“I’m very passionate about my country and the potential of Argentina. Everyone was talking about Uco Valley and forgot our roots. It’s not just Malbec for me—I decided to start with traditional places to show old vines, and I want to keep this heritage.” – Matías Riccitelli

70 years ago, Chandon planted Chenin Blanc, of all grapes, in Patagonia, of all places. With hardly any infrastructure or full-time farmers to support the extremely remote vineyard, the project was abandoned after just a few years. The juice, they agreed, wasn't worth the squeeze.

The vineyard sat unattended for decades. Malbec boomed in Mendoza. Who would bother with Patagonia?

Enter Matías Riccitelli. Driven by a mission to preserve Argentina's wine heritage, Matías rescued the neglected vineyard. Today he pays homage to those old sparkling clones with a modern Chenin Pét-Nat. It's just one of the 40 wines he makes across the country as part of his ongoing project to revive forgotten varieties and historic regions.

As part of our continued celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Matías joins the podcast with five of those bottles, offering a microcosm of the vast diversity of varieties, climates, vine ages, and vinification methods found in Argentina.

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Skurnik Wines & Spirits

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