The Graffigna winery is one of the three oldest wineries in the country. started 152 years ago in the province of San Juan Santiago Graffigna, descendant of Italian immigrants, and in recent decades the family business has changed hands. Today, under the umbrella of the beverage company CCU, Graffigna seeks to gain space in the domestic market through premium wines.
In 2019, CCU bought a combination of three wineries from Pernod Ricard: Colombo, La Celia and Graffigna. Today with Graffigna they present a relaunch of the image and try to grow in the local market. “90% of production is focused on export, with the United States, Canada and Great Britain as the main markets,” said winemaker Fernando Mengoni.
The consumer market in the domestic market has been hit. It had an increase in 2020 during the pandemic, but in 2021, sales fell. today is inside 21 liters per capita per yearabove the 18-liter floor it had touched in 2017.
Although the company remains headquartered in San Juan, a few years ago it expanded into the Uco Valley in Mendoza, the heart of the country’s high-end wines.
“The company has expanded its manufacturing region to Valle de Uco, Mendoza, to add value, quality and also to respond to the growing demand and present new wines in its portfolio“, said Delfina Sanguinetti, product manager of VSPT, the CCU wine group at the presentation of the new line.
To strengthen its position, Graffigna presented its line with a new label Genuine collectionwith Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay vines.
And launched the line on the domestic market Graffigna Glorious Selection, in its variants Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, with which they try to compete in the high-end wine segment, with the aim of gaining market share.
White wines grow
“We want to relaunch the brand in the country, put it back at the center of the Argentine wine sceneSanguinetti said.
With this relaunch they will expand their presence in wine bars, large supermarkets and above all in restaurants. “At Graffigna we are tirelessly committed to innovation and we aim for each of our lines to express the character of each variety,” added Mengoni.
So far this year, the sale of wine in the domestic market grew by 5% in August, compared to the same month of 2021, driven by white vines, according to provisional data from the National Institute of Viticulture (INV).
“In August, shipments of wine to the domestic market increased again and mark a positive trend in the cumulative of 2022“, highlighted by INV.
“Hand in hand with table whites, varietal reds and sparkling wines, August 2022 had a growth of 5% compared to the same month of the previous year; 83 million liters compared to 79 million in 2021“, highlighted the INV.
In the cumulative January-August the growth was 1.3%, compared to the same period of the previous year, with a decrease of 2.2% in colored wines and an increase of 11.3% in white wines.
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Source: Clarin
