El Montañista Wines

Husband and wife duo Pancho and Nuria Bugallo not only make the most of the unique climate of Argentina’s Calingasta Valley by being passionate hikers but also by creating traditional wines using heritage varietals- that is when they're not climbing the mountains of San Juan of course.

Their winemaking pays its dues to the strong history of winemaking in Calingasta, using old vine Criolla, Moscatel and Cereza varieties some of which are over 80 years old. This makes for expressive wines that are unlike most Argentinian wines we’ve tried.

Their viticulture is organic, as is traditional, and the extremely dry climate and remote location means that pests, disease and unwanted weeds don’t provide too much trouble. Winemaking takes place in a small winery next door to the couple’s home where they ferment hand harvested grapes with natural yeasts in concrete tanks.