Our PODCAST

EPISODE 38: Seba Zuccardi on the Rise of Uco Valley Wines

Apr 12, 2024

WORDS BY Liz Caskey

PHOTOGRAPHS BY Zuccardi Family Winery

“We make mountain wines…we are mountain people…the Andes Mountains are part of our cosmovision, part of our way to see the world.” – Seba Zuccardi


In this episode, we sit down with Seba Zuccardi, the pioneering force behind some of Argentina’s most distinctive and terroir-driven wines hailing from the Uco Valley in the Mendoza province. While the Zuccardi family winery was established by his grandfather in Mendoza’s Maipú region in the 1960s, it’s Seba who has spearheaded an audacious exploration of the Uco Valley’s high-altitude vineyards in sites like Altamira, La Consulta and Gualtallary in the mid-2000s. Through intensive soil mapping, he has revealed a treasure trove of grand cru-caliber terroirs formed by the varying elevations, topographies and impact of the Andes Mountains. Zuccardi’s decidedly non-interventionist approach produces transparent, fresh, intense yet balanced “mountain wines” that clearly convey a powerful sense of place (and have garnered international attention like the iconic 100-point Finca Piedra Infinita Malbec). He’s a pioneer of vibrant expressions of Chardonnay from high altitude Guallatary and other varieties through innovative techniques such as fermenting in concrete eggs. In this conversation, Seba shares his passion and drive to redefine what’s possible from the Uco Valley as a world-class wine region.

In this episode we talk about:

• Family history dating back to grandfather establishing winery in Mendoza in 1960s
• The inspiration to focus on high elevation sites like Altamira, La Consulta, Gualtallary
• Understanding the valley’s geology, altitude impacts creating distinct terroir identities
• How he developed Zuccardi’s non-interventionist approach allowing transparent expression of place using concrete
eggs vs. steel to showcase vineyard character
• Why soil mapping via calicatas provides key viticultural insights and how clonal selection and varieties are
suited to high elevation, like chardonnay
• The impetus to make his own Vermouth with a group of friends, which revived theArgentine vermouth tradition
• Zuccardi’s dedication to wine tourism on a larger scale in Mendoza and the Uco Valley
• What the future holds for Argentina, Malbec, wine, and the next generation

Resources:

Instagram: @zuccardivalledeuco
@szuccardi

Website: https://zuccardiwines.com/en/

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