In August 2021, in La Consulta (Department of San Carlos), in the heart of the Uco Valley, Mendoza; is born the boutique designer wine cellar GRAZIE MILLEas the result of the friendship and passion of its two founding partners.
Fernando Spigatín (58 years old), a winemaker from a family of viticulturists and with 30 years of experience in the wine industry, and Leandro Rodríguez (36 years old), an industrial engineer and born entrepreneur; they have been friends for many years. After tossing around the idea of starting a business together and after Fernando overcame three very complicated health events, they decided to start a wine tourism project that they called GRAZIE MILLEas a sign of gratitude for the opportunity that life gave them to be able to carry out this project sharing the passion that unites them for wines and good living.
Thus they began to create Friendship wine lines (Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Assemblage of whites), Freedom (Malbec, Cabernet franc, Select Blend and Syrah) and design (Malbec, Merlot, Syrah and Design Blend); that are characterized by elegance, balance, complexity of the nose and careful aesthetics.
Although the idea was to create a small project, the enormous acceptance in the local market meant that the first year they sold 70,000 bottles and in the second year they reached 100,000 bottles. At the same time, they expanded their presence abroad in the markets of Brazil, the United States and Costa Rica; and the projection for 2023 is to sell between 125 to 130 thousand bottles.
The project is located in ‘The Consultation’ (where Fernando is from), in the heart of the Uco Valley, southwest of the province of Mendoza and at the foot of the Andes Mountains. This makes the area a exclusive terroir and one of the most prestigious regions in Argentine viticulture for the production of high quality wines.
In addition to respect for the terroir, Grazie Mille wines have the hallmark of design. “Whenever we think of a new wine, we design the entire production process and oenological practices, that is, from the vineyard where we will get the grapes to the bottle and the label. We do not like to make wines in which the change from year to year is not identified as they are too industrialized. We want to maintain ourselves as a boutique winery, in which the design of the product can be appreciated”, affirms Leandro.
following this path, this june will launch a CABERNET FRANC in its GRAND DESIGN line, high-end with 14 months of barrel, which stands out for its delicate and fine elegance. Its menthol aromas in conjunction with spices and smoke make it easy to describe in its varietal character; and its notes of spicy flavors, subtly pyrazinic, combined with jams reminiscent of red fruits, and its delicate tannins resulting from its contact with French oak, make it distinguished and memorable on the palate.
To complete the novelties of the year 2023, the launch of a SEMILLÓN will be added in August in its LIBERTAD UNIQUE TERROIR line, with an exclusive print run of 1800 bottles.
As if that were not enough, this year they will also inaugurate a wine tourism space located on Route 95 in La Consultawhich is in full development and for which they have made an investment of more than 1 million dollars. It is located in a Malbec vineyard that is celebrating its 100th birthday. will have multipurpose room, restaurant that will fuse local dishes with a certain Italian imprint, patio of fires, wine bar, terrace sector and a room for tastings.
In this same property it is already working La Domanda, workshop and art space, led by Sandra Martelossi. With these actions they seek not only to attract local and foreign tourists, but also to establish direct contact with the Uco Valley community.
In a second stage, for the 2024 harvest, they hope to inaugurate the new winery with a production capacity of 300,000 liters; and in the last stage a winelodge lodging which will be cared for by its owners. In addition, the entire building project is designed based on the sustainability and for this reason it will have solar panels and biodigesters, among other implementations for this purpose.
“GRAZIE MILLE It is not a partnership, but the result of a great friendship. It is a company of values and convictions in the constant search for happiness and for everything that we feel is important in life; as the great pleasures and the small details. This is everything we want to convey with each of our projects”, says Leandro.
For press information, contact:
Lic. Jésica Paiva
+54 9 11 44 14 33 47
[email protected]
IG: graziemille wines
by CEDOC