Argenvino

Bonarda Getting Some Props From the Yanquis

2008-01-20T07:52:00.000-05:00

Over the years I've posted a bunch of links to Gary Vaynerchuck of Wine Library TV, but this episode is a "must watch" for any fan of Argentine wine.

¿Vino en una lata de aluminio?

2007-09-22T06:33:00.001-04:00

¿Podés verte tomando un vino fino de una lata? Una empresa holandesa con sede en Buenos Aires llamado IronWine, vende un Malbec-Cabernet y un Chenin Blanc en latas de 345 y 250 ml. La empresa sostiene que puede proteger el vino de la luz que puede destruir la estructura de un vino. También, el vino en general está hecho en el acero, pues tal vez no es una idea TAN loca.

Más información: IronWine

Fuente: Directo al paladar

Wine In a Can

2007-09-22T06:18:00.001-04:00

Can anyone ever see themselves drinking wine from a can? A Buenos Aires-based company, IronWine, sells a Malbec-Cabernet blend and a Chenin Blanc wine in 345 and 250 ml aluminum cans. The company claims that the can does a superior job protecting the wine from harmful light that can harm the wine. Wine is blended in steel vats and is even aged in them, so the idea isn't THAT crazy.

More Information: IronWine

Source: "Are wine cans the future?" J.M. Hirsch. Associated Press.

Vinos y Bodegas 2007

2007-09-10T07:27:00.000-04:00

Dan at Saltshaker has some insightful commentary and pictures from the annual wine fair held in the La Rural convention center in Buenos Aires.

Link: "Wonderland Revisited." Written by Dan Perlman. Saltshaker. September 8th, 2007.

Picture: Expo Vinos y Bodegas Cosecha 2007.

Fotos lindas de Mendoza

2007-08-31T06:40:00.001-04:00

Mientras que el verano termina en el hemisferio norte, los argentinos están esperando la llegada de la primavera. Ayer, Michael de Vines of Mendoza publicó algunas fotos muy lindas de su nueva bodega en Valle de Uco. Se puede verlos acá: Fotos de la Valle de Uco.

Beautiful Pictures From Mendoza

2007-08-30T18:43:00.000-04:00

As summer winds down in the northern hemisphere, Argentines are waiting for spring's arrival. Earlier today Michael from the Vines of Mendoza posted some breathtaking pictures from their new vineyard in Valle de Uco. Check them out here: Photos from the Valle de Uco.

La Cerveza Beagle Con un Asado

2007-08-29T20:29:00.000-04:00

El blog Asado Argentina (escrita en ingles) recién publicó una critica de la Cerveza Beagle. Pensé que yo pondría el enlace acá después de la popularidad de mi entrada anterior sobre la micro cervecería Jerome en Mendoza. Cerveza Beagle está elaborada en Ushuaia y se llama Beagle debido a su ubicación cerca del Canal Beagle (si me equivoco por favor escribíme). El Canal Beagle es llamado así por que el barco HMS Beagle pasó por allí en el siglo 19.

Foto: CervezaDeArgentina.com.ar

Cerveza Beagle

2007-08-29T19:31:00.000-04:00

The review of the Jerome Microbrewery has proven to be quite popular, so I thought I’d link to Asado Argentina’s review of Cerveza Beagle. The brewery is located in the Beagle Strait (and thus is called Cerveza Beagle) in Ushuaia which is named after the infamous HMS Beagle.

Picture: Asado Argentina

Argentina Featured on Wine Library TV

2007-08-21T18:03:00.000-04:00

The always entertaining Gary Vaynerchuk featured Argentine wines and Malbec on his popular Wine Library TV yesterday. For the English-language readers, it's worth a look.

"Argentina and Those Pesky Malbecs." By Gary Vaynerchuk. Wine Library TV. August 20, 2007.

Jancis Robinson Escribe sobre el vino de Chile y Argentina

2007-08-03T14:44:00.001-04:00

This article is also available in English.

Una periodista de vino en Inglaterra escribió un artículo excepcional sobre la industria vitivinícola en la Argentina en la edición de hoy en el San Francisco Chronicle. Además, ella tiene una guia sofisticada sobre la cosecha de 2007 en su sitio del web.

Articulo: “Argentina's and Chile's wines are earning global kudos and fans.” Por Jancis Robinson. San Francisco Chronicle. 3 de agosto, 2007.

Sitio del Web: “Argentina: A Bluffer’s Guide.” Por Tim Johns de Wine of Argentina y publicado por Jancis Robinson.

Jancis Robinson on Argentine Wine

2007-08-03T14:41:00.000-04:00

U.K. based wine writer Jancis Robinson has an exceptional article on the Argentine and Chilean wine industries in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. In addition, she has an in-depth guide to the 2007 vintage on her website.

Article: “Argentina's and Chile's wines are earning global kudos and fans.” By Jancis Robinson. San Francisco Chronicle. August 3, 2007.

Website: “Argentina: A Bluffer’s Guide.” By Tim Johns of Wine of Argentina and published by Jancis Robinson.

Kirchner Tenía Éxito en México Mientras que El Consumo del Vino Argentino Continúa Su Asenso en las Americas

2007-08-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

This post can be read in English here.

La visita a México del Presidente de la Argentina Nestor Kirchner durante el principio de la semana para fortalecer los vínculos económicos entre la Argentina y su anfitrión resultó bien para las industrias vitivinícolas para los ambos países. México va a bajar los aranceles contra el vino argentino a cambio de la ayuda tecnológica y científica de enólogos argentinos.

Aunque he escrito mucho sobre el crecimiento rápido del incremento del consumo de vino argentino en los EE.UU. durante los meses pasados, también ha tenido mucho éxito en otros países de las Americas. Un informe del diario mendocino Los Andes (y una entrada del blog “El Malbec"), Argentina ya es el primer exportador de vinos a Brasil. Después de superar sus competidores en Chile y Europa, Argentina y Brasil están trabajando juntos para promover el consumo del vino en el país de 150 millones de habitantes. El consumo actual de vino en Brasil es un número muy bajo a 1,8 litros por cada persona cada año.

Articulo: “Argentina ya es el primer exportador de vinos a Brasil”. Por Luis Fermosel. En Los Andes. 28 de junio, 2007.

Imagen: Los presidentes de la Argentina y México están recibidos en una ceremonia formal. (Fuente: http://www.mercopress.com/ImgNoticias/Calderon_Kirchner.jpg).

Kirchner Succeeds in Mexico

2007-08-01T17:42:00.000-04:00

Esta entrada escrita en castellano viene próximamente.

So Argentine President Nestor Kirchner’s visit to Mexico earlier this week to fortify economic ties has produced at least one key agreement. Mexico will lower wine tariffs and in turn will receive “scientific and technological assistance” from Argentine enologists. Although I’ve written at length about the rapid increase in the consumption of Argentine wine in the U.S. over the past couple of months, “vino argentino” has also made a lot of progress throughout the Americas.

As reported in the Mendoza-based newspaper Los Andes (and later posted on the “El Malbec” blog), Argentina is now the leading wine exporter to Brazil. Having recently overcome competitors in Europe and Chile, Argentina and Brazil are working hand-in-hand to promote wine consumption in the country of 150 million people. Brazil’s current wine consumption is an extremely low 1.8 liters per person each year. Similar to the 2003 PEVI Law passed in Argentina intended to increase wine exports and reinvigorate the industry after having suffered setbacks for decades, Brazil is looking for a federally funded program to further develop their own budding wine industry as well as grow the domestic consumption rate.

As Juan Carlos Pina, the director of Wine Cellars of Argentina and one of the members of a recent Argentine delegation sent to Brazil said, “We are working together [with the Brazilians]. If we can increase consumption to one liter more per capita annually in Brazil, Argentina will also benefit.”

Source: "Argentina ya es el primer exportador de vinos a Brasil." June 28, 2007. Los Andes. By Luis Fermosel.

An Interview with Federico Kunz, Director of Wine of Mendoza

2007-07-25T10:13:00.000-04:00

(Para leer esta nota en castellano, haga clic aquí)

The other day I had the great joy of interviewing one of the many young entrepreneurs in the Argentine wine industry. His name is Federico Kunz and he is the founder and current director of Wine of Mendoza, a company that offers a variety of services to the wine sector.

Please describe to the readers a little bit about yourself. What region in Argentina are you from? How many years have you spent in the wine industry? Do you come from a background in which wine played an important role?
My name is Federico Kunz and I was born in Buenos Aires on November 26, 1976. That makes me 30 years old. Three years ago I moved to Mendoza when I married my wife, Eugenia, who was born in Mendoza. Currently, we both are linked to the wine industry in distinct ways. She focuses on the wine tourism aspect while I work on the commercial end of the industry. Before working in the wine industry, I occupied a position in the banking sector as an internal auditor. And yes, wine was always an important part of my family, but the passion for this beverage began with my arrival to Mendoza.

What did you study? What was your major?
I received a degree in Tourism after which I began to study Business Adminsitration at the University of Buenos Aires, which I didn’t end up finishing. As far as wine, I really learned a lot by visiting wineries and asking everything I could think of, and of course trying a lot of different wines.

How did your passion for wine really begin?
When I arrived in Mendoza I had the opportunity to visit a lot of wineries, from the smallest which we call “boutiques” to the most industrial, and even to the most traditional. Each winery makes wine in a distinct way with its own methods and patterns. At the beginning, that’s what really grabbed my attention. After having the chance to try and taste distinct varietals combined with the discovery of the different methods of making the wine, I really became passionate about this new world that had been opened up to me.

When did you start Wine of Mendoza and with what objectives?
Wine of Mendoza was born two years ago with the objective of being a specialized business in the Mendoza wine region as well as in all of Argentina. We wanted to be well-known, valued, and chosen by the domestic and international markets as a trustworthy, competitive, and innovative provider of wines. In short, we wanted to provide service that was founded on a quality product and high standards. Finally, our main goal is to sustain our clear and consist philosophy: shorten the distance between the producer of wine and its consumer.

A large part of the expansion of the wine industry has come in the export market. Are you hoping to develop the international part of your business or focus on the domestic market?
The external market is something that we are currently trying to better develop. Since the beginning of this year we have been allotting resources so as to focus more on the export sector and to be able to reach the rest of the world. We are currently working with FedEx, DHL, and TNT in order to send bottles to other parts of the world. In addition, we are making a lot of connections through the international tourists that visit Mendoza and other regions of Argentina such as Patagonia.

You are part of the new generation of entrepreneurs in the Argentine wine industry. What differences are there between the older generations and your generation?
I believe the fundamental difference is service. People are talking more about the service that comes with a product. Our company not only provides products but we also offer services: we prepare, we recommend, and we adjust wine lists for restaurants, and we even create wine tastings according to the tastes of each client. We are constantly providing service to our clients. We are always seeking to provide more value to what we currently do. Although the consumption per person in Argentina has gone down, the quality of the wine that is consumed has gone up, and thus we have to pay attention to this trend and add value and service to these products.

Are you guys, and when I say “guys” I’m referring to this new generation, more optimistic due to the growth of the wine industry during the past 10 years than the older generations that have experienced several crises?
During the last 10 years Argentina has grown in the wine sector, which is mainly due to the monetary policy that we had until 2001 that helped the wine industry expand to other markets and make important technological advances. I believe that today the industry continues to grow thanks to favorable circumstances in the current economy, in particular the exchange rate, but also the quality that Argentina has achieved in its products and the place that it has earned in the external market.

How does the unstable macroeconomic history of Argentina affect your outlook towards the future?
I’m not afraid of falling into another financial crisis similar to what has happened in the past. I know that it is especially prudent to plan sometimes and one form to protect against another crisis, as I mentioned earlier, is to set aside as many resources to the international market as the domestic market.

Picture: Federico with his wife Marie Eugenia Rodriguez who co-owns the tourist agency Aventura Wine in Mendoza.

More information on Wine of Mendoza can be found on their website at: http://www.wineofmendoza.com/.

Una Entrevista con Federico Kunz, Director de Wine of Mendoza

2007-07-23T19:39:00.000-04:00

To read this interview in English, click here.

Yo tenía el placer de entrevistar unos de los empresarios jóvenes en la industria vitivinícola en la Argentina. Mi huésped fue Federico Kunz, fundador y director de Wine of Mendoza, una empresa que brinda varios servicios en el sector de vino. Espero que disfruten la entrevista.

Por favor describa un poco sobre sus datos personales. ¿De que región en la Argentina viene? ¿Cuantos años hace que está en la industria del vino? ¿Viene de una familia con una tradición en la industria vitivinícola?
Mi nombre es Federico Kunz, Argentino nacido en Buenos Aires el 26 de noviembre de 1976. Tengo 30 años. Me mudé a Mendoza hace 3 años cuando me casé con Eugenia, mi esposa que es nacida en esta Ciudad. Actualmente, los dos trabajamos vinculados a la industria del vino, ella desde turismo vitivinícola y yo por medio de la comercialización de vino. Antes de pertenecer a esta industria, me desempeñaba en una Empresa Bancaria como Auditor Interno. Si bien en mi casa siempre se consumió vino, la pasión por esta bebida comenzó con mi llegada a Mendoza.

¿Cuales son sus estudios? ¿En que carrera se especializó?
Soy Licenciado en Turismo y luego estudié administración de Empresas en la Universidad de Buenos Aires, carrera que no terminé. En materia vitivinícola, aprendí mucho visitando las bodegas, preguntando todo y degustando mucho.

¿Cómo empezó su pasión por el vino?
A mí llegada a Mendoza, tuve la oportunidad de visitar gran cantidad de Bodegas, de las mas pequeñas llamadas también boutiques y de las mas industriales como también tradicionales. Cada bodega elabora de una forma diferente, tiene sus métodos y tendencias, eso es lo que mas me atrapó en un principio. Luego la oportunidad de probar y degustar distintas variedades, formas de elaboración, tendencias y distintos vinos es lo que hizo apasionante el descubrimiento constante de este nuevo mundo.

¿Cuando fundó Wine of Mendoza y con que objetivos?
Wine of Mendoza nace hace dos años con el objetivo de ser una empresa especializada en vinos de Mendoza y de toda la Argentina. Ser reconocidos, valorados y seleccionados por el mercado interno y externo como un proveedor confiable, competitivo e innovador, en la comercialización de vinos de Mendoza, brindando soluciones en nuestro servicio, basados en productos y estándares de calidad. Y lo principal, sostener nuestra clara y consistente filosofía; Acortar la distancia entre el vino y su consumidor.

Una gran parte del crecimiento en la industria ha sido en el sector externo. ¿Espera usted expandirse en el sector externo o enfocar a Wine of Mendoza en la demanda interna?
Es algo pendiente que estamos en estos momentos desarrollando mejor. A partir de este año estamos destinando recursos para poder enfocarnos en el sector externo y poder llegar a todos los países del mundo. Estamos trabajando actualmente con FEDEX, DHL Y TNT para el envío de las botellas a otras partes del mundo. Además estamos en contacto con los turistas extranjeros que visitan Mendoza y otros puntos de la Argentina como La Patagonia.

Usted forma parte de una nueva generación de empresarios en la industria vitivinícola en la Argentina. ¿Qué diferencias hay entre otras generaciones de empresarios y usted?
Creo que fundamentalmente nos diferencia el servicio. Actualmente se habla mas de servicio acompañando al producto. Nosotros brindamos no solo productos en nuestra empresa sino que además somos una empresa de servicios, capacitamos, recomendamos, adaptamos cartas de vino a restaurantes, confeccionamos cavas según los gustos de cada cliente. Brindamos constantemente un servicio a nuestros clientes. Estamos en constante búsqueda de brindar un valor agregado a lo que hacemos. Si bien el consumo por persona en la argentina ha disminuido, por otra parte ha aumentado la calidad del vino que se consume, por lo tanto tenemos que prestar atención en ello y agregar valor y servicio a esos productos.

¿Ustedes son mucho más optimistas debido al crecimiento de la industria durante los 10 años pasados que las generaciones más viejas que experimentaron varias crisis?
En los últimos 10 años Argentina ha crecido notoriamente en el aspecto vitivinícola, la salida de la paridad monetaria que teníamos hasta el año 2001 ayudó a que la industria vitivinícola haga un salto hacia otros mercados y junto con ello un salto tecnológico importante. Yo creo que hoy la industria continúa creciendo favorecida a circunstancias de la economía actual, el tipo de cambio pero particularmente por la calidad que argentina ha logrado en sus productos y el lugar que ha ganado en el mercado externo.

¿Cómo afecta la historia de una macroeconomía inestable en la Argentina cuando un empresario como usted planea para el futuro?
No me siento afectado o con miedo a caer en alguna crisis financiera similar a las pasadas. Sí se planifica o se es más precavido en algunas acciones. Una forma de estar cubierto con ello es, como comentaba antes, destinar recursos tanto al mercado interno como al mercado externo.

Imagen: Federico con su esposa Maria Eugenia Rodríguez, que es la co-dueña de Aventura Wine en Mendoza.

Mas información sobre Wine of Mendoza puede ser encontrado en WineofMendoza.com.

Truco de Vino

2007-07-18T06:44:00.000-04:00

¿Corcho atrapado en la botella? Usá este truco.

Enlace: Viddler Development Blog. Por Colin Devroe.

Wine Trick

2007-07-18T06:42:00.000-04:00

Did your cork somehow become lodged in your wine bottle? This resourceful guy shows you how to get it out.

Link: Viddler Development Blog. Featured by Colin Devroe.

Turismo de aventura en Mendoza

2007-07-08T18:48:00.001-04:00

(To read this post in English, click here)

Mis entradas recientes sobre la Microcervecería Jerome en Potrerillos, Mendoza y la entrada sobre el turismo lujoso de vino me hicieron pensar sobre mis experiencias de turismo de aventura en Mendoza. Aunque supongo que el enófilo promedio no busca la aventura extrema, hay algo para todos.

Si tenés cuatro días en Mendoza, tal vez te gustarías descansar de las visitas a las bodegas por un día con un día de diversión en los Andes. Las montanas son espectaculares en Mendoza y el viaje tendrá muchas vistas divinas. He tenido la oportunidad de ir a Potrerillos en tres distintas ocasiones: dos veces para hacer mountain bike y una vez para hacer rafting.

En octubre de 2005 fui a Argentina Rafting en un colectivo que salió del terminal de ómnibus que es un camino un poco largo del centro de Mendoza. El colectivo fue muy barato (¿diez pesos?) y nos llevó a Potrerillos a la entrada de Argentina Rafting. En diciembre de 2006 fui con mi hermano que pagó por el viaje así que fuimos en el bus que proviene Argentina Rafting. El viaje cuesta $27 pesos pero vale la pena si no querés ir en colectivo común. También es una experiencia mas autentica para ir en el colectivo con otros argentinos en comparación con el bus de la empresa donde hay muchos extranjeros.

Después de un viaje de una hora y media, podés inscribirte en varias actividades. La mayoría de las actividades ocurren dos veces cada día dependiendo en la demanda. Si queres ir durante la mañana deberías llegar antes de las 9. También podés hacer excursiones que duran varios días y ofrecen varias actividades. Podés escoger entre rafting, kayak (aunque necesitas hacer un curso si no tenés experiencia), trekking, mountain bike, cabalgatas, canopy, y hidrospeed. Cada aventura cuesta cerca de sesenta pesos por la mañana.

