Oct 6, 2021
There are two ways to make wine. There’s the industrialized process, where blends are used to achieve the same flavor year over year.
And then there’s the traditional fermentation process, where winemakers work with what they’ve got, producing a wine unique to that place. A wine that transports you to Argentina’s breathtaking Calchaqui Valley or the little-known Valdeorras region of Spain.
Will Bonner and Diego Samper are the CEO and Wine Explorer, respectively, behind Bonner Private Wines, a partnership dedicated to searching the world for astounding wines from undiscovered winemakers.
On this episode of The Wiggin Sessions, Will and Diego join me to explore the history of wine through the development of civilization and explain how environmental factors influence taste.
Will and Diego discuss why Malbec does well in the high altitudes of Northern Argentina and describe the experience of traveling from the subtropical forest to the mountain desert vineyards in Salta.
Listen in to understand what differentiates wines that are authentic to a particular place and find out how to be a part of Will and Diego’s Extreme Altitude Wine Club.
The long and winding history of wine through the development of civilizations
The fungi that nearly wiped out the French wine industry (and how that incident led to the Old World accepting New World wines)
Who was responsible for the introduction of winemaking in Argentina
Why Malbec does well in the high altitudes of Northern Argentina
The experience of traveling to Argentina’s spectacular Calchaqui Valley and why the climate shifts so quickly
The science of wine and how it’s influenced by terroir (e.g.: soil, sun exposure, altitude, etc.)
What differentiates traditional fermentation from using blends to achieve a particular flavor
The evolution of winemaking in Argentina
Why it’s so challenging to ship wine from the Salta region of Argentina to the US and what inspired Will to make it happen
How the Extreme Altitude Wine Club membership works and where the wines come from
Diego’s role as a wine explorer
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