Comahue (place of abundance in the indigenous language) is the word that, against all logic, defines vineyards and wines. Growing on historically nutrient poor soil and in a hostile climate, these vines are the raison d’être of Comahue. 21 years ago, the Viola family was pioneers; they were the first to settle with a wine-growing project in the Patagonian steppe. An originally deserted and unproductive land today is a region that is present in most books about world viticulture and terroir.
Comahue Wines are part of Malma Winery with 150 hecatres of vine-yards planted 20 years ago. The winery infrastructure is strategically locat-ed between vineyards and fully integrated to the landscape of the steppe to create a symbiotic relationship between the land and the people.

Sustainability
From the beginning, Comahue has worked according to the principles of sustainable and organic farming. This includes the release of insects that control plagues, hay bale placement as weed prevention and the addi-tion of natural products such as seaweed into the water for the maximum benefit during irrigation. To limit automation throughout the property, Comahue uses pomace to generate heat for composting and practices manual pruning, leaf removal and harvesting.

Sustainability Cont.

Having been pioneers in a virgin area which had never been touched by man has obliged us to it and engaged us in its care. When we got here over twenty years ago, the wild nature of San Patricio del Chañar welcomed us and overwhelmed us at the same time. We soon realized that “nature” in its purest state was going to steer the future of our project and that it was going to leave its imprint on our wines.

As this conditioning has served as an auspicious challenge, we have worked according to the principles of sustainable and organic farming since the very beginning. We have always pursued to keep the terroir as our guide and we have always prioritized the balance between pragmatism and our goal.

To this end, our work involves the following practices:

• Releasing predatory insects such as wasps and ladybugs in the vineyard to control plagues.
• Placing hay bales along the rows of vines to prevent weed and keeping spraying to a minimum.
• "Fertigation"- the addition of natural products such as seaweed compounds to the water for irrigation to provide the soil with nutrients.
• Using pomace to generate heating energy and (future) compost.
• Taking measures to guarantee the development of healthy microbial population as the health of the soil is a paramount concern.
• Limited automation; among other activities, pruning, leaf removal, weeding and harvesting is carried out manually