The Boldness of Making Wine in the Himalayas

“It has aromas of ripe cherry, a very silky texture, toasted notes, coffee, chocolate, sandalwood; the only thing that might remind you of the cold is the fireplace,” describes Master of Wine Almudena Alberca. “In a blind tasting, experts would go crazy trying to identify its origin.” It is a cabernet sauvignon grown at an altitude of 2,500 meters, on the border between Tibet, Sichuan, and Yunnan, at the foot of the Himalayas. It is cultivated by a family that for generations dedicated themselves to tea production until Huangrun Zhan and his brother realized that the vine offered better opportunities.

The first vintage from the year 18 has just hit the market at a price of 350 euros per bottle. Perhaps high for what we are used to in a wine-producing country like Spain, but more reasonable when considering the effort required to produce it. In fact, what all the wines presented by Alberca at the high-altitude tasting that closed the third edition of Andorra Taste have in common is that despite coming from very different grapes, soils, and climates, “all are the result of heroic viticulture.”

In this case, it is one of the highest vineyards on the planet, but whose climate is softened by the presence of two rivers and a constant air current that ensures the healthiness of the vines. The project is advised by two French winemakers and provides work near their places of origin to dozens of Tibetan families who are being trained in viticulture skills. So far, they have already achieved high scores in guides by Jancis Robinson and Suckling and hope that the international market will welcome with open arms the 100,000 bottles they produce.

It was the highest wine in a tasting that toured Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Sicily, Ribera or the Canary Islands, paying special attention to wines from the host Principality. Two references from Andorra would again be able to challenge participants in a blind tasting. The first was a textbook pinot noir: light-bodied with pronounced acidity, fine, balanced, vibrant. An example of the freshness assumed for mountain wines, made by Casa Auvinya winery. The second was a monumental 2010 riesling from Borda Sabate that could stand up to German counterparts. “Andorra has very few wineries but all are boutique and doing interesting things,” confirmed Alberca.

The journey showcased the diversity of profiles that can emerge under the shelter of peaks, from the robustness of a malbec grown at 2,300 meters in Argentina by Bodegas Colomé or the aromatic richness of a Bolivian marselan aged by Bodegas Tarija at 2,000 meters, to the volcanic minerality of a Passopisiaro born on the slopes of Etna. But you don't have to go far to see how heights can produce great wines, as demonstrated by 'A Dream in the Clouds' from Pago de los Capellanes, made from tempranillo planted at over 1000 meters—unusual in Ribera del Duero. In any case, as pointed out by Master of Wine Alberca, “altitude is more than just height; it’s energy.”

Interestingly enough, this was not the only connection with the Himalayas present at Andorra Taste, although in this case, the protagonist's journey made a stopover in Bilbao. Akhond Ishak was born in the Karakoram range and spent most of his life working as a sherpa and cook for those trying to conquer the world's roof. He has lost friends or family on the mountain and also saved more than one expeditionary's life, including Basque Alex Txikon who helped him settle in Bilbao after an experience that almost cost him his life. Today he works at Garibolo restaurant specializing in vegetarian cuisine but also offers survival recipes he cooked back home.

For the closing day of the high mountain gastronomy congress also paraded Gipuzkoan Roberto Ruiz who charmed international audiences with his Tolosan bean stew or Jordi Grau chef alongside Francis Paniego from Andorran starred Ibaya who showed how to get sparks out of Principality's pantry. As Benjamín Lana said at the closing ceremony borrowing wine jargon: “All cuisines around the world should embrace terroir concept.”