Gravity Flow

Ours is the first purpose-built winery in the world to produce only Malbec varietals by gravity flow. The ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vineyard we acquired in Lujan de Cuyo had no winery: the grapes were sold to local wineries. To produce the best Malbec possible by controlling each step of the wine-making process, we knew we would have to build our own winery.

Intrigued by the concept of gravity flow, we went to California to study several winery construction projects and became convinced that the extra cost of a gravity flow facility would be more than offset by the superior quality of the wine resulting from the elimination of pumping the wine from each stage to the next.

To achieve gravity flow on the flat terrain of central Mendoza, we built a moveable overhead I-beam crane which could lift the crushed grapes up and over the fermentation tanks, a deep cellar for the barrels, and a multi-stage freight elevator to raise the aged wine above the blending tanks and bottling equipment. In order to fit this equipment into the traditional Mendoza winery design of three equal naves, we raised the roof of the central nave, creating the profile of a church - entirely appropriate for the worship of the grape.

We ordered custom-designed French stainless steel fermentation tanks, selection tables, destemmer/crusher and press from Constructions Soudees du Coteau and Vaslin-Boucher.