escala humana
valle de uco | mendoza, argentina

Family owned and operated Escala Humana was started in 2015 by Germán Massera with his wife Ayelén Bonetto and his brother Sebastián Massera in Valle de Uco, Mendoza. He began crafting wines in 2003 while studying oenology and viticulture at the Juan Agustín Maza University. His skills and talent developed while working for many impressive wineries around the world: Viña Cobos, Finca El Origen, and Finca Sophenia in Mendoza; Bodega Noemia in Patagonia; Pingus Winery and Quinta Sardonia in Spain. In 2016, Germán started working with Matías Michelini, who was integral in getting Escala Humana off the ground as the first vintages were produced at Matías Michelini's Passionate Winery.

unconventional destiny

While the majority of the oldest Argentinean vines are in Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu, there are a small handful of 4th and 5th generation producers in Uco Valley who planted vine clippings from Europe. Therefore, there are small, old plots of unconventional varieties hidden around Uco Valley. Aye and Germán fell in love with two specific plots located in El Zampal, which are the home to Malvasia, Bequignol (a light-bodied red variety from the southwest of France), Sangiovese, Bonarda, and a few other grapes.

Germán is a descendant of an Italian/Spanish family who had great respect and love for the land they lived on and believed in cultivating and making everything they consumed at home. “Naturally” he grew up curious about natural processes, and when choosing his professional career he wanted something that would always allow him to be in contact with nature. 

viticulture on a human scale

“The unveiling of a unique terroir in wine is only possible through the interpretation of the person dedicated to it.”

When listening to Escala Humana explain their ethos you can immediately grasp their hyper-focus on extracting purity and representation of terroir, and their unshakeable belief that human intervention in winemaking is part of that terroir. They live in the same valley where they grow their fruit and bring life to their wines, and each of the wines is a sum of micro-details, each one of them singular with a reason for being. Their intense passion is contagious and we are excited to represent their wines in Ontario.

“Our mission is to carry out sustainable viticulture and precision oenology in the winery, looking for authenticity, and transparency in each of our wines, so that we imprint the context that surrounds them on their personality.”