Market Watch, April 2018

60 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM APRIL 2018PHOTO BY TK TKregions Until the 1990s government regulations stipulated that no vineyard could be established outside the traditional provinces but the laws have since changed and producers are experimenting with new regions including near the Atlantic coast and far in the south As a result consumers are starting to explore beyond tradi tional Malbec expressions Most people think they know what theyre getting with Malbec says Paulo Villabona beverage director at Chicago based Argentine restaurant Folk lore But new Malbec styles have entered the market as well as other varieties from different regions in Argentina Theres a lot of curiosity about them Villabona and his team at Folklore like to showcase labels that reflect the latest trends from Argentine winemakers Offering about 50 South American Spanish and Portuguese wines their list includes some strong value propositions like Cruzat Cuveé Réserve Extra Brut from Mendozas Uco Valley 45 a 750 ml the 2013 Colonial Las Libres Rosé of Bonarda Brut Nature from Mendoza 45 2010 Tenuis Pinot Noir from Rio Negro in Patagonia 50 2010 Zuccardi Q Tempranillo from Mendoza 65 and 2012 Colome Malbec from Calchaquí Valley in Salta 60 While Folklores wine list does include value wines such as 2014 Santa Julia Organica Malbec from the Maipu Valley in Mendoza 5 a glass 20 a 750 ml Villabona says most customers come in looking for something at about 60 80 a 750 ml But the preponderance of Malbec in Argentina means that many U S consumers and some people in the trade still dont look to Argentina for varietals other than Malbec Steven McDonald wine director at Houston based Pappas Bros Steakhouse is enthusiastic about Argentine wine devoting an entire page of his wine list to Argentine reds We always offer one or two wines from Argentina by the glass McDonald says And some of our bottle placements move at a pace similar to by the glass offerings he adds citing the 2013 Tikal Amorio Malbec 75 a 750 ml and the 2013 Susana Balbo Signature Malbec 75 We do get some trac tion with Cabernet dominant wines but its going to be a real hand sell as the diversity grows Indeed its an ongoing struggle for producers and importers many of whom have been pushing a range of varietals for years Weve tried for 14 years to diversify away from Malbec says Vino del Sols Hedges We put a lot of focus on Torrontés and Bonarda but they never took off Were seeing more success with Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc and red blends Guarachi is focused on ensuring that Argentina moves into other varietals Were working on Cabernet Sauvignon in a big way he says Cabernet Franc is also doing well but there isnt a market for it in the U S I truly believe that the indus try needs to do more There are good wines from all over the world so we cant just be good we need to be excellent Plummer of Paul Hobbs says the heightened focus on Cabernet Sauvignon is in part a result of Californias rising Cabernet prices People have become comfortable enough with the quality from Argentina that theyre willing to explore he adds The quality in Argentina is there and the style is very similar to Californias Mendozas ImportanceWhile Malbec is now being planted in higher elevations across Argentina from Salta to Patagonia Mendoza remains the heart of its production The fourth generation family owned Bode gas Valentin Bianchi which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year has a long history in the Mendoza region In 1910 Don Valentin Bianchi emigrated from Italy and settled in San Rafael in the southernmost part of Mendoza He opened the LEADING ARGENTINE TABLE WINE BRANDS1 thousands of 9 liter case depletions AACGR2 Percent Change3Brand Importer 2010 2015 2016 2017 2010 2015 2015 2016 2016 2017Alamos E J Gallo Winery 300 900 855 825 246 50 35 Trapiche The Wine Group 390 410 423 350 10 32 173Valentin Bianchi Quintessential Wines 141 270 262 250 139 30 45Don Miguel Gascón E J Gallo Winery 225 270 235 205 37 130 130New Age Quintessential Wines 112 187 183 180 108 21 15Bodegas Norton Guarachi Wine Partners 178 228 174 166 51 236 49Doña Paula Los Cardos4 Trinchero Family Estates 131 147 159 165 23 82 38Santa Julia Winesellers Ltd 86 177 197 164 156 109 167Trivento5 Excelsior Wine Co 76 127 135 158 108 63 170Terrazas de los Andes Moët Hennessy USA 115 135 153 157 32 138 23 Total Leading Brands 1754 2852 2777 2620 102 26 57 Leading Brands Share of Total Argentina 287 482 486 487 1 Excludes bulk imports2 Average annual compound growth rate3 Based on unrounded data4 Includes Doña Paula Estate5 Includes Amado SurSource IMPACT DATABANK 2018MW0418_