The vines present a myriad of greens, stretching as far as the eye can see, to the snow capped Andes mountains on the horizon.  It is hard to believe that these achingly blue skies can, in a few minutes, turn to a maelstrom of black, swirling clouds and rampant winds, thus potentially destroying a harvest in seconds.  Labels dance in the hot afternoon breeze… Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Bonarda, Sangiovese…the reds.  Chardonnay, Chenin and Tocai Friulano…the whites.  Not that Alejandro Roca, who is showing me around one of his vineyards, in Argentina, needs them to identify the grapes…he can do that by the shape and colour of the fruit, the size, hue and outline of the leaves.  He has been in the family wine business since he was ten years old, when he learnt to drive the grape trucks, under the tutelage of his grandfather Alfredo Roca. During the course of our conversation, Alejandro Roca mentions his Masters Degree in Oenology, gained at Mendoza University.  Oenology: from the Greek ‘oivos’=wine, 'loyos'=word/speech, thus ‘the study of wine’.  In Ancient Greek times, the great teachers passed on their knowledge by word of mouth..hence ‘loyos’. Alfredo is the grandson of Alfredo Roca, who has built Roca wines, from its humble beginnings as a collaboration with the Barral family, to its current status as one of Argentina’s smaller but classier wine producers.  Like many Argentinians, the Rocas are of European descent – Italian and Spanish.  Early settlers moved to the new world in the early 19th century taking with them not only their traditions, but in some cases their vines, literally at times in their coat pockets, to be re-planted in the new lands.  Indeed, the Malbec grape, now producing Argentina’s signature wine, originated in France, where it is usually only used to blend with other varieties.   For Alejandro, wine is in his blood so to speak.  Winemaking is not just a job, or a business, but an art, a talent and a passion - handed down from father to son.  His days are spent in one of the four vineyards owned by the Roca family:-; La Perseverancia, Los Amigos, Las Paredes and Sant Herminia, tasting grapes, checking the soil, or in the bodega (winery), overseeing the fermentation process, bottling, packing and talking to the close knit workforce of 22 men and women, as well as discussing the blending with his master eonologist Mauro Nosenzo, or future marketing strategies with his father Alfredo. Set in San Rafael in the south of the vast wine growing area of Mendoza province, some 1000 km west of Buenos Aires, Roca Wines is one of approximately 1700 wineries producing an eclectic range of fine red, white and rose wines.

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One of the climatic downsides to this area, for fruit growers in general is the high incidence of summer hailstorms; hail stones the diameter of golf balls are not uncommon and can destroy a year’s fruit harvest in a matter of minutes.  Indeed only a week ago, a series of storms stripped San Rafael’s trees of not only their leaves, but their bark too, not to mention the loss of millions of pesos worth of fruit.

For the profitable medium to large sized wineries, hail is not the natural disaster it is to smaller and poorer farmers.  Hail nets eradicate the destructive elements of the weather, but at around 8,000US$/hectare they are a rich man’s dream. The effects of early morning spring frosts can also be largely dealt with – with money…ground heaters that circulate the air and prevent the ice from settling on the leaves and the fruit.

Wine producers here are acutely aware that the Argentinian has a very discerning palate when it comes to wine - the consumption per capita/ year is 31.6 litres with Argentina being the 6th largest consumer of wine worldwide.  In recent years the home consumption of 'simple' wines has burgeoned into a desire for something classier and so the competition is intense, especially with the influx of foreign winery owners looking to make a quick buck; so, the Rocas have aimed for a niche market ….not bulk production, but smaller amounts of very distinctive and superior wine.  ‘Great wines are born in the vineyard’, is the philosophy of Alfredo Roca, so, the planting, growing, nurturing and harvesting of the grapes are the most vital building blocks in the creation of a high class wine. 

‘Our emphasis is on small quantities of exclusive wines….and tradition.  That means that the grapes are harvested by hand..usually by the same 12 or so workers every year.. those who know how to pick the grapes without destroying the skins. The grapes are cut and loaded into boxes holding no more than 20 kilos of grapes….the aim is to get the grape, to the bodega in as perfect a condition as it was on the vine’.  This is especially important for the white grape - the skins are the most important part of the fruit and give the wine its significant flavouring, so it is crucial that these remain intact.

