WofA moves Malbec World Day celebrations online

Industry body Wines of Argentina has altered its Malbec World Day celebrations due to the Covid-19 outbreak, holding a series of online campaigns throughout April to promote Argentina’s flagship grape.

Held on 17 April, in prior years Malbec World Day has comprised a series of coordinated events held around the world. While meetings, hugs and greetings are on hold, WofA is hoping to use the annual campaign as a force for good.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the initiative aims to highlight the success of Argentine Malbec, which now accounts for 21.4% of the total area under vine in the South American nation.

In 2020, WofA will be promoting Malbec World Day online and on social media using the hashtag #MalbecArgentino. With the tagline, ‘Malbec Argentino: ¡Me Gusta!’, the online campaign will showcase the four fundamental pillars on which Malbec World Day 2020 is built: social responsibility, positioning and permanence, identity, and the return to essence.

WofA is inviting wine lovers to keep the spirit of Malbec alive by sharing the wines they are drinking at home. The 2020 promotion ties in different aspects of Malbec, from its history and links with Argentine culture to its versatility and food pairing suggestions. Despite having origins in the Old World, the grape variety has become synonymous with Argentina, and is prized for its versatility, diversity and depth of flavour.

The campaign’s promotional material states: “Malbec reflects the best of our culture and personality; it is as Argentine as tango, soccer, empanadas and asado. Its international success has made it a global phenomenon, bringing our passion and warmth to the entire world. It shortens distances and tightens links that cross all borders. Malbec is Argentine and at the same time universal.”

WofA is working with independent wine retailers in the UK throughout April, encouraging stores to post about Malbec online. Phil Crozier, Europe and UK ambassador for WofA, will be posting tasting videos on social media, showcasing Malbecs made by different producers, covering as many regions as possible.

In the US, WofA is celebrating Malbec World Day with a month-long online campaign in different lifestyle media outlets. Additionally, on 17 April there will be a live chat on Twitter, led by Li Valentine and using the hashtags #MalbecWorldDay and #MalbecArgentino, showcasing five Malbecs that best reflect Argentine culture.

Meanwhile in China, WofA will be conducting a series of live stream broadcasts with Grapea Wine School and the Fu Sheng Wine Bar, featuring Fongyee Walker MW, Leon Liang, Sam Chen and MW student Xing Wei. Videos accompanying the promotion will be displayed on the websites of Chinese online retailers Tmall and jd.com.

Run by Wines of Argentina, Malbec World Day is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Argentine Agency for Investment and International Trade and the Argentine Wine Corporation, and is framed within the Viticultural Strategic Plan Argentina 2020. More information can be found on www.malbecworldday.com