Total wine exports during the first month of this year, measured by value, grew 26.7% in relation to the same month of last year, with an increase from USD 43.6 million to USD 55.2 million. However, the total volume exported during that period dropped by 2.23 million liters, that is to say, 9.1% with respect to last year.

In 2009 the value of Malbec exports rose by 21.5% with respect to 2008, increasing from USD 194 million to USD 235 million. Malbec exports also increased by 23.4% in volume during that period, when 6.8 million 9-liter boxes were exported.

The greatest Spanish appointment with the wines of the world, Bacchus International Wine Competition, is coming soon. For five days, from 12th to 16th March 2010, Madrid will turn once again into the world's wine capital, thanks to Bacchus and the Spanish Wine Tasters Union, the organizer of this top-quality competition since 1996.

Although 2009 was a difficult year for the Argentinian wine industry, bottled wine exports continued to grow. However, growth was moderate if compared with higher rates in the previous years, with only an approximate 10% rise in value and 2% rise in volume.

Between January and October 2009, bottled wine exports grew 10% in value and 4% in volume, compared with 2008. Consequently, the average price of these exports has increased 6%, since the average price in 2008 was 22.2 dollars per 9-liter case, while in 2009 this figure amounted to 23.7.

Wine grew at a slightly faster rate than spirits in the second term of 2009, according to Nielsen scan data from food, drug and major market liquor stores in United States.

After the succeed achieved with the launch of Cafayate at the end of 2007, Bodegas Etchart now targets the Premium segment with its new line Cafayate Reserve.

In the first ten months of 2009, Malbec exports grew 21.8% in value, compared with the same period in 2008, since they increased from 159 to 193 million dollars. Besides, Malbec exports also grew 25.5% in volume and 5.7 million cases were exported in 2009.

From January to October 2009, total wine exports grew 3.6% in value, compared with the previous year, since they increased from 618 to 640 million dollars. However, the total volume exported in this period decreased 123 million liters, which means 28.3%.

Área del Vino carried out a research in order to analyze how many companies export to each market and what was the brand course during the last years.

Among the ten main bottled wine exporters to Canada, only Argentina grew between January and September 2009.

Argentinian bottled wine increases in value in the main export destinations. United States pushes up and the Ultra and Super Premium categories are the ones which achieved the greatest growth.

Nieto Senetiner launched Anima Della Vigna, a grappa made from the pomace distillation of high quality grape. This new product reflects the winery´s spirit: art, patience and dedication granted with the aim of achieving this high quality distilled product.

So far this year, both new and well known brands have entered into the five most important markets for Argentinian bottled wines. WineSur provides readers with the information about their performance in each market.

2009 has been a very difficult year for the commodities of the Argentinian wine industry. On the one hand, both wine in bulk and must have suffered a very serious reduction of their exports. On the other hand, bottled wine keeps being the star and export destinations such as United States and Canada grow steadily.

In September 2009, bottled wine exports amounted to 63.5 million dollars and 2.75 million 9-liter cases. These exports increased 8.3% in value and 6.2% in volume, in comparison with the same period in 2008. The average price per 9-liter case also grew from 22.61 to 23.07 dollars.

The wine category had a solid September with several shining lights. French imports had one of the best months in a long time and wines priced USD 20 and above posted strong growth, second only to box wines. Domestics are still outpacing imports with especially solid results coming from California, but Argentina continues to break the mold each month.

On Friday 6th November, Piattelli Vineyards officially opened its boutique winery located in Cobos Street in Agrelo, considered the "first winemaking zone" which holds one of the few Controlled Denomination of Origin (D.O.C.) in the world for the Malbec varietal.

Total wine exports between January and September grew 0.7% in value, in comparison with the previous year, since they increased from 465 to 468 million dollars. However, in this period the total exported volume decreased in 103 million liters, this means a drop of around 31.9%.

One of the main exporting wineries in the country launches the closure Stelvin Lux and Stelvin Lux + (Plus), the latest state-of-the-art technology as regards closures in the world. This innovative closure system satisfies the demanding requirements of the international markets where Norton exports its wines.

