About us
Big Dreamers
Now among the foremost experts in high-altitude winemaking in Mendoza, the expertise of Terrazas de los Andes would be nothing without our audacious team of dreamers, guided by Hervé Birnie-Scott, “el loco francés”, our founder who three decades ago set out to create site-specific wines from the most extreme reaches of the Andes.
About us
Our Philosophy
A dream: Grown where the earth meets the sky
While it’s easier to navigate charted territory, three decades ago, our vision and boldness guided the way as we set out to create wines from the most extreme reaches of the Andes mountains in Argentina, where the earth meets the sky, back when high-altitude wine was a mere blip on the radar. After cultivating cool-climate vineyards in the most renowned appellations of Mendoza and mastering extreme viticulture, these principles continue to drive us forward to reveal the magic of the Andes through our wines.
A style: the fresh taste of mountain magic
The higher, the fresher. Irrigated with pristine glacier water, our 200+ plots across our 12 high-altitude vineyards are each cultivated and vinified separately for a diversity that offers a singular complexity and consistency to our wines. The early ripening caused by elevation creates wines punctuated with an incredible freshness and aromatic varietal expression. With our expertise, we craft lively and refined cool-climate wines that captures the freshness of the Andes mountain magic.
A commitment: guardians of mountain life
At Terrazas de los Andes, we decided to lead the necessary and urgent changes, acting as guardians of mountain-life through significant actions to protect the magic of the top of the world. Accordingly, we’ve adopted sustainable practices and developed programs that engage with our Andean community. We preserve the Andes sacred water and pristine soils, by pioneering new irrigation techniques, to save up to 60% of water and applying breakthrough farming practices, to regenerate our soils and foster biodiversity. We’ve implemented a comprehensive plan to mitigate and reduce our climate impact with carbon footprint measurement, lighter weight bottles for eco-friendly packaging, and efforts toward energy efficiency and sustainable waste management. To grow together with our local community, we have developed 6 educational programs for mountain schools reaching 4,000 students per year.
About us
Our Story
Terrazas de los Andes’ journey to where the earth meets the sky began in the 1990s, when adventurous French viticulturist Hervé Birnie-Scott ventured into the high-altitude terraces of the Andes. Armed only with a WWI-era altimeter, Hervé set out to create fresh, site-specific wines from the most extreme reaches of this magical, mountainous place. This is when he earned the nickname“el loco frances” (the crazy Frenchman) for his years-long quest to capture the pure, fresh taste of the Andes from these high-risk but high-reward elevations.
Today, Terrazas de los Andes farms a breathtaking mosaic of 200+ high-altitude vine terraces, irrigated precisely with pristine glacier water. With Malbec in the spotlight, the wines are full-bodied but elegantly aromatic and bright.
The adventure continues: perennially curious and always exploring, Terrazas de los Andes believes that new wine frontiers are yet to be discovered.
Today, Terrazas de los Andes farms a breathtaking mosaic of 200+ high-altitude vine terraces, irrigated precisely with pristine glacier water. With Malbec in the spotlight, the wines are full-bodied but elegantly aromatic and bright.
The adventure continues: perennially curious and always exploring, Terrazas de los Andes believes that new wine frontiers are yet to be discovered.
1959
Moet & Chandon arrives in Argentina
The legendary winery opens its first subsidiary outside of France in Argentina, making history as the first ever French winery investment in Latin America.
1990
A longstanding history
As of the late 1980’s, most of the vineyards in Mendoza were producing conventional wines in the warm Eastern and Northern regions.
1991
‘El loco Francés’ arrives in Mendoza
Seeing the opportunity to transform Argentina’s winemaking industry, Chandon’s president Jean-Pierre Thibaud appointed a young French agronomist by the Hervé Birnie-Scott to lead the charge. During this time, the locals affectionately dubbed Hervé “El loco Frances” for his undaunted persistence in never-before-explored regions
1995
1991 - 1995 A Years-long Quest
Hervé and his team explored the foothills of the Andes using a traditional military altimeter to investigate the influence of altitude on terroirs. They rediscovered Las Compuertas, one of Mendoza’s oldest vineyards, and the Uco Valley, planting at higher altitudes than ever before.
1996
Terrazas de Los Andes is born
The year 1996 ushered in a new elegant style of Malbec as the first vintage of Terrazas de Los Andes Reserva.
2000
An Industry Milestone
By the turn of the century, Terrazas de Los Andes was leading in fine wine exports from Argentina.
2022
The Drinks Business Green Awards
Our sustainability commitments are internationally recognized Terrazas de los Andes in “The Drinks Business Awards”, having obtained the Water Management Award, and our founder, Hervé Birnie-Scott was awarded as “Green Personality of the year”!
2023
Hervé Birnie-Scott, within The Top 100 Winemakers In The World
Our founder and Estate Director, Hervé Birnie-Scott”, is recognized in the “Master Winemaker 100” from The Drinks Business, a guide that celebrates the top 100 winemakers behind the world’s award-winning wines.
About us
Our Vineyards
ABOUT US
MOUNTAIN WINES
Born where the earth meets the sky, Terrazas de los Andes wines magically capture the pure, fresh taste of the Andes in Argentina. Cultivated in unique terroirs, in harmony with the mountain life we guard, our high-altitude Argentinian wines are layered, yet surprisingly elegant and bright. Come and explore the wines of our breathtaking mountain world.
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