El viaje de rafting fue unos de las cosas mas divertidas que he hecho. Nunca había hecho el rafting y he estado intentado hacerlo nuevamente desde el momento que salí la balsa. El río no es peligroso (ellos te dan un casco y un chaleco salvavidas) pero fue bastante rápido para ser divertido. Solo caímos una vez pero pudimos subir la balsa sin problema. Hay un fotógrafo para sacar fotos por todo el viaje y podés comprar un disco compacto con todas las fotos después de la excursión. Las guías conocen muy bien el río y aseguran que te diviertes. Hay bastante tiempo para charlar durante el viaje y hice amigos con dos médicos de la provincia de Buenos Aires.

Las dos otras excursiones que hice consistió de mucho ejercicio en la excusión de mountain bike. La primera vez fui solo en un sábado. Estaba en un grupo de diez personas. Me divertí mucho y me ejercí bastante – estaba buscando un poco de entrenamiento. Diría que deberías estar en bastante buena forma para hacer mountain bike, aunque el curso no es muy difícil para un novato. La segunda vez que fui, yo estaba con mi hermano y fuimos solos con la guía. El guía cambió el curso un poco para retarnos un poco. Pudimos descansar cuando queríamos. Sugiero que vayas en un día de la semana para tener una experiencia personal.

Para concluir, tenia tres viajes fantásticos a Potrerillos. Un día de aventura en los Andes es una manera de ver las montanas especulares y perder un poco del peso que ganas después de comer tanta comida rica en la ciudad de Mendoza.

Adventures Abound in Mendoza

2007-07-04T07:28:00.000-04:00

(Para leer esta nota en castellano, haga clic aquí)

My recent posts on the Jerome Microbrewery in Potrerillos, Mendoza and the post on luxury wine tourism made me start to think that I should write on my experience in “adventure tourism” in Mendoza. Although I’m guessing your average oenophile isn’t an adventure seeker, there’s something out there for everyone.

If you have four days in Mendoza, you may want to break up your winery visits with a day of fun in the Andes. The mountains are spectacular in Mendoza and just driving through them is fun. I’ve had the chance to go to Potrerillos on three different occasions to twice mountain bike and to go rafting once.

In October, 2005 I headed up to Argentina Rafting on a bus that left the central terminal in Mendoza, which is a bit of a walk outside downtown Mendoza. The bus was extremely cheap (a couple dollars) and it left me off in Potrerillos right in front of Argentina Rafting. In December of 2006 I was with my brother who was paying, so I took the Argentina Rafting bus that picks you up at your hotel. The bus costs an extra US$9 but its definitely worth it if you aren’t very adventurous, don’t want the hassle of getting to the bus station and waiting for the bus, or don’t speak Spanish. If you’re on a tight budget, definitely take the bus from the terminal. It’s also a much more authentic experience (i.e. you won’t be sitting next to other Americans and Brits).

Once you’re at Argentina Rafting you can sign up for a number of different activities. Most activities are done twice a day depending on the demand. If you want to do the morning excursion you should get there before 9. You can also do excursions that last several days and offer a lot of different activities. So you can choose between doing rafting, kayaking (although you will need to do a course there if you aren’t experienced), hiking (known as trekking in Argentina), mountain biking, horseback riding, zip-lining (known as “canopy”) or hidrospeed (you go down the river on some sort of disc). Every activity is really cheap at around US$20 for a half of a day.

The rafting trip was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. I had never gone rafting and have been trying to go again ever since. The river is not dangerous at all (they provide helmets and life vests) but it is fast enough to be enjoyable. I only fell out once but it was no big deal – I just got back in. They employ a photographer to take pictures all the way down the river which you can buy on a CD at the end for a very low price. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and make sure you have a great time. There’s enough time for some chatter on the boat, and I made friends with two doctors from the province of Buenos Aires. I’m quite sure all of the guides speak good enough English to tell you whatever you need to know.

The other two times I went I decided I wanted a workout and went mountain biking. The first time was on a Saturday and was alone, which was fine. I was in a relatively large group of ten. I had a great time and got a good workout. I would say that you should be in decent shape to do the mountain biking, although the course isn’t very challenging at all for a novice. The second time I went I was with my brother and we were alone with the guide. He was great in tailoring the course to challenge us a little bit. We were also able to rest when we wanted to. I would suggest going on a week day to have this kind of an experience.

All in all, I had three great trips up to Potrerillos. A day of “adventure” up in the Andes would be a great way to work off the calories from those gourmet meals you’re having back in Mendoza City.

El Turismo de Vino en Mendoza

2007-06-28T11:16:00.000-04:00

(To read this post in English, click here)

La revista norteamericana Forbes escribe que la elite estadounidense ya no busca lugares tradicionales para las vacaciones como Londres, Paris, Roma, y Hawaii. ¿Dónde van los ricos ahora? ¡Argentina!

“En Argentina, la gente sabia satisface sus deseos enófilos en Mendoza, una región fértil con bodegas que queda dos horas en avión de Buenos Aires. Con la atención internacional que recibe la Argentina sobre su vino y los hoteles lujosas como el Cavas Wine Lodge, que abrió en 2005, que ofrece alojamientos exclusivos, los viajadores concluyen que esta región vale la pena para visitar.”

Los que marcaron las tendencias de visitar la Argentina fueron los enófilos y los “sofistonautas” que ya conocía Napa, California y ya habían visitado a Francia y Italia. La combinación de la devaluación del peso en 2002 y la continuidad de la debilidad del dólar en comparación al euro creó la oportunidad de conocer una parte del mundo desconocido y una región vitivinícola nueva. Los empresarios en Mendoza respondieron a la demanda con alojamientos lujosos hechos para estos sofistonautas.

Muchas turistas de vino que viajan a Mendoza quieren pasar al menos una noche y un día en Buenos Aires. Recomiendo 1555 Malabia House, ubicado en el barrio Palermo Soho, que es muy fashion ahora. Mi hermano quedó allí el diciembre pasado y le encantó. El staff es muy amable, el chef hace lo que quiere para el desayuno cada mañana, se puede caminar a muchos restaurantes muy buenos, y las habitaciones son muy lindas. También, no es muy caro para lo que es – US$140 por una noche.

Si sos un enófilo, tal vez deberías alojarse en la Mansión Vitraux Hotel Boutique y Wine Lounge en el barrio San Telmo. No tengo experiencia personal allí, pero es relativamente nuevo y está en un barrio que está muy cerca de la Plaza de Mayo (Casa Rosada, Banco Central, Catedral, Ministerio de Economía, etc.) y Puerto Madero. También hay algunos restaurantes buenos en San Telmo y el mejor shopping de antigüedades en Buenos Aires.

También, he leído buenas criticas del Bobo (a la derecha), que está en Palermo como 1555 Malabia House.

Para las criticas de restaurantes de Buenos Aires, lea Guía Óleo y si lee ingles, hay un enorme lista de criticas en el blog de Dan Perlman, un dueño norteamericano de un restaurante en Buenos Aires.

Cuando llega a Mendoza después de un vuelo de dos horas desde Buenos Aires, tiene muchas opciones para el alojamiento lujoso. Probablemente el más lujosa afuera de la ciudad de Mendoza es el Cavas Wine Lodge. Pero si no quiere gastar US$300 por cada noche, no vayas a su sitio del web porque la tentación de hacer una reservación será muy fuerte. Hay una bodega en el lodge y las habitaciones tienen una vista hermosa de los Andes. Parece espectacular.

Un sitio bueno para buscar lugares para alojarse es BestOfMendoza.com. Este sitio es una colección de hoteles, bodegas, y restaurantes de primera categoría. No va a equivocarse con lugares que están en su sitio.

Para concluir, aquí es un resumen de algunos de los lugares de “Best of Mendoza.”

Hotel Piscis Las Leñas
Si te gusta esquiar y vivís en el hemisferio norte, ven en el Julio para disfrutarse en los Andes.

Estancia Rancho’e Cuero
Si querés ser un gaucho durante el día pero vivir en la modernidad, este estancia es para vos.

Bodega Salentein
Para los que quieren dormir al lado de la vid.

Park Hyatt Mendoza
Ubicado en la ciudad de Mendoza, no podés equivocarte en este hotel glamoroso (foto abajo).
Articulo: "Status-Symbol Trips." Por Shivani Vora. Forbes.com. 23 de mayo, 2007.

Wine Tourism in Mendoza

2007-06-28T08:18:00.000-04:00

(Para leer esta nota en castellano, haga clic aquí)

Forbes Magazine claims that the “American elite” no longer are seeking to go to the traditional vacation spots (London, Paris, Rome, Hawaii). So where are they going now? Argentina!

“In Argentina, the cognoscenti indulge their oenophile instincts in Mendoza, a vineyard-rich region about two hours by plane from Buenos Aires. With Argentina's wine receiving international attention and luxury hotels like Cavas Wine Lodge, which opened in late 2005, offering upscale accommodations, travelers are finding this a worthwhile region to visit.”

The trend-setters were of course the oenophiles and “sophistonauts” who already knew Napa like the back of their hand and had been to France and Italy. The combination of the peso’s devaluation in 2002 and the dollar’s continued weakness in comparison to the euro has created the opportunity to get to know a new part of the world and a new wine region. Entrepreneurs in Mendoza have responded with more upscale accommodations tailored to the sophistonauts. The Forbes article mentions Cavas Wine Lodge, but I thought I’d mention a few others that offer a luxury experience.

Most wine tourists who travel to Mendoza want to spend a couple days in Buenos Aires. I can highly recommend 1555 Malabia House (pictured at the left), located in the trendy Palermo SoHo neighborhood. My brother stayed there last December and absolutely loved it. The staff is extremely friendly, breakfast is made to order every morning, it is within walking distance of a lot of great restaurants, and the rooms are very nice. It is also an excellent deal, with their smallest rooms going for US$140 a night.

If you’re an oenophile, you might want to try the Mansión Vitraux boutique hotel and wine lounge in San Telmo. I don’t have any personal experience with it, but its relatively new and is in a neighborhood that is within walking distance to the Plaza de Mayo (home to the Casa Rosada, the Central Bank, the Economic Ministry, the original town hall, etc). There are also some good restaurants in San Telmo and the best antique shopping in Buenos Aires.

One other boutique hotel I’ve heard good things about is Bobo, which, like 1555 Malabia House, is in Palermo.

For the most comprehensive English-language restaurant reviews in Buenos Aires, check out Dan Perlman’s Saltshaker blog. In addition to running one of the new family-style, closed-door restaurants, he is also a sommelier, which is evident in his reviews.

Once you get to Mendoza after the two hour flight, you have a number of options. The most luxurious is the aforementioned Cavas Wine Lodge (pictured at the right). If you aren’t willing to spend 300 dollars a night for a double, don’t go to their website because you will be tempted to make a reservation. There is a vineyard on site and rooms overlook the Andes. It looks spectacular.

A good website to check out is BestOfMendoza.com. This is a collection of high-end hotels, wineries, and restaurants that have formed a loose alliance. You can’t go wrong with any of the places that are listed there.

To conclude, here's a quick rundown of some of the "Best Of Mendoza":

Hotel Piscis Las Lenas
If you are a ski bum, come here in July to carve the southern hemisphere snow.

Estancia Rancho’e Cuero
If you want to feel like a gaucho during the day and be pampered at night, this ranch is for you.

Bodega Salentein
For those who want to sleep with the vines (pictured at the right).

Park Hyatt Mendoza
Located in the city of Mendoza, you can’t go wrong with this beautiful hotel.

Article: "Status-Symbol Trips." By Shivani Vora. Forbes.com. May 23, 2007.
Image 1: 1555 Malabia House.
Image 2: Cavas Wine Lodge.
Image 3: Bodega Salentein.

News Wrap-Up

2007-06-27T17:07:00.000-04:00

(Para leer esta nota en castellano, haga clic aquí)

In the San Marcos Daily Record (San Marcos, Texas), the “wine guys” – Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr – detail the recent success of Argentine wine, and more specifically, Malbec.

“Winemakers in Argentina getting some attention.” By Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr. San Marcos Daily Record. June 27, 2007.

New York Sun (New York, NY) wine writer Matt Kramer recommends the Punto Final Malbec 2006 Bodega Renacer, suggesting that Bodega Renacer skillfully combines vines that are at least 50 years old with modern wine making techniques.

“Wines for the Obsessive Mind.” By Matt Kramer. New York Sun. June 27, 2007.

In the Wall Street Journal’s weekly Q&A column on wine, a reader asks which kind of wine she should introduce her husband to if he isn't a wine drinker. The answer? “Try a Chardonnay from Chile or Argentina. The labels are as easy as the wines and they're inexpensive, so there's no pressure.”

“Wine Notes.” By Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Wall Street Journal. June 23, 2007. (subscription required)

Dave McIntyre discusses wines appropriate for the summertime on Washingtonian.com. He suggests the Santa Julia Torrontés 2006. He says, “…no winery hits the value/quality quotient quite like Santa Julia, a winery known for value in all its wines.”

“Two Bargain Whites for Summer.” By Dave McIntyre. Washingtonian.com. June 21, 2007.

Vinexpo is the world’s largest wine fair, held yearly in Bordeaux. A big theme of this year was how the old world wine countries were falling behind the new world in terms of marketing. The article, from Reuters News Service, says, “New wine producers Chile and Argentina are up one end of the main hall. Their stands are buzzing with potential buyers who are swilling away on the wine that is sold in bottles with minimalist labels, catchy names and amusing pictures…That contrasts with many of the French labels that have stuck to traditional designs, give information on the chateau, details lost on the average Saturday night drinker.”

“Old wine in new bottles – a French revolution.” By Unknown. Reuters News Service. June 21, 2007.

Un resumen de las noticias de vino argentino

2007-06-27T17:03:00.000-04:00

(To read this article in English, click here)

En el San Marcos Daily Record (San Marcos, Texas, EE.UU.), los “hombres de vino” – Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr – escriben sobre el éxito reciente del vino argentino, y mas específicamente, el Malbec.

“Winemakers in Argentina getting some attention.” Por Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr. San Marcos Daily Record. 27 de junio, 2007.

El periodista de vino Matt Kramer recomienda en el New York Sun (La ciudad de Nueva York) el Punto Final Malbec 2006 Bodega Renacer, sugiriendo que la Bodega Renacer combina las viñas que tienen mas de cincuenta años y las técnicas modernas para hacer vino.

“Wines for the Obsessive Mind.” Por Matt Kramer. New York Sun. 27 de junio, 2007.

En el artículo semanal de preguntas y respuestas sobre vino en el Wall Street Journal (EE.UU.), un lector femenino pregunta que tipo de vino debería ofrecer a su esposo que no le gusta el vino. La respuesta es un Chardonnay de Chile o Argentina. Escriben, “Las etiquetas son tan fáciles que los vinos y son baratos, así que no hay presura.”

“Wine Notes.” Por Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Wall Street Journal. 23 de junio, 2007. (exige un subscripcion para leer)

Dave McIntyre del Washingtonian (Washington, DC) escribe sobre los vinos que son apropiados para el verano. Sugiere el Santa Julia Torrontés 2006. Dice, “…no hay una bodega que tiene la relación de precio a calidad como Santa Julia, una bodega que tiene una reputación por su valor en sus vinos.”

“Two Bargain Whites for Summer.” Por Dave McIntyre. Washingtonian.com. 21 de junio, 2007.

Ubicado en Francia, Vinexpo es la feria de vino más grande del mundo. Un tema importante de este año fue la caída de la calidad de marketing en el viejo mundo en comparación a los países del nuevo mundo. El articulo, de Reuters, un servicio de noticias norteamericana, dice, “Los nuevos productores como el Chile y la Argentina están ubicados en un lado del pasillo. Sus stands estaban llenos con compradores potenciales que estaban tomando vinos vendidos en botellas con etiquetas minimalistas, nombres pegadizos y fotos comicas…Este escenario contrae a las etiquetas franceses que siguen con disenos tradicionales, ofrece información sobre el chateau, que son detalles que no le importa el consumidor promedio de vino.”

“Old wine in new bottles – a French revolution.” Por un autor no conocido. Reuters News Service. 21 de junio, 2007.

Growing Wine Industry Threatens Native Argentines

2007-06-27T16:10:00.001-04:00

(Para leer este articulo en castellano, haga clic aquí)

The growth of the Argentine wine industry has been thoroughly covered on Argenvino. However, the consequences of such growth have not been detailed as rigorously. A recent National Geographic article describes the plight of the Huarpe people living in the Monte Desert. Due to the increased use of upstream water supply by grape growers, researchers have concluded that the Huarpe may begin to receive less and less water in their already dry location.

At the turn of the twentieth century the massive Italian and Spanish migration forced the Huarpe – which are also know as Lavallinos – to find land elsewhere. Instead of going to cities, they went to the Monte Desert, a place nobody was willing to go to. They now rely on the Mendoza River, which is fed by melting snow from the Andes. However, as the wine industry continues to grow, more grape growers are using the water.

The research that has concluded that the water tables are diminishing has been completed by agronomist Esteban Jobbagy of the National University of San Luis and colleagues at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences.

For Jobbagy, the solution lies in how vineyards irrigate. Most vineyards still use the mantle irrigation system, which includes flooding the vines every month or so. He claims that using the more advanced (and expensive) drip irrigation technique, which uses small pipes to feed the vines slowly, would help solve the problem.

Unfortunately, this is an issue that may fall on deaf ears. The wine business is a multi-billion dollar industry, while the Huarpe Indians only number in the few hundreds and have virtually no financial resources.

Source: “Wine Boom Threatens Native Argentine Water Source.” By Lorne Matalon. National Geographic News. June 20, 2007.

Image Location: National Geographic News Photo Gallery. Picture is of agronomist Esteban Jobbagy (National University of San Luis).

La industria de vino amenaza la fuente de agua para los indios

2007-06-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

(To read this article in English, click here)

El crecimiento de la industria vitivinícola en la Argentina ha sido discutido mucho en Argenvino. Sin embargo, las consecuencias de este crecimiento no ha sido detallado tan rigurosamente. Un artículo reciente en la revista norteamericana, National Geographic describe la situación apremiante de los indios Huarpe que vive en el Desierto Monte. Debido al uso, describe la situación incrementado del agua del Río Mendoza de las bodegas, el Huarpe recibe menos agua en su lugar que ya sufre en un lugar seca.

A los principios del siglo veinte las olas de inmigrantes italianos y españoles causaron el Huarpe para mudarse de la Pampa al desierto. Ahora ellos dependieron en el Río Mendoza, que lleva agua desde los Andes. Sin embargo, mientras que la industria vitivinícola continúa crecer, más campesinos de uvas usan el agua y hay menos agua para el Huarpe que queda más de 100 kilómetros afuera de la zona vitivinícola.

La investigación que concluyó que el nivel del agua freática está disminuyendo fue hecho por el ingeniero agrónomo Esteban Jobbagy de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis y sus colegas en Duke University (EE.UU.).

Jobbagy cree que la respuesta al problema es un cambio del tipo de sistemas de irrigación. Muchas bodegas irrigan las viñas con una masiva concentración de agua una vez cada mes. Jobbagy sostiene que el uso del sistema más avanzado (y caro) – la irrigación que usa gotas de agua que va a cada planta – podría resolver el problema.

Desgraciadamente, este es un tema que puede caer en saco roto. El negocio de vino es una industria multi-mil millonaria mientras que los indios Huarpe solo consisten de cientos de habitantes y no tienen recursos financiarías.

Fuente: “Wine Boom Threatens Native Argentine Water Source.” Por Lorne Matalon. National Geographic News. 20 de junio, 2007.

Lugar de las imágenes: National Geographic News Photo Gallery.

