Harvest at Tukma Winery
The world of wine from the inside
Bodega Tukma's proposal for the grape harvest was a combination of the harvest experience with cultural activities and haute cuisine. The day was filled with good music in the extraordinary landscape of Tolombón, the small town in the south of the Calchaquíes Valleys.
We started early in the morning, at the Altalaluna Hotel, with a brief explanatory talk and delivery of the corresponding kit (apron, gloves and pruning shears), to give way to the entertaining harvesting of grapes in boxes of twenty-five kilos. The motion is a prize to whoever manages to complete the largest number of gamelas. In the case of @tripticity_ we had the help of Jorge, an experienced master harvester from Colalao del Valle, who did not hesitate to assist, considering our clear lack of knowledge of the process. We soon got the hang of it. In fact, the technique is relatively simple: cut the stem that joins the bunch with the indication of not cutting oneself because the scissors provided are very sharp. Of course, in addition to skill, it is necessary to have a great physical capacity, since it is a matter of being bent down for a long time, in the sunlight, and then carrying the heavy boxes on our backs on the way to the farm truck.
Of the many things we learned that day, in addition to the technical steps involved in turning the grapes into wine, we also experienced in our own bodies the enormous and silent courage of the laborers in this long process.
Upon returning from the vineyards, the great Fernando Fernández invited us to collaborate in the creation of the work Vendimia 2023, with natural dyes that he himself had collected in the Quebrada de las Conchas, together with wine soil ink. The frame was composed of filter panels used in the manufacture of the wines.
We then headed south to the winery following the truck with the grapes, a few kilometers from the hotel. There, winemaker José Louis Mounier explained the stages of winemaking. In addition to the honor of this explanatory talk, @tripticity_ appreciated the cordiality and complacency with which the expert answered questions about the production process.
It was followed by a glorious picnic lunch among the vineyards, presented by Florencia Rodríguez, the Prix Baron B Edition Cuisine award-winning chef, whose flagship restaurant in Tilcara, Nuevo Progreso Cocina + Arte, is an icon of Andean gastronomy, which also functions as a gallery where Fernando's pieces are exhibited. The characteristic regional food of northern Argentina acquires there a distinctive manufacture with the added bonus of a colorful presentation. Another detail: that day the menu was accompanied by a work of art specially made also with noble materials from the area.
Before dessert, the Pueblo Mío Ballet performed a genuine show of folkloric dances, together with Orestes Saldaño, coplero and bagualero of only twelve years old. It was such a beautiful moment that Mrs. @tripticity_ ended up dancing chacareras with little Simón, and Mr. @tripticity_, an old music lover, went to greet the young prodigy and wished him a great career.
Back in Altalaluna, another festive activity continued in the inexhaustible program of the grape harvest. It was the turn of the grape treading in the garden, while the music of Cabales was already beginning to be glimpsed in the sound checks.
By sunset, we enjoyed the remarkable wines of Tukma, along with @ladyfrenesi, @descorcharclub, @mgabyflor, @mariubazanmartinez, @lau_alcorta, @paubande, celebrating and toasting for the meeting and what we had experienced, with the finishing touch of a good zapada with the Cabales @cabalesoficial.
While the grills were getting ready for a long night, Mr. @tripticity_'s birthday forced us to return home. We started our return with our spirits full of joy thanks to Bodega Tukma's Vendimia 2023, with a backpack full of valuable lessons and new friends.
