Añoro Wine Company

The word “añoro” has no direct English translation. In Spanish, añoro refers to the act of
reminiscing or dreaming of a special time in one’s past. Añoro is a partnership between longtime friends Master Sommelier Ken Fredrickson and his wife Licy, and Ed Lehrman and Nick Ramkowsky, founders of Vine Connections. They aim to produce some of Argentina’s finest small-production wines.

Añoro wines are made by Argentine-born and trained Roberto de la Mota, who established the critically acclaimed Terrazzas de los Andes wine program for Bodega Chandon in 1996. He was also winemaker for the ultra-prestigious Cheval des Andes label, a joint venture between Chandon and Bordeaux’s Château Cheval Blanc, and he is currently the winemaker for the internationally acclaimed wines of Bodega Mendel.

The Malbec wines are sourced from a high elevation (3,600 feet) vineyard in the prestigious Alto Agrelo region, which is known for its sunny, dry climate and loamy, stony soil. This region is situated within Argentina’s first official appellation, Lujan de Cuyo.

The Chardonnay is sourced from a small 20-year-old vineyard situated at 3,700 feet in the Tupungato region of Mendoza’s Uco Valley. The combination of plentiful sunshine, large day-to-night temperature swings, and gravelly soils produces the ideal fruit for the Chardonnay.

The wines are produced in two different wineries, each located close to the vineyards to ensure minimal handling, and therefore, undamaged fruit. The two red wines benefit from 100% cement tank fermentations. Due to their excellent temperature retention and consistency, cement tanks keep even temperatures throughout the fermentation process, allowing for a slower and more controlled fermentation. The result is more expressive and bright fruit characters both in the nose and on the palate. The best quality French Taransaud barrels are reserved for aging only. For the Chardonnay, Roberto uses a state-of-the-art facility where he’s able to ferment the fruit in small stainless steel tanks.