From our outstanding luncheon at Bodega DiamAndes, we stayed in the Uco Valley for a final winery visit – to Bodegas Salentein, that bills itself as the first Argentine winery that combines wine, art, cuisine and pleasure.  We had an excellent tour of the vineyards and winery, before a delightful tasting in the cellar room, and then time to tour the excellent art “museum” galleries that are part of the estate. 

“Bodegas Salentein was born in 1996, when Dutch entrepreneur Mijndert Pon bought the present estate and began planting vineyards.  It was in 1997 that he planted Uco’s first high-altitude Malbec, at 1,300 meters [4,265 feet] above sea level.  The cornerstone of Salentein’s architectural behemoth of a winery was laid a year later, and this stunning edifice, set amid acres of vineyards with the snowcapped Andes towering behind it, never fails to impress visitors.  Winemaking at Salentein is led by José Galante, considered by many to be the father of modern winemaking in Argentina.  José and his team work with 800 hectares [1,977 acres]of premium vineyards, located between 1,050 and 1,600 meters [3,445 and 5,249 feet] altitude.  This high elevation, combined with the region’s mixed stony alluvial soils, provide the foundations for Salentein to produce wines of wonderful definition and distinction… Salentein’s mission as a tourist destination has always been to create a synergy between wine and art.   Housed within the winery, Salentein’s Killka cultural centre has become as much of a destination for art lovers as the bodega is for lovers of wine. It is home to a hugely impressive collection of Argentine works from the second half of the 20th century as well as a permanent exhibition of 19th and 20th-century Dutch works.” www.worldsbestvineyards.com/the-list/21-30/bodegas-salentein.html

“The bodega is located at an elevation of 1,200 meters (4,000 feet), right in the vineyard’s center.  More than 49 hectares (121 acres) of native desert habitat were preserved and are a part of the bodega’s everyday landscape.  The western horizon is dominated by the close snowy Andes, which have an elevation of over 6,100 meters (20,000 feet).  The magnificent bodega was designed taking into account two aspects: the shape and the function.

“The cross shape facilitates a careful management of the grapes and the wines, while it allows a reduction of the path that both the fruits and their product traverse throughout the stages of the process.   Each wing is itself a little bodega with two levels. In the first one, stainless steel tanks and French oak casks enable fermentation and storage.  In the subterranean level the wine is aged in oak barrels.  Both floors allow the circulation of the tanks’ liquid to the barrels through a traditional system of gravity transference.  The four wings converge in a circular central chamber, similar to an amphitheater, with their design inspired by the classic temples of antiquity.’ — http://www.bodegasalentein.com/en/bodega/acerca/salentein.html

“The subterranean bodegas are located nine meters (29 feet) underground and have a constant temperature of 12°C (54°F), with an 80% of humidity in the environment.  The wines are aged in small French barrels made of oak, of 225 liters each.  Altogether, these levels house 5,000 barrels.  Another characteristic of the cellar is its stone floor.  Seen from the superior [upper] level, the floor of the central chamber shows an important design of strong symbolic content: it’s based on the wind rose, with each end oriented towards the cardinal points.  In this way, it represents its relation with the rest of the world.  For this floor’s construction, natural stones of the Cuyo region were used, the yellow quartzite sandstone, the green chlorite of schist variety, and the red limonite sandstone are among them.” — http://www.bodegasalentein.com/en/bodega/acerca/salentein.html

“The name chosen for the building that welcomes visitors was Killka, which allures guests to come in and taste the wine world. The word “Killka” means portal or gateway and has its origins in the Quechua language.  “Portales: trasconejada. Travesía Imaginaria” (Portals: Pursuit and Getting lost. Imaginary Journey), our new expository proposal, is articulated around the concepts of  “portal” and “time”.  The leading artist Marcela Furlani, along with Raquel Fluixá, Valeria Señorans and Héctor Ramazzi, reinterpret these concepts and link them into our space. They invite us to tour Killka Art Gallery in a playful and experimental way, offering our guests a renewed experience. 

“At Killka Art Gallery, a new chapter begins. Our exhibition space expands and integrates into the architectural surroundings.  Artwork floods in the facilities, following us at every step we take.  Time is also a constant throughout the exhibition space, marking and guiding the cycles of both nature and culture.  Killka’s design is intended to allow us to detach from our daily routine and connect with the world of art and wine.  It invites us to travel through space and time.  Its architecture offers a way of reinterpreting the ancient construction techniques of the Cuyo region in Argentina.  The outcome is a contemporary building that makes a strong Andean impression. The perfect merger between the past and the present.” — http://www.bodegasalentein.com/en/killka/exposiciones.html

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