Meet Randy Boyd. One of The Vines of Mendoza's vineyard and villa owners who loves adventure and making his very own Malbec and Tempranillo. 

What’s special, for you, about Mendoza? What made you decide to make an investment in the Uco Valley in particular – first as a Private Vineyard owner and then later as an owner of a Villa at The Vines Resort & Spa? 

Serendipity. I passed through Mendoza in January of 2007 to climb Aconcagua, had to pull off the mountain early due to weather, and the spare “stuck” in Mendoza led to wine tours, to falling in love with the people, the food and of course the wine. The following year my wife and I made a dedicated trip to do more of the same, and she too fell in love with the area. 

We decided to buy a vineyard, but due to our lack of knowledge, time and the distance, we felt partnering with the experts at The Vines made the most sense for us. We first planted Malbec and Tempranillo. A few years later, while enjoying a asado with Michael and his team, Michael shared his vision of a resort. We decided to buy a Villa, and I believe we were the first to do so. The following year, also at an asado, my wife Jenny shared her love of Pinot Noir with Michael and we soon found ourselves buying a second vineyard to plant five strains of Pinot, and again were one of the first to do that at The Vines. Touring vineyards, buying a Villa, planting another vineyard were all unplanned, but happy outcomes. Serendipity! Which by the way, happens to be the name of our wines.  

Tell us about your vineyards. What do you grow, and what kind of wines do you produce? Any new blends or varietals you’re interested to try your hand at? 

In the first vineyard we have four acres of Malbec and one acre of Tempranillo. We sell about 80% of the grapes and then produce the rest for ourselves, roughly 8 to 10 barrels a year.  Last year we tried barrel fermentation and we're very happy with the result and so will do another barrel this year. We are also very excited about this years Temperanillo, and will bottle 300 bottles of it. Next year we expect our first Pinot Noirs. We planted 5 different strands. My understanding that is normal to blend them. However, we are going to produce a case with two bottles of each strand and then two bottles of the blend so for fans of Pinot that can taste the subtleties of each.  

What has been the best thing about making wine together with The Vines of Mendoza team? What advice would you offer to other couples who are just beginning to try their hand at winemaking? 

We love wine and the process of making it, but it is very comforting to know that the team at The Vines can do everything for us and we will end up with fantastic wine. When we do “help”, such as in blending, they are very diplomatic in guiding us to a good decision.  I also find the team very innovative and supportive of new things, like 1 liter bottles (our first year), single strand Pinots, Temperanillo, and barrel fermentation. They allow you to be innovative but within reason. If we were just producing another medium quality copy cat wine it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.  

What one thing do you always try to make time for when you’re in Mendoza? OR what activities or outings are you looking forward to trying for the first time when you next visit Mendoza? What are you looking forward to taking advantage of most as a Villa owner? 

We have enjoyed horseback riding in the Andes, taking back country roads through the mountains, and of course enjoying long lunches at the dozens of surrounding bodegas (wineries).  However, the new resort is amazing and what we enjoy most is just relaxing on the patio, the roof deck, or at the restaurant or pool and trying to absorb the spectacular beauty of the place.