Argentina :: Soluna
Soluna, a combination of the Spanish words for “sun” and “moon,” reflects the winery’s Fair Trade mission to unite rich and poor, north and south, and producer and consumer. Soluna Winery traces its heritage back to the turn of the 19th century, when an Italian farmer named Ángel Furlotti immigrated to Argentina. Eventually gaining enough experience and money to purchase his own vineyard, Ángel, his wife, and their 10 children began producing high-quality wines, and that tradition has continued to today. With the help of Ángel’s granddaughter, Gabriela Furlotti, the experience of her family is at work in Soluna’s wines.
Lying 1,000 miles directly east of Buenos Aires, Mendoza sits in the foothills of the Andes, creating stunning vistas complete with year-round snowcapped mountains. The sun blazes down on the arid landscape over 300 days per years, and rare rains make irrigation necessary for the thirsty soil. At 2,500 to 3,500 feet above sea level, the sun and low humidity make Mendoza a powerhouse wine region, creating high-quality grapes leading to great wines.
The Luján de Cuyo region, which houses Soluna, is known for malbecs with remarkable personality that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The particular terroir of Mendoza helps create rich, dense malbecs that surpass even those grown in the fields of Bordeaux.
Soluna and the Furlotti family not only create high-quality wines, but do so in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner. Along with Etica, the winery partners with Viña de Solidaridad (“Vine of Solidarity”), an association of 19 small growers, to ensure livable wages and community development for the families and individuals with whom they work.