A successful tasting of malbecs from different terroirs under the leadership of the renowned English sommelier and Argentine wine expert Phil Crozier, representative of Wines of Argentina (WofA), was held at the residence of the Argentine ambassador in London, Javier Figueroa, to celebrate the 12th edition of World Malbec Day.
Crozier presented a selection of the best Argentine wines from more than 40 wineries from the provinces of Mendoza, Salta, La Rioja, San Juan, and Río Negro before some 200 representatives of wine bars, sommeliers, importers, distributors and specialized media in the United Kingdom, in the framework of Argentinian wine promotion actions carried out by the Embassy in collaboration with WofA, which declared April 17 as the day to pay tribute to this iconic varietal.
The United Kingdom is the second export destination for Argentine wines after the USA, with an increase in the import of this product of 35% in 2020, according to the National Institute of Viticulture.
“I love their grapes, I love wine. I love regionality. I think this is the future of Argentina, what we started,” Crozier said before taking attendees on a journey through the different wine regions.
“We all have to start learning the language. The word Malbec is in the English vocabulary now and it’s important that we remember it because at first people didn’t know exactly what it was. We now know that it is a great strain and the only place of origin is Argentina. It is in the vernacular, it is in the language, it is a point of seduction”, concluded the specialist.
The expert knows Argentina in depth after having been traveling around the country for more than 20 years and is aware of all the changes in the wine industry.
As ambassador of Wines of Argentina in the United Kingdom and Europe, maintains close ties with trade and promoting Argentine wines.
It was also wine director of the Gaucho restaurant chain in the UKwhere he imposed the first totally Argentine drink list and has managed vineyards in Mendoza.
He was also responsible for creating many of Gaucho’s own wines over the years, working with many of Argentina’s leading winemakers and producers.
For its part, Adrianna Catena, historian, fourth-generation viticulturist, daughter of renowned winemaker Nicolás Catena Zapata and co-owner of El Enemigo together with Alejandro Vigil, elected this year as president of WofA, celebrated the return to these face-to-face events after the pandemic, especially for all producers, who believe that being in person is very important.
According to the latest figures from the Institute, exports of fractionated wines between 2020 and 2021 to the United Kingdom represented 12.5% of total shipmentsbeing the second destination of the Argentine drink.
The wineries Ambrosia de Tupungato, Andeluna, Bemberg Estate Wines, Altocedro, Benegas, Lorca, Isasmendi, Estancia Mendoza, Luigi Bosca, Norton, Salentein, Staphyle, Casa de Uco, Falasco Wines, Durigutti Family Winemakers, Doña Paula, Chakana, Familia Zuccardi, Finca Decero, Finca La Anita, Finca Sophenia, Grupo Avinea, Jasmin Monet Organic Vineyard, La Riojana, Lupa, La Rural Rutini Wines, Los Haroldos, La Celia and Lui Wines.