The bodega is the winery, where the juice is fermented, blended, stored and bottled.  It is a name also with with Greek ancestry, via a Latin and Spanish route:-from apotheke…a storehouse used for laying away wine, which became ‘boutique’ a store for selling wine, and thus ‘bodega’.

Production of Wine
Wine is basically the product of ripe grapes, a few degrees of heat and some rampant yeasts.  Yeast is a microscopic single-celled fungus capable of converting sugar (the grapes) into alcohol and carbon dioxide.  Essentially an accident of nature, man discovered that the juice of crushed old grapes had a rather nice giddying effect when consumed; the winemaking process today is a whole lot more scientific.

There are four main stages to go through in order to achieve the ‘Nectar of the Gods’:-

Preparation
When the grapes arrive at the ‘bodega’ they are put into crushing machines that split the skins and release the juices; the skin is the most important element in the flavour of the final product, which is why Roca is so careful about the way the grapes are handled prior to arriving at the bodega.  Sadly, good pickers are few and far between and Alejandro is aware that mechanisation of this traditional process is on the horizon.
‘People do not want to pick grapes any more…there are less taxing ways of earning their money, sadly for us’.

Sometimes the crushing process will pull off the stalks, but because they have a high tannin content, (a bitter tasting organic substance) which is one of the primary elements in the taste, the stalks are left if a firmer wine is required.  After crushing, the ‘must’ (the resulting mush of flesh, skins and juice) is pumped into fermentation vats.   Traditionally these huge containers were made of oak; today they are more likely to be glass lined concrete or stainless steel.

Fermentation
Is the process whereby the grape sugars are turned  into alcohol. 

Once the ‘must’ has attained a temperature of 18deg.C or above (20degC for a light, simple wine, 25-30degC for more colour and taste), the juice starts to ferment.  White wines only require about 15-20deg.C.  For classic red wines the process can take from 2 to 4 weeks, but only a few days for a quick drinking wine.  Sometimes cultured yeasts are added to speed the process…these and heat being the most important elements for the control of the wine process. 

Extra sugar may also be added to the wine to increase the alcoholic content, and acid levels have to be adjusted at this stage, acid being crucial to the stable processing and taste of the wine; tartaric acid, citric acid, and chalk are all elements that may be adjusted in the wine during fermentation.  Carbon dioxide rather than sulphur is typically used at this time, essentially to prevent the must from oxidizing.

Another objective of fermentation is to acquire the colour and flavour of the wine; the colouring matter is in the skin, which again is why it is so important to nurture the growing fruit.  For a light red wine the skins and juice may be separated after a day or two, but more usually the two stay together until the fermentation process is over.  With white wines the juice is usually filtered off a few hours after crushing.

Similarly, the skins contain the flavour, mostly tannin.  During fermenting the stalks, pips and skins rise to the surface of the liquid like a cap.  The cap is mixed back into the juice continually as it contains the essential flavouring elements.

When the fermentation process is complete the juice, usually about 80% of the total 'must', is run off…this is called free run wine.  The remaining mush is pressed to produce a dark and tannic press wine which is added to the free run wine, in varying quantities, depending on the type of wine required.  This is known as the blending process. 

This is an area of winemaking requiring great skill, knowledge and experience.  At Roca wines, the blending is overseen by Alejandro, and Oenologist Maura Nosenzo….their philosophy is to preserve and exalt the characteristics of their grapes through the delicate and natural handling of the wines, and this is also one of the reasons why Roca wines buy in less than 3% of their grapes.  They aim to grow all their requirements in their own vineyards so that they can keep control of the quality.  Many of the bigger producers grow very few of their own grapes but rely on buying in from other vineyards.

Many fine wines are the result of blending different components, and this process at Roca, starts in the vineyard.  Alejandro and Mario will know that a few rows of vines in a certain place produce grapes with more distinctive acidic and tannin characteristics, so different grapes will be fermented in separate vats and blended with other grapes later in the wine making process.  This is the skill of the oenologist and is why Alejandro is to be seen amongst the vines in the Roca vineyards every day.

