The wineries are getting their plans ready to face the upcoming year, although recession and uncertainty seem to jeopardize daily tasks. Most of them already have a formula for 2009 to keep business running, and nearly all of them firmly seek to keep growing.

In the face of the current recession and crisis, WineSur interviewed important industry members, including those from both large and boutique wineries, and asked them about their plans for 2009. In this article, they talk about where their focus will be put in order to maintain profitability and secure good business during the upcoming year.

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Argentina is still shining among wines with the best quality to price ratio. This time, four Argentinian wines were included in Wine Enthusiast’s recommended selection.

Wine Enthusiast, one of the most important wine magazines in the American market, published the Best Buys of 2008 in its November edition, where four Argentinian wines were showcased. The list includes wines with scores above 85 and prices below u$s 15. The wines featured in the list were selected by the editors of the international magazine. Immersed in crisis and anticipating a complicated 2009, American consumers will be choosing more affordable wines. That is why the magazine focused on value, in order to provide a tool for consumers to find the best wines at reasonable prices.

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Canada is one of the markets where Argentinian wine is growing the most. The prestigious Canadian wine magazine chose the 25 Best Values available in Canada’s market. Argentina received good scores and special comments from the judges and Malbec had its own section in the article.

For the third consecutive year, Wine Access magazine chose the best wines below $25. “The $25 threshold was chosen because, as far as we can ascertain, 97 per cent of all wines sold in Canada sell for less than that,” the magazine claimed. This year, over 1,050 wines were entered for the selection, among which Argentinian wines stood out.

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Chandon’s number one person in Argentina is moving to lead Maison Krug, the prestigious champagne maison of Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy. She will be the first woman and the first Latin American to hold this position.

She looks happy and sad at a time. Her answers are barely audible as she had a Chandon party the night before and lost her voice. But she does not seem to care much about it. Energetic and optimistic as usual, Margareth Henríquez talks about her plans for the future -she will become the most important woman at Maison Krug, a champagne company opened in 1843. Even though she is excited, she knows she will be missing Argentina’s “Sun, friends, and people’s recognition."

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The art of blending different grape varieties to make great wines used to be the differential signature of European wines. Today, Argentina seems to be gaining room in this practice, producing great blends. Learn more about them in this article.

Human beings do not live on varietals only. Besides single variety wines there are blends, which result from the alchemy achieved by winemakers. If they are red, they offer spicy and mysterious aromas, and hues as black as the night. If they are white, their colors are golden yellows or even impossible greens.

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Even though Australia has been developing the variety for 30 years, the potential of the Argentinian terroir is becoming evident. San Juan and Mendoza have been able to develop great wines with this variety. In the past 8 years, it was the variety with the highest growth.

Syrah is a well-known varietal around the world. Nevertheless, this grape has been able to gain worldwide recognition lately as a result of the wines produced in Australia. With regard to its origin, this variety is considered the oldest, originating in Persia, in the city of Shiraz. In many places it is called Sirak, while in France it is known as the female grape, Syrah. As for its major features, winemakers inquired by WineSur agreed on its plasticity and easy adaptation to all regions. However, they remarked the fact that it prefers warm climates, hence achieving a good development in the Calchaquíes Valleys, Catamarca, La Rioja, Mendoza (specially from Maipú to the East) and -most significantly- in San Juan (Tulum Valley).

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Planned as a tourist circuit, the San Juan Wine Route has become one of the most traditional options for visitors. Fifteen wineries integrate the tour and offer very different programs, from organic wine production to sparkling wines elaborated at the very heart of the mountain.

In Argentina, the development of wine tourism circuits is rising relentlessly. In the past few years, San Juan wineries have made big efforts to prepare their facilities to produce quality wines and welcome tourists. In this article, WineSur offers a tour around the five circuits of the province.

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The 2005 Soluna Premium Malbec was the star at the 2008 Fairtrade Wine Competition. It was chosen as the Best Overall Fairtrade Wine (sponsored by Harpers), the Best Fairtrade Red Wine and the Best Argentinian Fairtrade Red Wine.

Last November 12th, the Fairtrade Wine Committee held its third annual wine tasting event at Vinopolis, a wine-focused space in London. The wine trade, journalists and the general public were communicated the eagerly awaited results of the 2008 Fairtrade Wine Competition.

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Among the eleven categories, Mendoza was awarded as the Wine Region of the Year. Learn more about the contest and its winners in this article.

Wine Enthusiast is one of the most important magazines in the United States. Every year, it awards and acknowledges the effort of all those people involved in the wine world. As part of the Annual Wine Star Awards 2008, Mendoza was chosen this year’s wine region. The winners will be invited to an awards ceremony on January 26th at the New York Public Library.

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This exhibition carried out in Singapore is one of the most important ones in Asia. Argentinian wines obtained several medals, thus reinforcing their image in the continent.

Wine For Asia celebrated its sixth edition. It was staged at Suntec Singapore from 16 to 18 October 2008. This event has become one of the most important wine exhibitions in Asia, supported by many national wine and trade promotion agencies. It is an efficient tool for the wine industry as it allows business accomplishments and positioning brands in the Asian market. This edition featured over 190 exhibitors from more than 20 countries.

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Carlos Trad is the export manager of Viña Doña Paula. He is based in New York, from where he talks about his vision of the Argentinian wine business.

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Besides the traditional guided tour, several Argentinian wineries offer unique programs aimed at immersing visitors in the world of wine aromas, or combining wine tourism with astronomy, paleontology or sport. In this wine tourism special, WineSur features four innovative options offered by wineries in Mendoza and Neuquén provinces.

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