Buenos Aires — Argentine wine export sales, primarily to the U.S. and North America, have grown by 37% in the first half of 2007, compared to the same period last year, according to a report by La Nacion.
The sales figure, which translates to some 215 million dollars, is expected, by year’s end, to approach half of Chile’s wine exports, closing a gap in sales between Latin America’s largest wine producing nations by 25 % over the last two years, according to Jose Alberto Zuccardi, owner of the Familia Zuccardi winery.
The North American market, where prices for a bottle of Argentine wine have risen by 42 % in the last year, is fast becoming the principal destination for the narrow portion (around 10%) of Argentine viticulture designed for exportation.
“The evolution of Argentine exports demonstrates a similar, world-wide tendency that demands an elevated quality (of wine) at higher prices,” says Coviar, the Argentine Viticulture Corporation.
The emergence of Argentine wine exports on the international market coincides in part, according to La Nacion, with a slump in sales from traditional wine producing nations like Italy and France, which have fallen by as much as 10-12 % over the last five years.