At the recent Bloom in the Park a Doña Paula inspired and sponsored show garden won top prize. The designer of the garden, Alan Rudden, visited Doña Paula in Argentina and the Bloom website tells us that he, ‘brings elements of the region and sprawling landscape to this garden while representing Doña Paula’s campaign, ‘A Matter of Altitude’. He captures the contrast between the lower altitude, urban social life of Mendoza city and the higher altitude, more rural, open landscape where Doña Paula’s vines are grown‘.

It was an excellent garden replete with tango dancing and trademark tall, blooming Doña Paula thistles – Los Cardos.

Have a listen to our podcast with Doña Paula winemaker Marcos Fernandez where he tells us all about the unique landscape that Alan so brilliantly represented in his ‘A Matter of Altitude‘ garden.

Many of the wines by Doña Paula are on sale across Ireland. The Los Cardos range never lets you down while the Doña Paula Estate label brings class to the glass.

If you ever get the chance to taste the following two you will begin to appreciate why I am such a big fan. These wines are exceptional and, in many ways surprising.

The first is the Doña Paula Estate Riesling. It’s a dry wine with brilliant fruit, tremendous structure and a fabulous lingering finish. Doña Paula tells us that the, ‘Doña Paula Estate Riesling is grown on sandy soils with alluvial and calcareous stones, in Alluvia Vineyard, Gualtallary, at 1,350 (4,430 feet) meters above sea level. The Uco Valley climate presents warm days and cool nights, with an average temperature variation of 12.5 °C (54.5 °F) and an average annual rainfall of 280 mm (11 in). e vines yield 10 tons per hectare, and they are grown in espaliers, using snow-melt water and drip irrigation systems. Tough environment to grow anything at all! Great wine.

Another wine that intrigues me from the Doña Paula vineyards is the Doña Paula Estate Blue Edition Velvet Blend. This is a fine blend of the three grapes Malbec (60%) Pinot Noir (30%) and Bonarda (10%). In this case we are told the wine, ‘comes from our El Alto vineyard in Ugarteche, Luján of Cuyo. These vines yield 7 to 10 tons per hectare and they are trained in espaliers, using drip irrigation. The climate of this estate, located at 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) above sea level, is characterized by its warm days and cool nights, with an average temperature variation of 14 °C (57.2 °F) and an average annual rainfall of 250 mm (9.8 in). At Doña Paula, our vineyards have always been managed using sustainable agricultural practices‘. Blending well is a refined art that many never achieve at all. This wine is seamless, exciting and a genuine reflection of ‘A Matter of Altitude’.