VIÑAS EN FLOR

In the Cafayate Valley, 1,700 metres above sea level, the Quinteros Ruiz Moreno family has been farming its 88 hectares, split into 22 plots, since 2006. The name Viñas en Flor pays tribute to the 1,200 rose bushes and thousands of flowers that line the head of every vine row, a tradition kept alive plot by plot, with hand harvesting.

It all began in 2006, when the Quinteros Ruiz Moreno family decided to plant their first vines in the Cafayate Valley, 1,700 metres above sea level. The name Viñas en Flor is no coincidence: 1,200 rose bushes and thousands of flowers of different varieties line the head of every vine row across the estate, a tribute to an old winegrowing tradition. Today the property covers 88 hectares divided into 22 plots, growing Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat and Torrontés, along with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc, Bonarda, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir. The sandy loam soil, porous and well drained, together with the area's wide temperature range, with cool nights and days of intense sun, lets the grapes ripen slowly, gaining freshness and aromatic intensity. The entire harvest is done by hand, carefully selecting each bunch at just the right point of ripeness.

Winemaker José Luis Mounier sums it up like this: there are no magic formulas for making great wine; what matters is caring for the vineyard from pruning onwards and working it with passion and deep respect. In the winery, designed to bring out the character of each variety, concrete vats sit alongside stainless steel tanks, with a production capacity of 1.5 million litres a year. The wines with the greatest ageing potential continue maturing in the cellar, which stretches 80 metres and holds 1,400 French oak barrels, where they patiently gain complexity, depth and the elegance that oak brings as it softens the tannins. This is where collections such as Licha M, the family's flagship blend, the high-altitude 1700 m.a.s.l. line, the numbered Mujeres Salteñas series and Qantu are born: three carefully crafted wines made in small quantities.