Argentine Beer Is More Than Just Quilmes

2007-06-26T09:10:00.000-04:00

(La versión en castellano puede estar leída acá)

As you probably already know, this is a blog about Argentine wine. However, this morning I stumbled upon an Argentine beer gaining some attention here in the U.S. First of all, Argentina would never be mistaken for Germany or Belgium for its beer quality and variety. While supermarkets dedicate entire aisles to wine, you would be lucky to find more than four or five kinds of beer. Quilmes, Stella Artois, Brahma, Heineken, and Budweiser dominate the market. And, although I truly do love Quilmes for its memory-inducing qualities of life in Buenos Aires, I am the first to admit that it’s not exactly the best beer in the world.

It seems that Quilmes, contrary to what many Argentines think, isn’t even the best domestic beer in Argentina (side note: the Buller Brewing Company in Buenos Aires has some very tasty beers, albeit pricey if you make money in pesos). One domestic beer critics are raving about is the Jerome Handcrafted Beer from Potrerillos, Mendoza.

My first reaction was, “Potrerillos?!?!” I haven’t explored many places outside of the city of Mendoza, but Potrerillos is one place I feel like I know very well, having visited three different times to go mountain biking and rafting (The picture at the right is of me, in 2005, in the bustling metropolis of Potrerillos). The town only has a few hundred residents (a guide at Argentina Rafting told me this) and is situated in what they call the “pre-cordillera” which translates to the “pre-mountain range” of the Andes. It is very dry, but the glacier-fed river (pictured below in 2005) that runs alongside the town is spectacular. This pure water provides the brewery with natural, healthy water that is not contaminated by chlorine found in city water supplies.

Jerome is a relatively new brewery, having been started in 1999, and currently employs only four people. The fascinating story of how the brewery came to be is explained by brewer Eduardo Maccari:

"It all started in the eighties, when I met a couple of Czechs that would change the course of my destiny. One winter afternoon, I was told that one of my Czech friends had gone to climb "El Plata", one of the highest peaks in the Andes and he hadn't returned. Fearing that an accident had occurred, I rushed to get help at the Air Force Base. They kindly took me to the site, where we spotted our friend's tent. There he was lying, asleep, frozen. We thought he had died, in fact, he showed no vital signs. We took him to the city of Mendoza, where, after a long time, he miraculously recuperated. In recognition, I was later invited to travel to the Czech Republic, where an old brewer taught me the art of beer making with an old recipe. Now I reproduce that recipe for you. This is how our brewery started. I started making beer as a hobby, in silence. Then I shared it with my friends, and now I'm brewing beer for the rest of Argentina and a few states in the USA, hoping you will enjoy drinking it as much as I do when I make it."

There aren’t many better stories than Eduardo’s. The operation still remains small, with Jerome only making five barrels a day. Those kinds of numbers would make one think that this is a part-time operation in someone’s basement. Not so. The Southern Wine Group, which imports to the United States well-known wineries such as Enrique Foster, snatched up the importing rights and is now distributing Jerome to several states in the U.S.

Currently, Jerome offers four flavors: Rubia, a light ale, Roja, a red ale, Diablo, a strong ale and Negra, a dark ale. You can read their tasting notes in a PDF here. According to this article on a beer website, the famed BBC wine critic Oz Clark came to Mendoza with the idea of tasting many of the fine wines from the region. After trying Jerome at the Hyatt Hotel in Mendoza, Clark raved about the beer and returned to London with his accolades. Weeks afterwards, Jerome had an order request of a 1,000 bottles from the Gaucho Grill, an Argentine-style steakhouse chain in the U.K.

If you are reading from the U.S., you can email Info@SouthernWineGroup.com to find out if Jerome is sold in your area or buy Jerome directly online here. If you are reading in Argentina, you can consult Jerome's list of places it is sold here.

Sources:

Images copied from the Jerome Brewery website and the Southern Wine Group website.

Article: “Cerveza with a sense of place.” By Gary Corbin. Guestontap.com. Accessed on June 26, 2007.

La Cerveza Argentina Es Más Que Quilmes

2007-06-26T08:42:00.000-04:00

(The English version of this post can be read here)

Como ustedes ya saben, este es un blog del vino argentino. Sin embargo, esta mañana descubrí una cerveza argentina que está ganando atención en los EE.UU. Primero, quiero clarificar que no considero la Argentina como un país notable para su cerveza. Los supermercados tienen al menos un pasillo para el vino mientras que tenés suerte para encontrar más de cuatro o cinco distintas cervezas. Quilmes, Stella Atrois, Brama, Heineken, y Budweiser dominan el mercado. Y, aunque me encanta el Quilmes por sus calidades de hacerme recordar de buenos momentos en mi vida porteña, soy la primera persona para admitir que la cerveza oficial de la Argentina no es exactamente la mejor cerveza del mundo.

Y parece que Quilmes, al contrario que piensan muchos argentinos, no es la mejor cerveza producida en Argentina (por otra parte, el Buller Brewing Company ubicado en el Microcentro y en la Recoleta en Buenos Aires tiene cervezas muy ricas, aunque son caras si ganas en pesos). Una cerveza domestica que les encantan los críticos es la cerveza artesanal Jerome, fabricada en Potrerillos, Mendoza.

Mi primera reacción fue de mucha sorpresa, “¿¡Potrerillos?!” No he explorado muchos lugares afuera de la ciudad de Mendoza, pero Potrerillos es un lugar que conozco muy bien, después de visitarlo tres veces para hacer mountain bike y rafting. El pueblo solo tiene unos cientos de habitantes (según una guía de Argentina Rafting) y está ubicado en la pre-cordillera de los Andes. El lugar es muy seco (o, al menos en la primavera cuando estaba allí), pero el río que pasa al lado del pueblo es espectacular. Su agua pura, que viene de los glaciares, provee la microcervecería con agua saludable y natural que no es contaminado del exceso de minerales encontrado en el agua en las ciudades.

Jerome es una microcervecería joven, empezado en 1999 y ahora solo tiene cuatro empleados. El cuento del principio de Jerome está explicado por su fundador, Eduardo Maccari:

“Todo comenzó allá por los 80’s, cuando conocí a unos checos que me cambiarían el destino. La historia es así: Una tarde del invierno, me avisaron que uno de ellos, había partido a escalar El Plata, en Vallecitos, y no regresaba. Ante la preocupación de un accidente, me apresuréa pedir ayuda a la Fuerza Aérea Argentina, quienes con sus helicópteros de rescate, gentilmente me trasladaron hasta las laderas del cerro, donde visualizamos la carpa de nuestro amigo. Allí estaba él, dormido, congelado. Pensamos que había muerto, de hecho, no tenía signos vitales. Lo sacamos de la tienda, lo trasladamos a Mendoza, donde después de mucho tiempo, se recuperó. De esta manera, en agradecimiento, fui recompensado con una invitación a Checoslovaquia, donde un viejo cervecero, me enseño el arte de la cerveza con una vieja receta, que ahora reproduzco. Así comenzó esta empresa, primo como un hobbie, en silencio, luego invitando a mis amigos y ahora para todo el País, para que la disfruten al tomarla, así como yo la disfruto al hacerla.”

No hay muchos mejores cuentos que este cuento de Eduardo. La operación sigue muy chica, con una producción de cinco barriles cada día. Estos tipos de números se hacen pensar que esta es una operación en el sótano de alguien. Este no es el caso. El Southern Wine Group, que importa muchas bodegas conocidas como Enrique Foster a los EE.UU., compró los derechos para importar Jerome y ahora se vende en algunos estados y por su sitio del web.

Actualmente, Jerome ofrece cuatro sabores: la Rubia, la Roja, el Diablo, y la Negra. Se puede leer una descripción de cada sabor en la forma PDF acá. Según este articulo de un sitio de web que escribe sobre la cerveza, el crítico famoso de vino de Inglaterra y el BBC, Oz Clark, vino a Mendoza con la intención de catar muchos vinos de la región famosa. Después de probar Jerome en el Hyatt Hotel, Clark alardeó sobre la cerveza y regresó a Inglaterra con sus elogios. Algunas semanas después de su regreso, Jerome recibió un orden por 1,000 botellas del Gaucho Grill, una cadena de parrillas argentinas por Inglaterra.

La lista de los lugares que venden Jerome en la Argentina está acá.

Fuentes

Los imágenes fueron copiados del sitio de web de Jerome Cerveza Artesenal y el Southern Wine Group website.

Articulo: “Cerveza with a sense of place.” Por Gary Corbin. Guestontap.com. Leido en el 27 de junio, 2007.

South America's Rising Star / La Estrella Naciente de Sur América

2007-06-22T14:39:00.000-04:00

Here in the North American summer, wine columnists are buzzing about which wines to pair with your barbeque. Well, one of the most widely-read and well-respected weekly wine columns, “Tastings” in the Wall Street Journal by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, (I’ve referred to their column before here) today published “South America’s Rising Star” (subscription required) on Argentina and its signature grape, Malbec.

After giving a summary of Argentina’s import explosion in the U.S. over the past couple of years, the writers conclude, “Having finished the tasting, let's get right to the point: If you don't pick up a Malbec to pair with one of your cookouts soon, you're making a mistake. This is a special grape and this is a good time to be trying it.”

They tested over 60 Malbec wines and concluded that the Felipe Rutini 2004 Malbec was the “Best of Tasting.” The “Best Value” went to the Nieto Senetiner “Reserva” 2004.

The writers’ decision to publish an entire article on Malbec and with such glowing remarks surely fortifies the Argentina/Malbec’s success in the U.S. As they write, “When we first wrote about Malbec in 1999, we had trouble getting enough for a blind tasting. How things have changed. Argentina in general, and Malbec specifically, are getting a tremendous amount of attention from the wine world these days.”

Argentine winemakers, once mired in a industry-wide crisis in the 1980s, should be proud to have carved their niche in the global wine industry.

Article: “South America’s Rising Star” by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Wall Street Journal. June 22, 2007.
Image: Rutini Malbec 2003. Found at the Bodega La Rural website: http://www.larural.com/fch_fr_rmalbec.htm.

Acá en el verano norteamericano los columnistas de vino están escribiendo mucho sobre los vinos que se pueden tomar cuando tenés un asado. Bueno, unos de las columnas más leídas y respetadas de los EE.UU. se llama “Tastings” en el Wall Street Journal y es escrito por Dorothy Gaiter y John Brecher (he referido a su columna antes) y hoy publicaron un articulo titulado “La estrella naciente de Sur América” (tiene que tener una subscripción al periódico) sobre la Argentina y su uva famosa, el Malbec.

Después de sumir la explosión de la importación de los vinos argentinos en los EE.UU. durante los tres años pasados (y ellos no pudieron resistir la comparación a Chile), los escritores concluyeron, “Después de terminar la cata de vinos, tenemos que ser sinceros: Si no compras un Malbec para unos de sus asados, estás cometiendo un error. Esta es una uva especial y ahora es la hora buena para probarla.”

Ellos probaron más de 60 vinos de Malbec y concluyeron que el Felipe Rutina 2004 Malbec fue el “Mejor de la Cata de Vinos.” El vino del “Mejor Valor” fue el Nieto Senetiner “Reserva” 2004.

La decisión de los escritores para publicar un artículo entero sobre el Malbec con tantos elogios señala la fortalecimiento del Malbec en el mercado norteamericano. Como ellos escribieron, “Cuando escribimos sobre el Malbec en 1999 por la primera vez, teníamos problemas de encontrar bastante vinos para una cata de vino. Es impresionante como los tiempos han cambiando. Estos días, la Argentina, y más específicamente el Malbec, están recibiendo una tremenda cantidad de atención del mundo de vino.”

Los winemakers argentinos, hace veinte años atrapados en una crisis de consumo, deberían estar orgullosos para haber llegado a este nivel de respeto del mundo de vino.

Articulo: “La estrella naciente de Sur America” por Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Wall Street Journal. 22 de junio, 2007.
Imagen: Rutini Malbec 2003. Encontrado en el sitio de la Bodega La Rural: http://www.larural.com/fch_fr_rmalbec.htm.

Not Just Malbec / No Sólo Malbec

2007-06-21T08:06:00.000-04:00

For the English-speaking audience, Wineloverspage.com right now is featuring a very informative discussion of Argentine wine with Alejandro Audisio.

Para los lectores que entienden inglés, hay una entrevista muy informativa sobre el vino argentino en el sitio Wineloverspage.com con Alejandro Audisio.

Wine Lovers Page. “Not Just Malbec.” With Alejandro Audisio.

Can Torrontés Catch On? / ¿El Torrontés = El Próximo Malbec?

2007-06-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

An article in Wine and Spirits Magazine caught my eye as it featured the “Top 4 Argentine Value Brands.” Two out of the four wineries had their torrontés grape featured as their best value. This struck me because Argentina, as I’ve said before, is almost synonymous with Malbec here. If Argentina can market torrontés as another Argentine alternative, their tremendous growth in the U.S. market will certainly continue.

On a completely unrelated wine note, congratulations to Ángel Cabrera who beat out Tiger Woods in the US Open in golf this past weekend. After a week in which Argentines Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto took home the NBA title for San Antonio, I’d say that Argentina had a pretty good week in the U.S. sports world.

Picture: Domingo del Plata Winery. Cafayate, Argentina. Found at: http://www.dominiodelplata.com.ar/vinos_crios.php

Un articulo en la revista Wine and Spirits Magazine me llamó la atención cuando publicó una nota titulado “Top 4 Argentine Value Brands” (El top 4 marcas mas valoradas argentinas). Dos de sus mejores marcas fueron destacados por su torrontés excelente. Me sorprendió porque la Argentina, como he dicho antes, es casi un sinónimo con el Malbec en los EE.UU. Si la Argentina puede hacer muy bien marketing con el torrontés como otro alternativo argentino, sin duda su crecimiento tremendo en los EE.UU. seguirá creciendo.

Para hablar sobre un tema completamente no relacionado al vino, quiero felicitar a Ángel Cabrera quien ganó el Abierto Estadounidense de Golf este fin de semana pasada. Después de una semana cuando los argentinos Manu Ginobili y Fabricio Oberto ganaron el titulo de basket con el San Antonio Spurs, diría que la Argentina tenía una gran semana en el mundo deportivo acá en Norteamérica.

Imagen: Dominio del Plata Winery. Cafayate, Argentina. Dirección: http://www.dominiodelplata.com.ar/vinos_crios.php

A Trip to Wine Heaven / Un Viaje al Cielo de Vino

2007-05-25T09:20:00.000-04:00

Last week I went with a couple friends to Total Wine and More in Claymont, Delaware (near Wilmington). As my friends loaded eight cases of Keystone Light into their carts for the weekend ahead, I meandered around in search of my precious Argentine wine.

The store was basically a warehouse of alcoholic beverages. They carry over 8,000 different wines, 2,000 different spirits, and over 1,000 different beers. When someone pictures a retail store like a warehouse they might think of something like the Sports Authority where no one will help you, and if they do actually offer to help, you soon realize that you were better off by yourself. That didn’t look to be the case at all at this place. In almost every aisle there was an information booth with someone to assist you. In fact, it was almost a nuisance because I wanted to take some pictures and knew from prior experience that these places don’t appreciate it when you start snapping.

Once I got my bearings, I started my search for the Argentine wine. My mission was to find two bottles – a white and a red – for around $10. The wine was organized by varietals and by region. The regions did not include Argentina, which was a little disappointing, but I think they figured that they made up for it with having a section only for Malbec (see picture). On their website, they list 63 different types of wine from Argentina and 28 different Malbecs.

I ended up buying a Pascual Toso Malbec and a Phebus Chardonnay. Both of them were about $9. ¡Que rico!

More Information: Total Wine & More

La semana pasada fui con algunos amigos a Total Wine & More en el estado chico de Delaware. Viajamos por 20 minutos a Deleware porque este estado no tiene impuestos en los productos alcohólicos (en Pennsylvania, si). Mientras que mis amigos pusieron ocho casos de cerveza (30 latas en cada caso) en su carrito de compras yo serpenteé por el lugar buscando por mi vino argentino precioso.

El negocio fue un almacén de bebidas alcohólicas. Ellos llevaron más que 8000 distintos tipos de vinos, 2,000 distintos licores y más de 1000 cervezas. En los EE.UU. cuando pensamos de un negocio así, usualmente no hay mucho servicio personal. Pero en este lugar hay estaciones de información en cada pasillo que fue un problema para mi porque sabía de otras experiencias que estos negocios no les gustan cuando se sacan fotos (se piensan que sos de un negocio competitivo y estás sacando fotos de sus precios).

Después de conocer el lugar, empecé mi búsqueda de dos vinos que cuesta 10 dolares por cada uno – un blanco y un tinto. El vino fue organizado por tipos de vino y por región. La Argentina no fue incluida en las regiones, pero tenían un pasillo solo con Malbec. En su sitio, tienen 63 distintos tipos de vino de Argentina y 28 de Malbec.

Al fin, compré un Pascual Toso Malbec y un Phebus Chardonnay. En total, costaron 18 dólares y salimos contentos – mis amigos con su montaña de cerveza y yo con mi vino.

Más Información: Total Wine & More

Malbec in Sports Illustrated? / ¿El Malbec en Sports Illustrated?

2007-05-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

I was shocked to see that Sports Illustrated resident online NFL guru “Dr. Z” was giving out great advice on Argentine Malbec the other day. In his weekly “Mailbag” column, a reader asked, “Can you recommend an Argentine Malbec, and…a South African red?” Apparently Dr. Z in addition to being an NFL insider, is quite the wine enthusiast. What did he recommend for the reader? “For Malbecs, and I refer to my notes from a Wine Media Guild dinner of a year ago, try the Valentin Bianchi Elsa ($9) and the High Altitude ($10) for terrific bargain wines. Another fine value is a very clean, silky Pascual Toso 2004 Mendoza Reserve ($18), and for a big, thick muscular one ... just right for my ex-wife's pot roast ... try the Bodega Noemia Patagonia J. Alberto, 2002 ($37.50).”

That’s quite a lengthy, detailed answer on wine for a column on SI.com! Also, I was pumped to see his recommendation of Pascual Toso, one of my favorite wineries due to winemaker Enrique Toso’s kindness in letting me interview him while doing research in Mendoza. My hat goes off to Dr. Z!

"NFL Mailbag." By Dr. Z. Found at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/dr_z/05/11/mailbag/.

Me impresionó que Sports Illustrated (el mejor revista semenal de deportes en los EEUU) en su edicion de la web mencionó el Malbec. Su columnista “Dr. Z” que es su gurú del NFL (la liga profesional de futbol americano) contestó a una pregunta de un lector en su columna semenal “Mailbag.” El lector preguntó, “Usted puede recomendar un Malbec Argentino y tinto de Sur Africa?” Aparentemente Dr. Z es un grande entusiasta de vino. Él contestó, “Para los Malbec, refiero a mis apuntes de una cena del Wine Media Guild que ocurrió hace algunos años, probá el Valentin Bianchi Elsa (US$ 9) y el High Altitude (US $10) por vinos terrificos y barratos. Otra ganga es un vino limpio y sedoso – Pascual Toso 2004 Malbec Reserve (US $18), y para un grande, musculoso vino…perfecto para el carne para asar de mi ex esposa…probá el Bodega Noemia Patagonia J. Alberto, 2002 (US $37.50).”

¡Es una respuesta bastante detallada sobre el vino en un sitio de deportes como SI.com! También, me gustó mucho su recomendación del vino de Pascual Toso. Pascual Toso es unos de mis bodegas favoritas a causa de la amabilidad de vinicultor Enrique Toso cuando reuní con él durante mis investigaciones en Mendoza.

