Bodega Enrique Vollmer is an Argentine vineyard in the Valle de Uco valley, located southwest of Mendoza, Argentina. Since 1987, the vineyard has been in the possession of the German winemaker Heinrich Vollmer, who also owns and runs a vineyard in Ellerstadt/Palatinate (region) since 1972.
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History
By the end of the 1980s, Vollmer found his second home, southwest from Mendoza, in the Valle de Uco valley. He acquired 300 acres of land. Today, the region alongside the river Tunuyán belongs to the top wine regions of Argentina. Since 1987, Vollmer has built up a modern wine-growing estate. The earnings of the vineyard have been reinvested in the Bodega. Ten indigenous families are employed on site. About 190 children, partially also from the environs, attend the on-premises school and receive lunch.
Besides wine-growing, extreme mountaineering is Vollmer's passion and hobby. During a hiking tour at Nevado Huascarán in 1983, he had a severe accident. For about five days he lay on the ice, until two Peruvians rescued him. In Germany he was considered missing and soon pronounced dead. Upon returning home, and out of gratitude for his rescue, Vollmer decided to do something for the indigenous people, who are discriminated against in their own country.
The rescue of an Argentine soldier at mountain Aconcagua in 1986 unexpectedly offered him the opportunity to acquire land and create jobs. The winegrower spends four to six months annually on his Bodega. The wines of Bodega Enrique Vollmer can be recognized by a star on every label, symbol for the Venus, which shows up every evening above the Andes.
Region
The Valle de Uco valley in the Southwest of Argentina offers a good climate, mineral-containing grounds and little precipitation. The heights of the Andes transform the humid west winds into dry and hot aerial currents, and ensure a continental semi-desert climate. Strong differences in the seasons with hot summers and cool winters provide high sugar content and healthy vines. Chilly summer nights allow the development of aromatic substances in the grapes. The sun shines more than 300 days annually. Small amounts of precipitation of 100 – 300 mm per year, require the vineyards to be irrigated. The vineyard operates a waterworks, fed with the water of the Andes rivers.
Wines/Grapes
The grapes of Bodega Enrique Vollmer mature at a height of up to 1,100 metres. The fertile volcanic soils are rich in minerals and hence require no artificial fertilization. The low humidity decreases infestation by pests or illnesses. Wine-making takes place on site in stainless steel tanks. The distribution of the wines is organized through the German vineyard in Ellerstadt.
The following wines are produced at Bodega Enrique Vollmer:
The property currently cultivates around 190 hectares (470 acres), producing 100,000 litres of white wines and 900,000 litres of red wines.