Torrontés was the varietal that experienced the greatest growth in exports, both in value and in volume, in the period January-August, 2009.

Total wine exports between January and August 2009 grew 4.4% in value compared with the same period in 2008. They increased from 392 to 410 million dollars. However, total exported volume decreased 81 million liters, which means a drop of 29% in the same period.

The liquidated wine stocks of the distributor and importer of Argentinian and Chilean wines are around 7 million dollars. In this article, WineSur provides readers with the list of said wines.

Wines of Argentina organized an online tasting of wines from Salta. The event was held at tastelive.com and the social network Twitter and conducted by ‘cyberwinemakers

Cabernet Sauvignon was the most exported varietal after Malbec in the first seven months of the year. However, its exports decreased 1.1% compared with 2008, since they fell from 35.5 to 35.1 million dollars.

In the first seven months of the year, wine exports increased 4.9% in value considering the same period in 2008. However, there is a drop of 29.3% in volume. This is a consequence of the decrease in wine in bulk exports, which have a greater influence over volume than over value.

In the first six months of the year, Malbec exports increased from 85.4 to 108.9 million dollars and from 2.4 to 3.1 million 9-liter cases. Therefore, the price per case fell 2.2%.

Reflecting Argentina's growing presence in the UK restaurant scene, 2009 has seen visits from 14 of the UK's top sommeliers and restaurateurs. Designed in conjunction with Imbibe magazine, the UK's premier publication for ‘on-trade' professionals, the idea has been to explore the range and diversity of Argentina's wines through the eyes of some of the most respected figures in the industry.

In a survey published last month by Wine Spectator, Argentina emerges the clear winner for US consumers as they search for wines displaying the right mix of quality and value.

With the aim of fostering production and consumption of high quality wine and spirits, the launch of the ninth edition of the prestigious international contest VINANDINO 2009 was performed. Said contest will be carried out between 1st and 7th November.

Within the actions performed to achieve the country brand consolidation, Wines of Argentina organized Los Angeles Luncheon. The event was carried out in SONA Restaurant, with the presence of sommeliers and wine buyers.

"Malbec seems to be the wine du jour," stated Joe Briand, sommelier of Herbsaint in New Orleáns. Herbsaint is one of the exclusive restaurants that entered in the Restaurant Poll, which is annually carried out by the US Magazine Wine&Spirits.

A recent survey carried out by WineSpectator.com reveals how the recession has affected wine consumers. Most people are spending less on wine compared with a year ago.

According to the data provided by Nielsen Consultancy, 72% of social network participants trust consumers´ opinions posted online. Argentina has a high percentage of good online comments, the highest one in the top 10 of importing countries.

Scientifics from the Australian Wine Research Institute are working with combinations of yeasts during fermentation in order to get certain aromatic effects in wines. Discoveries are amazing.

In spite the international crisis, Argentinian wine exports have not stopped. All price segments over 13 dollars showed positive numbers in the first five months of the year. Total exports have had the same performance in the main export destinations.

During the last years, there has been a noticeable international trend towards organic food consumption. This is an important fact for Argentina since wine is one of the main export product and there is an incipient industry focused on that objective.

In this article, WineSur provides readers with the names of the 30 Argentinian brands that most exported in 2008. Said brands are also rated according to export value in million dollars as well as export volume in 9-liter cases.

This year, more than 1,200 wines of wineries from 21 countries participated in this contest. Among these wines, 53 Argentinian ones were awarded and one of them received the Best Show award. Know the winners here.

Although in the first five months of the year accumulated wine and must sales (in both export and domestic market) decreased 13.8% compared with the same period of 2008, a good sign arises from the comparison between January-May (13.8%) and January-April (16.11%). There was a slight recovery of 2.3%.

The Wine Explorer Limited, a UK company specialized in tastings and wine experiences as well as in outstanding wines shipped to the UK direct from hand-picked vineyards around the world, won a commendation for another exclusive wine: The Tempus Alba Pleno 2004 from the Tempus Alba Vineyard in Maipú, Mendoza, Argentina.

