Malbec World Day (MWD) is a global initiative created by Wines of Argentina to position Argentine Malbec in the world’s markets and celebrate the success of the Argentine wine industry.
Held for the first time on April 17, 2011, MWD has established itself as a landmark event for the promotion of #ArgentineWine across the world and is now a fixture on the international festival calendar.
The celebration is supported by the National Ministry of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Worship and the Argentine Viticultural Corporation (COVIAR), as part of the 2030 Strategic Plan for Argentine Viticulture.
The Stories Told on Malbec World Day
Let’s take a brief look at the campaign concepts that have been promoted over the past 14 editions.
Malbec World Day has won over consumers’ palates, taking to the streets with a wealth of artistic and cultural initiatives.
The world danced to Malbec’s tune, revelling in its indomitable, intense and vigorous flavors.
The wine was even compared to films because of the way in which it arises out of a combination of art and industry.
This is a wine that can be enjoyed again and again, earning itself classic status and becoming the beating heart of Argentina; our ambassador to the world.
Just when we thought we’d seen everything, we switched from talking about Argentine Malbec in the singular to describing a diverse range of Malbecs, introducing the world to different profiles, styles, and places of origin at different altitudes.
Every bottle of Malbec evokes Argentina’s rich geography, extreme climates and colorful landscapes.
Its intrinsic characteristics as a varietal: versatility, nobility and elegance, made it everyone’s favorite wine.
But beyond technical qualities, Argentine Malbec is a delight, the perfect excuse to share and enjoy a wine and so much more: it’s an experience (or several!), a moment to be treasured.
Malbec, like football, is a central element of Argentine cultural identity.
Just like the national football team, it’s the 'Champion' of the world of wine: a player who covers the whole pitch, made almost everywhere in Argentina, and capable of delivering a wide spectrum of styles and profiles.
Malbec gives the best of itself with the help of winemakers and producers who want to build a sustainable future in which the environment, society, culture and production live in balance and harmony.
This is what sets the agenda for the continuous, year on year improvement of Argentine Malbec.
What We Want to Achieve with the 15th Edition of Malbec World Day
Malbec World Day has evolved over the years, enriching itself with each new edition: from highlighting the success of the flagship variety to emphasizing quality and diversity to demonstrating its producers’ commitment to sustainability.
Continuing the spirit of previous celebrations, we plan to continue emphasizing the diversity of Argentine Malbec.
It is this adaptable character that makes it so special.
Argentina’s variety of terroirs and innovative industry are producing Malbecs that transcend traditional styles.
“There’s a Malbec for everyone!”
We want to promote the new styles of Malbec that are arising to satisfy the evolving tastes of its diverse and ever-changing consumers.
And it is the people we especially want to focus on: their preferences, desires, and motivations when they drink Argentine Malbec.
The new styles of Malbec
Although Malbec continues to be Argentina’s calling card, the Malbecs being made today are actually quite different to those you’d find ten or even five years ago.
Years of innovation in the vineyards, deepening understanding of the soils, and the accumulated experience of Argentine wineries have resulted in a new era of elegant, refined and subtle Malbecs.
One of the main virtues of Malbec is its ability to transparently reflect its terroir.
Every one of Argentina’s wine regions has its own unique identity and Malbec is a means of communicating that, which is precisely why it has so many diverse expressions.
This capacity to adapt to different regions makes Argentine Malbec both one and many: unique in its category but with multiple different expressions.
We’re witnessing a new stage for Malbec in which it’s more versatile, fresher and delivers more herbal qualities and subtler fruitiness, made in micro-regions and ever cooler areas.
Argentina’s flagship variety offers an infinite range of flavors, styles and possibilities.
Examples of this phenomenon aren’t hard to find: within the portfolio of a single Argentine winery there will most likely be several different kinds of Malbec.
The transformation being observed in Malbec production also means that the variety is being used in many of Argentina’s best blends.
Today, Malbec is the core of these world class assemblages, reflecting the skill of winemakers in Argentina who are finding an ideal balance between tradition and modernity to further burnish the reputation of their star variety.
The excellence of these blends has made them the new icons of Argentine viticulture.
In the universe of Malbec things never stand still and that is what makes it extremely exciting.
This uniquely multifaceted variety is now being widely used in cocktails and vermouths, part of a recent trend among younger generations who are looking to consume less alcohol and seeking out creative, refreshing options.
The evolution of Malbec over time means that we need to communicate its versatility in a simple, straightforward, fresh and accessible way, all of which happen to be some of Malbec’s core qualities.
Now for the Finale: Your Malbec: Share It Your Way
On Malbec World Day, we want to celebrate the versatility of the flagship variety and the vast number of ways it can be enjoyed.
We want to put Malbec on the consumer’s side.
Your Malbec is an invitation to find your own style and share it with the people you love the most, in your favorite places, with your favorite meals and listening to your favorite music.
You’ll find that Malbec adapts to your tastes: it can be fresh, light, young, traditional, classical, aromatic, herbal, or sophisticated and you’re going to want to share it with everyone you know.
Your Malbec also reflects your personal choices, we want you to feel like a member of a community for whom Argentine Malbec is an important part of sharing special, meaningful experiences.
There’s no one way to enjoy it.
Every glass and sip of Argentine Malbec is an individual expression embedded in a shared experience.
It’s the freshness of a cocktail made with a glass of Malbec and ice on a summer’s evening, it’s the elegance of a glass paired with a special dinner, it’s the simplicity of a glass shared with friends at a festival… the essence of Malbec is connection and pleasure.
Your Malbec celebrates this diversity.
It affirms the value of each choice and moment.
And the best news of all? There’ll always be a Malbec waiting for you to discover: Your Malbec. Regardless of the kind of glass you choose to drink it from, it’s the occasion, your unique experience of Malbec and how you want to share it with the world that matter.
Your Malbec is more than just a campaign.
It’s a homage to diversity and the freedom of choice to enjoy Malbec the way you want it.
Because, at the end of the day, it’s the moment, the people you’re with and the experiences you feel that really matter.
Why is MWD Celebrated on April 17?
The origins of Malbec can be traced back to the region of the southwest of France.
Here they have been cultivating this grape and making wines with the appellation of 'Cahors' since the days of the Roman Empire.
These wines became more popular during the Middle Ages and have become stronger and stronger in modern times.
The conquest of the English market was a crucial step in the evaluation of this grape in England and the world.
By the late nineteenth century, the phylloxera plague had destroyed the French vineyards, so the 'Côt' had been forgotten, leaving, however, a culture of appreciation emerged for Malbec during this time.
Sometime later, #MalbecArgentino appeared.
This variety arrived in our country in 1853 in the hands of Michel Aimé Pouget (1821-1875), a French agronomist who
was commissioned by Argentine journalist, politician and statesman, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, to carry out the management of the Agricultural Quinta de Mendoza.
Modelled on France, the initiative proposed adding new grape varieties as a means to enhancing the national wine industry.
On April 17, 1853, with the support of the governor of Mendoza, Pedro Pascual Segura, a project was presented to the Provincial Legislature, with a view to establishing a Quinta Normal and Agricultural School.
This project was approved by the House of Representatives on 6 September that same year.
In the late nineteenth century with the help of Italian and French immigrants, the wine industry grew exponentially and with it, Malbec, which quickly adapted to the various different terroirs, and developed with even better results than in its region of origin.
Thus, over time and with a lot of hard work, it emerged as the flagship grape of Argentina.
The 17th of April is, for Wines of Argentina, not only a symbol of the transformation of Argentina's wine industry, but also the starting point for the development of this variety, an emblem for our country worldwide.
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