Hundred-Year-Old Winery in Rio Negro

Due to its desert soil and appropriate climate, General Roca is the seat of important wine-growing facilities open to visitors. This is the case of Humberto Canale Winery, a well-known hundred-year-old corporation that is constantly renovated.

As we entered the venue, we saw the original building where wine-making processes have been taking place for the last ten decades. We were led to a vineyard and told about the process through which the different grape varieties are obtained and how they are harvested.

The perfect balance of the dry area and the cold nights combined with sunny days before the harvest provide the ideal harmony to manage the grapes required for each wine.

Then we moved onto the elaboration rooms, where we were astonished by the methodology and the steps necessary to turn the grape juice into different products. Everything is neat. Effort and quality are involved in each stage. There is a high degree of quality certified by professional wine experts, lab technicians and agronomists that accompany the various operational phases.

“During the last 100 years, four generations of the same family have passed through the company. It all began with a small production. Technology was slowly incorporated until the present authorization to make fine international quality wines for export was managed”, our guide told us during the tour.

We went on towards the cellars, where big French and American oak casks and barrels were waiting for the wines to be aged in the half light. There lies the biggest secret of each variety and this guarantees international prestige, accompanied by the awards to the best wines in cold areas.

The guided tour finished at the museum room, where old machinery and tools were displayed around us. During a pleasant tasting session of the different varietals made in the winery, we appreciated the body and soul of each one of them.

We bought a box of excellent pinot noir to take home and share with some friends over dinner. Humberto Canale Winery helped us confirm the care and dedication wineries offer to every single bottle they produce.