Cara Sur Tinto

Today, Argentine wines made with Criollo varieties, those brought by the conquistadors to the New World, are a great success all over the world. However, what is now a real hit, they had already started doing a decade ago.

In early 2010 Pancho Bugallo, Sebastián Zuccardi, Marcela Manini and Nuria Añó set out to start a project together where the wines would be made with these traditional varieties. The way to do this would be through the expression of the Calingasta Valley, in the province of San Juan (in the Cuyo region). The secret to their success here would be using area’s traditional winemaking and viticulture methods. This is how Cara Sur was born.

We maintain that the best way to interpret the place is to pay attention to the uniqueness of the vineyard, seeking simple, but very careful vinifications,” the couples explained during the opening of their winery in May 2022 (almost 12 years after they first began). Back then, their desire and enthusiasm to set up this project were so great that Pancho’s father's garage was more than enough to start winemaking. What was unchangeable was the raw material, grown on four estates in the Paraje Hilario area. In total there are 10 hectares, with Criollo grapes, grown using the Parral Sanjuanino system, with eight wires. The soils are colluvial and deeper than the rest of the valley, with boulders. Agrochemicals are well and truly prohibited here, and all work is manual. The warm and dry climate means not having to worry about pests or fungi.

The Bonarda, Barbera and Black Muscat used to make Cara Sur Tinto are harvested early, and only the best clusters are selected in the winery. All of them, complete with the stalks, are placed in cement eggs, where fermentation takes place. Once this process is completed, Cara Sur Tinto macerates for 40 to 50 days, during which time the cap is plunged, until the clusters are finally crushed and the wine has been made. Cara Sur Tinto ages for eight months in these concrete eggs until it is bottled and released for sale (10,000 bottles produced). Let’s open a bottle of Cara Sur Tinto and let our imaginations run wild!