By Fred Tasker for Miamiherald.com
Ernesto “Nesti” Bajda’s idea is this: Halfway up the Andes Mountains the ozone layer is thinner and the sun is more intense, so the grape skins grow thicker, making darker, more flavorful wines.
“There’s less filtration from the atmosphere, which triggers mechanisms that thicken the skins and create more phenolics and antioxidants,” he says.
It’s a well-grounded theory. He presented it at the First International High Altitude Winemaking Symposium in California in 2007.
Bajda, winemaker at Don Miguel Gascon winery in Mendoza, Argentina, has a degree from Mendoza’s Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in agricultural engineering, viticulture and oenology. He uses infrared aerial photography and GPS positioning equipment to map his vineyards on the mountainside.
It’s a far cry from 20 years ago, when Argentina’s malbecs were difficult to export because they were... Read Full Article
