oston unday lobe m3 winemakers pioneer their art in...

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winemaker’s job at harvest —when the winery gates are locked— and that Patagonia still main-tains its rough, isolated frontierfeeling. Throughout history, ex-plorers, adventurers, and vision-aries like Darwin and Saint-Exu-péry were drawn to this place.

Winemaking in Patagoniasounds like a bad idea. This is theplace so far from everything thatButch Cassidy and the SundanceKid came here to hide. This is thecountry where six bucks buys youa steak as big as your head. Thisis the land that made the lateBruce Chatwin, author of ‘‘In Pat-agonia,’’ write: ‘‘From its discov-ery, it had the effect on the imag-ination something like themoon.’’

Though reports indicate thatChatwin was never one to refusea drink, at no time did he men-tion Patagonia as a good spot forwinemaking, leaving one to won-der why two of the best wine-makers in the world would both-er. At no time did Chatwinmention Patagonia as a good spotfor winemaking. Yet Noemía andChacra are producing tiny quan-tities of world-class wines, andothers may soon follow.

Compared with myriad andslick operations farther north inMendoza, winemaking in Patago-nia is a do-it-yourself adventure.Far away from easy access to theright equipment, Bodega Noe-mía’s first vintages were made infiberglass tubs usually used asseptic tanks. That same year,Vinding-Diers’s partner, Count-ess Noemi Cinzano, fractured avertebra using a pole to ‘‘punchdown’’ grapes.

That said, they are spoilednow by the winemaking they cando. Grapes are hand-picked anddestemmed, and all of Vinding-Diers’s wines are crushed by foot— luxuries you pay dearly for inEurope.

Getting here and staying putwasn’t easy. Weeks before, I hadpresented my idea to a fever-rid-den Vinding-Diers. He groaned,said yes, and hung up. After atwo-day bus ride from Chile, Ijoined him for lunch and heasked why I was there.

‘‘To get my fingers in thegrease,’’ I said, repeating ourphone conversation, feeling theothers at the table squirm. ‘‘Toparticipate in the harvest for aweek.’’

Hearing the idea as if for thefirst time, Vinding-Diers de-railed. ‘‘Harvest is the busiesttime of year. I can’t baby-sit youfor a week,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m sorry, Iwas sick when we spoke. I can’thave you here.’’ He rose and left.

That afternoon, I took a run,trespassing across a neighboringvineyard. I thought about thetrip, crossing the Andes betweenChile and Argentina. I remem-bered the beauty of that morn-ing’s drive along the mythical Ru-ta 40 (the wild-eyed cousin ofRoute 66 that runs down to theend of the world), skirting thelakes and peaked mountains,then following the sparkling Li-may River northeast through vol-canic formations.

I looked around. The land wasflat and often barren, but thepear and apple tree plots that arethe area’s agricultural backboneare protected by long rows of

poplars, framed by a fiery sunsetand Patagonia’s wind-stretchedclouds. Even in the middle of no-where, it’s still easy to get thatpioneer, stake-your-claim feeling.

Rocchetta took me in whileVinding-Diers cooled his jets, buthe understood his neighbor. ‘‘Ev-erything happens in four weeksat harvest time. It’s like a puzzle.’’

Rocchetta has a full plate withItaly’s ultra-high-end Sassicaiawines, yet his heart and soul arein Patagonia. ‘‘Have you heard ofSuper Tuscan wines,’’ he askedwith a mix of humility and self-assurance. ‘‘That’s my family.’’

Why was he here?‘‘Today, life is fast drugs, fast

food, fast sex, fast everything,’’ hesaid.

Patagonia is the opposite ofthat. Here, people are vastly out-numbered by livestock, and theboundless stretches of beautyand desolation cause time tohang.

‘‘Here, it’s old-world wine-making that doesn’t seem to be infashion. Wine should be like tast-ing 365 days of a place, like a sen-sory photograph as opposed tothrowing in new oak and extract-ing tannins. Then you have a lol-lipop. That’s not for me,’’ he said.‘‘If you try to please everyone,you don’t have an identity.’’

Instead, Rocchetta is creatinghis own.

In an old army Jeep, he droveup one side of the canyon thatused to be the bank of the Río Ne-gro. The sand, minerals, and sed-iment that make up the soil wererevealed in the canyon walls. Thesun was strong, the wind relent-less: harsh conditions that yield agood grape.

Later, I tasted his wine, pinotnoirs named for the years theirvines were planted. I noted thedeep rosy color of the 2006 Cin-cuenta y Cinquo, with its spicy,then intense licorice smell.

Like the ‘‘gotcha’’ smile heflashed to say, ‘‘Hello, trespasser’’when we met, Rocchettagrinned, knowing I was sippingone of the best wines of my life.

‘‘That’s why I got on a plane,’’he said. ‘‘To do something likethis in Europe is almost impossi-ble.’’

