FECOVITA – ARGENTINA (JUAN CARLOS LO CASTRO) TESTIMONY – Orientation: E2U™ Products

What does Fecovita represent and what is its share in the wine market?

Fecovita is one of the main wine groups worldwide. We have more than 5,000 producers integrated in 29 cooperatives that use about 25,000 hectares of vineyards in Mendoza’s most appreciated wine regions generating a sustainable future for thousands of families through genuine investment, technological contribution, continuous improvement of quality and international projection of their projects, alongside emblematic brands.

It directly employs more than 1,000 people and sells approximately 390 million liters of per year, between fractionated, bulk and must wine. It holds around 30% of the argentine market due to its commercial structure comprised of 11 commercial units, its more than 1,200 strategic partners and a distribution network that supplies the entire country. It also has 5 offices abroad and exports its products to over 40 countries.

What is your position in the group?

Head Oenologist in the Strategic Cooperative Development Unit. We provide support and advice in oenological processes of the primary cooperatives associated with Fecovita, constantly seeking to improve products and increase competitiveness for our associates.

Does the group aim for standardized processes?

Our Federation produces a vast variety of products, among which are wines of different ranges. Table wine, varietal and high-end wine lines. Production objectives also vary according to the type of wine. Regarding table wines, we aim to standardize production processes prioritizing product quality at adequate costs above all.

How important is it to work with tools that allow you to simplify and guarantee fermentation results?

Having tools that help simplify processes and lower costs is very important within our production structure. We have 29 Cooperatives in production with 45 wineries in total. Minimizing critical points is essential, and process simplification is welcome.

Were you familiar with the Fermentis E2U^™ product range?

We came to know this range of products when searching for direct culture yeasts. We analyzed the Fermentis E2U™ range and found favorable answers to our project.

Would you recommend continuing to work and deepening the use of this range of products?

The results provided by winemakers from the different cooperatives are satisfactory. The organoleptic results are favorable and show a continuous path. We are analyzing other fermentative characteristics on a large scale with different cooperative technicians, such as fermentation kinetics, Promptly Assimilable Nitrogen, acetaldehyde production. From a microbiological perspective, we study the implantations of different strains in the fermentation medium. We also perform analyses in micro wineries, by way of repetitions.

We are satisfied with the support of the Fermentis team, and believe that the future lies in direct sowing yeast, which is why we recommend this line of yeasts.