High Altitude, Low Yield

Our high mountain vineyards have an inherently low yield. Although the relationship between yield and grape quality is highly disputed, we firmly believe that our wine has exceptional quality and intensity due to a lean grape yield, less than 1 ton per acre. For us, a small harvest and smaller berries mean more concentrated flavors.

Many factors influence our grape production, such as the age of our plants, poor soils, high altitude, and occasional spring damage.

1: Age of our plants

Imported from Chile in 2015, our Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon vines are currently the only plants in production in Apu. Currently, these young plants produce scarce and small berries, although their size increases with each season.

2: Poor soils

In the Apu vineyards, a thin top layer covers the rocky calcareous soils, forcing the roots of the vine to search for nutrients and moisture deep below the surface. This stress on the vine forces berries to develop, producing smaller fruit and, therefore, a lower yield.

3: High altitude

There is less oxygen at our extreme altitudes. Plants that receive less oxygen absorb nutrients more slowly and therefore grow at a slower rate. The end result is smaller berries with a high proportion of skins and seeds to juice and a higher concentration of phenols, the chemical compounds responsible for the intensity of the wines.

4: Occasional spring damage

Hail storms can be a threat to our vines. For example, in the spring of 2018, large hailstones destroyed around 30% of our grapes. This makes our production per vine even more scarce, but it gives us a more concentrated fruit.

In conclusion, these 4 factors contribute to the low yield, which means that we have smaller grapes with more intense flavors and aromas. The end result is a unique and quality Peruvian wine.

Echeverría, Gerardo, et al. Efectos del tipo de suelo sobre el rendimiento del viñedo y la composición de las bayas en la costa del Río de la Plata (Uruguay) . 3ª ed., vol. 51, Oeno One, 2017,

"Aprenda todo sobre el suelo, el terruño y el clima de Burdeos". The Wine Cellar Insider, www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/dirty-little-secret-soil-terroir-bordeaux/.

Growing Up, Growing Out

Clearing land at 3,300 meters

Our new grape plants have arrived from France and they will soon be spreading roots in Apu's argilo-calcaire soils. Here at one of the highest wineries and vineyards in the world, we are growing up (in altitude) and growing out (expanding). This growth will help us achieve one of our main goals: to revolutionize viticulture in Peru by shifting vineyards from the Pacific coast to high-altitude microclimates in the Andes. We hope that by expanding our vineyards and experimenting with new varieties, others will follow our lead and invest in the incredible viticultural potential of the Andes. The optimal conditions at these high altitudes provide ample opportunities for producing more premium Peruvian wine for worldwide consumption.

We have two main plots at different altitudes. Our largest vineyards, located at 2,850 meters, are currently producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese and Malbec. We will be planting more quantities of those varieties and also adding Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

By mid-May, our vineyards at 3,300 meters will be lined with Malbec, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We chose Malbec and Chardonnay for this high altitude because of their successful track record as traditional “Andean” varieties. Pinot Noir was also a viable choice because the climate is cooler and sometimes foggy at 3,300 meters, which should be an excellent habitat for these vines.

As with all grapevines we plant here, we believe these will be successful because they are grafted with a special root-stock for limestone soils.

By the end of August of this year, we will have 7 hectares (17.3 acres) planted, leaving us with 3 hectares of open space for us to experiment with in the future. Stay tuned for our future growth plans, as we may purchase more land or import more varieties!

The Economic Impact of Heroic Viticulture

Our red wine is now resting in French oak barrels, allowing the flavors and aromas to stabilize and meld. Harvest is long over, but we still reflect on the gratitude we feel when the last hand-picked grape is crushed. Seeing the fresh juice flow from the press reminds us there is something profoundly satisfying about growing grapes deep in the Andes.

Operating a vineyard at this altitude is no small feat. Standing among dramatic peaks of the Andes, contemplating a precipice lined with vines, one doesn’t wonder why growing grapes in extreme conditions is called “heroic viticulture”. The term applies to vineyards planted on difficult terrain: altitudes over 500 meters (1,600ft), on slopes greater than 30%, on terraces or embankments, or on small islands (Centre). While vineyards must only meet one of the criteria to be considered “heroic”, we meet 3 of them. The difficulties we face with our high-altitude, steep slopes, and terraces make us feel especially proud of every bottle of wine we produce.

However, overcoming these orographic obstacles isn’t the most rewarding part of this project; its economic impact on local communities is most satisfying. Manual labor is necessary at heroic vineyards where the conditions of the terrain are so challenging that the use of machines is impossible. In larger, more accessible vineyards, machines do most of the work. On our steep slopes, mechanization is not possible, so we require many human hands to complete the grape-growing and winemaking cycles. Everything here is done manually, from planting to pruning, to harvesting, crushing and bottling. The more hands we require, the more families we provide for.

Some vineyards in this classification are located in remote areas that have little possibility for economic development. This is the case of our region, Apurimac. According to a study monitoring poverty in Peru, Apurímac is the second poorest region in Peru (INEI). In this agrarian society, most landowning families depend on short-term crops for sustenance and income, leaving them vulnerable to overproduction, debt and other risks. Those who don’t own land find themselves susceptible to predatory renting practices, low wages and unemployment when their services aren't needed. Women are especially susceptible, as they are often the sole breadwinners of the family. They earn even less than men, their wages so low that they are unable break the poverty cycle. Recognizing the struggles of our female workers, we created a stipend program to cover their monthly food expenses, which we hope relieves the pressures of single parenting in one of the poorest regions of Peru.

Since viticulture is a year-round activity, we frequently have large groups of workers to maintain the plants, for weeding, and for construction projects. For time-sensitive projects like harvest and pruning, we require even more hands, sometimes tripling our worker base. Viticulture is a skill that can be learned. We are developing an educational program with scalability that can be applied to other remote areas of Andes that are suitable for grape growing. Teaching Andean people how to tend to vines will allow them to diversify their crops and make long-term investments for their futures.

The economic benefits of heroic viticulture go beyond Apurímac. In her article, What Businesses Are Involved in Heroic Viticulture?, Marina Novato noted its significant economic impact across the world in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East: “It has a decisive economic role in some areas. Think, for example, of the particular mountain areas or small islands that have found, precisely in the planting of heroic vines, an effective way to turn the difficulty of the territory into a great resource”. Microclimates across the entire Andes mountain range could provide optimal conditions for vitis vinifera. We envision patches of vines surrounding small communities like the Curahuasi Valley, long-term investments that will provide for generations of families across the span of Peru.

Heroic viticulture means so much more than overcoming physical and geographical obstacles. We hope to see more heroic vineyards in the Andes and beyond, creating monetary benefits to those in remote areas. Successfully planting vineyards at 3,300 meters in the Andes was ambitious and exciting for us, but the economic impact was the monumental force behind this project.

Sources:

“A Centre for the Heroic Viticulture.” Centre for Research, Environmental Sustainability and Advancement of Mountain Viticulture, www.cervim.org/en/heroic-viticulture.aspx.

“Evolución De La Pobreza Monetaria, 2007-2016.” Instituto Nacional De Estadística e Informática, May 2017.

Lovato, Marina. “What Businesses Are Involved in Heroic Viticulture?” wine2wine, 6 Nov. 2018, www.wine2wine.net/what-businesses-are-involved-in-heroic-viticulture/?lang=en.