Vinexpo, the wine fair of Bordeaux, gathers 44 Argentinian wineries this year. The main stand is sponsored by Wines of Argentina, the organization that promotes Argentinian wines all over the world. Malbec had a high-profile participation in the event.

Wine&Spirits published its report "Value Brands of the year", which stands out the best wines from United States, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. Críos de Susana Balbo, Norton and Sur de los Andes, are the top 3 Argentinian wines.

Vinexpo, the wine fair of Bordeaux, gathers 44 Argentinian wineries this year. The main stand is sponsored by Wines of Argentina, the organization that promotes Argentinian wines all over the world. Malbec had a high-profile participation in the event.

Wine&Spirits published its report "Value Brands of the year", which stands out the best wines from United States, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. Críos de Susana Balbo, Norton and Sur de los Andes, are the top 3 Argentinian wines.

Área del Vino provides its members with "Área Premium", a new winemaking information and research service for those who need specialized, dynamic and up-dated information about the context in which the winemaking business is performed in both national and international levels.

According to a report from the consultancy CCR, in the first four months of the year, the total consumption of Argentinian wines decreased 5%, though the real turnover increased 25%. The study also states that the consumption of bottled varietals and red wines is stable, with a slight growth.

One of the most influential wine magazines in United States published its "Annual Buying Guide" which gathers the best products of the world. This time, an image of Catena Zapata´s vineyards appears on the cover of the guide. In this article, WineSur provides readers with the list of the awarded Argentinian wines.

Bodegas Etchart presents three interesting launches including a Rosé, a Torrontés and a blended red wine. By means of these launches, the winery located in Salta -in the north of Argentina- aims to expand its lines Cafayate and Alta Gama in order to satisfy the growing demand for these wines on the market.

A report from IES (the acronym in Spanish for Sectorial Economic Researches) points out that wine is the only beverage that grew in the first quarter of 2009. The rest dropped more than 23% in quantity and 6.5% in turnover during this period.

According to the official report issued by Asociación de Profesionales en Enología y Alimentos de Argentina (Wine and Food Professionals Association of Argentina), this has been an ideal year for great wines with lower yield but higher quality. In this article, WineSur provides readers with the analysis of all the winemaking regions of Argentina.

In the last contests performed in Europe, Argentina got great awards. Argentinian wines achieved several awards in London and Valencia. Specialized press gave them a lot of praise.

The fourth edition of Expovinos 2009, the fair organized by Grupo Éxito in Colombia, gathered more than 20,500 wine lovers. In this article, WineSur provides readers with the awarded wines in all the categories.

With the aim of promoting the profession, as well as tourism and regional cuisine, the first contest gathering sommeliers from all over the world was carried out early this month. A Canadian young woman was selected as the Best Sommelier of the Americas.

During last years, Argentina and Chile have been increasing their growth rates as regards the average price of exports. However, in the first four months of 2009, export figures of bottled wines in Chile decreased 11.6% in average value for 9-liter cases, while in Argentina increased 2.9%. In this article WineSur provides readers with the keys to understand this phenomenon.

Wine Spectator, one of the most important US magazines, will carry out the New York Wine Experience, where the best wines of the world will be tasted by the most demanding palates.

Ten Argentinian wineries participated in Wine Spectator Grand Tour, an important winemaking event that allows being in touch with final consumers. It was carried out in May 2009 in three North American cities: Atlantic City, Chicago and Las Vegas.

Call them "Millennials", "Generation Y" or "Trophy Generation" - whatever their collective name, younger drinkers hold the key to the future success of the wine industry. How to reach the potential next 8.9 million wine consumers?

Total bottled wine exports -which include glass bottled wine, tetra brick and bag in box- grew 3% in volume and 15% in value, considering the period January-April 2009 in comparison with 2008. However, wine in bulk and must exports decreased 46% and 51% in volume, respectively.