"NFL Mailbag." Por Dr. Z. Se puede encontrar a: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/dr_z/05/11/mailbag/.

Did alcoholism lead to the fall in the popularity of table wine? / El alcoholismo y la caída en el consumo del vino de la mesa

2007-05-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

I love Google. I’m not just talking about the search engine, but the many different online applications they offer. I use Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Reader. In Google Reader I get feeds from a variety of sources, including many different wine blogs. One nice thing I’ve done is incorporated the Google News feeds into Google Reader. All you have to do is go and create a news feed, then right click on the actual feed and click “Copy Link Location” and then go to Google Reader and paste the link into a subscription. I have feeds such as, “Argentina, wine”, “Argentina, vino” and “Malbec”. I get a lot of random stories in there and I can keep an eye on what the American print media is writing about Argentine wine.

One of the stories that popped up recently was in the Daily Herald (Chicago) about Malbecs. I usually don’t read these stories because they almost always say the same thing. They give the background of the industry (huge producer but consumed all the wine for themselves, then one day Nicolas Catena realized they could make world class wines, blah blah blah), but something caught my eye in this story. The columnist writes, “By the 1970s, Argentina boasted the third-highest per capita wine consumption in the world, not of fine wine, but of cheap, vino de mesa that fueled rampant alcoholism. When the government stepped in with health programs to curb alcoholism, consumption dropped by half.” Um, what? I did a lot of research on the industry and no one ever mentioned this to me. I’ve previously explained the drop in “vino de mesa” consumption by the rise in popularity of beer and soda. However, I never could explain why this happened besides a change in taste. Can anyone lend some insight into this? And more specifically, some information on the government program that was supposed to “curb alcoholism?”

Me encanta Google. Estoy hablando no sólo de su servicio de búsquedas, pero su variedad de aplicaciones online que ofrece. Uso Gmail, Google Calendar, y Google Reader. En Google Reader, recibo los “feeds” de muchos fuentes que incluyen muchos blogs de vinos. Una característica útil de Google Reader es la incorporación de Google News feeds. Tiene que ir a Google News y crear un feed, y luego hace un clic derecha en el feed y clic a “Copiar la dirección del enlace” y luego vaya a Google Reader y pegar el enlace a una subscripción. Tengo feeds como, “Argentina, wine”, “Argentina, vino” y “Malbec.” Recibo muchas noticias raras que no me importan pero al mismo tiempo puedo prestar atención a lo que escribe la media norteamericana sobre el vino de la Argentina.

Unas de las noticias que llegó a Google Reader fue un articulo del Daily Herald (Chicago, Illinois) sobre el Malbec. Usualmente no leo los artículos que presenta el vino argentino porque siempre dice lo mismo. Ellos hablan de los principios de la industria (un productor enorme pero consumió todo que produjo, y luego un día Nicolás Catena se dio cuenta que la Argentina puede hacer vino para todo el mundo, blah blah blah), pero una cosa me llamó la atención en este articulo. La columnista escribe, “Durante los años 70, Argentina tenía el tercer consumo de vino per capita en el mundo no de vino fino pero de vino de la mesa que estimuló el alcoholismo. Cuando el gobierno intervino con servicios para terminar el alcoholismo, el consumo [de vino] cayó más de la mitad.” ¿Eh?! Hice bastante investigaciones sobre la industria vitivinícola y nadie mencionó este proceso. Antes, expliqué la caída del consumo de vino por el auge de la popularidad de la cerveza y la gaseosa. Sin embargo, nunca pude explicarlo además de un cambio de gusto. ¿Alguien tiene la respuesta? Y más específicamente, un poco de información sobre el programa del gobierno contra el alcoholismo.

“Malbecs are blending in among the great wines of the world.” By Mary Ross. Daily Herald. Wednesday, May 02, 2007. http://www.dailyherald.com/food/story.asp?id=308670.

Figure Source:
“Business Trends”. Economic Ministry of the Republic of Argentina. 2005. Soda consumption data found on p. 396. Wine consumption data found on p. 401.

NYC Wine Course in Spanish / Un curso de vino en castellano en Nueva York

2007-04-27T21:20:00.000-04:00

Spanish is the second most studied language in the world, according to a new study done by the Cervantes Institute. With this in mind, it is quite appropriate that the first-ever wine course in Spanish in the U.S. will be offered at the International Wine Center in New York City.

El español es el segundo idioma más estudiado del mundo, según un estudio realizado por el Instituto Cervantes. Así que no es una coincidencia que el primer curso de vino dado en español en los EEUU será ofrecido en la Ciudad de Nueva York.

The Argentina and Chile Comparison Reaches The Economist / El Economist compara la Argentina y Chile

2007-03-16T07:46:00.000-04:00

I wish I had some time to respond to this Economist article on Argentine wine. It makes some good points (like Argentina's inherent marketing power over Chile) but also makes a lot of bad ones as well.

Me encantaría responder a este artículo del Economist sobre la industria vitivinícola argentina en comparación a la de Chile pero no tengo bastante tiempo. Tiene razón sobre algunos puntos (como el poder de marketing de la Argentina) pero se equivoca mucho.

"Vino's Twin Peaks: Wine in Argentina and Chile." The Economist. March 15, 2007.

I'm Alive / Estoy vivo

2007-03-13T09:23:00.000-04:00

First off, sorry for the long delay. Midterms and lacrosse season don’t exactly equate to a lot of time to write a blog. So while I’ve been gone Mendoza has been busy with Vendimia and the wine bloggers have been talking about other things, like Michel Rolland telling everyone that Argentine wine was superior than Chilean wine (it was also covered by my fellow bloggers here and here). The only thing I have to say is that Rolland has an interest in Argentine wine in his Clos de los Siete vineyard. Below are some interesting news stories about Argentine wine that I didn’t have time to post. Oh, and who could forget to link to the Vendimia beauty queen from the city of Mendoza (who cares if she didn’t win the overall prize for the province?).

Primero, pido muchas disculpas por la demora de los posts. Los exámenes parciales y la temporada de lacrosse no me dejaron mucho tiempo para escribir. Mientras que estaba ausento la industria vitivinícola en la Argentina estuvo muy ocupado con Vendimia y otros temas como el comentario de Michel Rolland sobre la superioridad del vino argentina en contraste al vino chileno (los blogs escribieron sobre la situación acá y acá). La única cosa que voy a decir sobre su comentario es que Rolland tiene un interés en el éxito del vino argentino porque tiene una bodega, Clos de los Siete en Mendoza. Abajo hay algunos artículos publicados en la prensa internacional sobre el vino argentino. Y quien puede olvidar de la reina de belleza de la ciudad de Mendoza (¿Quién le importa que no ganó el Reina Nacional de la Vendimia?).

Links to stories:
"Argentine domestic consumption increased, barely." By Vinos de Argentina.

Vendimia Vendimia Vendimia!
Vines of Mendoza Coverage.
"Argentina boasts a plethora of grapes." By Laurie Daniel. March 7, 2007. The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA).

An Argentine “Y” Store? / ¿Un negocios "Y" de vino argentino?

2007-02-24T11:40:00.000-05:00

This week’s Wall Street Journal “Tastings” column (need subscription), written by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, is about a new trend in the U.S. wine retailer business. The trend is towards smaller, customer-friendly wine establishments that they call “Y Stores”, as they consciously target generation Y (defined as anyone born between 1978 and 1998). This was particularly interesting to me, as not only am I a member of generation Y, but my generation is increasingly interested in wine and will be the generation to push the U.S. past France in 2010 for the honor as the top wine consumer nation in the world (although, admittedly, the U.S. has a long way to go to get into the top 50 for per capita consumption).

La columna de vino semenal en el Wall Street Journal, escrito por Dorothy Gaiter y John Brecher, se trata de un nuevo ritmo de la venta de vino en los EE.UU. El ritmo consiste de negocios de vino que son más chicos y más amables para el consumidor. Los periodistas los nombran “negocios Y” porque su blanco es la generación Y (se define por una persona que nació dentro de 1978 y 1998). Este hecho me interesa porque soy un miembro de la generación Y y mi generación es más interesado en el vino cada día y será la generación que adelanta a los EE.UU. a la posición numero 1 en el mundo para el top consumidor de vino (aunque tenemos mucho trabajo para hacer para llegar al top 50 en términos de consumo per capita).

The article discusses how Y stores try to appeal to the customer by arranging the store in a consumer-friendly layout. For example, the authors profile Bottlerocket Wine & Spirits in Manhattan which organizes its wine by country (from “Argentina to the U.S.”) and then by theme, such as “seafood”, or “third date.” These stores generally carry a smaller selection of wine than the big chain stores and the authors admit that they still like the huge warehouse wine retailers that have an extraordinary selection.

El articulo habla de la manera en lo que los negocios "Y" intenta atraer al cliente por ordenar el negocio que es fácil para navegar. Por ejemplo, los autores escriben sobre Bottleneck Wine & Spirits en Manhattan que organiza su vino por país (“desde la Argentina hasta los EE.UU") y luego por el uso del vino, como “mariscos”, o “tercer cita”. Generalmente estos negocios llevan una selección más chica que los negocios cadenas.

The most Argentina-pertinent part of the story was Y stores’ focus on a theme. For example, Y store Tinto Fino in Manhattan features 115 Spanish labels and as the authors point out, “consumers can go deeper into certain regions than ever before because these stores tend to find unusual stuff from small producers.” I wonder if the guys from Vines of Mendoza have ever thought about such a venture in the US.

El aspecto que es pertinente a la Argentina es el parte que se trata de un negocio que sólo tiene vinos españoles. Tinto Fino en Manhattan lleva 115 bodegas españolas y como los autores apuntan, “los consumidores pueden explorar más de estas regiones que antes porque estos negocios encuentran vinos de los productores chicos.” Estoy pensando si los hombres de Vines of Mendoza ya habían pensado de la idea para los EE.UU con vinos argentinos.

A couple more tidbits: this is one crazy contraption; many stores offer notes on each wine when you scan the bar code into computers located around the store; tastings with real wine glasses (not plastic cups); and some stores are even offer “wine boot camp” for those who really want to know about wine. And last but not least: "Almost one-in-four men try to impress friends or dates by pretending to be wine buffs, reveals a new survey. However, most risk being exposed as buffoons according to the poll, which found knowledge of the drink is low despite soaring popularity." LSE.co.uk (Via Dr. Vino)

Unas cosas más: Este es un artilugio loco (en el sentido bueno); muchos negocios ofrecen apuntes sobre cada vino cuando escaneas el código en la botella en unas computadoras ubicadas por el negocio; ofrecen probaciones con vasos reales (no vasos plásticos); y ofrecen “wine boot camp” que se traduce como una semana intensa sobre el vino. Y finalmente: “Casi uno de cada cuatro hombres intenten a impresionar a sus amigos o novias por actuar que saben mucho sobre el vino, revela una encuesta nueva.” LSE.co.uk (Via Dr. Vino)

Tough Year in Mendoza, says Wine Spectator / Una cosecha complicada en Mendoza, según Wine Spectator

2007-02-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

Wine Spectator summarizes this year’s hail storms and their consequences on the harvest in a short, albeit comprehensive article.

Resume Wine Spectator las problemas con el granizo en un artículo no largo, pero muy completo.

“Argentina Likely in for Tough Year after Hail Hits Vineyards.” By James Molesworth. Wine Spectator. February 21, 2007.

Malbec in San Jose / Malbec en San Jose, California

2007-02-21T08:58:00.000-05:00

The San Jose Mercury News has a nice feature on Malbec today.

Hoy un periódico de San Jose, California publicó un artículo bueno sobre el Malbec.

"Argentina's Malbec Shows Improvement in Quality." by Laurie Daniel. San Jose Mercury News. February 21, 2006.

Dr. Vino's Pictures of Mendoza / El blog de Dr. Vino y sus fotos de Mendoza

2007-02-20T18:47:00.000-05:00

One of the best blogs in english on wine is Dr. Vino. A little while ago the author visited Mendoza and took some nice picures. Enjoy!

Unos de los mejores blogs sobre el vino en ingles es Dr. Vino. Hace un poco que el autor del blog visitó a la Argentina y sacó algunas fotos. ¡Que las disfruten!

Valentine’s Day and Argentine Wine / El Día de San Valentín y el vino argentino

2007-02-18T17:16:00.000-05:00

I’ve always been quite the curmudgeon when it comes to Valentine’s Day. You know, the usual grumbling about capitalism and its exploitation of romance. Fortunately, I was able to put a positive twist on this year’s celebration with a Trapiche Broquel 2004 Malbec (and a lovely girlfriend to share it with didn’t hurt either). As I confessed in one of my first posts, I know basically nothing about wine. In case you’re a bit confused, I do know something about the development of the Argentine wine industry, and it just so happens that through my “research” I got to learn a little bit about the actual wine itself. So, all I can say about this Malbec, which apparently is now synonymous with Argentine wine in the U.K., is that it was smooth, had a little bit of spice, and had a short finish. I googled it and came back with this description:

“For a relatively new wine, this one is very smooth. The color is a rich purple of moderate intensity and superior clarity. With scents of leather, raspberry, a hint of spice, and a light background of oak, this wine bears more than a passing similarity to some cooler-climate Zinfandels. The taste is all fruit, with very mild tannin and a moderate acid level, and a short but enjoyable finish. With such soft tannins, it's unlikely this wine will do any serious aging, so drink now!” http://www.corkd.com/wine/view/12692

So there you have it. I also got it on sale for 12 dollars, a pretty good price to quality ratio. Of course, in Buenos Aires I bet this wine costs about 15 pesos (5 dollars), as Guía Vinum told me about another Trapiche Malbec 2004.

For those of you wondering, this whole event was your classic college student affair. The wine glasses were given to me as a gift from my Argentine host mother, the plastic plates were taken from the dining hall, and the “napkins” are actually tissues. What fine cuisine did we enjoy you ask? Well, chicken parmesan sandwiches from the local pizzeria, of course. And dessert? Jorgito alfajores! For those of you who don’t know, these “alfajores” are little Argentine chocolate treats with dulce de leche in the middle.

Jamás disfrutaba el Día de San Valentín. Siempre decía las quejas normales como el proceso de explotación capitalista sobre el amor. Este año tenía la suerte de usar el día por comprar un vino argentino – un Trapiche Broquel Malbec 2004. También, estaría en problemas si no menciono que el vino fue muy rico porque pasé la cena con mi novia linda.

Confesé en algunos de los posts primeros del blog que no sé nada sobre el vino. Tal vez estás un poco confundido porque estás leyendo este blog, sé un poco sobre el desarrollo de la industria vitivinícola y por las “investigaciones” aprendí un poco sobre el vino. Así que la única cosa que puedo decir sobre este Malbec, que es aparente que es un sinónimo por el vino argentino en Gran Britana (que malditas piratas…), es que fue suave, tenía un poco de especia, y el sabor terminó rápida en la lengua. Googleé (si, googlear es el verbo, mirá a esta nota en Clarín) el vino y encontré esta descripción en ingles y la traduje:

“Para un vino bastante nuevo, es muy suave. El color es un morado oscuro con una intensidad moderada y una claridad superior. Con aromas de cuero, frambuesa, y un poco de una especia, este vino es muy similar a algunos Zinfandels desde climas más frescas. El sabor tiene mucha fruta, con taninos muy suaves y un nivel de acido muy moderado, terminó muy rápido aunque disfruté mucho. Con taninos tan suaves, no es probable que vaya a madurar mucho, ¡así que tomá ahora!" http://www.corkd.com/wine/view/12692

Compré el vino por 12 dólares – una matanza en términos de pesos argentinos según Guia Vinum – pero es bastante barato por un vino tan bueno y usualmente se venden por 14 dólares.

Para los lectores que tienen un interés en el evento de tomar el vino, puedo compartir la descripción muy típica para un universitario. Los vasos fueron regalos de mi “mama argentina”, los platos eran plásticos que saqué del centro de comer de la universidad, y las servilletas eran pañuelos. ¿Me preguntan que comida fashion que comimos? Pollo parmesano de la pizzería local, por supuesto. Y para el poste comimos alfajores Jorgito que había traído desde Buenos Aires. ¡Que cena romántica!

Argentine wine in Snowy Pennsylvania / Vino argentino en Pennsylvania

2007-02-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

I made my first ever purchase of Argentine wine in the U.S. today. I swung by the state-run wine and spirits store over on Baltimore Pike in Springfield, PA and bought Trapiche Broquel 2004 Malbec and a Trapiche 2005 Chardonnay. I was expecting a bigger selection, especially since it was quite a large store, but their selection of Argentine wine was mediocre at best. Tomorrow night I should be sharing one of these bottles with a certain Valentine, so I’ll let you know how Mendoza tastes in snowy Swarthmore, PA.

Hoy compré mi primera botella de vino argentino en los EE.UU. Fui al negocios de vino y licores en la Avenida Baltimore en Springfield, Pennsylvania y compré el Trapiche Broquel 2004 Malbec y una Trapiche 2005 Chardonnay. Tenía expectativas una selección más amplia, especialmente porque hubo un negocio bastante grande, pero su selección de vino argentino fue al mejor mediocre. En Pennsylvania, los supermercados no están permitidos a vender vino, licor, o cerveza. Hay negocios que sólo venden cerveza y hay negocios que venden licor y vino juntos. Todo está manejado por el estado.

Mañana a la noche debería compartiendo unas de estas botellas con una cierta Valentina, así que les contaré cual es el sabor de Mendoza en Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

A new book on the Argentine wine industry / Un nuevo libro sobre la industria vitivinícola argentina

2007-02-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

Professor Steve Stein, Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Miami, is currently co-authoring a book with Professor Ana María Mateu of the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo on the Argentine wine industry. It will be published in Spanish in Argentina by the Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. For the Argentine readers out there, keep an eye out for El vino y sus revoluciones: Una antología histórica sobre el desarrollo de la industria vitivinícola argentina. It should be hitting bookshelves sometime this year.

Profesor Steve Stein, Director del Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos de la Universidad de Miami, está en el proceso de publicar con Profesor Ana María Mateu de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo una antología sobre la industria vitivinícola argentina. Será publicado en castellano en la Argentina por la Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Para los lectores argentinos, que tengan buen ojo para El vino y sus revoluciones: Una antología histórica sobre el desarrollo de la industria vitivinícola argentina. Debería estar en las librerías este año.

Old World Consumer, New World Producer / Un pais del consumo del viejo mundo y productor del Nuevo mundo

2007-02-06T00:21:00.000-05:00

Argentina is a funny wine country. While it often grouped into the New World producers – the United States, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – its consumption patterns look very much like that of an Old World country – Italy, France, or Spain. In this paper (PDF) from researchers at the University of California Davis Viticulture and Enology Department in Nature, tells an interesting story of increasing consumption in the New World while per capita consumption declines in the Old World. The paper says New World wine drinkers tend to drink more high quality wine in lower quantities, while Old World wine drinkers drink cheaper wine at higher quantities. This has certainly been the case in Argentina, even though the consumption of table wine has sharply declined during the past twenty years due to the popularity of beer and soda.

Nevertheless, Old World/Argentine wine drinkers certainly consumer a LOT more wine than the U.S., per capita.

Graph: Linda, Bisson, et all. “The Present and future of the international wine industry.” Nature 418. August 8, 2002.

