Argnetine Wines at Publix

Argentine wines compete for Florida supermarket shelf space. The new ad campaign isn't going to help.

Wines of Argentina, the entity uniting over 200 major vineyards with the goal of promoting the Argentine wine industry in foreign countries, has unveiled a new logo and ad campaign designed to reposition the “Wines of Argentina” brand. But rather than simply defining the value proposition of Argentine wines with a few bullet points or salient takeaways, the campaign is a self-absorbed melange of contradictory words and phrases leaving Argentina wine novices more confused than ever.

Instead of emphasizing what makes Argentine wines truly unique (e.g., price:quality ratio, amazing blends, different altitudes, dominant Malbecs, emerging Bonardas and Torrontés), the new campaign addresses dozens of contradictions and personality traits of Argentines in a three-minute YouTube video. Not a single glass of wine appears in the entire video filled with images of BA traffic, glaciers, soccer fans, quilts and nonsensical quotes like “We oscillate between pride and reproach, success and skepticism, love and terror.” Amid the verbal chaos, you halfway expect Derek Zoolander’s Merman to swim to the surface and declare “Malbec is the essence of moisture.”

The new campaign debuts next week at VinExpo in Bordeaux complete with new fuchsia (yes, fuchsia) logo which 52% of MDZ Online readers apparently do not like. Whether France and the rest of the world warm to the new campaign remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine how something so introspective, conflicted and 100% Castellano helps sell even one bottle of wine in the hyper-competitive world of international wine sales. (Full Story in Spanish)

1-2 Punch: Malbec Surging, Torrontes Rising

Argentine Vineyard

Argentine wineries may be on the verge of cultivating a one-two-red-white knockout combination.

Argentina’s December wine export numbers are now available, so we finally have a figure for full-year 2010 exports of Argentine wine and grape juice: US$864.5 million, a healthy 12% increase over full-year 2009. Export volume rose 6.7% in December compared to 2009, while the total value of Argentine exports reached US$77.8 million, a 21% increase over December 2009.

The 2010 number edges out the US$860 million figure Argentina recorded in 2008, according to Los Andes’ Gabriela Malizia, who points out total volumes keep declining while the quality of wine exported keeps rising. Argentina’s total wine exports actually fell 6.7% in 2010, but the decrease was more than offset by increased revenue thanks to a more favorable product mix: more bottled wines, premium wines, sparking wines and fewer bulk wines and juices.

Malbec continues to be the signature grape rock star among Argentina’s exports, now accounting for 40.1% of all Argentine bottled wine exports (up from 34% in 2009), and the number one most preferred wine in 23 of Argentina’s Top 25 International Wine Markets (the Netherlands imports more Chardonnay and Paraguayans prefer red blends). In those 23 countries, Argentine Malbec typically enjoys market shares in excess of 30% like the United States (60%), Switzerland (48%), Mexico (47%) and Perú (37%).

With Malbec’s dominance in the universo tinto, the timing of Torrontés sudden splash on the world stage could be setting up the perfect one-two-red-white knockout combination for Argentina. Malizia says Torrontés was the second-fastest growing Argentine export in 2010, a trend that will continue in 2011 thanks to articles like Eric Asimov’s piece this week in the New York Times. (Full Article in Spanish)

For more Argentina wine and vineyard news, visit our archives and download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

An offering from Cocina Sunae, one of Buenos Aires' most popular "puertas cerradas."

Buenos Aires has a huge array of restaurants to choose from with cuisine ranging from Italian to Japanese, Peruvian to the ever present Argentine parrilla. However, locals (and visitors) looking for something a bit more unique often turn to closed door restaurants, a trend that began in Buenos Aires and has now spread to other cities in the U.S. and Europe. These restaurants, or puertas cerradas, are usually run out of people’s homes, which means the crowds will be small and the service attentive. It also means the menus are constantly changing according to the whims of the chefs and reservations are de rigueur.  Some of BA’s best puertas cerradas are Casa SaltShaker, which offers a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings, Cocina Sunae, which serves up fresh Southeast Asian dishes (a rarity in Latin America), and Almacén Secreto, where traditional northern Argentine fare is served. La Cocina Discreta in Palermo offers a varied menu and a surprisingly large wine list, while Mis Raíces, the oldest closed-door restaurant in town, offers tradition Jewish cuisine. As Alejandro Langer, chef at La Cocina Discreta says, the puertas cerradas offer an environment that is “intimate, exclusive and familiar at the same time” and allow guests to “enjoy gourmet cuisine and a high-level of service.”

For more information on Buenos Aires cuisine, culture, art and design, check out the VanityBA archives and download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Wine Tour Urbano in Buenos Aires

The Urban Wine Tour will showcase Merlot/Malbec (Sept.), Cabernet/Syrah (Oct.) and Best of the Best (Nov.)

Following the success of the Fall Wine Tour that took place earlier this year, Wine Tour Urbano returns with its Spring edition, which will take place on the third Friday of September, October, and November.

Different from a typical wine tasting, WTU participants will meet at a designated location (this time, the corner of Honduras and Malabia Streets in Palermo Soho) and will stroll through the trendy neighborhood, stopping at participating boutiques, each of which will be serving wine from a different Argentina winery.

Boutiques taking part in the events this Spring include furniture showrooms Casa Abierta, BLVD and Bloop, jewelry boutique 925, men’s clothing store REC, music store Miles Discos, and women’s boutiques Las Pepas and Basilotta.

The September 17 event will focus on Merlot and Argentina’s pride and joy, Malbec. Cabernet and Syrah will be served on October 15 and on November 19, each participating winery will present its best wine.

For more information about Buenos Aires lifestyle and cultural events, subscribe to our premium newsletter InvestBA Privada.

Prodeo Lounge & Suites

Grooving, Rhythmic & Delicious: Building on the success of recent events, Prodeo will soon offer weekly tastings.

Located on the border of Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood, Prodeo Lounge & Suites is situated in the middle of one of the trendiest areas of the city. The luxury boutique hotel, with it’s chic, dimly-lit bar and two-story restaurant headed by Chef Jeroen Van den Bos, epitomizes BA’s renaissance.

The stark, modern interior is visually striking, yet manages to retain a certain warmth with its dark colors, delicate lighting and numerous water features scattered throughout. Music plays constantly throughout the hotel’s common areas, creating a distinct ambiance for each event.

At a recent wine tasting at Prodeo, led by sommelier Laura Pietraccone, guests were treated to a variety of Argentine wines in a relaxed, comfortable environment, starting with a sparkling chardonnay-pinot noir blend. Next came a Torrontes, an aromatic white wine, paired with salmon tartar topped with couscous of cauliflower.

This was followed by a Chardonnay with a yuca-crusted duck croquette in a teriyaki glaze. Two samples of the quintessential Argentine varietal, Malbec, which were paired with Cuban meatballs in a light ginger-and-cumin-infused tomato sauce, rounded out the tasting. The service was impeccable, with a small army of waiters and bartenders gliding seamlessly through the room, allowing guests to completely focus on the experience.

 

Bariloche

Mendoza

Uruguay

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