rigid requirements for how the kosher wines are fermented, aged, handled and bottled mean careful attention to detail is required in every facet of production.
Culinary Delights of the Argentine Grill
For a truly Argentine experience, arrange to have lunch at the old farm homestead on the property. Served family style in the antique-filled dining room and offering massive amounts of Argentine asado favorites from empanadas to sausages to ribs, you will be in need of a serious siesta after this meal. But don't leave without the signature dessert of estate apples, stewed in Malbec wine sauce with homemade vanilla gelato and served with La Celia's Late Harvest dessert wine.
Visit Finca La Celia
Tours, tastings and lunches are by appointment only. For an interesting look at the past and future of Argentine wine, Finca La Celia is not to be missed.
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