Andrés Ridois: “The high range is not a superficial luxury, it is time, wisdom and investment”

Bodegas Colosso Wines, Sottano and no rules have a common denominator: they are commanded by Andrés Ridois, the archangel of winea difficult person to typecast because he is basically a creative, a maker: carpenter, artist, maestro champagne, economist.

Ridois is one of those out of the world of wine, such as Alejandro Vigil, Sebastián Zuccardi, Michel Rolland, Susana Balbo either Laura Catenawith a disruptive and unique vision to highlight in a other competitive market.

From Colosso Wines and Sottano, where he is a general manager, to no rules, warehouse from which he gave life to the archangels and demons, Ridois always pointed to high quality wines but to play with the different, What distinguishes these labels so much: from lamps to cases with unique works of art. From “Bibles” of leather doing the stroks to star -shaped wood.

Ridois3

Everything is possible in the head of “Andresito”, as those who know him call him. And the best thing is that from there, from its creativity, it goes down ideas to a team that knows and interprets it perfectly, which added to the sales force and fabulous facilities with restaurant and “petit cabaret” included in Luján de Cuyo, lead to that they are a brand recognized in Argentina and in many countries of the world and continue to grow. Knowing the character more, we decided to interview it:

Journalist: What does the high range in the world of wine represent for you?

Andrés Ridois: The high range is not a product that is needed, but something that is desired. It is a luxury, yes, but not in the superficial sense of something expensive or exclusive. It is an experience that brings together quality, concept and aesthetics. In the wine, that translates into a liquid elaborated with precision, with time, with history, and also in how it is presented: the label, the bottle, the name, everything is part of that connection. Because we don’t take only came: we consumed moments.

Q.: What conditions have to meet a wine to consider it high -end?

AR: First, time. A young wine cannot be high range, no matter how promise it has. The high range must be a reality: it has to be good today. For that, a careful elaboration, microvinifications in small volumes, precise selection of vineyards, malactic fermentation, stowage in fudres, barrels or even in concrete is needed. And then, a long time in the bottle. In our case, the complete process has at least 1,200 days.

Q.: What place does technology occupy in this artisanal process?

AR: Technology is an ally to achieve precision. In without rules we have barrel rooms with automated humidity control, tanks with controlled temperature and state -of -the -art machinery for the harvest. That allows us to climb without losing detail. Today we produce more than 250 different microvinifications, each with its own identity, and that makes us unique in the country.

Ridois2

Q.: What role does identity play in a high -end wine?

AR: All. There is no way to compete in this world if you have no identity. That is why I take care of every detail, from the design of the label to the story behind the wine. A thousand demons, for example, was born of the concept of crossing a thousand days of hell to reach a beauty. It is a philosophy, not just a name. The same goes for the archangels, my top line of the range, which represents that search for perfection, of light. They are wines that talk about transformation, just like life.

Q.: How do you see the current market for this type of wines?

AR: It is a challenging moment. Consumption fell, and the industry is in crisis. But for me, the key is not to make more wine, but to make better wine. With history, with real value. The high range will not disappear, but it will demand more authenticity and connection. That is why I say that the wine does not need it, they have to love it.