Extreme, Windy, Healthy Terroir
Patagonian wine is a special animal and we recommend spending at least three nights on our wine tours Patagonia to enjoy two full days of tours and tastings at the most southerly vineyards in the world. Also, with this being the land of massive landscapes and dinosaurs we can find some great non-wine things for you to do, so maybe you will need a bit more time?
You may have heard of some of the bodegas we mention below, others you will not have heard of before. We combine well-established names such as the Schroeder Family and Fin del Mundo with some old-school, traditional bodegas such as Humberto Canale so you can compare and contrast Patagonia wine style, quality, and infrastructure.
Finding a dinosaur on your winery has to be considered unusual
Day 1 | San Patricio de Chañar | Stylish + Cutting Edge
Along with our high-altitude wine tours in the extreme North of Argentina, this is the country´s newest wine region. Wineries here are new builds and have only been producing vintages since 2002. These wineries are custom-designed, modern, and use high-tech to ensure efficiency and get the best from this challenging environment. They appear to be doing so very well judging by the many plaudits they have already garnered.
Our wine tours Patagonia start when we pick you up after breakfast and drive you through the oasis that the rivers have produced in this arid landscape, and after 45 or 50 minutes we will arrive at by far the largest winery in the far south, Bodega Fin del Mundo (World´s End Winery). This winery is huge, very well run (flying winemaker Michel Rolland jets in occasionally), and has a capacity of nine million liters of our favorite beverage. We will have a quick tour of the facility and then enjoy a tasting of a range of wines to get our day off to a great start.
“The Special Blend is where global consultant, Michel Rolland, has the greatest influence. It’s a blend of equal parts Malbec and Merlot with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, ripe, fleshy fruit, attractive oak integration, and cassis and blueberry fruit. Stylish winemaking from Patagonia.”
92 Points, Tim Atkin, MW
Then it is off to the sister winery of Malma (same owners, previously NQN) a short drive away. The design of this winery is kind on the eye, the lines of the building, the way it sits in the landscape, the sculptures in the gardens, and the beautiful views from the restaurant. There is a nice cellar area where tastings are made, there is plenty to like about this winery and its well-balanced wine.
We will have a VIP tasting here after we have had a look around the installations, this tasting will cover the whole range of wine, with a number of varieties and vintages. You will get a great overview of the Patagonia terroir during this tasting and we will provide some tapas to keep you on track while you taste. If the option presents itself we will also taste work in progress from the tanks.
After saying goodbye to Malma we will drive a short distance to the Schroeder Family winery. This again is a new build and a fantastic job they have made of it too. However, while they were doing it they dug up a huge dinosaur!
Depending on how our wine tours Patagonia schedule looks, and how hungry you are, we will either launch straight into lunch or take a tour and tasting beforehand. Your lunch spot has nice views over the vines and the four-course menu will come with wine pairings from the vineyards surrounding you. Your tour of this winery will show you the production and aging areas with a final tasting of the day down in the cellar. Plus you will have the history of the dinosaur discovery explained to you, see the exhibit, and some of the bones in the small museum.
Day 2 | Rio Negro | “Old School” Traditions
Today is a chance to see the opposite side of the same coin, traveling East from the city we will visit the traditional heart of winemaking in northern Patagonia. The Rio Negro area is home to the historic, old-school wineries, lacking high levels of new investment and modern equipment, and producing on a much smaller scale than their San Patricio counterparts. However, there are also some new projects that have taken over old wineries with innovative plans to improve infrastructure and wine quality. Miras Winery is a clear example of this.
Marcelo Miras entered the Patagonia wine industry working for Humberto Canales (which you will visit later today) and later moved to Fin del Mundo where he spent 14 years as a winemaker. The Miras family has been involved in producing wine since 2001, but only in small quantities and only for family and friends to drink. But then from 2005 they started producing more seriously and selling commercially, the track was laid for the Miras brand.
More than one way to enjoy Patagonia wine 
The winemaker at Humberto Canale is creating a very impressive portfolio
When we visit we will tour the small bodega with Mr. Miras senior or junior, now that his son Pablo is also a winemaker and is hands-on in the winery. Miras specializes in Pinot Noir and Merlot which grow well in this extreme climate. You will get the chance to try a number of glasses here before we move to our second winery, Humberto Canales.
This bodega is the oldest in the Patagonia wine region, with vineyards planted way back in 1912 by Humberto Canale who worked as an engineer on the first railroads of Argentina. The 200 hectares purchased back then are now 500 in number, of which 145 hectares are planted with vines.
Canale produces a wide range of our favorite liquid and you are able to taste a good number of them during a premium tasting. You will tour the old and new facilities and get an overview of the history of the area. After we are fully topped-up here we will head off to Bodega Agrestis where we will eat lunch and enjoy a tasting.
Delivery transport from years past at Humberto Canale
We can squeeze in one more winery in the Rio Negro area, and assuming we are on schedule we will end the day at Bodega Chacras. The Chacras Winery is owned by the Italian family Incisa Della Rocchetta, famous for the Super-Tuscan Bordeaux-style Sassicaia, so there is plenty of history and know-how behind these wines – we will try some together. The team at Chacras is very enthusiastic about biodynamics and the list of methods is fascinating – click here to learn more as they describe the processes better than we would.
By this stage, you will have enjoyed many glasses of Patagonia wine and a good lunch so it will be the perfect moment to drive you back to your hotel in Neuquen. Tomorrow we will probably be delivering you to the airport to fly to another part of Argentina.
