Argentina's U.S. exports on a winning streak

Published on Decanter.com 16 February 2009 - click here to read.

Argentina’s 2008 wine exports to the U.S. increased by 29% in value and 13% in volume on the previous year, making Argentina the only country to significantly increase its American sales during what proved to be a challenging year for the global wine trade.

These figures, from the U.S. Department of Commerce, revealed that by contrast, Australian exports to the U.S. dropped by 10.5% in value and 8% in volume over the same period. Total wine imports by the U.S. stagnated in 2008.

James Forbes, UK Director of Wines of Argentina, paints a similar picture for Argentinian imports in the UK, which have seen 20 months of consecutive growth in both value and volume terms. He also notes that Argentinian wines are being sold increasingly in the on-trade and the specialist wine sector.

This pull to the premium end of the spectrum suits Argentina well for two reasons. Its wine market is predominantly domestic, with only 17% of wine produced being exported. Producers can therefore sell their lower-end wine at home and concentrate on quality in their export products.

Secondly, the Malbec grape is a marketeer’s dream – easy on the palate, easy to pronounce and, despite its French origins, increasingly becoming synonymous with Argentinian winemaking.

New phylloxera outbreak in Yarra

Published on Decanter.com 19 January 2009. Click here to see the article on the Decanter website or on the image below for a larger version.


A new outbreak of phylloxera was declared in Australia's Yarra Valley last month.

According to Victoria's Department of Primary Industries, 'a detection of the grapevine pest phylloxera has been made in an existing control area in the Yarra Valley, north east of Melbourne'.

The so-called Maroondah Phylloxera Infested Zone (PIZ) was declared after phylloxera was detected in the region in December 2006.

The declaration restricts the movement of grapevine materials, machinery and equipment out of the PIZ.

Senior DPI plant standard officer Greg King said that following a recent notification of poor vigour in a number of vines, 'samples were taken from the affected vines and DPI's reference entomologist confirmed the presence of the pest'.

The Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia is the only body of its type in the world established specifically to deal with phylloxera. It publishes information on recognising phylloxera and warns that detections tend to be made up to several years after the initial occurrence of the infestation.

Grape growers in other regions, especially those who have had regular contact with the Yarra Valley or with high volumes of wine tourism, have been advised to be particularly vigilant in looking for signs of phylloxera.

Phylloxera is a small yellow root-feeding aphid. It only targets grapevines, which it kills by attacking their roots.

Wine may protect against dementia

Published today on Decanter.com - click here to go to the webpage or click on the image below for a larger version.