Feb. 4, 2022
When speaking with many of the industry’s top winemakers, one common thread is idyllic childhood memories of summers in vineyards with family members, developing a love of viticulture.
For Magdalena Viani, Trivento Golden Reserve Winemaker, those memories come from working with her uncle on his winery during her adolescence.
“Working with my uncle was an inspiring experience,” she told us. “He showed me the genuine side of enology, which I embraced. He taught me how passionate the profession is and highlighted the amount of love and dedication he bestowed to elaborate, or create, the wines.”
We recently spoke to Viani about her passion for bringing the rich terroir of Argentina’s Luján de Cuyo region to wine lovers around the world through her role as Trivento Golden Reserve's Winemaker.
What inspired you to create Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec? What makes it special?
Magdalena Viani: Golden Reserve Malbec expresses the singularity of some of Mendoza’s most treasured Malbec vines, and the first vintage was 2000. I am inspired by those little stories that were woven around Malbec, in the old vineyards—some more than 80 years old—that remain in Luján de Cuyo. The wine encapsulates a wealth of experiences from people who are no longer around, but who strongly influenced what Mendoza and our viticulture are today.
Why is Malbec important to you, both personally and professionally?
It is a great responsibility to express what I feel in the Malbec vineyards of Luján de Cujo, and the history behind them. It is a challenge that I propose myself every day to do it in the most faithful and true way.
What is your personal connection to the Luján de Cuyo region? How important is it to your work as a winemaker?
Luján de Cuyo is a magical place that transmits past and present stories. Many times, I feel a part of those stories, especially when I walk through the vineyards. I perceive the effort and enthusiasm of the growers. Our aim is that Golden Reserve expresses the region’s character, with the fruit from each micro-region fermented separately creating a layered portrait we hope expresses the culture and legacy of this special place.
As winegrowers, we have come to understand the importance of respecting and caring for our identity.
- Magdalena Viani
You were once preparing for a degree in accounting. What changed your mind?
Yes, it is correct. In my last year of high school, we were taken to visit an old and iconic Mendoza winery. During the tour we were surrounded by wooden barrels and aromas from the spacious winery, I realized that this was the place where I wanted to be—these were the perfumes that I wanted to enjoy in my professional life. I had arrived at my place.
What advice do you have for students pursuing oenology and horticulture at university?
For those who are looking to begin in this beautiful profession, I would say that enology is a career where technical, chemical, and biological knowledge are put to the test every day. It is also encapsulating a love for nature, passion and the time dedicated to creating a wine. After all, it is challenging to imagine what a wine will be when you are walking between the rows of the vineyard tasting the grapes. Ultimately, it is very gratifying when you meet that wine in the bottle.
What do you wish you’d known when you started your career?
I wish I had known how I was going to feel being a winemaker; that this profession was going to bring me so much satisfaction and so many moments of pure happiness. When a component of our Golden Reserve evolves toward the wine that I am looking for, or when Golden Reserve triumphs in a market, receives an award or stands out in a tasting, all these moments fill me with joy.
Where do you see South American wine in the next few years? Which varietals or regions are exciting to you as winemaker, and as a consumer?
What most stands out for Argentine wines is how they have evolved in quality and style over the last 25 years. As winegrowers, we have come to understand the importance of respecting and caring for our identity. Also, during this time, we have learned in depth the characteristics and diversity of the soils, the influence of different climates, and the behavior of the different varieties—especially malbec. I am thrilled to be a part of this discovery, and at the same time I feel immensely responsible, because we have much more to discover and explore.
This story is part of our award-winning “Women in Wine” series, our long-running effort to highlight winemakers, sustainable specialists, executives, and others making a positive impact in the world of wine.
To learn more, please visit https://trivento.com