Winemaking

French know-how and Argentinian experience

At Cuvelier Los Andes, we strive for excellence in every step of the vine-growing and winemaking process, from the grape to the bottle of wine.

Harvest

Our harvest is picked by hand at the right maturity. Grapes are collected into small 12 kilo crates to ensure the integrity of the fruit.

Winemaking

Reception: Double sorting system: On the first conveyor belt, full clusters are sorted by hand. After clusters have been de-stalked, an additional selection by hand is completed on a second conveyor belt, berry per berry.

Vatting: At the end of the second conveyor belt, selected grapes fall into small mobile vats that are moved to the top of our tanks. The grapes are gravity-loaded into the fermentation vats.

Maceration: Once the tanks are full, the grapes undergo a cold maceration of 4 to 6 days before alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The entire maceration process takes from 30 to 40 days. Malolactic fermentation follows whether in tanks or in barrels.

Aging

Depending on its concentration, the wine is aged from 12 to 18 months in traditional 225-liter or 400-liter medium toast French oak barrels. These barrels are used for three years, with a third of the stock being replaced each year.