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News
Geographic Indication approved for high altitude Mendoza sub-region
A sub-region of Mendoza in Argentina has been awarded Geographic Indication status after a four-year campaign led by local producers.
San Pablo Estate, Bodegas Salentein, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
San Pablo, a sub-zone in Mendoza’s Uco Valley, is the northernmost sub-region in Tunuyán, Uco Valley.
It is also one of Mendoza’s extreme regions in terms of altitudes, with vineyards planted between 3,600 ft (1,100m) and 5,600 ft (1,700m) above sea level.
Its name corresponds to Estancia San Pablo, a Jesuit mission established there towards the end of the 17th Century, according to Wines of Argentina.
It has an arid climate and an average of 500mm rainfall per year.
(Photo: Google Earth)
San Pablo is located on the alluvial fan of the Las Tunas River, on the right bank, consequently the soil has a high pebble content as well as other calcareous materials.
A spokesperson for Bodegas Salentein, one of the businesses that backed the campaign for a GI, said these conditions “leave a well-defined imprint on the quality standards for wines produced from these grapes.”
The GI spans the following areas:
- East boundary: Provincial Route N°89
North boundary: Las Tunas River
West boundary: dimension lines at 1.700 meters above sea level
South boundary: Villegas Creek up to its intersection with Cuevas Creek
The Salentein winery was the first winery to produce Estate Bottled wines from what today is the GI San Pablo and one of the first in the Uco Valley.
Salentin launched the campaign in collaboration with Bodegas Tapíz, and Familia Zuccardi wineries, together with the Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Agronomy School of the National University of Cuyo) and the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura (National Institute of Viticulture), in 2016.
Why producer still believe in GI, whether Italian or Argentinian, and think that creating a new one will fix their problem? Unfortunately it will only add additional confusion https://www.italyabroad.com/wine_blog/delle-venezie-doc-debuts-second-vintage and will require huge financial resources to make it successful.
Please not that vineyards, and everything at the earth’s surface, are done at ELEVATION! Planes and birds do things at altitudes.
Please note that this region is at high ELEVATIONS. Vineyards are planted at elevations, planes and birds fly at altitudes.