Essentially, they’re coddlingtheir fruit like serious Europeanwinemakers wish they could.

‘‘In Bordeaux, those guys havebeen making wine for hundredsof years. Here, it’s seven,’’ saidVinding-Diers, who eventuallyrealized I wasn’t leaving. ‘‘That’swhat’s fun.’’

With this in mind, I joinedboth wineries’ teams for a fewdays in the fields.

‘‘What should I wear?’’ I askedthe crew chief.

‘‘Your worst,’’ he replied, smil-ing.

There was an 8 a.m. pickupwhere a man named Umbertoput 10 of us in the back of atruck, wordlessly handing outclippers. Everyone worked downone row and up the next, fillingbaskets that are taken away be-hind an old Fiat tractor. Yourback aches and your hands,gloves, and clippers merge into asticky mass, but it’s good, honestwork that leaves you tired andhappy.

Once picked and destemmed,the grapes go into a vat wheretime and expertise do their work.

Vinding-Diers and his crewstripped down to their skivviesand hopped hip-deep into a vat.The mass of Argentina’s famousmalbec grapes in the vat was so

solid that this was the only wayto stir it up.

‘‘Stand on top,’’ said Vinding-Diers.

I grinned, stripped to my un-derwear, and stepped ontograpes that had been in the vatfor only a day or two. Walking onthe surface, the grape skinspopped beneath my feet like cavi-ar.

In a second vat, I sank into themix while Vinding-Diers ex-plained the science between myankles; yeast is converting sugarinto alcohol, a frenzied exchangethat turns grapes into wine. Ourfeet stirred the vat to homogenizeits contents.

Later he poured a glass fromthe vat’s spigot. Taste, spit. Taste,spit.

‘‘This is how we know what todo tomorrow,’’ he said.

I did my own tasting and spit-ting later. Vinding-Diers’s 2006Bodega Noemía had a deep rosecolor with a lavender tinge and asmell that rivaled perfume incomplexity, blending cream,fruits, and caramel. In mymouth, there were fruit and min-eral flavors that were strong andclear without heaviness. At theend, my tasting notes read, ‘‘Itfades out like the Patagonian sky-line.’’

Joe Ray can be reached atwww.joe-ray.com.

Winemakers pioneer their art in Patagonia º ARGENTINAContinued from Page M1

PHOTOS BY JOE RAY/FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Walking through the vineyards at Bodega Noemía in the harvest season. During the harvest,grapes are massaged by hand through a grate (below) to remove the stems just after picking.

In Patagonia, distances are vastand travel can be slow — aminimum stay should be noless than 10 days. Optionsinclude wildlife viewing on theValdes Peninsula preserve,staying on a ranch, glacierviewing, hiking, and horsebackriding. Or you can rent a 4x4and drive Ruta 40 to the end ofthe world. Just make sureyou’ve got two spare tires,extra gas tanks, and campingequipment.

Where to stayHelsingfors Estancia Av. Córdoba 827, piso 11,depto. ‘‘A’’ Buenos Aires 011-54-11-4315-1222www.helsingfors.com.ar Luxury accommodations on theLago Viedma inside Los Gla-cieres National Park. Horsebackand walking expeditions headout regularly, as does a trip tothe Viedma Glacier on a Zodiac.$235 per person, with mealsand limited transportation.Hotel Indigo Ladrilleros 105Puerto Natales, Chile011-56-61-413609www.indigopatagonia.com/uk/ The luxurious Indigo was con-ceived as a place to begin orend several days of intensehiking in the Torres del PaineNational Park. Rooms begin at$260. Estancias de Santa Cruzwww.cielospatagonicos.com/Has several working ranchesacross Patagonia where youcan hike, ride a horse, or kickup your heels like a gaucho;Estancia Menelik is one of themost authentic. $60-$80.

What to doFly fishing011-54-92944-582473e-mail: riderofthestorm_2001@yahoo.com.arGuide Alejandro Leutgeb runsan exclusive operation out ofBariloche. Floating down theLimay and Manso rivers in theNahuel Huapi National Park, flyfishermen chase several spe-cies of trout, landlocked salm-on, and native perch. Prices areseasonal. Hielo & Aventura Av. Libertador 935El Calafate, Argentina011-54-02902-492205www.hieloyaventura.com This guide service offers jour-neys to the Perito Morenoglacier and boat rides thatbring you alongside glaciers.Day trips start under $100. Where to eatLa Tablita Coronel Rosales 28El Calafate011-54-02902-491065www.interpatagonia.com/latablitaA wildly popular steakhousealong Ruta 40. Reserve aheador wait in line. Dinner around$10-$15.Kaupé Roca 470Ushuaia, Argentina011-54-2901-422704www.kaupe.com.arThe city at the end of the worldhas one of Argentina’s bestrestaurants. Overlooking theBeagle Channel, chef ErnestoVivian serves local seafood,including several variations ofhis specialty, king crab. Dinneraround $60.

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