The University of California Davis Viticulture and Enology Department: http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/

Argentina es un caso distinto en el mundo del vino. Es usual para ver la Argentina en el grupo de productores del nuevo mundo – los EE.UU., Chile, Australia, Nueva Zelandia, y Sur Africa – pero sus ritmos de consumo parecen mucho más como los de un país del viejo mundo – Italia, Francia y Espana. En este articulo (PDF) en la revista Nature, los investigadores de la facultad de Viticultura y Enología de la Universidad de California Davis nos cuentan del consumo que aumenta en el nuevo mundo mientras que el consumo per capita declina en el viejo mundo. Continúa diciendo que los consumidores del nuevo mundo tienden a tomar vino de una calidad más alta en cantidades menores, mientras que los consumidores del viejo mundo toman vino más barato en cantidades más grandes. Este es el caso en la Argentina, aunque el consumo del vino de la mesa ha declinado drásticamente durante los 20 años pasados debido a la popularidad de la cerveza y la gaseosa.

No obstante, consumidores del viejo mundo y la Argentina toman MUCHO más vino que los EE.UU, per capita.

Gráfica: Linda, Bisson, et all. “The Present and future of the international wine industry.” Nature 418. 8 de agosto, 2002.

La facultad de Viticultura y Enología de la Universidad de California Davis: http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/

Wine theft / Robo de vino

2007-02-01T15:16:00.000-05:00

This article in the New York Times addresses a wine theft in Atherton, California which totaled $100,000. It mentions in passing a personal wine collection of 27,000 bottles. 27,000 bottles!

Este artículo en los New York Times discute un robo de vino en Atherton, California que sumó US $100,000. El artículo menciona una colección de vino que tiene 27,000 botellas. ¡27,000 botellas!

Flying Trout Winery / Bodega Flying Trout

2007-01-31T21:35:00.000-05:00

I came across the Flying Trout Winery in a Google Alert. It looks like they have a vineyard in Mendoza and Walla Walla, Washington. I wonder how many other wineries are located in both the U.S. and Argentina (and I’m not referring to large multinationals like the Mondavis). They also have a blog to check out.

Encontré la bodega Flying Trout en una alerta de Google. Parece que ellos tienen una bodega en Mendoza y Walla Walla, Washington. Me pregunto cuantas bodegas están ubicados en ambos países, y no estoy refiriendo a un multinacional poderoso como los Mondavi. Ellos tienen un blog también.

Jerry Shriver on Malbec / Jerry Shriver escribe sobre el Malbec

2007-01-31T19:33:00.000-05:00

USA Today wine columnist Jerry Shriver writes, “Malbecs…tend to deliver most of the attributes of prestigious reds – generous aromas, dark color, concentrated ripe fruit and sturdy texture – as soon as the wines hit store shelves.” What he’s getting at is that the tannins in a young bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot can really be bitter, but that the Malbecs are nice when they are young. Of course, Shriver cites the one-man-publicity-machine Nicolas Catena as saying the reason for this is the Malbec grape’s close proximity to the sun in high altitudes, which, “…increases the amount of phenolic (aromatic) components and reduces the tannins responsible for astringency and bitterness.” (As a sidenote, the link goes to a local paper in the U.S., so this article is probably a sindicated column written by Shriver, and I'm unsure if it will actually appear in the USA Today)

Shriver then goes on to recommend 2006 Alamos at the top of the list. I have to admit, that I see Alamos everywhere in the U.S., and unfortunately it’s a long way from the best wines Argentina has to offer.

“Argentine Malbecs are rich, robust and affordable.” By Jerry Shriver. Posted on January 31, 2007. Found in “The Leader-Courier.”

Jerry Shriver, un columnista de vino del periódico nacional en los EE.UU., escribe, “El malbec tiende a producir muchos de las características de los vinos tintos prestigiosas – aromas generosas, color oscuro, fruta madura y muy concentrada, y una textura fuerte – cuando la botella llega a la balda en el negocios.” Lo que él quiere decir es que los taninos en una botella joven de Cabernet Sauvignon o Merlot pueden ser muy amargos, pero los de Malbec son muy ricos cuando son jóvenes. Por supuesto, Shriver cita la “maquina de marketing”, Nicolás Catena, diciendo que la razón de la madurez de los taninos es la proximidad de la uva al sol en las alturas profundas, que, “incrementa la cantidad de fenol componentes y reduce los taninos responsables para un vino astringente y amargo.” (Debería decir que el enlace es para un artículo de Shriver en un periódico local en los EE.UU. Es probable que los periódicos chicos paguen a Shriver para publicar artículos específicos y no sé si USA Today publicaría este artículo.)

Entonces, Shriver recomienda un Alamos 2006 como un vino barato y bueno. Tengo que admitir que Alamos está por todos lados en los EE.UU. y desgraciadamente está lejos de ser unos de los vinos más ricos que ofrece la Argentina.

“Argentine Malbecs are rich, robust and affordable.” Por Jerry Shriver. Puesto en 31 de enero, 2007. Encontrado en “The Leader-Courier.”

Some quick facts / Algunos hechos interesantes

2007-01-30T19:29:00.000-05:00

Update: So I just wrote this post without reading the rest of the South American Wine Blog, where I see Pablo has posted a part of my “healthy wines” post from yesterday. That’s quite a coincidence!

Actualización: Bueno, acabo de escribir el siguiente y después leí más del blog del South American Wine Group, donde me di cuente que Pablo puso algo de mi post sobre los vinos saludables de Mendoza que escribí ayer. ¡Les juro que no planeamos nada! ¡Que casualidad!

Pablo over at the South American Wine Group blog reminds us of some pretty cool stuff. He writes in Spanish, so I thought I’d translate some of the highlights.

- “Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world.”
- “Argentina is the third largest wine consumer in the world.” Sidenote: I’ve reported on this blog that Argentina is actually the sixth biggest wine consumer, per capita, in the world. According to a report I was given at the Economic Ministry, Argentina is ranked, per capita, behind (in order) Luxembourg, France, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland. Hmm, I wonder if we can resolve this.

Pablo also adds, “Argentina is the only country in the world where you can find monkeys in the jungles of the northeast to penguins in Patagonia.” Thanks Pablo!

El blog del South American Wine Group escrito por Pablo nos hace recordar de algunos hechos interesantes. Algunos de las cosas que se destacaron:

- “Argentina es el quinto productor mundial de vinos.”
- “Argentina es el tercer consumidor mundial per capita de vinos (41 litros anuales per capita vs 7 litros anuales per capita en Estados Unidos).” (He publicado en este blog que la Argentina se ubica en el sexto lugar de consumidores de vino en el mundo, per capita. Según un informe que encontré en el Ministerio de Economía, la lista pareció así: Luxemburgo, Francia, Italia, Portugal, y Suiza. ¿Supongo que podemos resolver la diferencia?)

Pablo añade, “Argentina es el único lugar en el mundo donde uno puede encontrar desde monos, en las selvas del noroeste, hasta pingüinos, en la Patagonia.” ¡Gracias Pablo!

Is Mendoza wine better for you? / ¿Puede ser que el vino mendocino es más saludable que el vino típico?

2007-01-29T19:06:00.000-05:00

Well, according to this article by the Wine News Magazine, it might be. Many winemakers in Mendoza pride themselves on finding microclimates at high altitudes. They claim that at the higher altitude, “…the top soil is thin and the sparse subsoils are peppered with stones.” The melting snow also provides more water for natural irrigation than the Mendoza Valley.

Bueno, según este articulo publicado en Wine News Magazine, puede ser que sí. Muchos viticultores mendocinos buscan microclimas en alturas profundas. Ellos sostienen que en un clima a esa altura, “…la tierra de cultivo es delgada y tiene bastante piedras.” También, la nieve fundida proviene más agua para el riego natural que la valle Mendoza.

Apparently, Nicolas Catena has once again been the trailblazer (he is credited as being one of the first Argentine winemakers to make wine at an internationally renowned level) and claims that, “The lower temperatures and higher solar radiation at these various altitudes make for more concentrated flavors in the wines.” But are the high altitude wines actually healthier for you? The article says that a recent chemical analysis of the grapes revealed, “…a richness in healthful phenols, such as quercetine and resveratrol.” Resveratrol is the chemical that has been found to, “offset the bad effects of a high-calorie diet in mice and significantly extends their lifespan,” according to this New York Times article.

Aparentemente, otra vez Nicolás Catena es la figura que innova, “Las temperaturas bajas y radiación solar intensiva en las alturas varias producen más sabores concentrados en los vinos.” Pero, ¿los vinos son más saludables? El articulo dice que un análisis química de las uvas reveló que, “…una riqueza de rojo fenoles como quercetine y resveratrol.” Resveratrol es la química que, “contrarresta los efectos malos de una dieta de muchas calorías en los ratones y extiende su vida,” según los New York Times.

Mendoza in Newsweek

2007-01-27T22:04:00.000-05:00

Newsweek is running a short article on the harvest festival in Mendoza coming up in March. "The Good Life: Travel South for the Harvest." Feb 5 Issue.
The picture was taken by Alex Cordell On March 10, 2006 in Mendoza. I like how it shows how many of the vineyards in Mendoza have a beautiful mountain backdrop. You can see the rest of the album here.

Una revista norteamericana, Newsweek, publicará un artículo corto sobre la Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia que pasará en la primera semana de marzo. "The Good Life: Travel South for the Harvest." 5 de febrero. La foto es de Alex Cordell y fue sacado el 10 de marzo 2006 en Mendoza. Se puede ver sus fotos acá.

Hail / Granizo

2007-01-27T00:54:00.000-05:00

One of the biggest threats to the grape harvest every year is hail. The provincial government uses some of the most advanced technology in the world to prevent the hail which can destroy a large percentage of the harvest. The provincial government actually pays for planes to fly over potential hail-storm clouds in order to release a chemical that is proven to break-up the hail forming in the cloud. Unfortunately, La Nacion is reporting that hail fell in the San Rafael region for 25 minutes that was the size of a fist. San Rafael is typically the region that is most affected by hail. Read about the latest storm here.

El granizo es unos de las amenazas más importantes a la cosecha de uvas. El gobierno provincial utiliza unos de las tecnologías más avanzadas en el mundo para prevenir contra el granizo que puede destruir un porcentaje grande de la cosecha. La provincia paga por los aviones para volar sobre las nubes que tiene granizo potencialmente para dejar una química. La química es probada para destruir el granizo en la nube. Desgraciadamente, La Nación está informando que el granizo el tamaño de un puño cayó hoy en la región San Rafael por 25 minutos. Típicamente San Rafael es la región más afectada por el granizo. Leé sobre la tormenta acá.

Harvest time / La hora de la cosecha

2007-01-25T08:36:00.000-05:00

The preliminary numbers are coming in on this year’s harvest and it’s looking bad for grape growers and very good for wineries. This article cites the INV (National Institute of Viticulture) as saying it foresees a 6% increase in comparison to the 2006 harvest in San Juan and 4-5% increase in Mendoza. Alfredo Aciar, Chief of Cabinet in the Economic Ministry, told me in October that the provincial government was expecting a surplus and may get involved by buying grapes to maintain a high price.

Las estadísticas preliminares ya están disponibles sobre la cosecha anual de la uva. Ahora parece muy mal para los productores y muy favorable para las bodegas. Este articulo cita el INV (Instituto Nacional de Viticultura) diciendo que pronostica un aumento de 6% en comparación a la cosecha en 2006 en San Juan, y un aumento de 4-5% en la provincia de Mendoza. Alfredo Aciar, Jefe de la Gabinete del Ministerio de Economía, me dijo en octubre que el gobierno provincial anticipaba un excedente y fue posible que el gobierno se involucrara en el mercado por mantener un precio estable de la uva.

Disoriented in Mendoza / Desorientado en Mendoza

2007-01-21T23:56:00.000-05:00

Pablo Flores writes “D for Disorientation”, one of the best English-language blogs in Argentina. He just returned from a two-week trip to Mendoza where he certainly had some run-ins with wine. Although this isn’t specific to the wine industry, his recent posts here (about the importance of water in Mendoza) and here (a short recap of his trip) are worth a read as well as his promised future posts on the trip.

Pablo Flores escribe “D for Disorientation”, unos de los mejores blogs escritos en ingles en la Argentina. Él acaba de regresar de un viaje que duró dos semanas en Mendoza donde fue probable que él encontró un poco de vino. Aunque las entradas no son especificas en referencia a la industria vitivinícola, sus entradas acá (sobre la importancia de agua en Mendoza) y acá (un resumen chico de su viaje) valen la pena para leer y también sus entradas futuras sobre el tema. ¡Andáte!

More pub / Más “pub”

2007-01-21T18:59:00.000-05:00

There’s a nice little article from Pueblo, Colorado’s “The Pueblo Chieftain” on the wine industry in Mendoza. The journalist features Gabriela Furlotti of Finca Adalgia. The article goes on to describe that the “contratistas” are being, “priced out of the market.” From personal anecdotal experience I’ve seen a lot of big multinational development, but on the same hand there’s been a growth of boutique wineries too. I always got the feeling that winemakers in Mendoza feel that the more the merrier and that the smaller wineries have to find their niche. Also, Wines of Argentina promotes the wine industry of the entire country to Europe and the U.S., benefiting everyone, not just the big players in the market.

Oh, and one more thing. The journalist takes an easy shot at Argentina with this line:
“It was [on the two-lane highway through the Andes] where we began to fully appreciate the money the Chilean government puts into its road system. That fact was evident halfway through the tunnel, which was well-lit until we reached the border. Then it went nearly pitch black.
Welcome to Argentina.”
Did the Chileans feed you that line or something?
“A Taste of Argentina” by Charles Ashby. The Pueblo Chieftain. January 21, 2007.

Hoy publicó un artículo bueno del periódico de Pueblo, Colorado sobre la industria vitivinícola en Mendoza. El periodista escribe sobre Gabriela Furlotti de Finca Adalgia. El articulo describe la situación de las contratistas como “marginados en el mercado” debido a la competición creciente de bodegas mejores financiados. Desde la punta de vista de mi experiencia anecdotal, he visto mucho desarrollo multinacional en Mendoza, pero al mismo tiempo hay mucho crecimiento de bodegas boutique. Siempre me sentía que los vinicultores mendocinos creían que más bodegas fue una cosa buena para la región y las bodegas chicas tenía que encontrar su hueco en el mercado. También, Bodegas de Argentina promueve la industria vitivinícola de todo el país a Europa y los EE.UU., un hecho que beneficia a todos, no sólo los jugadores grandes en el mercado.

Una cosa más. (En ingles)
“It was [on the two-lane highway through the Andes] where we began to fully appreciate the money the Chilean government puts into its road system. That fact was evident halfway through the tunnel, which was well-lit until we reached the border. Then it went nearly pitch black.
Welcome to Argentina.”
¿Cuanto pagaron los chilenos para escribir esa línea? ¿Vos fuiste un espía chilena en Mendoza? (Para los lectores que no pueden leer ingles, el periodista dice que supo cuando pasó a la frontera argentina en el túnel en los Andes desde Chile porque de repente no hubo luz)
“A Taste of Argentina” by Charles Ashby. The Pueblo Chieftain. January 21, 2007.

Vines of Mendoza

2007-01-17T08:56:00.000-05:00

These Vines of Mendoza guys sure have been getting a lot of publicity lately in the U.S. press. First an NPR interview and now a Washington Post article (“An Open Window For World Wines”).

Parece que los “tres amigos” de Vines of Mendoza estén recibiendo un montón de publicidad en la media norteamericano durante el mes pasado. Primero, una entrevista en NPR (Radio Publico Nacional) y ahora un articulo en unas de las revistas más importantes, el Washington Post (“An Open Window For World Wines”).

New Links / Nuevos enlaces

2007-01-16T15:56:00.000-05:00

I’ve added two new interesting links that can be found in the right-hand column. The first is the blog by the South American Wine Group (SAWG). I did a quick google search on SAWG and didn’t come up with much, but I can say that it is an excellent blog updated almost daily. Today, SAWG, written by Pablo Gimenez Melo, writes about the importance of women in the wine market.

The second link I’ve added is that of Vines of Mendoza. Vines of Mendoza is a company that was founded a few years back by a couple Americans and, what do you know, Pablo Gimenez Melo! These three guys have really been growing their business with a wine club that is set up to send wine lovers abroad 4 unique bottles every month from boutique wineries in Argentina that can’t be found in the U.S. They also have a really cool tasting room that I went to with my brother a couple weeks ago and had a great time after being given a free voucher at our hotel. But these guys aren’t done. They are also creating their own vineyard where tourists will be able to come and make their own wine – very, very cool stuff. The final phase of their plan is to open a five-star resort, or as they say “winemaking retreat.” It’s quite clear that these guys understand how to link the wine industry with the rapidly growing tourism industry in Mendoza.

Anadé dos nuevos enlaces interesantes que se puede encontrar en la columna a la derecha. El primero es un blog del South American Wine Group (SAWG). Hice una busqueda rápida sobre SAWG y no encontré mucho, pero puedo decir que es un blog excelente que está realizado diariamente. Hoy, SAWG, escrito por Pablo Jiménez Melo, escribe sobre la importancia de las mujeres en el mercado de vino.

El segundo enlace es de Vines of Mendoza. Vines of Mendoza es una empresa que fue fundado en 2004 por dos norteamericanos y, quien sabría, ¡Pablo Gimenez Melo! Estos tres hombres han estado ocupados durante los dos años pasados. Su primer negocio fue un club de vino para extranjeros. Ellos envían una caja de cuatro botellas de vino cada mes de bodegas boutique de Mendoza. También, ellos tienen un “tasting room” (cuarto para probar vinos) muy cheto donde fui con mi hermano hace algunas semanas porque nuestro hotel nos dio un voucher para probar cinco vinos. Pero estos hombres no terminaron allí. Están creando una bodega donde los turistas podrían venir y hacer su propio vino – muy, muy buena idea. La fase final de su plan es un hotel de cinco estrellas, o como dicen ellos, un “winemaking resort.” Es claro que estos hombres entienden como vincular la industria vitivinícola con una industria de turismo creciente en Mendoza.

Malbec Rosé

2007-01-16T14:57:00.000-05:00

Rosé has a bad reputation in the U.S. as being a cheap and classless wine. In Argentina it stands tall right beside the reds and whites, and is actually quite good there. Since its mid-summer in Argentina, Rosé is a popular choice for the Argentine looking for a simple refreshing wine. Robert Wright from Line of Sight does a very nice recap of a few popular Malbec Rosés (and he gives this blog nice shout out too, thanks Robert!).

Rosé tiene una reputación mala en los EEUU como un vino barato. En Argentina es un vino respetable al lado de los tintos y los blancos y son realmente muy ricos. Robert Wright de Line of Sight hace un resumen muy bueno de los Malbec Rosé populares (y menciona mi blog también, ¡gracias Robert!).

Argentina ranks in at #7 as "Top Wine Story of 2006"

2007-01-01T21:32:00.000-05:00

In Adam Strum's “Enthusiast Corner” in the Wine Enthusiast he ranks Argentina’s output growth and quality improvement as the 7th most important wine story of 2006. He says:

“Argentina emerges. Argentina’s wine industry is experiencing astonishing growth, both in production and international acceptance. Wine production has grown 35% every year since 2002. Value on the market of these wines has grown 280% in that time period. They have more than doubled their presence globally (distribution in 12 countries in 2002; 28 countries in 2006). There has been an increase of 150% in the total number of cases sold. And if you taste a rich Argentinean Malbec, all of this makes perfect sense.”

