Invest in Mendoza

He’s a partner in the business group that’s won the most awards and honorable mentions in recent years, from specialized American magazines.

Santiago Achával is one of the operative managers of Achával Ferrer, a winery that has figured out how to integrate the Italian wisdom in wines with Argentine culture, and thus has received great international recognition.

This young entrepreneur is, in addition, a partner with fellow graduate of an MBA at Stanford, Joe Staenberg, in the project, “Hand of God” in Tupungato.

His name is associated with some of the most famous and prized wines of Argentina.  Who is Santiago Achával and to what does he owe his success?

- Achával Ferrer wines are among the most prize-winning of Argentina.  This year they were among Wine Spectator’s Top 100, as well as that of other specialized publications.  How have you achieved so much recognition?

First and foremost I would like to say that the recognitions are not in any way mine.

The author of these achievements is a business team.  The fact that they mention me is more a fact of alphabetic order than anything else.  Having clarified that, it remains for me to say that this whole team has dedicated several years to a passion and a philosophy, without going off course from the goal that we established there in 1998.  This in addition to Mendoza’s extraordinary land, its soil, and its climate.

-Who constitutes this business group that you mention, and that has earned you so many prizes and recognitions in the world?

The business group is formed by Manuel Ferrer Minetti, partner and supervisor of sales, public relations, and legal subjects.  Roberto Cipresso, an Italian enologist and our winemaker, the inspiration for our philosophy and work methods.   Diego Rosso, Manager of Operations, is in charge of execution in the Vineyards and Winery.   Marcelo Victoria, Commercial Manager. 

Diego Burky, Administrative Manager, Patricia Lambert, in charge of Hospitality.  Juan Carlos Puy and Gabriela Lázaro, in Logistics.  Lucio Colque, wine-producer.  Prudencio Toledo, Carlos Gómez, Humberto Arce, Marcos Quiroga, and Max Schwartz, in charge of the farm.  And I can continue, because there are many others who add to and support and make a driving effort.

-In recent days it has been mentioned that your top line wines are among the most sold Argentine wines, in Vancouver.  In a market where all aim for “value,” how does Achával Ferrer earned its position among the expensive wines?

Actually, we also aim for “value,” but understanding “value” as offering a higher quality than what the price would suggest, in each price range.  The consumer needs everyday wines and celebratory wines (whether it’s for a Sunday afternoon, for a birthday, or for some other reason).  But the consumer recognizes in each one of our wines when he has received quality above what the price would suggest.

-When did you enter world of wine?

I began to think and dream about wine, in the year 1988, during an MBA that I completed at Stanford, in California.  The first steps in Argentina with my current partners, in 1998 in a pair of exploratory trips to Cuyo.  The concrete work of investment in farms and production, in 1998.

-Who were your mentors in this industry?

As inspiration for the possibility of great wines in Mendoza, I recall the reserve bin of Catena Zapata 1990.  Catena and its advisors opened roads that the rest of Argentine wine later traveled with greater ease thanks to the work that they had done.  Roberto Cipresso, our Italian partner and winemaker, was the one who taught us all that we know.  Then together we learned to adapt to the changing conditions of each harvest and each vineyard.

-Where did you study?

Wine making? In each enologist and winemaker with which I had the opportunity to speak, as much in Argentina as in the United States and Europe.  In each book that I searched out and read and reread.  In each spring, summer and harvest that I was fortunate enough to work.  In other words I am self-taught and still learning.

-Could we say that Mendoza has unique wines due to its terrains?

Decidedly yes.  It has already been demonstrated that Mendoza, like other large wine producing countries, has some zones and vineyards that have the capacity to transmit “character” to a wine, such that its origin is clear.

-One of your wines is called Quimera.  Does this mean that you are looking for the perfect wine, which is difficult to attain in reality?

Yes. It’s a way of describing our objective for the wine and laughing at ourselves a little at the same time.

- How did your company become so well recognized in the United States market?

With consistence and coherence between our objectives and our work.

-Why did you choose Mendoza for investing in vineyards and not Salta or Río Negro?

I believe that Mendoza has the highest potential within Argentina.  This is not without recognizing the importance of other areas, but if we have to choose, we choose Mendoza.

-Why only red wines?

We are small and we believe that the small wine makers must specialize if they want to have an identity in a market saturated with wines and wineries from all over the world.

-What will happen to Argentine wines in 2009, given the international crisis?

I think that this crisis is a stupendous opportunity to demonstrate that Argentine wine, equal in quality to other wines worldwide, is much more accessible for the consumer who wishes to diminish his cost.  This crisis represents an opportunity for our Argentine wines to replace other higher priced wines.

-What are your projects for this coming year in terms of growth, entrance in markets, or new product launches?

We maintain our quality work and we are looking to expand that in order to respond to the crisis with greater quality.  We always follow interested new customers to open new markets in order to spread knowledge about Argentine wine to further reaches of the world.

-In what phase is your project, La Mano de Dios (”The Hand of God”, a wine dedicated to Diego’s goal against the English)?

Firmly planted and growing.  We still haven’t spoken much about it because we’ll need years before we attain a presentable product.

Source: Los Andes Newspaper

Permanent Link: http://losandes.com.ar/notas/2009/1/10/fincas-402416.asp