Harvest Blog

Jardín Altamira dressed in white

Planting a vineyard is a leap of faith, a bet that a financial analyst would never approve; more so in today Argentina, with planting costs...

MORE NEWS ON OUR ALTAMIRA ESTATE

Water is life, and more so in Mendoza. And finally the well has spilled the precious water in our Altamira estate, the Uco Valley property...

To Everything There Is A Season

After the hustle of harvest has slowed inside of the winery at Altos Las Hormigas and quietness falls over Mendoza, the next set of work...

Gravity Winemaking, Altos Las Hormigas, Terroir Project, Mendoza, Argentina

Working with Gravity

It was a very happy day when this giant piece of steel arrived at the Bodega. At first glance it may not scream TERROIR! but...

Arrival of the Malbec Reserve

See those little red bins? You might recognize them from the previous post celebrating the harvest of Dyonisos Vineyard. These are the bins we affectionately...

Dyonisos Vineyard, Vista Flores, Uco Valley Mendoza, Malbec Harvest 2013

Beloved Bins of Dyonisos

Despite the million tiny details that run through the mind of agronomist Mauricio Gonzalez and his team during harvest, there is one in particular that...

Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Vineyards, Terroir, Biodynamic Viticulture, Mendoza, Argentina

Biodynamic Field Day

It was a big day at Altos Las Hormigas, for some of us the first day of hands-on work with Alan York and a full...

Drip Irrigation, Vineyard Altos Las Hormigas, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina Wine

Planning A Vineyard

Over the past 5 years as we defined the Terroir Project, we've shifted our philosophy to focus more on making site-specific, personal wines, in an...

Budbreak, Brotacion Malbec Mendoza Altos Las Hormigas

Budbreak

There is something hopeful and satisfying about budbreak. Vitality returns to the vineyards and with a tiny speck of green, the master wheels are turning...

Bodega Altos Las Hormigas Mendoza, Argentina, Malbec Vines

A Little Secret

Locals in Mendoza affectionately refer to the time between harvests as the “low season.” The days are short and quiet, the temperature is cool, the...

Altos Las Hormigas Harvest 2012, Mendoza, Argentina. Fermentation Tank.

Wild Yeasts Gone Wild

Here at ALH we believe in a certain way of winemaking: listen to the grapes and follow them on their personal and beautiful journey to...

Terroir Studies with Pedro Parra, Altos Las Hormigas, Harvest 2012

Hormigas in a Pit

"Como no entendemos NADA ! Lo queremos saber TODO! Calicatas y mas calicatas!" "We do not understand anything! We want to know everything! Pits and more...

Team of Ants, Altos Las Hormigas Harvest 2012, Mendoza, Argentina

Hands On Harvest: A Family Affair

When it's time for harvest, it's time! Saturday is family day, everyone helps in the making of our Single Vineyard wines... even the little ants. The...

Full Day Terroir With Pedro Parra, Altos Las Hormigas Harvest 2012

Preview: FULL DAY TERROIR

El 22 marzo, los periodistas y sommeliers de Buenos Aires y Santiago siguieron Pedro Parra y las Hormigas para una día FULL TERROIR. On March 22nd, the top journalists and sommeliers from Buenos Aires...

Altos Las Hormigas Malbec y Tapas, Mendoza, Argentina

Malbec y Tapas:

La armonización o "maridaje", consiste en lograr la mejor combinación entre el menú y el vino. Un maridaje perfecto debe mejorar ambos, el vino y...

Harvesting Vista Flores

Today we harvest Vista Flores, a region tucked directly below the Andes in the Uco Valley. Contrary to the warm, red and orange landscape of the...

Harvest 2012, Altos Las Hormigas, Mendoza, Argentina Full Moon

Full Moon Harvest

Update from Leonardo Erazo, Enologist: "The arrival of our first potential Single Vineyard of the harvest 2012! Trucks carefully arrive, all in line, disciplined and orderly like ants...

Microvinification

Microvinification is a winemaking technique used often for experimental batches of wine where the wine is fermented in small, specialized vats. Microvinification allows a viticulturist to...

Harvest For A Day

In Mendoza, Argentina Harvest 2012 has arrived. Harvest is the culmination of a year's worth of work, preparation, anticipation, and often anxiety. You can work in...

Terroir Tour

Terroir Tour with Pedro Parra

Along the Altos Las Hormigas journey we have seen vineyards that seemed to have all the perfect characteristics: climate, altitude, vine age, care, balanced canopies...

Malbec Verasion, Finca Altos Las Hormigas

Veraison: Finca Altos Las Hormigas

There are crucial decisions to be made just prior to veraison, as this is the time where the viticultural team has an opportunity to reduce...

Irrigation

This might seem like an unglamorous topic... perhaps a bit, geeky? However, irrigation is the lifeline of your vineyards. In some regions it simply is...

Fruit Set, Malbec, Altos Las Hormigas Harvest 2012

Fruit Set: Finca Altos Las Hormigas

About 40-80 days after bud break, just following flowering, we start to see fruit set. This is our first glimpse of the fertilized flowers that...

Bud Break 2011, Harvest, Altos Las Hormigas

Bud Break

The vine begins the process of bud break and the first sign of green in the vineyard emerges. Every viticulturist waits for this moment. The...