Malbec has global appeal

Malbec World Day is gathering momentum as restaurants and retailers world-wide have signed up to promote Argentina’s flagship grape.

UK businesses will be among those who will be celebrating the second Malbec World Day, aimed at renewing efforts to establish Argentine Malbec as the benchmark of this variety.

Top speakers, restaurants and stores across the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and Russia will be joining in the marketing push which centres around 17 April.

This commemorates the day in 1853 when Argentine president, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, made it his mission to transform the country’s wine industry.

Andrew Maidment, European director of Wines of Argentina, said the country is hoping to see a “demonstrable uplift in sales” as a result of the promotion.

“We’ve got enough touch points in the UK that we are hitting the right target audience. We should see, as happened last year, quantifiable results,” said Maidment.

One collaboration which didn’t go to plan was the joint winemaking project between Wines of Argentina and English producer Chapel Down. As revealed by the drinks business this Malbec World Day promotion ran foul of EU law.

We have taken a look at events and the level of interest for Malbec Day 2012 around the world.

United Kingdom 

Majestic Wine is offering Malbec World Day discounts across a range of its 20 Argentine wines.

Averys has also been promoting the event, and The Daily Telegraph Wine Club magazine ran a special feature.

Naked Wines is running a competition through social media to win a trip to Argentina, and Gaucho restaurant group is offering free samples of its English-made Malbec on Tuesday.

Over 100 restaurants will be participating in Malbec promotions, including London’s Black & Blue chain, Hawksmoor, Casa Malevo, Constancia and De la Panza, as well as D&D group’s Le Pont de la Tour, Hix and Galvin La Chapelle.

Mitchells & Butlers has launched a Malbec promotion in 40 bars and restaurants throughout the UK.

De La Panze restaurant in London is having a Malbec wine tasting and Argentine tango dancers on Tuesday evening. 

 Rest of Europe 

Malbec Day 2012 has already shown its popularity in Europe when 350 people went to a tasting in the Czech Republic.

Eighty-five independent wine shops will also be participating in the Netherlands.

In Portugal, an Argentine menu is being paired with Malbec at different restaurants. The four restaurants are: Mezzaluna, La Paparrucha, Buenos Aires Café and Trigo Latino.

A tasting in Sweden will be held for the importing monopoly Systembolaget, restaurant industry and specialised press.

A trade tasting will be hosted in Moscow by top Russian journalist Igor Serdyuk.

In Poland a trade and press tasting of premium Argentine wines will take place, with additional activities kicking off in Stockholm, Helsinki and Berlin.

 United States of America

In New York, Malbec World Day is being celebrated at the Guggenheim Museum with a social gathering and some cocktails.

Wines of Argentina is the exclusive wine sponsor for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, providing wines to all of its events during the course of the festival. The film festival has attracted an international audience of more than 3.25 million attendees and has generated an estimated US$660 million in economic activity for New York City.

Also in the ‘”big apple” are crushing parties at City Winery.

Malbec Extravaganza Luncheons will be held in Los Angeles and Seattle. The Sommelier Tasting Lunch will be held at a private dining area of a restaurant where the hosting MS Evan Goldstein will preside over a two-hour lunch attended by key restaurant sommeliers and buyers. There will be 14 Malbecs from different regions and price points, each paired with dishes from the the menu.

Chicago is holding Argentine nights at the Latino Film Festival. 

Rest of the World

In Australia there are Malbec tastings in Brisbane and Perth.

MWD Coctel in Mumbai is hosting a reception for importers, distributors, specialised media and other institutions linked to industry and commerce to mark the day.

One of the biggest events is set to be in China in Shanghai, which is hosting three events all together. The biggest is a dinner in an Argentine restaurant with 200 guests (distributors, wine importers, trade press, restaurants, sommeliers and chefs).

For Malbec World Day in Hanoi, Vietnam there are tasting of wines from Argentina.

In Columbia a series of activities around the country are promoted by the Exito grou, including a number of special events in Bogotá.