New UK importer to focus on Argentine fine wine

A new importer of Argentine fine wines, Ruta 40, has been founded to fill a market gap for labels over £10 in the UK.

The company, named after Argentina’s longest road, plans to supply consumers directly with products from 12 small family-owned wineries from Mendoza to Salta.

The new business is the brainchild of Christian Rothhardt, a former financial services professional who fell in love with the wines of Argentina while holidaying in South America.

“I’d been to the Gaucho Grill and thought the wines were quite good but I never knew Argentina made great wine. Then, I went there and saw the knowledge and sophistication, and became frustrated that I couldn’t get the wines over here [the UK].”

Rothhardt spent a number of months studying the market and concluded that there was an opportunity to develop a market for Argentine wine over £10, and between £12 and £20 in particular.

“The fact that Argentina has a small market share in the UK is both an issue and an opportunity,” he told the drinks business.

“Because it hasn’t got trapped selling high volumes at a low price, it can compete at a high level, where it offers good quality and value, and a point of difference.”

Rothhardt visited over 40 top bodegas on the advice of a sommelier at Azafran restaurant in Mendoza and from that chose 12 producers, all of which are family owned and have no more than a 300,000 bottle production.

He currently has over 30,000 bottles in a warehouse in the UK which he plans to distribute to a customer base of initially 1,400 contacts he built up during his days in financial services. To support the operation Rothhardt has created a website and literature on each of the wineries.

“We will launch a consumer website on 29 November with videos on each bodega, information on the wines and maps which you can zoom in and out,” he said.

“Our second phase will include live webcams in the bodegas.”

Notably, Rothhardt is also hoping to open a wine bar in central London that specialises in Argentine produce.

He’s looking at sites between Marble Arch and Holborn and aims to find something by early next year.

In the meantime, using existing contacts, he hopes to build up regular stream of business through an online wine club with either a £95 or £125 monthly financial commitment in return for a six-bottle selection of wine.

Bodegas represented by Ruta 40:

Carinae
Corvus
La Azul
Ave
El Molino Cachi
Allessandro Speri
Porvenir
Tempus Alba
Andana
Vina Alicia
Vinecol
Antucura

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Patrick Schmitt, 18.11.2010