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Q&A: Fernando Mengoni

The head winemaker at Argentine estate Graffigna tells db about his latest projects, including a white and a rosé crafted from the country’s flagship grape.

What wine projects are you working on at the moment?

We are currently working on innovative wines for Graffigna, including a white Malbec and a Malbec rosé. This year Graffigna celebrates 150 years of history with a new edition of its Malbec label in honour of its founder, Santiago Graffigna, a passionate man who was constantly seeking to use pioneering methods to produce wine. Based on his philosophy we think that now is the time to explore new vinification methods for this variety. We have excellent raw materials from various origins that give us many options to study and define what is best for each of our wines.

Are you confident about the quality and yield of the 2020 vintage?

We will definitely remember the 2020 harvest, mainly for three reasons. Firstly due to its length, since it was one of the shortest harvests we’ve had for long time in Argentina. Secondly, the global coronavirus pandemic, which brought us many challenges and put lot of pressure on the team. And thirdly, we will remember the 2020 vintage for its quality. I’m confident we will have excellent results with these wines.

What changes are you making to further improve the quality of your wines?

We are working hard, focusing on the freshness of the wines, as well as the quality and quantity of fruit. We have also been working on producing less alcoholic wines and at the same time, carrying out some tests with fresher oak.

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