“We put the places before the wines”. Interview with Sebastian Zuccardi

The Zuccardi winery, located in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, Argentina, is renowned for its dedication to producing high-quality wines that reflect the unique terroir of the region. Founded in 1963 by Alberto Zuccardi, the winery has grown under the leadership of his descendants, particularly his grandson, Sebastián Zuccardi (in the middle)

Sebastián Zuccardi, the third-generation winemaker, has driven innovation and excellence at the winery. Trained as an agronomist, Sebastián leads the winemaking and viticulture teams, focusing on sustainable practices and the expression of the vineyard’s characteristics in each bottle. His efforts have earned the winery numerous accolades, including being named the “New World Winery of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast in 2022!

Sebastian visited us at Loki, and we couldn’t resist asking him a few burning questions!

Interview With Sebastian Zuccardi

– Sebastian, can you describe yourself in three words?

– Passionate, dedicated and happy.

– That’s like everyone in Mendoza, isn’t it? Can you briefly describe your winery and vineyards and what they mean to you?

– Firstly, I need to describe the place where I live. It is very close to the mountain, facing it, so we make mountain wines. And we ourselves are mountain people. The Andes Mountains give a unique identity to our wines: the landscape, the climate conditions, the water, the soil. When you wake up in Mendoza, before you even open your eyes, you already know exactly where the Andes Mountains are.

– How did you get started in the wine trade?

– I’m from the third generation in the family of winemakers, so wine has always been a part of my life. Every time the family gathered, we had a bottle of wine in the middle of the table, and the conversations happened around the wine. But then I really grew up in the vineyard. And the vineyard was not just the working place for me – it was a place to play. We went to the vineyards to ride horses, to ride bicycles, to learn how to drive. And, step by step, I fell in love with the vineyards, and this is how I discovered my passion. I decided to continue being a part of the family business, starting from the vineyards.

– I guess all the hard work is done in the vineyards, isn’t it? Wouldn’t the actual winemaking be relatively simple?

– I think it’s easier to go from the vineyard to the winery than from the winery to the vineyards. And I like to say that we cultivate wines, but we do the most important work in the vineyards.

– What is your winemaking philosophy?

– The beauty of pureness. We try to show the places ‘in the naked’, and we don’t have to fix anything about them. We put the places before the wines.

– What’s your proudest winemaking moment?

– It’s difficult to say, because anything can happen when you are in agriculture. Nature is teaching you lessons all the time when you are working outside. One wine that gives me a lot of pride is concreto, because it was the wine that changed our mind and our way to make wines.

– What’s the biggest disaster you’ve had?

– I have bad memory, so I can live happily. And I don’t think in terms of disaster, I think in terms of opportunities, that we have to improve every time. But for sure, I made many mistakes. My first fermentation didn’t ferment. That was my humble beginning at making wine.

– What is the biggest challenge in winemaking?

– Taking care of the environment and the people. When you make wine, you have the responsibility towards the place that you are cultivating, and towards the people who you are working with. Probably the biggest challenge is how to be honest with our terroir, so our wines can tell the message of the terroir.

– What do you think is the biggest problem that the industry faces?

– Quite often the money is more important than the wine, and many decisions are made based on the financial interests rather than local concerns. I believe in producers who live in the place where they make wines, and make decision standing with their both legs in the vineyard.

– What’s your favourite food and wine pairing?

– Steak, without any doubt, Because it’s ‘asado’ – that’s how we call it. It’s much more than just ‘eat’. It begins when you put on the fire. And the ritual of putting on the fire and opening a bottle of wine, for me, means sharing. In the end, we make wine to share. We make wine to create conversations. We make wine to create special times.

– If someone was to visit Mendoza, what restaurant should they go to?

– You have many today. It’s a great time in Mendoza because you have restaurants in wineries, and you have many wineries that have very good restaurants. Besides, there are very good restaurants downtown. If I tell you about one, this won’t be fair to all other good restaurants. We also have three restaurants in our winery, so people can come and visit the winery, do a tasting and and have lunch if they want.

– Which wine would you drink if it wasn’t your own wine?

– I try to drink a lot of wines, try to drink diverse. For me, diversity is the most important thing about wine. As an example, another producer whom I like a lot in Argentina is Per Se. This is just a couple of friends who make wine. And also, when I travel, my favourite area is probably Barolo. Speaking of Barolo, yet another wine that has changed my perspective on wines for many times is Monfortino.

– Would you do a Nebbiolo in Argentina?

– No, I don’t have to try planting Nebbiolo in Argentina. I have to focus on Malbec, which is the best vehicle to express our places. For me, Malbec is like Nebbiolo in Piemonte, like Sangiovese in Tuscany, Pinot noir in Burgundy. This grape is a part of the terroir.

– If customers want to come and visit you, how easy is it to get from Mendoza to your winery?

– Mendoza is a very tourism-oriented city, so it’s really easy to stay and visit. We have very good flight connections, and you can reserve a trip through the website. The weather is good, the mountainous landscape is fantastic, and you have many options to travel with comfort.

– Thank you so much.

– My pleasure.