The UK's leading specialist importer of wines from Argentina
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Welcome to Las Bodegas – the UK's leading specialist importer of Argentine wines. Representing no fewer than 14 wineries and with a range of around 90 wines, from deliciously fragrant Torrontés to an unrivalled selection of Malbecs, we believe that our offering to the UK wine trade is second to none in terms of Choice and Value for your customers.
The purpose of this site is not to attempt a detailed academic analysis of what makes Argentina so good and so truly unique; there are plenty of excellent sources for that kind of information. What we do here is simply show you our wines and talk about them a little, from the many talented winemakers that we work with; and hopefully encourage you to get involved with one of the most exciting wine countries in the world.
Despite being the fifth largest wine producer, Argentina still occupies a relatively small niche in the UK with just over 1% of the market; but her wines are on the up, thanks largely to the great support and enthusiasm of our many independent retailers and forward-thinking restaurateurs.
Whether you are simply seeking a classic Malbec and Torrontés duo for your list, or looking to explore the heights of Argentina's wines in more depth with a quirky Bonarda; a muscular Cabernet or an uncannily approachable Tannat; an elegant 'Bordeaux blend' or something altogether more obscure – you have come to the right place.
Las Bodegas adds 30 wines to its list...
Off Licence News, 10 January 2012
Click here for article
MAY 2012
Since our humble beginnings back in 2004 we have never introduced so many new wines all at once. There are several reasons for the sudden influx but, fundamentally, it simply confirms our unswerving belief in Argentina's ability to make great wines. What we are seeing now, more than ever before, is a galvanized confidence amongst the producers to try new things and explore different styles. When we visited Mendoza in November 2011, of course we expected to find a number of new wines, we always do; but to come back and find ourselves completing quite so many purchase orders was unprecedented. In some cases it required a leap of faith and caused a fair bit of head scratching for our finance guy, but the wines are all here now and performing really well. Perhaps unwittingly, we think we've managed to capture the current spirit of Argentina's wine endeavours within our new list; but you will be the best judge of that!
We are very happy indeed to begin working with Espíritu de Argentina, based in Barrancas, Mendoza. This is a modern, medium-sized winery producing great value single varietal wines. It's fair to say that we've been looking for a new 'entry-level' range for quite some time. The cold-hard truth is: Argentina doesn't really do 'cheap', and we gave up a long time ago trying to find cheap for cheap's sake. These wines offer excellent quality for the money and they have underpinned our more typically mid-price to premium offerings most handsomely.
We are equally delighted to welcome Bodega DiamAndes to the fold. Part of the Clos de los Siete project in Vista Flores, and a key contributor to that eponymous wine from Michel Rolland, now this superb winery, owned by the family behind Grand Cru Classé Château Malartic Lagravière, is finding its own voice in the UK through Las Bodegas. These wines are seriously impressive. We never thought we'd fall in love with an 'old-fashioned' Burgundian Chardonnay from Argentina, let alone import one.
We have also introduced new wines from a number of our existing producers – Susana Balbo, Mauricio Lorca, Bodega Atamisque, Riglos, RJ Viñedos and Benegas – because they are all doing great new things. The Gran Corte 2008 from Riglos, RRP £33-ish, sold out in three weeks – our fastest selling wine ever. We've ordered more!
Perhaps the biggest change of late in Argentina, and something that is very much reflected in our new list – the Argentines are getting serious about white wine. Of the thirty new arrivals, no fewer than 11 are whites. Try Susana Balbo's Zohar Fiano, a world exclusive for Las Bodegas and the only 100% Fiano we are aware of from the country; or any of our 3 new, all very different Sauvignon Blancs; Joffré's delightful Chardonnay or the stunning DiamAndes Viognier... the list goes on and you'll soon get a taste of what's got us so excited.
Finally, to our customers in the trade, thank you very much for your ongoing support. For those yet to sample our wares, come on in, the water's lovely.