On November 18-22, 2024, more than 250 attendes gathered in Mendoza, Argentina, to learn about the latest research in terroir from the world’s best minds in the field.
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HIGHLIGHTS
“The recent Terroir Congress was excellent, allowing to «uncork» a unique terroir centered on Malbec as a revealer of the soil and climate variability of Mendoza and its sub regions. These components shape the authenticity of the wines, where social and ecological values are deeply rooted in protecting and promoting this land and its people.”
– DR ETIENNE NEETHLING, EXPERT IN TERROIR MANAGEMENT
“We have a lot of diversity in vitis vinifera. We just need to understand this diversity better so we can help it. Wine regions are much more climatically diverse than people think – they are not all Mediterranean climate regions.”
– DR GREG JONES, EXPERT IN CLIMATE AND VITICULTURE
“The level of research was incredible; learning about Mendoza and the depth of research at the Catena Institute is truly amazing. Sharing knowledge with researchers and producers has been an incredible learning experience.”
– DR CRISTINA LAZCANO, EXPERT IN SOILS NUTRITION
“The 15th International Terroir Congress was incredibly exciting. We explored geology and soil in the vineyards, gaining a deeper understanding of how terroir influences the wines of our high-altitude region. We discussed the remarkable diversity of soils and how they express themselves in the flavors of our wines, and also enjoyed great evening activities.”
– DR LAURA CATENA, CATENA INSTITUTE OF WINE FOUNDER
Adrianna Vineyard Field Day
Before the congress kick-off, the CIW team took friends and experts to spend a day in the vineyards. The group rode up to Gualtallary in the Uco Valley, where at 5,000 ft elevation they reached Adrianna, the vineyard with the most 100 point wines in South America.
The experience began with an exploration of the Malbec plots, where the team enjoyed an introductory session and tasting of Malbec Selections. Next, they dove deep into Pinot Noir and the UVB impact on the vines, and discussed the terroir and vintage discrimination of Malbec wines paper published on Scientific Reports in collaboration with Greg Jones. Guests also visted the iconic White Bones and White Stones soil pits while tasting the wines.
The day culminated with a traditional “asado” in La Bodeguita, paired with 2016 vintage wines from Domaine Nico, Adrianna Vineyard and Nicolás Catena Zapata.
«‘The climate and the soil allow for the cultivation
– Dr. Adrianna Catena
of all the better-known varietals in Europe.’
So, already in 1888, the terroir is there.”
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Benjamin Bois
Associate Professor of Viticulture and Climatology at the University of Burgundy, France.
Dr. Kees van Leeuwen
Professor of Viticulture and Head of the Viticulture Enology department, at Bordeaux Sciences Agro, ISVV Bordeaux, France.
Dr. Philippe Gallusci
Professor of Vegetal Molecular Biology, Université de Bordeaux, France.
Dr. Cristina Lazcano
Associate Professor of Soilsand Plant Nutrition at UC Davis, California, USA.
Dr. Luciano Calderón
PhD in Biological Sciencesand specialized in Genetics. CONICET Scientist and Researcher, Mendoza, Argentina.
A Few Takeouts & Notes on the Event by Laura Catena
- Kees van Leeuwen gave an enriching talk on water scarcity and how it requires new approaches to irrigation, rootstocks, and the selection of grape varieties worldwide.
- Etienne Neethling from Angers, France, spoke about Malbec in France and emphasized the importance of genetic diversity and polyclonal plantings globally.
- Greg Jones‘ presentation suggested that we might need a new way to describe the climate of terroir, moving beyond the Winkler classification to something more nuanced.
- Benjamin Bois and his team from Burgundy, delivered a fantastic presentation on Pinot Noir around the world. This included a segment on Argentina, presented by Sébastien Nicolas.
- Roy Urvieta and Fernando Buscema, gave a keynote session on how terroir can be studied through chemical fingerprints and emphasized that terroir is not a myth and that it is very much alive in the wines of Argentina and of other parts of the world.Collaborate with fellow architects.
