Argentina in January offers fantastic summer weather. But there can be violent hail storms so many producers are careful to make sure the hail nets are well secured.
But some, like winemaker Hubert Weber at Bodegas Weinert in Lujan de Cuyo, prefers vineyards with no hail nets in order not to lose any sunshine or risk moisture that can lead to diseases. “Sometimes we lose grapes due to hail, but it is not worse than the cost of putting up nets,” he says.
The grapes had just started to change colour when we were in Mendoza at the end of January. The harvest for the red wines would not start for several weeks. But the grapes for Weinert’s pink pinot noir would be picked just two weeks later. The producers we met were optimistic about this year’s quality (2023).
But the quantity will be small. Mendoza suffered a severe frost in October. It is estimated that the country’s harvest will be 40% smaller than normal, says Nicolas Goldberg at Finca La Igriega Wines in Valle de Uco.
Travel: Come on a wine tour to Argentina with BKWine. Next tour in January 2024.
