Zuccardi
Some years before 1950, engineer Alberto ‘Tito’ Zuccardi arrived in Mendoza from Tucumán, the small province in northwest Argentina where his Italian grandparents had settled many years before. He began experimenting with new irrigation systems because, back then as is the case today, water management is key due to its scarcity. In 1963 he planted a vineyard in the Maipú region, aiming to show other neighbouring farmers how his irrigation system worked, not realising at the time that this would be the beginning of his life’s passion.
"Sebastián’s aim is to create wines of great purity, firmly rooted in the terroirs of the Uco Valley"
Today Bodega Zuccardi Valle de Uco is led by Sebastián Zuccardi. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Alberto and his Father, José, Sebastián’s aim is to create wines of great purity, firmly rooted in the terroirs of the Uco Valley, in the shadow of the Andes Mountains. The family makes wines that express their origin, the essence of their soils and the extreme climate conditions of the vineyards in the heart of every glass.
"The prestigious Wine Enthusiast magazine has awarded Zuccardi Valle de Uco as New World Winery of the Year."
On January 30, leaders from across the wine industry gathered at Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Star Awards gala in San Francisco, California to celebrate the year ́s honourees. Since 2000, the Wine Star Awards have honoured visionary and innovative winemakers, companies and regions that make exceptional contributions to the world of wine and consumers.
Zuccardi Valle de Uco was named New World Winery of the Year 2022, an award given to the most outstanding winemaking establishment located outside of the United States and the Old World (Europe). Jesica Vargas, Wine Enthusiast writer for South America, describes the winery ́s trajectory in her announcement of the award:
“The winery has focused on elevating the Uco Valley region while positioning itself as one of its most iconic wine producers… Zuccardi Valle de Uco is one of the leaders of a movement in which Malbec is no longer the star, but simply a vehicle to deliver the complexity and diversity of a place.”
The announcement of this award for the 2022 year is significant because in this same year, Zuccardi Valle de Uco became the first winery from Argentina to have three wines awarded 100 points from Robert Parker Wine Advocate (Finca Piedra Infinita 2016, Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal 2018, Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal 2019), in addition to a perfect score from Tim Atkin (Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal 2019).
Sebastián Zuccardi, viticulturist and director of the winery, shared his reflections on the impact of these recognitions: “This is such an honour for our family and our whole Zuccardi Valle de Uco team. We don ́t work for this, but for our love for this place where we live and cultivate, but we know that every recognition helps to bring visibility to the uniqueness and identity to this magical place at the foot of the Andes Mountains.”
The Wine Star Awards create quite a stir in the wine world every year, and especially in the United States market. The award brings prestige to the Uco Valley region and consolidates the presence of Zuccardi Valle de Uco in the United States, its main export market.