ORIGIN
“One day, wines will be made in this valley that the world will talk about...”. (Circa 1913)
Don Patrocinio Carrizo
An excellent landing, a strong zonda wind at midday at Chilecito Airport. My dear friend, pilot Gustavo Papini, and I still had 85 kilometers to go by land. Up above, the pair of condors that accompanied our flight looked majestic with their wings spread wide. As we left the airport, the checkpoint officer said he didn’t know our destination: ¡Chañarmuyo!
When we arrived, I was surprised to find a landscape of wild beauty—silent and full of stones. Virgin land, with no history of viticulture, a non-traditional wine region in La Rioja, considered too cold for winemaking. As I ventured deeper into the land, following paths as best I could, a white cross stood out on a hill, dominating the valley— the town’s most important pilgrimage site. From there, a well-known local, Don Patrocino Carrizo, is said to have declared: “One day, wines will be made in this valley that the world will talk about...”. Who knows if it really happened that way? Yet there stands the cross, watching over the Chañarmuyo Valley since 1913.
Time passed quickly; the mountains hid the clear sun, and we lost our chance to return to the airport. It was decided: we had to spend the night in a work shed.
In Chañarmuyo, there was nothing to stock up on, so I headed to Campanas. On the way back, the setting sun accentuated the silhouettes of countless mountain ranges in the vast desert. To the southwest, the imposing Famatina stood with its eternal ice. A feeling of solitude, magnificence, immensity, and human insignificance.
In the middle of the road, like a surreal mirage, a woman dressed entirely in white was hitchhiking.
Was she real? A reddish sunset, nothingness (or perhaps everything), infinity. An elderly woman stood by the roadside, certain that she had found a ride. She asked directly: “Are you from the company, my son?”. The company, I thought, was nothing more than a pile of wire rolls, a small shed, and a few posts. I replied that yes, I worked in administration.
Without hesitation, she quickly said: “Then you must come to the chapel tonight. We will pray a novena for the company." Somewhat dismissively, I responded: “Ma’am… a novena is prayed to a saint or the Virgin, not to a company.”. The woman in white, smiling confidently, replied:“No, my son! We will pray for the company because it will be the one to bring our children back.”.
At the time, Chañarmuyo had fewer than 100 inhabitants and was on the list of villages at risk of disappearing. Some adobe houses were abandoned. The “old ones” were raising their grandchildren. The young had left for the oil fields in the south, sending money when they could and returning occasionally to see their grown children.
The great historian Don Félix Luna once told me that in 1905, there was a “war” between Pituil and Chañarmuyo over water. Bloody, yet of vital importance. A desert at more than 1,700 meters above sea level.
Here, water is everything.
We started at the end of 2001. We always believed, dreamed, and took a chance. Though we sometimes felt defeated, we never gave up. The town quintupled in population, and the young people of Chañarmuyo returned. They settled down, formed families, raised children, and educated them. They grew up believing and investing in the future. A dream came true, with patience and humility. The work was immense, and we couldn’t afford to slack off. And in wine, we were newcomers, in a new land. We had much to learn—from the best. And so, we hired the best.
Today, we are a company, never for a moment abandoning our philosophy of being part of the community and the protagonists of a dream. We have dedicated ourselves to work as a powerful vehicle for personal growth and fulfillment. Work, investment, and human virtue—that is the formula. With respect and harmony for our surroundings. Learning from the best, but pushing ourselves further. Believing and praying every day for God to guide us to be a little better. Always giving thanks.
We make very good wines—some say they are among the best in their category. And from Chañarmuyo, we are now present in many markets worldwide. Less than 20 years ago, we started from nothing, producing high-end wines. Sometimes I think we were a little crazy, but always consistent.
Argentina has much to show in the world of wine—La Rioja, in particular. And from this blessed terroir, so do we.
The sky is the limit, thanks to God!
JORGE CHAMAS HONNORAT