Some of the other top stories? Wine consumption surpassed beer consumption in the U.S., largely due to increased consumption by “millennials”, people under 29. Global wine consumption also grew largely due to the growing middle class in India and China. All good news for Argentina!

En un articulo de Adam Strum, nombrado el “Enthusiast’s Corner”, en la revista Wine Enthusiast, él ubica el crecimiento de producción y mejoramiento de calidad de la industria vitivinícola como el séptimo cuento más importante de 2006. Él dice:

“Emerge la Argentina. La industria vitivinícola en Argentina está experimentando un crecimiento asombroso, en términos de producción y la aceptación internacional. La producción de vino ha crecido 35% cada año desde 2002. El valor en mercado de estos vinos ha crecido 280% durante eso periodo. Ellos han doblado su presencia global (su distribución en 12 países en 2002; 28 países en 2006). Ha sido un aumento de 150% en el número total de cajas vendidas. Y, si probás un rico Malbec argentino, todo tiene mucho sentido.” (Mi traducción)

¿Cuáles fueron los otros temas más importantes del año? El consumo global superó el consumo de cerveza en los EE.UU., debido al consumo incrementado de los “mileniales”, gente que tiene menos de 29 años. Consumo global creció también debido a la clase media en India y China que está creciendo. ¡Todo es muy buenas noticias para la Argentina!

My brother and I in Mendoza / Mi hermano y yo en Mendoza

2006-12-30T08:01:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago my brother Ned came down to visit me in Argentina, and after a few deathly hot days in Buenos Aires we headed to the "interior" of the country. After stopping in Rio Tercero, Cordoba to visit some friends and relatives there, we took an 8 hour bus ride to Mendoza. As a big mountain biking fan, my brother wanted to head to the Andes one day and then hit up the wineries on Tuesday.

Hace dos semanas mi hermano Ned vino a visitarme en la Argentina, y después de algunos días calurosos en Buenos Aires fuimos al interior del país. Después de una visita a Río Tercero, Córdoba para ver nuestros parientes y algunos amigos, tomamos un bus a Mendoza. Mi hermano es un fanático del mountain bike (aunque su trabajo como un abogado en Manhattan no es exactamente perfecto para su interés) y quería visitar algunas bodegas.

On Monday, we went to the Andes, or more specifically the "pre-mountain range" to do some mountain biking at a place I’d been to twice before, once for rafting the year before and once for mountain biking in October. Needless to say, it was awesome.

El lunes fuimos a los Andes, o mejor dicho, la “pre-cordillera” para hacer mountain bike en un lugar que había ido dos veces antes, una vez para rafting hace un año y una vez para mountain bike en Octubre. La visita fue absolutamente espectacular.

On Tuesday we hired a driver to take us to several wineries. We first went to La Rural (which I had been to last year), which is nice because it is a very typical Mendoza winery in that it was started in the 1890s by Italian immigrants. What is different about La Rural is that it has an excellent wine museum. After La Rural we drove to Familia Zuccardi, a very well-known winery (at least in Argentina) which is completely the opposite of La Rural in that it was started in the 1970s and likes to be known as an innovator. The incredible asado (Argentine barbecue) we had at Zuccardi definitely makes it worth another visit.

El martes contractamos un chofer para llevarnos a algunas bodegas. Primero fuimos a La Rural (visité La Rural en 2005) que es muy bueno porque es una bodega típica de Mendoza porque fue fundado por un inmigrante italiano en los años 1890. Después de la visita a La Rural, fuimos a la bodega Familia Zuccardi, una bodega muy conocida (en la Argentina) que es el opuesto de La Rural porque fue fundado en los años 1970 y es conocido por su innovación con nuevos varietales. El asado increíble que comimos en Zuccardo vale la pena para otra visita.

At Zuccardi, we were assigned a personal tour guide who showed us the process in making the wine. After the short tour we got to try several wines directly from the tank. It was just an absolutely awesome experience, we have to give major props to our guide Matias (in the picture below) for giving such a comprehensive tour.

En Zuccardi, caminamos por la bodega en un tur guiada que nos mostró el proceso de hacer el vino. Después del tur tuvimos la oportunidad de probar vinos distintos directamente de los tanques de acero. Fue una experiencia absolutamente espectacular y tenemos que decir “muchas gracias” a Matías (en el foto) por darnos un tur tan extenso.

Back to blogging? Un regreso a blogear?

2006-12-30T07:16:00.000-05:00

Well, ~~my only~~ one of my New Year's resolutions was to “blog” more, in the true sense of the term. This blog was created to be a record of my research on the Argentine wine industry. Now that I know ~~a lot about~~ some about the industry, I think I might be qualified in some sense to “blog” about it.

So here we go. This is a good example of an article that pops up in the U.S. every couple weeks or so. “When giving wine, look south for bargains, innovations.” Paul Alexander. The Associated Press. December 30, 2006.

The link leads you to the Green Bay (Wisconsin) Press Gazette which is one of many local newspapers that chose to print the article. In the article, the journalist basically lumps in all of the “Southern Hemisphere” wines, which are all of the “New World” wines with the exception of the U.S.

One quote drew my attention, however. It quotes Ray Isle, a senior editor at Food & Wine magazine as saying that Argentina is “…one of my favorite bargain wines.” Hmm. I think Wines of Argentina would rather go with, “wines that have an excellent quality to price ratio.” But they won’t complain about the free publicity.

One more thought: the article labels all of the southern hemisphere wine making regions into one specialty. Argentina has its Malbec, Australia and South Africa with shiraz, and New Zealand with sauvignon blancs and pinot noirs. Certainly from a marketing standpoint Argentina has chosen to live and die by Malbec, but when will people start discovering more of their other very tasty varietals such as torrontes?

Bueno, acá en los Estados Unidos (si, regresé a mi país madre la semana pasada – ¡que frío!) tenemos una tradición de hacer una lista chica de cosas que queremos lograr en el año nuevo. Unos de mis deseos es blogear más. Este blog fue creado para ser un registro de mis investigaciones sobre el crecimiento de la industria argentina durante los 15 años pasados. Ahora que sé ~~mucho~~ algo sobre la industria, creo que soy cualificado, en un sentido, para blogear sobre el tema.

Ok, ¡vamos! Este articulo es un ejemplo bueno de los artículos sobre vino que aparecen en en los EEUU cada cierto tiempo. “When giving wine, look south for bargains, innovations.” Paul Alexander. The Associated Press. December 30, 2006. (en ingles).

El enlace te lleva al Green Bay (Wisconsin, EEUU) Press Gazette que es unos de los varios periódicos locales que decidió publicar el articulo. En el artículo el periodista agrupa los vinos del hemisferico sur, que son todos los vinos del “nuevo mundo” excepto los vinos norteamericanos.

Una cita del artículo me llamó mi atención, sin embargo. Cita Ray Isle, un editor mayor de la revista “Food and Wine” diciendo que Argentina es, “…unos de mis vinos favoritos que es barato” (mi traducción). Creo que Bodegas de Argentina prefiría la frase, “vinos que tiene una muy buena relación de calidad a precio.” Pero ellos no van a quejar sobre la publicidad gratis.

Una reflexión más: el artículo vincula cada región con un vino especial. Argentina con Malbec, Australia y Sur Africa con Shiraz, y Nueva Zelandia con sauvignon blancs y pinot noirs. Es cierto que desde la punta de vista de marketing, la Argentina decidió a “vivir o morir” con el Malbec, pero quiero saber cuando el resto del mundo va a descubrir el resto de sus varietales como torrontes.

Bibliography

2006-12-28T11:46:00.002-05:00

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15. Scobie, James R., “Argentina: Patterns of Urbanization in Argentina, 1869-1914.” Latin American Research Review, Vol. 10, No. 2. (Summer, 1975), pp. 132-134. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0023-8791%28197522%2910%3A2%3C132%3AAPOUIA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7
16. Toso, Enrique. Interview by author. Mp3 recording. Mendoza City, Mendoza, Argentina, 13 October 2006.
17. Unknown. “Making a Case for the Argentine Wine Industry.” Knowledge@Wharton (January 22, 2004), http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=904.

Conclusion

2006-12-28T11:46:00.001-05:00

From a broad prospective, the “hands-on” approach favored by the Mendoza government has certainly had its positive and negative. However, after the oversupply crisis of the 1980s, it seems as if they have learned from prior mistakes of overregulation and limited responsibility. In fact, the government’s participation in the industry is vital for continued growth.

The future of the wine industry in Mendoza is favorable. In every area, with the exception of table wine, the wine industry is growing at a healthy pace. In fact, wine has become one of the top exports for the country. With the stable framework the industry has put in place, with institutions such as ProMendoza and COVIAR, the industry appears to be on the right track for long-term growth.

State Policies

2006-12-28T11:42:00.000-05:00

In 1996, Fundación ProMendoza was founded as a state-financed but privately managed foundation to promote products from Mendoza in the international markets. ProMendoza officially has four members: the provincial government, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Stock Exchange and the Economic Federation of Mendoza. The provincial government finances about 70% of ProMendoza’s operations, but only retains 25% of the decision-making power. ProMendoza funds promotional exhibitions throughout the world, which might include a tasting stand at a wine fair in San Francisco or representing organic producers at a conference in Germany on emerging technology in organic farming.

The growth of the private-public sector linkages such as ProMendoza is interesting due to the timing of their growth in popularity. The prevailing economic theory in Argentina during the 1990s argued for less government involvement in the market. Running counter to this trend, the provincial government in Mendoza took the lead in bringing together several different sectors under one organization.(Source Figure 3: National Institute for Viticulture)

In 1995, the governments of Mendoza and San Juan reached an agreement to decide annually how much of each year’s grape harvest must be used for concentrated grape juice and not used for wine. The agreement was a way to diversify grape production and maintain stable grape prices. Typically the two governments agree that about 25% to 30% of each year’s harvest must be made into concentrated grape juice. This juice is almost exclusively exported and is used as a sugar concentrate in such products as soft drinks. For the past ten years, the agreement has worked extremely favorably for the two provinces, with the majority of concentrate sold to the U.S. Argentina is currently the number one producer of sugar concentrate in the world.

In addition, the province offers a significant amount of protection from hail storms that often pass through Mendoza, which can destroy 12% of a year’s crop in five minutes. In the San Rafael region of Mendoza, it is well-known that there is a 1 in 8 chance that your crops will be destroyed by hail. The province pays for planes to fly over potential hail-storm clouds, releasing a chemical that breaks up the forming hail in the clouds. Secondly, many winemakers use small nets to put over the vines to protect against the hail. The government pays a large part of the interest rate when the winemakers borrow from a bank to install the protective nets. A normal loan would have an interest rate of about 15%, but with the government subsidy the winemaker pays only 5% interest. The third way the government protects against hail is by paying minimal insurance premiums to take out policies against hail.

Alfredo Aciar, Chief of Cabinet in the Mendoza Province Economic Ministry states, “The market alone can’t fix issues and we are aware of this problem.” In 2005, the government purchased a large supply of grapes to be destroyed in order to maintain stable prices. The Economic Ministry has calculated that there is an overproduction crisis every six years, and 2006 was set to be the year for the next crisis.

In December of 2003, the law entitled the “Strategic Plan for the Argentine Wine Industry 2020” (Plan Estratégico Argentina Vitivinícola 2020 or PEVI) was passed in the national legislature to institute on a national level the pro-export marketing model of Mendoza. Plan 2020 called for Argentina to achieve a 20% share of the world wine market by 2020. Currently, Argentina enjoys about 2% of the international wine market. The body created to oversee PEVI, Corporación Vitivinicultura Argentina (COVIAR), is based in Mendoza and seeks to promote Argentina wine abroad, although it has recently taken on a domestic marketing plan as well.

Although the growth of the wine industry in Mendoza was largely due to the growth of exports, domestic consumption of fine wine began to increase in the 1990s for the first time in decades. Following Argentina’s default on foreign debt in 2001 which subsequently ended the one-to-one exchange rate, Argentina and Mendoza specifically have seen an explosion in tourism. Mendoza is the second-most visited tourist destination in Argentina, behind only Buenos Aires. The tourism boom has grown peripheral industries that are almost worth as much as the wine industry itself. In fact, it is estimated that the peripheral industries to wine – tourism, oenologists, consultants, engineers – is worth about $1 billion dollars to the province of Mendoza.

National Economic Policy and its Influence in Mendoza

2006-12-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

The Fecovita cooperative marked the beginning of a state-led policy of allowing private actors to manage public-private organizations which are heavily financed by the state. The growth of such public-private programs came during a pro free-market regime in Buenos Aires. President Carlos Menem and Economic Minister Domingo Cavallo sought to end inflation by instituting the Convertibility Plan that pegged the peso to the dollar in 1991. Inflation was practically reduced to zero while Menem and Cavallo advanced their neoliberal policies that mirrored the Washington Consensus. One main feature of the Menem/Cavallo plan was the reduction of government intervention in the markets. These policies relegated the INV to the diminished role of monitoring the quality of wine without any say in the quantity or price of the grapes produced. However, the Convertibility Plan arguably had a much more profound impact on the industry than many of the other neoliberal policies.

By pegging the peso to the dollar the Convertibility Plan affected the wine industry in two key ways. First, the wine industry was able to import technology from abroad. With better machinery and more advanced technology, the industry upgraded itself to international standards. Moreover, previously prohibitively expensive human capital from abroad was attracted to Argentina. For example, winery Pascual Toso hired a Napa Valley consultant to visit its winery ten times per year. Even world renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland came to Mendoza to analyze several different wines. Under the weak peso, no winery was ever able to afford such an expense. This quality improvement opened the possibility of exporting Argentine wine to sophisticated wine markets like the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan. On the other hand, the peso to dollar ratio offered a steady economic climate for foreign investors. Unlike the late 1980s when hyperinflation created a chaotic investment environment, the Convertibility Plan attracted large amounts of foreign direct investment. With the new technology from abroad and foreign investment, the government worked to create strong linkages between interests within the industry.

A New State-led Initiative

2006-12-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

A symbol of the 1980s crisis was the Giol Vineyard (Bodegas y Viñedos Giol Sociedad del Estado) in Mendoza. Giol was founded at the end of the 19th century by Italian and Swiss immigrants and was expropriated to the state during the 1950s in order to regulate the market. By 1987, Giol was operating at a 500,000 USD loss per month and had a debt of over 35 million USD. Yet it still produced 10% of Argentina’s wine and bought grapes from more than 4,000 small and medium sized grape growers in Mendoza. The provincial Mendoza government, wary of the privatization of the state-owned winery Cavic in San Juan, chose to use a “participatory restructuring approach”. This approach meant transforming Giol into a cooperative among several sectors as a way to encourage restructuring among the different factions that had an interest in the winery, namely large business interests, labor unions, and communities of thousands of grape suppliers.

The new cooperative, named Fecovita, had enormous success and eventually earned a profit. It was instrumental in helping its members gain access to credit, markets and training through increased bargaining power with and access to banks, domestic and international distributors, as well as public and private research institutions. As the state-organized cooperative, Fecovita started a trend in Mendoza with the provincial government developing over 75 programs related to the wine industry during the 1990s.

The Crisis of the 1980s

2006-12-28T11:35:00.000-05:00

Indeed, several factors contributed to the crisis that the wine industry faced in the 1980s. The most important issue was the dramatic fall in domestic consumption of table wine. Table wine is defined as any wine that falls below the $3 peso retail price (about one US dollar). Oftentimes this wine comes in a cardboard box but can also be packaged in a bottle. Traditionally, Argentines mix this bargain priced wine with carbonated water to dilute the taste. On the production side, table wine is grown by small producers who usually have less than 5 hectares of cultivated land and use much less sophisticated technology in growing the grapes. Higher quality wines use grapes that oftentimes are grown using drip irrigation systems that deliver water directly to the vine using a small pipe. Because the table wine growers were of relatively modest means, the table wine grape growers in Mendoza didn’t have access to necessary capital to upgrade to complicated irrigation systems.

These low-quality wines suffered when beer and soda sales rose in the 1980s. In 1968, Argentines drank on average 86 liters a year of wine, while in 1986 that number had dropped to 60 liters per year. As a result, grape production in Mendoza fell by 60 percent between 1976 and 1993. As a result, during the 1980s one third of all producers went bankrupt and the number of hectares planted fell from 15,000 hectares to 3,000 hectares. This crisis, generated by a drop in domestic demand, created a need for the wine industry to look outside of Argentina for new markets. Capital controls imposed by the state and poor wine quality limited their efforts to sell any considerable amount of wine abroad as their counterparts on the other side of the Andes had been doing successfully. (Figure 1 Source: “Business Trends”. Economic Ministry of the Republic of Argentina. 2005. Soda consumption data found on p. 396. Wine consumption data. p. 401.)

Origins of the Wine Industry

2006-12-28T11:34:00.000-05:00

During the mid-1800s the majority of agricultural land was used for alfalfa. Ranchers fed this alfalfa to cattle from the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe as the cattle were herded to Chile. By the mid 1880s, however, Mendoza found itself in the midst of an economic transformation due to the arrival of the railroad, rising agricultural production, and a steady influx of European immigrants. Additionally, winemaking technology improved so that the same amount of acreage that produced 46 kg of wine in 1870 yielded 250 kg at the end of the 1880s. The acreage in vines also increased six fold between 1893 and 1913. By World War I, vine acreage exceeded that of Chile and California. The improvement in technology and increase in overall acreage met a surging demand for wine from the growing immigrant population in the pampas region.

Government intervention in the wine industry virtually began at the industry’s inception. As a general rule, agricultural-based sectors were heavily affected by the government’s liberal, export-oriented economy during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The wine industry in Mendoza and the sugar industry in Tucumán paralleled one another in their rapid growth at the end of the 19th century. Both industries involved heavy state intervention which led to multiple overproduction crises during the 20th century.

In Mendoza’s case, the national government built the Andes Railroad in 1885, connecting the provinces of San Luis, Mendoza and San Juan with Buenos Aires, coastal markets, and the northern part of the country. The government also expanded and maintained the already extensive canal network. In addition to infrastructure, provincial laws in 1889, 1895, and 1902 exempted all grape production from taxes for the first five years of production. The province exercised excellent judgement in understanding that the demand for wine would one day yield high tax gains. Indeed, in 1907 over 60% of provincial revenue originated in the wine sector.

In addition to favorable subsidies, the federal government offered generous protection to the wine sector by imposing high import tariffs. Transport via ship from Europe to Buenos Aires remained cheaper than railroad transport from Mendoza, so the young wine industry sought protection from the well established industries in Europe. By 1914, the wine tariff had reached 80%. The federal government erected other barriers to trade ensuring no foreign wine could enter Argentina. Specifically, no wine could be imported from countries in which sugar was added to grape juice to increase the alcoholic content of the wine, even if the particular wine shipped to Argentina didn’t utilize this technique. Since this method was used in at the least one instance in every wine producing country, foreign wine was effectively prohibited from entering the market.

After thirty years of remarkable growth, the national government created the Junta Reguladora de Viños (JRV, or Wine Regulating Committee) in 1935 which would later become the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura (INV) in 1959. Acting under the auspices of the JRV, the state attempted to deal with overproduction, especially during the Great Depression when wine consumption fell dramatically. The INV regulated when and how much the growers could plant, when the harvest was to occur and how much the grapes would sell for. On the production side, INV monitored quality and encouraged diversification. The state’s role in the wine industry in Mendoza would undergo dramatic changes in the 1980s in the midst of an oversupply crisis.

