The first time I interviewed him was in 2016. His clarity about where Argentine wines had to go was impressive and can be summed up in three key points.
(Also read: ‘To achieve success you must have a dream and stick to it’)
Second, wines with identity of origin. “Wines must express the place they come from, express the characteristics of each terroir to the maximum”, because otherwise they are just another generic: one more cabernet, one more chardonnay… one more malbec. And for this reason Zuccardi has concentrated on getting to know its different terroirs in depth – and exploring new ones – with an increasingly sophisticated level of detail, in order to be able to exploit those different personalities that both soils and different altitudes can express in a bottle.
And third, his enormous faith in malbec, understood as a seal of identity and a great differential in the tough international market.
(You may be interested in: ‘A great wine is one that is capable of making your hair stand on end’)
At that time, the obligatory question was: ‘What comes after Malbec?’. Of course I made it for her, and her response was and still is the same: “More malbec, but from places”. Because, she explains, “the best terroirs of a region show how high you can go in terms of quality, and those are the wines that drive the rest.”
The interesting thing about this whole story is that during his recent visit to Bogotá, all of Pepe Zuccardi’s theory was solidly confirmed with the extraordinary wines being made by his son Sebastián, one of the most brilliant winemakers in Argentina.
To start, his Zuccardi Concreto was chosen by the sommeliers of the Cava Selection of Expovinos Bogotá as the best and most surprising wine of the fair: 100 percent Malbec, from calcareous soils of the GI Paraje Altamira, with fermentation and aging in concrete. A wine not only different, but, above all, impressive.
(Read also: No, wine has no nationality)
A few years ago, the Zuccardi Aluvional had begun to show us how seriously this winery was committed to the expression of terroir. But the wines in the Fincas series take this view to truly spectacular levels with labels such as Finca Zuccardi Piedra Infinita, whose 2016 vintage achieved the longed-for 100 Parker points, or Finca Zuccardi Canal Uco, whose 2013 vintage I had the opportunity to try with Pepe. Zuccardi and, honestly, I was very impressed.
To finish off: in this wine thing one can tell the story that he wants, but in the end, the wines are the ones that speak. And in the case of Zuccardi they speak with great authority and forcefulness. So cheers to the vision and to the great wines from the Zuccardi winery!
