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SuperUco

Mendoza, Argentina

Ethos: Perfection in nature.

Planted in concentric circles, the vineyards at SuperUco don’t just look spectacular, they allow the grapes to ripen from every angle and reflect nature’s decisive lack of straight lines and vertices. The biodynamic philosophy of this contemporary project, born in 2011 between four brothers and a friend, runs deep: those circles extend across the estate and are linked by trails, just like everything in life is related; the dramatic octagonal winery (the closest geometrical shape to a circle) symbolizes man’s continual bid to emulate nature in what it creates.

It’s new age thinking for a new age of winemaking, and yet the goal is very simple: to make wines that reflect the Uco Valley in all its glory. Hence the name. With some of the highest vineyards in Mendoza, the wines here are capable of marked freshness and acidity, and the ethos at SuperUco is to interfere as little as possible with this potential.

Whilst it would be tempting to spend an entire day on the terrace lounge of seasonal restaurant La Cocina de SuperUco, with views over the Andes mountain range and a happy fusion of food, wine and music, there is plenty to do. Join in with hand harvesting the grapes and then tread them with your feet. Or learn about the organic and biodynamic principles that govern SuperUco’s farming through hands-on training sessions that involve crafting the natural ‘preparations’ used to treat the soils. The 90-minute tours are all led by members of the family, and take you through the vineyards, farm, gardens and winery, corralling with the animals and tasting wines directly from the barrels in a fully immersive experience.

SuperUco was founded by Matías, Juan Pablo, Gerardo and Gabriel Michelini, and Daniel Sammartino. Together, they bring a wealth of winemaking knowledge (and the help of their extended families) to these two hectares of land, which they hope to depict with purity in their wines. These are fermented using native yeasts and matured in French oak barrels (old and new, of varying sizes) or concrete eggs – no stainless steel.

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