Winnowing the Vines - The Growth of the Mendoza, Argentina Wine Industry - Introduction

2006-12-28T11:32:00.000-05:00

December 2006
Swarthmore College
Buenos Aires, Argentina

In 1835, Charles Darwin laid eyes upon the spectacular Andes Mountains that lay before him. At the foot of the jagged, snow-capped ridges lay a small town named Mendoza. To many travelers, Mendoza looked like a paradise after the rugged two-week trek across the pampas from the European metropolis of Buenos Aires. Experienced explorer Darwin thought otherwise, “To my mind the town has a stupid, forlorn aspect to it…but, to those who, coming from Buenos Ayres, have just crossed the unvaried pampas, the gardens and orchards must appear delightful.”

Today, the canals and contrasting flora remain the only aspects that from the Mendoza Darwin first experienced. Twenty-first century Mendoza is home to a multi-billion dollar wine industry and its world renowned Malbec red wine. Geographically Mendoza is located in the western region of Cuyo, bordered by the Andes Mountains and Chile in the west. It is known for its dry, hot summers and mild, yet humid winters. For centuries, the natives to Mendoza have utilized the rainwater and melting snow that flows off the Andes Mountains for hydroelectric power and irrigation.

This paper will explore the evolution of the wine industry in Mendoza since its initial growth in 1880, with particular emphasis on the past 15 years. Although special attention will be paid to the impact of government institutions in the province of Mendoza, economic and historical factors will be explored as well.

Many Thanks

2006-12-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

I wish to express my gratitude to the Swarthmore Buenos Aires program and Swarthmore Foreign Study Office for facilitating this independent research project. In particular, I must thank Carlos Reboratti for his continual guidance throughout the research and editing phases. In addition, I am indebted to Diego Armus for the idea of researching the wine industry and Lucia de Leone for helping with the Spanish-language aspects of the project. Finally, I must thank Alfredo Aciar, Rodolfo Richard-Jorba, Gerald McDermott, Juan Carlos Pina and Enrique Toso for taking the time to offer their insight on the industry.

Origins of the Wine Industry

2006-12-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

During the mid-1800s the majority of agricultural land was used for alfalfa, which fattened the cattle passing through from the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe en route to Chile. Yet, by the mid 1880s Mendoza found itself in the midst of an economic transformation due to the arrival of the railroad, rising agricultural production, and a steady influx of European immigrants (Scobie, p. 132). Winemaking technology was improving to extent that the same amount of acreage that produced 46 kg of wine in 1870 yielded 250 kg at the end of 1880. The acreage in vines also increased six fold between 1893 and 1913 and by World War I, vine acreage exceeded that of Chile and California (Sawer, p. 82). The improvement in technology and increase in overall acreage was able to meet a surging demand for wine from the growing immigrant population in the pampas region.

Government intervention in the wine industry virtually began at its inception. As a general rule, agricultural-based sectors were heavily influenced during the latter part of the nineteenth century, as the government pursued a liberal, export-oriented economy. The wine industry in Mendoza and the sugar industry in Tucumán seemed to parallel one another in their rapid growth at the end of the 19th century. Both involved heavy state intervention which led to multiple overproduction crises during the 20th century (Balan and Lopez, p. 392).
In Mendoza’s case, the national government built the Andes Railroad in 1885, connecting Villa Mercedes (San Luis), Mendoza and San Juan with Buenos Aires, coastal markets, and the northern part of the country. In addition to infrastructure, provincial laws in 1889, 1895, and 1902 exempted all grape production from taxes for the first five years of production. The province understood that the demand for wine would one day yield high tax gains, and indeed, in 1907 over 60% of provincial revenue originated in the wine sector (Richard-Jorba, p. 119).

On top of favorable subsidies, the federal government offered generous protection to the wine sector by imposing high import tariffs. Transport by ship from Europe to Buenos Aires was still cheaper than railroad transport from Mendoza, so the young wine industry sought protection from the well established industries in Europe (Sawer, p. 82). By 1914, the wine tariff had reached 80%. The federal government even erected barriers to trade ensuring no foreign wine could enter Argentina. Specifically, no wine could be imported from countries in which sugar was added to grape juice to increase the alcoholic content of the wine, even if the particular wine that was sent to Argentina didn’t use this technique. Since this method was used in at the least one instance in every wine producing country, foreign wine was effectively prohibited from entering the market (Sawer, p. 83).

After thirty years of remarkable growth, the national government created the Junta Reguladora de Viños (Wine Regulating Committee) in 1935 which would later become the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura (INV) in 1959 (Footnote: The government did the same with the sugar and yerba mate industries). The state attempted to deal with overproduction, especially during the Great Depression when wine consumption fell dramatically. The INV regulated when and how much the growers could plant, when the harvest was to occur and how much the grapes would sell for. On the production side, INV monitored quality and encouraged diversification. The state’s role in the wine industry in Mendoza would undergo dramatic changes in the 1980s in the midst of an oversupply crisis.

Introduction

2006-12-10T11:59:00.000-05:00

Almost Done! Casi terminado!

2006-12-10T11:57:00.000-05:00

So, I'm almost done with my final project on the wine industry. I will be posting the final product as I review each section.

Casi estoy terminado con mi trabajo final sobre la industria vitivinícola. Voy a estar poniendo las entradas después que reviso cada parte del trabajo.

Government Intervention

2006-11-25T14:11:00.000-05:00

After thirty years of remarkable growth, the national government created the Junta Reguladora de Viños (Wine Regulating Committee) which would later become the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura (INV) in 1959. These national bodies sought to deal with overproduction, especially during the Great Depression when wine consumption fell dramatically. The INV regulated when and how much the growers could plant, when the harvest was to occur and how much the grapes would sell for. On the production side, INV monitored quality and encouraged diversification. All this would change after the crisis of overproduction of the 1980s and the liberal economic policies instituted by President Carlos Menem and Economic Minister Domingo Cavallo.

Several factors contributed to the crisis that the wine industry faced in the 1980s. The most important issue was the dramatic fall in domestic consumption of table wine. Table wine is usually defined by any wine that falls below the $3 peso barrier (about one US dollar). Oftentimes this wine comes in a cardboard box but it can also be packaged in a bottle. Traditionally, Argentines mix this bargain priced wine with carbonated water to dilute its taste. Additionally, table wines use grapes from growers that use much less sophisticated technology in growing the grapes. Conversely, higher quality wines use grapes that are grown using irrigation systems that deliver water directly to the vine. Table wine is grown by small producers who usually have under 5 hectares of cultivated land and don’t use the same advanced techniques.

These low-quality wines suffered gravely when beer and soda sales rose in the 1980s. In 1968, Argentines drank on average 86 liters a year, while in 1986 that number had dropped to 60 liters per year. As a result, grape production in Mendoza fell by 60 percent between 1976 and 1993. This crisis generated by a drop in domestic demand signaled a necessity to look outside of Argentina for new markets. But capital controls imposed by the state and poor wine quality limited any efforts to sell a considerable amount of wine abroad as their counterparts on the other side of the Andes were doing with success.

Sources:
Sawers, Larry. The Other Argentina. Boulder: Westview Press, 1996.
Rodolfo Richard-Jorba, “Modelos vitivinicolas en Mendoza”. In Historia Economica & Historia de Empresas III. (2000)
Gobierno de Mendoza, 1992.

Sorting Through the Vines: The Growth of the Mendoza, Argentina Wine Industry, Part I

2006-11-23T16:25:00.000-05:00

In 1835, Charles Darwin laid eyes upon the spectacular Andes Mountains that lay before him. At the foot of the jagged, snow-capped ridges lay a small town called Mendoza. To many travelers, Mendoza looked like a paradise after the rugged two-week trek across the pampas from the European metropolis of Buenos Aires. But experienced explorer Darwin thought otherwise, “To my mind the town has a stupid, forlorn aspect to it…but, to those who, coming from Buenos Ayres, have just crossed the unvaried pampas, the gardens and orchards must appear delightful.” Those very gardens and orchards that Darwin observed were fed by carefully constructed canals designed to carry the melting snow water from the mountains, which fifty years later would serve the wine industry.

The canals and the contrast in fauna are some of the only aspects that remain in present-day Mendoza. Twenty-first century Mendoza is home to multi-billion dollar wine industry that is world renowned for its Malbec red wine. This paper will explore the evolution of the wine industry since its initial growth in 1880, with a special emphasis on the past 15 years. Although special attention will be paid to the impact of political institutions in the province of Mendoza, economic and historical factors will be explored as well.

In 1861, an earthquake leveled Mendoza killing over 8,000 people. At the time, the majority of agricultural land was used for alfalfa, which fattened the cattle passing through from the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe en route to Chile. Yet, by the mid 1880s Mendoza found itself in the midst of an economic transformation due to the arrival of the railroad, rising agricultural production, and a steady influx of European immigrants. Winemaking technology was improving and demand for wine was increasing due to the growing number of immigrants who created the demand. In fact, acreage in vines increased sixfold between 1893 and 1913. By World War I, vine acreage exceeded that of Chile and California.

During the latter part of the nineteenth century, agrarian provincial economies greatly benefited from government intervention. In Mendoza’s case, the Andes Railroad was built in 1885, connecting Villa Mercedes (San Luis), Mendoza and San Juan with Buenos Aires, coastal markets, and the northern part of the country. In addition to infrastructure, provincial laws were passed in 1881 exempting grape production from taxes. Laws in 1889, 1895, and 1902 exempted all grape production from taxes for the first five years of production. The province understood that the demand for wine would one day yield high tax gains, and indeed, in 1907 over 60% of state revenue originated in the wine sector.

In addition to subsidies, the federal government offered generous protection to the wine sector, by imposing high import tariffs, much like other agricultural sectors in Argentina. Transport by ship from Europe to Buenos Aires was still cheaper than railroad transportation from Mendoza, so the infant wine industry needed protection from the well established industries in Europe. By 1914, the wine tariff had reached 80%. The federal government even erected barriers to trade ensuring no foreign wine could enter Argentina. For instance, no wine could be imported from countries in which sugar was added to grape juice to increase the alcoholic content of the wine, even if the particular wine that was sent to Argentina didn’t use this technique. Since this method was used in at the least one instance in every wine producing country, foreign wine was effectively prohibited from entering the market.

More to come later...

Sources:
Charles Darwin, Journal of Researches, new ed. (London: John Murray, 1890), p. 353.
James R. Scobie. “Argentina: Patterns of Urbanization in Argentina, 1869-1914” in Latin American Research Review, Vol. 10, No. 2. (Summer, 1975), p. 132.
Sawers, Larry. The Other Argentina. Boulder: Westview Press, 1996, p. 82
Rodolfo Richard-Jorba, “Modelos vitivinicolas en Mendoza”. In Historia Economica & Historia de Empresas III. (2000), p. 119.

Discúlpame / Sorry

2006-11-23T16:12:00.000-05:00

Me da mucha vergüenza que hace tanto que no he escrito una entrada. No hay excusas (bueno, ¡mucho trabajo!). Ahora estoy en el proceso de escribir mi trabajo final sobre la industria vitivinícola. ¡Mientras que escribo podés leer las partes que estoy escribiendo, aunque no son las versiones finales!

I’m really embarrassed that it’s been such a long time since I’ve written a post. There simply isn’t an excuse (ok ok, lots of work!). Right now I’m in the process of writing my final paper on the wine industry in Argentina. Since I’m writing it right now, I will be posting the parts that I’ve written, although by no means are they the final versions. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors or just flat out poor writing!

Argenvino gets some publicity / Un poco de publicidad para Argenvino

2006-10-12T05:32:00.001-04:00

This doesn’t have anything to do with the wine industry in Mendoza, but it does have everything to do with why this blog exists.

"College initiated Buenos Aires study abroad program." October 11, 2006. The Phoenix.

Este enlace no tiene nada que ver con la industria vitivinícola en Mendoza, pero habla sobre el programa de estudios que es la razón de que este blog existe.

"College initiated Buenos Aires study abroad program." 11 de octubre de 2006. The Phoenix.

New York Times article on Michel Rolland / Un artículo de New York Times sobre Michel Rolland

2006-10-11T06:51:00.000-04:00

Today's Times has a very good article about the most influential wine consultant in the world: Michel Rolland. Criticized in the documentary "Mondovino" for the globalization of wine, Mr. Rolland has had an impact on the Mendoza region as he is not only a consultant here, but owns a vineyard as well.

"Satan or Savior: Setting the Grape Standard." October 11, 2006. The New York Times.

Hoy salió un artículo muy bueno en el New York Times sobre el consultador más influyente del mundo: Michel Rolland. Criticado en el documental “Mondovino” por la globalización del vino, el señor Rolland ha generado impacto en la región de Mendoza porque no sólo es un consultador acá, sino también es un dueño de una bodega.

"Satan or Savior: Setting the Grape Standard." 11 de octubre 2006. The New York Times.

Day 2 / Día 2

2006-10-10T23:59:00.000-04:00

Monday, October 8, 2006

Lunes 9 de octubre 2006

Today I was fortunate enough to meet with Alfredo Aciar, who is the Chief of Cabinet in the Economic Ministry in Mendoza. He was grateful enough to give me an hour of his time and his insights into the recent growth of the wine industry.

Hoy fui afortunado porque me reuní con el Jefe de Gabinete del Ministerio de Economía de Mendoza. Él fue muy amable conmigo al ofrecerme una hora de su tiempo para charlar sobre el crecimiento de la industria vitivinícola durante los últimos quince años.

Before discussing the current state of the industry, Mr. Aciar gave me a brief history in order to have a better understanding of current policies. To begin, he made very clear that there have been two great wine crises in Mendoza over the past one-hundred years (the wine industry in Mendoza dates back hundreds of years, but only really began to develop when the railroad was arrived in 1880, allowing Mendoza to tap into the Buenos Aires market). Not surprisingly, the first crisis came during the Great Depression. The wine industry was one of the agricultural industries hit the hardest because of the elasticity of wine consumption. During this period the state intervened, as it did with virtually every industry, and enacted even higher barriers to trade than what had been previously established. In fact, the wine industry had gone through smaller crises of overproduction twice before in 1901 and 1914-1915. In 1901 the government responded by eliminating a tax on wine while in 1914-1915 the government intervened by destroying over 10 million liters of wine and over 16,500 hectares of vines. Due to the dramatic drop of wine consumption during the Great Depression, the federal government created the Junta Reguladora de Viños (Wine Regulating Committee) which bought grapes, wine, and vineyards, taking them off the market to maintain a stable price. In 1959, the Junta would become what is now known as the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura (National Wine Production Institute). (Sawyers, pp. 84)

Antes de discutir el estado actual de la industria, el señor Aciar relató una historia breve de la industria con la intención de contextualizar el conocimiento de la política actual. Para resumir, él estaba convencido de que hubo dos crisis en Mendoza durante los últimos cien años (la industria de vino en Mendoza tiene siglos, pero empezó a crecer rápido cuando el ferrocarril llegó en 1880, que permitió a Mendoza hacer llegar sus producciones a Buenos Aires). No es una sorpresa que la primera crisis del vino haya tenido lugar durante los años de la Gran Depresión. La industria vitivinícola era una de las industrias más afectadas debido a la elasticidad del consumo de vino. Durante este período el gobierno intervino, como hizo con todas las otras industrias (en reacción al Smoot-Hawley tarifa), e impuso tarifas más altas de las que había establecido. De hecho, la industria de vino había experimentado algunas crisis menores de sobreproducción en 1901 y 1914-1915. En 1901 el gobierno respondió a la crisis con la eliminación de un impuesto al vino y en 1915-1915 destruyó 10 mil millones litros de vino y más de 16.500 hectárea de la vid. A causa de la caída dramática del consumo de vino durante la Gran Depresión, el gobierno federal creó la Junta Reguladora de Vinos y compró las uvas, el vino, y los viñedos para sacarlas del mercado y mantener un precio estable. La Junta se convirtió en 1959 en lo que actualmente se llama el Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura.

The second great crisis to hit the industry was during the 1980s when there was a dramatic drop in domestic consumption. Aciar described hearing stories from politicians of that era in Mendoza, who said that they did everything they possibly could to boost demand in the country, but nothing was able to solve the sharp decline in consumption. Between 1977 and 1992, consumption in Argentina fell by 30%. By late 1992, the wine factories in Mendoza and San Juan were operating at an incredible 22 percent of capacity (Crecer 1993, cuadros 20 and 21, via Sawyers p. 88).

La segunda crisis que afectó a la industria ocurrió durante los años ochentas cuando tuvo lugar otra gran caída del consumo doméstico. Aciar describió las historias que él ha oído sobre todo lo que hacían los políticos en Mendoza para estimular la demanda en el país. Entre 1977 y 1992, el consumo de vino en Argentina cayó un 30%. A fines de 1992, las fábricas de vino en Mendoza y San Juan estaban operando a 22 %de su capacidad (Crecer 1993, cuadros 20 y 21, vía Sawyers p. 88). No entiendo bien.

The 1990s would be a decade that forever changed the wine industry. A national political economy that supported the Washington Consensus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Consensus) and a peso pegged at a one to one ratio to the dollar allowed massive foreign investment into Mendoza. Perhaps most importantly, the industry was able to use the overvalued peso to pay for the introduction of technical human capital. Before, the Argentine wine producers were unable to pay top enologists from Europe and the U.S. With the favorable exchange rate, new technology and expertise rushed into the Cuyo region. Even renowned French wine consultant Michel Rolland came to Argentina where he subsequently began his own vineyard.

Los años noventa representaron a una década que cambió para siempre la industria vitivinícola. Una política económica que siguió al Consenso Washington y respondió al sistema económico de la convertibilidad (un peso = un dólar) dólar que dejó una masiva inversión extranjera en Mendoza. Quizás lo más importante fue la introducción de un capital humano muy tecnológico desde Europa y los Estados Unidos. Antes, los productores del vino no tenían la capacidad de pagar a los enólogos de estos países. (Con un cambio favorable, la tecnología nueva y conocimiento vino rápidamente al región Cuyo) No entiendo qué querés decir con esta frase. Aun el famoso especialista y sommelier francés Michel Rolland vino a la Argentina y puso su propia bodega.

However by the end of the nineties investment and sales were sagging. The vineyards looking to export could not compete on the global scale due to the pegged peso. When the peso was unpegged in December of 2001, and immediately dropped to more than 3 pesos to the dollar, the exports quickly increased. Today the wine industry in Mendoza is worth over one billion dollars. More importantly, the peripheral industries – tourism, consultants, enologists, engineers, etc – are also worth about one billion dollars, according to Aciar.

Sin embargo, al final de los años noventas, las inversiones y ventas estaban descendiendo. Las bodegas que estaban buscando exportar no podían competir al nivel internacional a causa del peso a un nivel muy alto. Cuando el cambio del peso fue de tres a uno, las exportaciones incrementaron rápidamente. Hoy la industria vitivinícola en Mendoza vale cerca de un billón de dólares. Además, las industrias perfórales – el turismo, los consultores, los enólogos, los ingenieros, etc. – valen un billón de dólares, según Aciar.

After Aciar’s historical background, he discussed at length the actions of the provincial government in relation to the wine industry. In 1995, the governments of Mendoza and San Juan agreed to set aside 30% of all grape production for concentrated grape juice. At first I was a little confused by this, because 30% of all grape production is a lot of grape juice and I had never seen any grape juice in Argentina. Aciar explained that this juice in its pure form can be used as sugar concentrate. He said Argentina is currently the number one exporter in the world of sugar concentrate, with about 70% of it destined to the United States to be used in things such as soft drinks. Each year the Mendoza and San Juan governments meet to discuss the percentage of the grape harvest that must be used for sugar concentrate; in 2006 25% of the harvest is destined for sugar concentrate production.