Nowadays, there are more and more wineries offering tourists something more than just simple tours through vineyards and wine tastings in their cellars. With the aim of attracting tourists, many wineries offer, apart from the traditional tour, cuisine and hotel alternatives. Moreover, a growing number of hotels aim to catch tourists' attention.

The awarded wines are produced by three wineries of Mendoza. One of the most important characteristics is that they are emblematic varieties of Argentina: Malbec, Torrontés and Bonarda.

Wines of Argentina launched its new communication campaign called "Discover your inner tango", which is part of the actions performed by the entity to promote wines. It focuses on the concept that differentiates the country: tango as an expression of seduction, passionate elegance and sophistication.

Within the London Wine Fair the results of the International Wine Challenge and Decanter World Wine Awards were announced. Argentinian wines achieved 4 Trophies. Malbec and Torrontés were the most awarded wines. In this article, WineSur provides readers with all the winners

In one of the most important contests of the winemaking world, 34 Argentinian wines were awarded. Six of them achieved the Great Gold Medal, 14 the Gold one and 14 the Silver one. In this article, WineSur provides readers with the names of the awarded wines.

In its edition of March 2009, the prestigious French magazine "Revue du Vin de France" referred to Argentinian wines and the distinctive characteristics of the winemaking country. Said magazine presented a list with the top 20 Malbec and Argentinian Blends.

From May 27 on, WineSur Guide is available at WineSur.com. It is an interactive web portal offering all the information about wines, vintages, winemakers as well as Argentinian tourist regions.

The offer of gastronomic alternatives keeps growing heavily within the main wineries of the country. This way, every day more and more wineries offer a wide range of options such as signature cuisine, festivals, cooking lessons, tastings and pairings, as well as special, seasonal and regional menus, among other interesting alternatives.

In this article, WineSur provides the latest news as regards awards, openings, cuisine alternatives and tourism activities carried out in the main Argentinian wineries.

These scores were obtained at the World Ranking Wines and Spirits, which is annually gathered by the World Association Wine & Spirit Writers & Journalist, worldwide known as WAWWJ.

One of the most influential US wine critics tasted over 600 Argentinian wines. WineSur offers an overview of his scores and comments as well as the repercussions among awarded wineries.

Acknowledgements for the country

Biofach, the famous organic world fair, to be conducted in Germany is approaching. The exports of Argentinian organic wines increased 40% last year. There is a strong demand for these products in Europe, but also in Asia.

The San Francisco Chronicle rated 28 Argentinian wines in theThe Chronicle Wine Selection. All of them were evaluated as very good or excellent. Wines from different wine regions in the country were selected.

They were selected as a result of Jay Miller’s tastings in Argentina. A total of 41 Argentinian wines earned between 94 and 99 points, as reported in the December edition of Robert Parker’s prestigious publication. Here, WineSur features the wines praised by the gatekeeper.

The new harvest is approaching and the National Grapegrowing and Winemaking Institute announced that the Argentinian grape production will comprise 28,132,274,000 kilograms.

This variety is starting to produce its first great wines in Argentina. It is a promising grape and several wineries are working on its development in the local terroir.

The American wine industry eagerly awaits Barack Obama’s inauguration -which is taking place today- as they assume he will push the industry forward.

At the end of the year, the major American online retailer, Wine.com, released its Top 100 ranking featuring the most acclaimed and sold wines among the site

India is one of the new Asian markets sought by Argentina. With 5 medals in this increasingly important contest, the country is gaining a reputation among East Asian consumers.

The cork industry is experiencing a huge diversification. Currently, cork is not longer used exclusively as closure in the wine industry. Due to its versatility, cork is being used in a variety of new products.

The supermarket chain bought around 60 thousand bottles produced by Viña de la Solidaridad and Bodega Furlotti. The premium obtained will be used to help producers’ children complete their education. Another example of a rising trend.

One of the most important and influential magazines in the North American market included three Argentinian wines among its best 100 wines of 2008. Learn more about these wines in this article.

Argentinian producers seek to position it as a variety that sets the Argentinian terroir apart. Following Malbec, it could emerge as a new star among red varieties.