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Many wineries aim their wines and brands at new market segments. Hence, women and young people are the new consumers to be conquered. In this occasion, young people below 30 years old were in charge of tasting and selecting the best Argentinian wines.

Wine is a rising passion among youngsters, and this trend has been detected by wineries, which have not overlooked these potential consumers. Hence, there is an Argentinian contest exclusively focused on those younger than 30 years old.

Two weeks ago, the medals of the 5th edition of the VinoSub30 Contest were granted at the Exhibition of Wines & Wineries. The event`s main attraction was that all wines were rated above 87 points, so only gold medals were granted. The fair was highly attended by industry personalities.

"Beer consumption has dropped among young people, while wine consumption has doubled. Currently, experts are not the only wine connoisseurs, recognizing varietals and types; there has been a growing interest in the past years, an urge to learn more about wines and hence be able to have a qualified appreciation at the time of choosing a wine.

"Choosing a wine and knowing about it is a sign of distinction and those people with gourmet knowledge stand out among today's twenty-something year olds and older youth. That is why we are interested in discovering this segment's preferences, learning about their taste's trends, knowing the path that has led them to wine and the aspects they appreciate," Daniel López Roca, the contest's organizer, indicates. The Sub30 contest seeks to recognize the preferences of men and women younger than 30 years old.

This event is the result of the great growth of wine consumption among young people and it is the only contest where the judging panel is comprised by sommeliers, winemakers, specialized journalists, critics and consumers below 30.

Due to the high quality level of samples and in accordance with OIV regulations, which establish that only 30% of wines may be awarded, this edition concluded with 62 gold medals awarded to wines from 37 wineries, while no silver medals were following the regulation.

Once again, young consumers are demonstrating that they do not tend to stick with a single style. On the contrary, they choose different wines for different occasions. This new edition featured 204 wines from 61 wineries from Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, Salta and Neuquén.

La Riojana Coop was one of the awarded wineries, receiving 4 gold medals for Santa Florentina Torrontes Riojano 2008, Santa Florentina Pinot Gris 2008, Valdeviña Reserva Malbec 2006 and Santa Florentina Torrontes Dolce. The latter is a naturally sweet sparkling wine, 100% Torrontes Riojano, made through the charmat method, which differs from a conventional sparkling in that it does not originate from a base wine but from natural grape juice.

With regard to the importance of this segment, Roberto Monsalvo, Marketing & Communications manager at La Riojana, commented that "the winery's commercial strategy is focused on young people, because they hold the potential for growth. Our winery is characterized by having different product lines which are adapted to the particular tastes of each consumer segment, and young people are not the exception in La Riojana's product portfolio."

At Bodega Etchart, they indicated that "young people are the most important segment for us, because we are able to educate consumers, to have them learn about our wines, first as Bodega Etchart and then through our brands. We want young people to learn about our wines, first for their attributes and values and also as representatives of the Cafayate region. Then, we have brands to match their different life stages. Hence, the young consumer starts with the entry-level Cafayate line, and later moves to Ayres de Cafayate in the mid-range and at some point evolves into the upper range Arnaldo B, our emblematic wine and one of Argentina's best wines."

With regard to particular strategies aimed at this segment, they said that they seek to "reinforce the ties with our young customers and stimulate our brand image. This goal has underpinned an effective marketing strategy based on our values. Hence, we are offering fruitier, sweeter, more aromatic wines for this market segment; and they are achieving a better adaptation to their tastes."

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