Después de contar esta historia, Aciar discutió las acciones del gobierno provincial en relación con la industria de vino. En 1995, los gobiernos de Mendoza y San Juan acordaron limitar la cosecha de las uvas. El acuerdo proponía que el 30% de toda la producción de uva tenía que ser mosto. Al principio yo estaba un poco confundido porque el 30% de toda la producción de uvas es mucho jugo y nunca lo había visto en la Argentina. Aciar explicó que este mosto en su forma pura puede ser usado como una forma pura de azúcar. Él dijo que Argentina es actualmente el número uno exportador de mosto en el mundo, con el 70% del mosto destinado a los Estados Unidos para ser usado en, por ejemplo, las gaseosas. Cada año los gobiernos de Mendoza y San Juan se reúnen para discutir el porcentaje de la cosecha de uvas que puede ser usado para mosto. En 2006, el 25% de la cosecha es destinada para mosto.

Another governmental body that is very interesting is the ProMendoza Foundation. Started in 1996, ProMendoza is called a public-private foundation, receiving the majority of its funding from the provincial government and three private actors: the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Stock Exchange and the Economic Federation of Mendoza. ProMendoza was established to help promote Mendoza wine to the rest of world. For instance, if there is a wine festival in San Francisco, ProMendoza is probably there with a stand promoting Mendoza wine. ProMendoza also connects importers with wineries looking to expand their exports. What is interesting about ProMendoza is that it is a blend of two fields of thought: it combines neoliberal private enterprise ideals with the need for government oversight.

Otra institución del gobierno que es muy interesante es la Fundación ProMendoza. Iniciada en 1996, ProMendoza es una fundación publico-privada, y recibe la mayoría de sus fondos del gobierno provincial. Pero la fundación es manejada por cuatro actores: el gobierno, la Unión Comercial e Industrial, la Bolsa de Comercio y la Federación Económica de Mendoza. ProMendoza fue establecida para promover el vino de Mendoza al mundo. Por ejemplo, si hay una feria de vino en San Francisco, es probable que ProMendoza esté allí con un stand. También, ProMendoza conecta los importadores con las bodegas que buscan incrementar sus exportaciones. Lo que es interesante sobre ProMendoza es que combina los ideales neoliberales con la necesidad de la supervisión del gobierno.

Besides ProMendoza, the government is very active in preventing hail damage. Hail is an extremely serious problem in Mendoza, because a hail storm that only lasts 5 minutes can completely ruin a year’s harvest. In the San Rafael area of Mendoza, in the central part of the province, it is well-known that there is a 1 in 6 chance each year that your harvest will be destroyed by hail. The government combats hail using several measures. The main preventative method is to use airplanes that fly above the storm clouds and spray a chemical into the cloud, attempting to break up the hail that might be forming. The government pays the full cost of these flights. In addition, many winemakers use small roofs to put over the vines to protect against the hail. The government pays a large part of the interest rate when the winemakers borrow from a bank to install the protective roofs. Aciar said that a normal loan would have an interest rate of about 15%, but with the government subsidy the winemaker pays about 5% interest. The third way the government protects against hail is by paying a minimal insurance policy against the hail.

Además de ProMendoza, el gobierno trabaja para la prevención de los daños del granizo. El granizo es un problema muy serio en Mendoza, porque una tormenta de granizo que sólo dura cinco minutos puede arruinar toda una cosecha. En el área de San Rafael, en el centro de la provincia, todos saben que hay una probabilidad de 1 en 6 cada año de que la cosecha pueda ser destruida por el granizo. El gobierno lo combate con el uso de algunas medidas. Por ejemplo, la prevención con el uso de aviones que vuelan arriba de las nubes y ponen un químico en las nubes, intentando hacer pedazos al granizo. El gobierno paga el costo completo de los vuelos. Además, muchas de las bodegas usan techitos para proteger la vid contra el granizo. El gobierno paga una parte grande de la tasa de interés cuando las bodegas prestan el dinero para instalar los techitos. Aciar dijo que un préstamo normal tendría una tasa de interés cercana al 15% pero con el subsidio del gobierno, la bodega pagaría una tasa de interés del 5%. Una tercera ayuda del l gobierno a las bodegas contra el granizo es la compra de un plan de seguro mínimo.

In addition, the government pays for the electricity that is used to extract water from wells for irrigation. And, more importantly, there are no taxes on the wine industry from the provincial government. All in all, about 20 to 25% of the wine industry is subsidized by the government with the majority being measures taken to prevent crop loss from hail.

Además, el gobierno paga por la electricidad que se usa para extraer el agua de los pozos para la irrigación. Y, más importante aún, no hay impuestos provinciales para la industria. En síntesis, entre el 20 y el 25% de la industria vitivinícola es subsidiado por el gobierno con la mayoría de los fondos usados para las medidas preventivas contra el granizo.

Aciar concluded that the provincial government actively acknowledges that government intervention is necessary. In fact, the government has calculated that every six years there is a crisis in the industry. The next crisis should be occurring within the coming year, and in preparation the government bought thousands of hectares and kilos of grapes in order to try and counteract the pending crisis.

Aciar concluyó que el gobierno provincial reconoce que la intervención del gobierno es necesaria. De hecho, el gobierno ha calculado que cada seis años hay una crisis en la industria. La próxima crisis debe ocurrir durante el año que viene y en prevención el gobierno compró miles hectáreas de vid y kilos de uvas para intentar a aliviar la crisis.

A chronicle of my adventures in Mendoza, Day 1 / Crónica de mis aventuras en Mendoza Día 1

2006-10-09T05:36:00.000-04:00

Sunday, October 8^th

Domingo 8 de octubre

Well, I have finally arrived at the heart of the wine industry in Argentina: the Province of Mendoza. I will be here for the next seven days and will be doing my best to report back to the blog with my stories, impressions, experiences, and things I’ve learned. I will hopefully be meeting with government officials, academics, and owners of vineyards in order to find out first-hand their view on the rapid growth of the industry over the past fifteen years. I apologize in advance for the delay on the Spanish-language version, as I will be running it through my Spanish professor in Buenos Aires for grammatical errors.

Finalmente he llegado al corazón de la industria vitivinícola en la Argentina: la Provincia de Mendoza. Estaré acá por los siete días siguientes y espero poder escribir una crónica con relatos, impresiones, experiencias, y todas las cosas que vaya aprendiendo. Espero estar reuniéndome con oficiales del gobierno, académicos, y dueños de las bodegas para averiguar de una manera personal datos sobre el rápido crecimiento de la industria durante los últimos quince años.

This morning I awoke at 4:35 in order to make a 6:30 flight to Mendoza. I wanted to get to Mendoza early to settle in and organize myself. The flight was uneventful (I watched an episode of the new NBC series “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” written by Aaron Sorkin of West Wing fame) and we arrived in Mendoza around 8. After picking up my baggage I was walking out of the airport in search of a taxi when I ran into a soccer team. At first it was just a team, and then I saw the warm-ups that they were wearing. It was Independiente, one of the “Big 5” of Argentina, along with River Plate (more on them later), Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo, and Independiente’s rival, Racing. Unfortunately I’m not a fan of Independiente and didn’t recognize any of the players. I would later find out that they were heading back to Buenos Aires after suffering a humiliating 3-1 loss to Godoy Cruz of Mendoza City the night before.

Esta mañana me levanté a las 4.35 para tomar el vuelo que partió del aeroparque a las 6.30. Quería llegar a Mendoza muy temprano para acostumbrarme y organizarme. El vuelo fue tranquilo (miré un capítulo de la nueva serie de NBC, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” escrito por Aaron Sorkin quien es conocido por su trabajo con el show “West Wing”) y aterrizamos cerca de las 8. Después de buscar mis valijas, estaba caminando por el aeropuerto cuando vi a un equipo de fútbol. Al principio, pensé que se trataba de un club cualquiera . Pero cuando me acerqué vi el símbolo de sus camperas. El equipo era Independiente, unos de los más grandes de la Argentina, junto con River Plate (hablaré sobre ellos más tarde), Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo, y el propio rival de Independiente, que es Racing. Desgraciadamente no soy un fanático de Independiente y no reconocí a ningún jugador. Después supe que ellos estaban regresando a Buenos Aires luego de sufrir una pérdida vergonzosa contra Godoy Cruz de Mendoza la noche anterior.

I got to the hotel around 9 and at first thought that I had made a mistake. I knew it wasn’t going to be the classiest of establishments – I had chosen it because it was the only hotel I could find that had in-room internet access – but it was located in a nondescript neighborhood right next to a major highway. Anyway, I paid the cabbie and checked in, leaving my bags behind the desk because my room wasn’t ready yet. I proceeded to sit down with my laptop when I remembered that I needed a power strip that allowed the U.S. plug to be connected. I had one of these power strips in my room in Buenos Aires and had seen them all around in hardware stores, so I figured the hotel would definitely have them in the rooms or at least have one to borrow. Unfortunately I was wrong. Not only did they not have the power strip, but they couldn’t find the correct single-plug converter either. Thus, the adventure began. Obviously, on a Sunday morning the hardware stores wouldn’t be open. So they told me to head two kilometers away to Wal-Mart of all places. I must say that I’m not a big fan of Wal-Mart (I spent considerable time in them this past summer for my job, and I can confidently say that Target is far superior) but it was my only option. So the front desk ordered up a taxi which was at the front door within 5 minutes. I hopped in and asked the driver if he could wait for me at Wal-Mart while I looked for the power strip.

Llegué al hotel cerca de las 9 y al principio pensé que sería un error escoger ese hotel. Sabía que no era u de cinco estrellas – lo escogí porque fue el único que pude encontrar que tenía acceso a Internet en los cuartos – pero estaba ubicado al lado de una autopista en un barrio anondino. Pagué al taxista e hice el check-in, dejando mis valijas atrás del escritorio central porque mi cuarto no estaba listo aún. Procedí a sentarme con mi notebook cuando me acordé de que necesitaba una zapatilla . Yo tenía una zapatilla que habría podido utilizar pero la había dejado en mi cuarto en Buenos Aires, porque asumí que el hotel tendría una para prestarme. Desgraciadamente me equivoqué. Así que comenzó la aventura de encontrar una zapatilla. Fue obvio que no iba a ser fácil durante la mañana de un domingo. La empleada del hotel me sugirió que fuera a Wal-Mart. Tengo que decir que no soy un fanático de esa cadena de supermercados (pasé bastante tiempo en Wal-Mart el verano pasado por mi trabajo, y puedo decir con confianza que Target es muy superior) pero era la única opción. Fui en un taxi y pregunté a la taxista si podría esperar mientas que buscaba una zapatilla para poder enchufar mi computadora portatil.

We rolled into the Wal-Mart and I quickly realized this wasn’t a normal Wal-Mart. It was a “SuperCenter”, meaning it had an auto center, a garden center, and a bunch of other things. So I jumped out of the cab and was greeted with a “Buenos Dias” by an old lady at the door and promptly got lost. I finally found the electric department which had an entire wall of power strips, although none of them has the inputs that I needed. I left and we proceeded to Carrefour, which was basically the exact same size as Wal-Mart. I wondered how these big box stores had affected downtown Mendoza. Carrefour had basically the exact same selection as Wal-Mart. When I returned to the cab, the driver, Carlos, offered to call his son who had lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for some time and was likely to have what I was looking for. When I thought about it, everything I needed was on my computer – my contacts, the addresses of the agencies I was going to be going to, the emails between me and the people in the wine industry – so I said, why not. His son didn’t have the plug, but he proceeded to call his wife who thought she had what I was looking for.

Cuando llegamos a Wal-Mart me di cuenta de que no era un Wal-Mart tradicional. Era un “SuperCenter” que tenía un centro de autos, un vivero, y muchas otras cosas más. Cuando entré a la tienda, fui saludado con un “Buenos Días” por una señora mayor en la puerta (algunas cosas no se diferencian entre continentes ¿??), de pronto me sentí perdido sin ninguna idea de dónde debía buscar la zapatilla. Finalmente encontré el pasillo de electricidad y había una pared entera de zapatillas, aunque ninguna tenía las fichas que yo necesitaba. Salí y fuimos a Carrefour, que era prácticamente idéntico a Wal-Mart en su apariencia y tamaño. Me pregunté sobre el efecto que estas tiendas gigantescas habían causado en los negocios del centro de la ciudad. Carrefour tenía la misma selección que Wal-Mart. Cuando regresé al taxi, el chofer, Carlos, me ofreció llamar asu hijo quien había vivido en Fort Lauderdale, Florida, por algunos años y probablemente tenía la zapatilla que yo buscaba. Cuando pensé en la situación, me di cuenta de que todo que lo que yo necesitaba estaba en la computadora – mis contactos, las direcciones de las agencias que iba a visitar, los mails dirigidos a la gente de la industria de vino – así que, yo le respondí: “¿Por qué no?”. Su hijo, finalmente, no tenía la zapatilla, pero su esposa pensó que ella sí la tenía.

We headed to Carlos’s house where I met his wife, who had a power strip that wasn’t what I was looking for, but would do. By this time, Carlos and I had become good buddies. A retiree from the printing press plant of a major paper in Mendoza, Carlos now has to drive a taxi because he can’t live off his retirement check. He has one son who is an illegal immigrant working as an electrician in Florida and a son who is a taxi driver in Mendoza. Interestingly, he is the son of Syrian immigrant and visited his relatives there a number of years ago. He has two Syrian brothers, due to his father’s dual marriages – one to his Argentine mother and one with his Syrian mother. As Carlos said, “He was a good Muslim.”

Entonces, fuimos a la casa de Carlos donde conocí a su mujer quien tenía una zapatilla que no era exactamente la misma que yo buscaba sin embargo me sería de mucha utilidad a. En ese momento, Carlos y yo ya éramos amigos. Un jubilado de un taller de imprenta de un periódico grande en Mendoza, el propio Carlos, ahora tiene que conducir un taxi porque no puede vivir sólo con la plata de su cheque de jubilación. Él tiene un hijo que es un inmigrante ilegal en Florida, donde trabaja como electricista y otro hijo que conduce un taxi en Mendoza (fue él que había vivido en Florida. No entiendo esta parte. Cuántos hijos?). Lo que fue interesante fue el hecho de que Carlos era un hijo de un inmigrante de Siria y había visitado a sus parientes allí hacía ya varios años. Tiene dos hermanos sirios, debido a que su padre se ha casado dos veces. Como Carlos dijo, “él era un buen musulmán.”

After waking up so early and an hour touring around Mendoza, I was happy to return to the hotel to find my room ready. I went upstairs and took a great siesta for two hours. The rest of the afternoon was spent eating some lunch at the hotel’s restaurant, shooting off some emails, and listening to my River Plate beat Boca Juniors 3-1 in the “superclasico.” I’m starting to think that I really am a “mufa” – as Argentines call someone who brings bad luck – as yesterday I went to see Ferro play against Aldosivi and left disgusted at halftime as Ferro looked horrible and was losing 2-0. I later found out that Ferro came back to tie the game at 2-2. Then today I didn’t make the effort to go to a café to watch the game and instead listened to the game to only have my millonarios win 3-1. Who knows…

Después de despertarme tan temprano y de pasear por Mendoza durante casi una hora , estaba contento de regresar al hotel para ocupar un cuarto disponible. Siguiendo la tradición del interior del país, tomé un gran siesta que duró aproximadamente dos horas. Pasé el resto de la tarde comiendo en el bar del hotel, enviando mails, y escuchando la victoria de River contra Boca, 3-1, en el súper clásico del domingo. Estoy empezando a pensar que soy verdeadamente verdaderamente mufa, porque ayer fui a ver el partido de Ferro contra Aldovisi y me fui a la mitad del partido, indignado porque Ferro estaba jugando horrible y estaban perdiendo 2-0. Más tarde supe que Ferro empató 2-2. Hoy ya no intenté ir a ningún café para ver el partido, preferí mirarlo por televisión. Por supuesto, mis millonarios ganaron 3-1. ¿Quién sabe…?

Last night I took the bus into the city, which was an adventure in and of itself. I ended up asking someone on the bus to tell me where to get off, and everyone was very helpful. I hate being the dumb tourist or sticking out in those kinds of situations, but this time it was necessary. I finally got to the center of the city, which I remembered quite well from the time I came to Mendoza last year for a few days. I was in the mood for some brick oven pizza and came across, “Ché Pablo’s” right on the main drag. I ordered up a medium pizza and a small (375 mL) bottle of Norton 2004 Classic red wine. I’m sure ordering this generic wine in Mendoza would be looked down upon by wine enthusiasts, but I had drank this wine a couple nights before and had really liked it. After dinner I walked around a bit before taking a taxi back to the hotel for 6 pesos.

Anoche tomé el colectivo al microcentro y esto fue otra aventura. Pregunté a alguien en el micro sobre el lugar donde debía bajarme y todos me ayudaron mucho. Detesto ser el turista estúpido en estas situaciones, pero esta vez fue necesario. Llegué al centro de la ciudad alque recordaba bastante bien desde mi última visita. Quería pizza a la piedra y encontré “Ché Pablo’s”, ubicada en la Avenida San Martín. Pedí una pizza mediana y una botella chica de Norton 2004 Clásico (vino tinto). Estoy seguro de que l este vino genérico sería muy mal visto por los conocedores de vino, pero yo lo había probado en otras ocasiones y me había gustado mucho. Después de cenar, caminé un poco por la ciudad antes de tomar un taxi al hotel que me salió seis pesos.

Tomorrow morning I will be heading to a couple different libraries to make photocopies of articles and books that are only available in Mendoza. Hopefully it goes well. Saludos.

Mañana a la mañana iré a algunas bibliotecas para hacer fotocopias de artículos y capítulos de libros que sólo pueden conseguirse en Mendoza. Espero que todo ande bien. Saludos.

Un Diario de las investigaciones

2006-09-29T11:28:00.000-04:00

Empecé este blog con las intenciones de ofrecer una oportunidad de seguir mis investigaciones. Desgraciadamente, el proceso de investigar ha sido más problemático y lento que de que había esperado. Pero, aquí estoy para contarles a ustedes lo que he ido encontrando.

I started this blog with the intention of offering the oportunity to follow my research. Unfortunately, the research process has been more problematic and slower than I had hoped it would be. But, here I am to to let you know what I have been finding out.

La semana pasada fui a la Biblioteca del Ministerio de Economía, que está ubicada en la Plaza de Mayo. Allí, las bibliotecarias me ayudaron mucho y me dieron materiales importantes. Unos de los documentos que me mandaron por mail en el formato PDF fue un “Panorama Sectorial” del vino, que es un informe en cuya primera parte hablase sobre la Estructura del Sector. Allí, se puede ver la situación de la Argentina dentro del espectro mundial de consumidores de vino. Para mi sorpresa, Luxemburgo es el consumidor de vino per cápita número uno del mundo, según datos del 2000. Argentina queda en el sexto puesto.

Last week I went to the library inside the Economic Ministry which is located in the Plaza de Mayo. The librarians helped me a lot and gave me a bunch of very helpful materials. One of the documents that they sent me via email in PDF format was a “Sectoral Panorama” of the wine sector. The first part of the report specifically addressed the structure of the wine sector. There, you can view Argentina in comparison to other countries that have a high rate of wine consumption. To my surprise, Luxembourg is the number one consumer of wine per capita in the world, according to 2000 statistics. Argentina ranks in as the sixth highest consumer of wine in the world.