Viña Artesano’s makes its latest sustainable wines available
Argentinian winery Viña Artesano, owned by Grupo Avinea, is releasing a new range of fine wines that has been inspired by viticulture working in harmony with nature. As the latest portfolio of wines is set to become available across the UK on-trade, db finds out more.
The project, led by Franck Noguiez, new head of winemaking at Viña Artesano and technical director at parent company Grupo Avinea, follows the launch of the winery’s first terroir-led wines into the UK market last year. Noguiez oversees winemaking and sustainability across Grupo Avinea’s entire organic wine group and is leading all viticultural operations at Bodega Argento, Viña Artesano, Bodega Pacheco Pereda in Mendoza and Bodega Otronia in Patagonia.
Enhance biodiversity
For Viña Artesano specifically, Noguiez’s approach is for the wines to work alongside nature and the vineyards have been cultivated to enhance biodiversity while managing to produce premium wines and all while retaining a balance with the land and the winery’s natural environment. Following more than five years of research into soil and vineyard ecology, the project had also led to the development of a range of fine wines that were named after the flowers planted to support the vineyard ecosystem: Nassella in Gualtallary, Achillea in Paraje Altamira, and Gazania in Alto Agrelo.
The first three wines – Achillea Malbec 2021, Gazania Cabernet Franc 2022 and Nassella Chardonnay 2022 – were launched in November. Whereas, from July, the Viña Artesano project will bring to market three new levels of wines which have been positioned to support the existing top-end releases.
Speaking to the drinks business, Noguiez said: “We started the Artesano range with the top wines, which we call ‘the Artesano flowers’, and now we are arriving in the market with Piedraviva.”
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The latest wines available will include: Artesano Piedraviva – Altamira Malbec, Gualtallary Chardonnay and Gualtallary Malbec; Artesano Trescencia – Malbec and Cabernet Franc single varietals and Artesano Veraprima – Pinot Grigio, Malbec and Malbec Rosé.
A balanced ecosystem
Noguiez told db: “Part of the craftsmanship of Artesano is the ability to, depending upon the year, be able to adapt to the land. This freshness is what can be tasted in the range.”
Describing more about the thinking behind the range, Noguiez explained that the Viña Artesano project is the result of research organisations and Grupo Avinea’s agricultural, oenology and sustainability teams doing everything possible to understand the terroir and “produce the very best quality from a balanced ecosystem”.
He added: “We are immensely proud to finally introduce the full range from Viña Artesano to our UK partners and we look forward to seeing listings grow in the premium on-trade sector.”
All wines will be available at entry-level price points in the UK this summer, via the importer Freixenet Copestick.
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