Although at this stage the juice has become alcoholic, the wine tastes bitter and so has to go through a secondary fermentation process…bacteria turns the malic acid in the grape to a mild lactic acid which allows the wine to become softer in flavour.  This malolactic fermentation is frequently prevented in white wine to create a sharper, tangier flavour.  Instead sulphur dioxide is added or the wine is separated from the ‘lees’…solid matter and filtered. 

Maturation
Wines for drinking young are stored in large containers of concrete or stainless steel prior to bottling.  Mature wines are stored in wooden barrels from up to 9 months to two and a half years.  If the barrels are new the wines will extract vanilla and tannin flavours from the oak to produce a rich and firm wine.  Alfredo Roca uses American and French oak barrels, the former giving a robust flavour to the wine, the latter a more light and elegant flavour.  For example, the Alfredo Roca Family Reserve Malbec 2002, one of their best selling wines, comes from thirty year old vines, and is matured for 12 months in 70% French oak, 30% American oak barrels to give an intense red fruit flavour coupled with vanilla tones from the wood.  Their Pinot Noir 2004 is matured for 9 months in French oak barrels, which gives the wine a fruit and spice taste.

Wine breathes through barrels and a certain amount of evaporation occurs so regular topping up has to take place, through a bung hole at the top of the vat, to prevent oxidation taking place.  The wine is also periodically racked or drawn off the sediment and transferred to clean barrels.  Just before bottling the wine has to go through a ‘fining’ process whereby a clarification agent is added which causes the impurities to sink to the bottom of the barrels and the clean wine can be drawn off.

Most white wines are stored only briefly before bottling, others are stored longer….for example the Alfredo Roca Family Reserve Chardonnay 2003 which is matured for 8 months in French oak barrels to enhance its flavour.  Rose wine uses the same grapes as for the reds, but not as much colour is extracted from the skins, and the grapes are de-stemmed before crushing and fermented for a day or less.

Bottling
Choosing the right moment to bottle is as crucial as choosing the right moment to pick.  Bottling a wine too early will prevent the development of its unique flavour, too late and it might lose its young and fruity taste.  The environment should be cold and sterile - bottles are injected first with nitrogen or carbon dioxide then filled with cool wine; a gas lock forms between wine and cork to prevent oxidation. 

At Rocas, cork is used to plug the bottle, unless the wines are for exportation to America and then plastic corks, initially imported from the States, under a conducive trading relationship, are used.  Real corks ‘breathe’ better, but the cork, being a natural product, has imperfections in the material and can lead to oxidation, and thus a ‘corked’ flavour to the wine.

From Bodega to Boutique
Rocas pride themselves on the exclusivity of their wines and are committed to providing a quality product, producing only some 800,000 bottles of wine per year (700/hectare). There are few outlets in the San Rafael area but most good restaurants offer a selection of Roca Wines, or you can buy from the Bodega; I can attest to the fact that it is well worth a bit of a search!  Much of their wine goes to tourist areas in the south of the country, Bariloche for example;  60% of export production goes to Mexico, Brazil and Portugal.  Roca's biggest European client is Ireland!
 
 

Despite the many new and scientific methods of winemaking, Roca wines still retain their ‘family business’ concept and Alfredo Roca’s original philosophy that ‘good wine is made in the vineyard’. 

Argentina is now a major player in the international wine markets; it is the largest producer in South America and the 5th largest globally.  In 1992 the country exported less than 1% of its total harvest…in 2005 the figure had increased to some 17%, with the Mendoza region alone producing 84% of that.  Argentina is now the 13th largest exporter of wine in the world, earning the industry in excess of a staggering US$400million.  The desire to increase the export of this wonderful natural asset has fuelled a significant advance in the quality of Argentinian wines...so move over Australia and New Zealand....…Latin America is the land of “new world” wines.
 

Photos: Sebastian Rich-see www.hungryeyeimages.com