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Uruguay's "clean slate" leaves field open for building quality reputation

Published:  21 November, 2016

Bibendum has ambitious plans to put Uruguay on the map as a high-end niche proposition for independents and on-trade by focusing on quality wines from one of its most innovative producers

Bibendum has ambitious plans to put Uruguay on the map as a high-end niche proposition for independents and on-trade by focusing on quality wines from one of its most innovative producers.

In much the same way that Cloudy Bay or Chateau Musar led the premium charge for New Zealand and Lebanon respectively, Bibendum-owner Conviviality's business development director Michael Saunders believes that Bodega Garzon is uniquely positioned to do the same for Uruguay.

Speaking at the launch for Garzon's new three-tiered range at the estate, Saunders told Harpers: "There is virtually no consumer knowledge of Uruguay so there is an opportunity for [Garzon] to create a story for themselves and the whole of Uruguay, that of a small player among an ocean of wines from around the world, and I think this is an incredible opportunity to craft an image in a way that really endorses premium wine."

Since its inception in 2007, Bodega Garzon has created a stir among Uruguay's longer established producers. Having been developed and bank-rolled at a cost that some reports put as high as US$80 million by billionaire Argentine entrepreneur Alejandro Bulgheroni, the estate combines high-end tourism and food production with wine, aimed at the luxury market. Bulgheroni also has a portfolio that includes several wineries in prime regions around the world.

Leading on Tannat and Albarino, with international consultant Alberto Antonini overseeing winemaking, the estate is sited in the cool coastal-influenced Maldonado region, and focused on producing restrained and elegant styles of wine from a host of varieties that Antonini believes will "change perceptions" of Uruguayan wine.

The aim is to market this perception by tapping into Uruguay's regional reputation for luxury tourism and lifestyle, to promote the quality potential of the wines by seeding the idea that Uruguay is aspirational.

"Someone needs to take the initiative and put the country on the map in much the same way that three to four producers in Argentina created a category with Malbec," said Saunders.

"If you go back 15 years the Argentine Malbec category did not exist," he continued, but added, "Uruguayan Tannat is a good place to start, but just as Argentina will become known for other fabulous varieties, it would be a bad idea to pigeonhole Uruguay as Tannat because it clearly has a clean slate, an opportunity to create an identity as an emerging premium producer capable of a real variety of wines."

Uruguay's foothold in the UK has been growing, but from a small base, with figures from generic body INAVI showing an increase in export value from US$103,000 to US$271,000 between 2011 and 2015.

Garzon now claims to make double the quantity of premium wines of all other Uruguayan producers combined, so its strategy in promoting Uruguay abroad is likely to have a significant impact on the country's industry as whole.

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