About the Uco Valley

Vines produce the best wine when they are under stress. That makes the Uco Valley one of the best places in the world to produce wine because first and foremost it has one of the highest diurnal temperatures in the world. The soil is not fertile and the climate is characterized by long, hot sunny days and cool evenings.

The contrast between the high and low temperature in a day (known as the diurnal temperature) can reach 40°C in the Valley. This allows the vines to ripen its fruit slowly but fully yet maintain acidity. The result is a wine that is complex, fruity, high in alcohol yet well balanced.

There are very few hazards to viticulture in the Valley, but those that do exist include:

• Frost
• Zonda (a hot dusty wind from the Andes)
• Hail

Altitude is a significant factor in the type and quality of wine produced. The higher the altitude – the cooler the evenings. This contributes once again to acidity and structure. I tell everyone that if all vines needed was sunshine and heat, Jamaica would produce wine.