Getting to Know
Jardin de Hormigas
Alan York used to say that every piece of land is unique: by its soil, by its location, and consequently, how the winds blow over it, how the rain falls on it, how life develops and balances within the land, and the farmer’s task is to recognize and nurture its uniqueness.
A garden is a place where we can encounter nature and learn to care for it, while it rewards us with its fruits. We planted this vineyard in 2017, after years of research in the Uco Valley looking for a suitable site for our purpose. Dr. Pedro Parra’s work led us to work with calcareous soils in the Uco Valley since 2008 and to develop a winemaking strategy to maximize the character of these soils within the Uco Valley’s climate.
We arrived at the site where Jardín de Hormigas is today, where soil formation was driven by a water current of extraordinary power and size 11,500 years ago, bringing rocks weighing several tons from the Andes. Once the site was chosen, based on the research conducted at Terroir, we began planning the farm with a clear principle: maintaining a balance of species: plants, animals, and fungi.
While the vineyards in Mendoza have a square shape, all the plots in our Ant Garden have an organic shape that reflects the soil units. Each plot follows hidden natural underground lines; Pedro Parra studied these soils by digging 50 test pits and designed the plots by soil units, so that each one is consistent and gives us a wine with personality: the personality of its origin.
A balanced vineyard needs a balanced ecosystem where many species can coexist, which is why we have been growing organically from day one and using compost made from the same materials we take from here when we harvest and prune. This is a cycle that helps the soil maintain its own fertility, like in a natural forest. We are grateful to our founder, Alberto Antonini, for this clear vision: an ecosystem with a vineyard within it.
This combination of a great terroir with farming based on biodiversity from the beginning makes this vineyard a unique and authentic place, and the wines that come from here reflect the power that nature wields here.
