For the Nerds

FADE IN

INT. LA BIFUR BAR, TARIJA, BOLIVIA - A BOOTH IN THE BACK - EVENING

YOU and Singani 63 sit at a cozy table drinking Chuflays and tucking into a plate of anticucho when YOU begins peppering SINGANI 63 with questions about grapes and vineyard locations.

YOU
What is the elevation and location of the distillery?

SINGANI 63
6070 ft (1850m) above sea level, about 12 mi (20km) outside of the city of Tarija, Bolivia.

YOU
How many hectares of vineyard does Casa Real own?

SINGANI 63
About 500 acres (200 hectares).

YOU
What is the elevation of the vineyards?

SINGANI 63
From 5550 ft (1700m) to 6200ft (1900m) above sea level (which is really friggin’ high).

YOU
What is the landscape like in Southern Bolivia? How are you able to grow grapes there?

SINGANI 63
Our grape growing region in Tarija is located at the 21°S Latitude (far away from the usual renowned grape growing regions, which are more like 30° and 50°). The only reason we can grow grapes is because of our high elevation (at least a mile above sea level). Tarija is located at the Andean-Cordilerra “elbow”, which means very cold winds come up from the south. Thanks to this and the altitude, we have very cold winters, which are necessary for grape growing. Additionally and importantly, at this altitude we have very intense UV light. Because of this, the vines need to create defense mechanisms to survive such harsh environments. So the grape produces high levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, and other components, and it creates a very thick skin. This is one of the main reasons why our Muscat of Alexandria grapes have higher levels of aromatic molecules compared to the same variety grown elsewhere in the world.

YOU
What is the soil type?

SINGANI 63
Thousands of years ago, the Santa Ana valley used to be a lake surrounded by mountains. The soils left in this valley are alluvial and very poor in terms of organic matter, which is one of the reasons why, compared to other grape growing regions, our yields are very low.

Our state is divided into 3 fincas: Legado (which Casa Real initiated), Terrasas and Cipreses. In the Legado finca, soil is mainly sandy and deep, with a few plots of gravel (since it’s close to the Santa Ana river). Las Terrazas has a mix of sand and clay (this soil was recovered from erosion with a lot of work). And Cipreses is predominantly clay with a few chalky areas.

Our area is formed by many small hills and has no true flat land. Because of this it is also greatly affected by erosion, which makes it very difficult to use for agriculture.

YOU
Where do the grapes used for Singani 63 come from?

SINGANI 63
Singani 63’s grapes come from Casa Real’s estate vineyards located in the Santa Ana Valley, 20km from the city of Tarija in Southern Bolivia. (All other Casa Real products pull from the large co-op of vineyards in the area, as well as Casa Real’s estate grapes, so Singani 63 is considered one of their premium products!)

Overall, around 30% of Casa Real’s grapes are estate grown, 35% from a cooperative of thirty growing associates, and the rest are supplied from over 150 small grape growers. In all, our grapes originate from Santa Ana valley, La Angostura, Calamuchita, and La Concepcion.

YOU
How many bottles come from one hectare of Muscat of Alexandria grapes?

SINGANI 63
Around 4500 (750ml) bottles.

YOU
How old are the grape vines?

SINGANI 63
5 to 25 years old

YOU
Are the vines irrigated or dry farmed?

SINGANI 63
All of our vines are irrigated with a state of the art dropping system which gives us over 96% efficiency for water usage and uptake.

YOU
How hot and cold do the vineyards get during the growing season?

SINGANI 63
On average, the range is from 55-59°F (13-15°C) during the night to 82°F (28°C) during the day. The temperature change has a massive impact on the grape maturation and our cool nights allow the vines to rest from the hot days and extreme UV light from such a high altitude.

YOU
Are the grapes harvested by machine or by hand?

SINGANI 63
Especially because of the difficult terrain, all of our grapes are harvested by hand.

YOU
When does harvest begin? How long does it last?

SINGANI 63
Begins in mid-February and lasts until mid-March.

Plates are cleared and another round of Chuflays are delivered, though neither seems to remember ordering them.
YOU squeezes lime into their drink, wipes their fingers on a napkin, and resumes questioning.

YOU
Talk to me about the fermentation process.

SINGANI 63
All skins, seeds and pulp are retained during fermentation. Many of the aromas and flavors are from the skins due to the extreme UV light exposure.

Grapes are destemmed then go directly into fermentation vessels (no pressing necessary). By fermenting the juice with the solids, we extract more aromas from the grape skins.
Only native yeasts are used in the fermentation process.

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, steel and concrete tanks, mostly 50,000 L with a couple of 150,000 L tanks. The whole process takes about 10-15 days. The ABV after fermentation sits at about 11%.
After fermentation, we also use the discarded pomace for a sub-product called “second class Singani”, which is re-fermented and distilled in a continuous process. Once that is done, we press and dry the pomace to use for compost.

YOU
Fascinating. How about the distillation?

SINGANI 63
Casa Real uses 5,000L capacity stills for the low wine and 2,500L stills for the finishing run.

Singani 63 is distilled on a combination of copper pot stills. All of Casa Real’s stills are Charentais type stills which come from Cognac, France and heated by gas. They are usually overhauled every 15 years.

It takes about 12 hours to complete one distillation run.

Singani is always distilled at least twice, no matter what type of still is used.

About 8 lbs (3.7 kilos) of grapes are required to produce one 750ml bottle of Singani 63.

The second distillation comes off at 72% ABV.

Darkness has fallen. The bar is now lit entirely by flickering candles. As YOU walks out into the warm Bolivian night, SINGANI 63 remains at the table, absent-mindedly folding the receipt into an oragami crane,
and thinking about their sustainability efforts.

SINGANI 63 (V.O)
(proudly)

Casa Real received a “Best Place to Work” award and has a written corporate responsibility to define their labor, health and safety standards, reported annually. During each harvest, they provide housing to around 80 workers and their families, along with the personal equipment required to perform a safe harvest. Under no circumstances are any children allowed to perform any type of work at any time. Casa Real also always pays above the market to commit to their fair pay policy.

Water: 10 years ago we implemented a water treatment process to irrigate all vines with an efficient water dropping system and invested in geomembranes to eliminate water losses in our reservoirs. All water that comes out of the distillery is also treated and recycle back into our irrigation system.

Casa Real’s warehouse is LEED certified and their viticulture received a sustainable practices certification from the GIZ, German institution providing science and data based sustainable management tools focused on active contributions rather than only footprints.

Casa Real is also partly female owned.

THE END