He could choose to live in any major capital in the world or stay in Austria, the country where his family is in the fifth generation at the helm of the famous ground glass brand which has become an icon of luxury and glamor ever since founder Daniel Swarovski set up the business in 1895. But Michael Halstrick has found his passion in wine and in Argentina, his place in the world.
Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, he moved to Austria at the age of 4 when his mother, Maya, married tycoon Gernot Langes Swarovski, who became his stepfather and his personal and professional mentor. Gernot taught him work culture when he wanted to avoid studying during his youth. “He told me I had to learn languages and how much a dollar was worth,” he now recalls.
After that brief period of rebellion, Halstrick holds a BA in Business Administration from North Eastern University in the United States. and started working at the Bank of Austria in Vienna, in the finance area. At 27, his life seemed to have been ordered in a fairly predictable way, but a proposal from his father came to shake up that “comfort zone” and change it forever.
The challenge of starting from scratch without being seen as “the owner’s son”
The Langes Swarovski family had arrived in Argentina long before investing in a company. In the 80s, The couple of Gernot and Maya went to rest at their ranch Mil Rosas, located in San Martín de los Andes next to the beautiful lake. This is why Michael had known the country since he was 17. But in 1989 the Swarovski Group bought Norton Winery (founded in 1895 by the Englishman Edmund James Palmer Norton) and another story began for him.
“My father knew that I was interested in wines from my studies in the United States and he suggested that I take over the project in Argentina,” he says. “My condition was only one: to be there from the beginning, because it was necessary to invest. I said, ‘I don’t want to arrive as the owner’s son when all is ready and armed’. I wanted to start from scratchThis was the challenge,” he evokes.
He moved in 1991 and decided to settle directly in the province of Mendoza.after a few months by going to the offices of the winery which at that time were located in Morón, in the suburbs of Buenos Aires.
The culture shock was radical. Argentina has just come out of hyperinflation, something that didn’t scale at first. “In Europe I was used to seeing the lobbyist go to the bank to save, so when I passed by a bank and saw people queuing up, I said, what an impression, how you save in this country! After I realized that people were afraid of losing everything and because of this they changed their currency to dollars”, he says now, almost an expert on devaluations.
“A CEO in Argentina can be Minister of Economy in another country”joke.
-And yet, you’ve been here for thirty-two years, with no intention of leaving…
-No, I’m not thinking of leaving, and I tell the Argentines not to leave. It is believed that outside is better but everyone is going through their crisis. I think it’s a time where you have to stand up for your country and try to do the best you can, not go out and look for something that maybe you won’t find.
I’m already Argentinian, I’m married to an Argentinian, I wouldn’t trade this country for anywhere. We have our ups and downs, but other than that, it’s a beautiful country. I say this honestly, without being diplomatic. When traveling and comparing, I think Argentina always continues to win.
I wouldn’t trade this country for anywhere. When you travel and compare, I think Argentina always keeps winning.”
Michael Halstrick
CEO of Norton Winery
When Halstrick began managing Norton, the winery already had a prominent name in local viticulture, but had little or no international exposure. And he had just 200 hectares of vineyards planted in Luján de Cuyo. “It was all very small. I remember New Year’s parties where I served the wines myself because we didn’t have waiters.“, he remembers.
The goal, he underlines, has always been set for the long term: “We know it wine needs time. We didn’t buy the cellar thinking of selling it later as someone who invests in the stock market, that’s why I settled here. We are talking about something that started in 1989 and there have been different moments in Argentina. We always focus on the future”.
From Michael to “Miguel”, the ambassador of Argentine wine
The Swarovski Group has invested more than $40 million to grow its assets and to bring Norton into the global market, where it now exports to 72 countries. With the purchase of the La Colonia farm, in 1997, it expanded to 1,265 hectares and became the winery with the largest land ownership of Luján de Cuyo, the first DOC in the country (“denomination of controlled origin”, distinction of quality, style and method of elaboration of the wines of the region).
Beyond the difficult numbers, Halstrick experienced another transformation: from Michael to Miguel, as everyone in Mendoza calls it. “Don Miguel” talks about walking in vineyards and talking to employees and slips into the suit and tie behind the desk. His thing is quite the low profile, the antipodes of his motherwhich is remembered for her lavish parties portrayed on magazine covers alongside former president Carlos Menem.
Michael/Miguel smiles at the memory and comments: “My mother was fantastic, unique, I am as I am, everyone must be as they are. I am proud of her and my father, they are different times, I can only say the best of both”.
Returning to the wine, an unusual recognition is being celebrated in Norton these days: the 100 points (maximum mark) from the American critic James Suckling for a 1959 Semillón which preserves the company’s historic cellar. Although this label is not for sale because it is a very limited batch of aged bottles, this distinction will be a new trump card for Halstrick in his quest to continue gaining positions in the global market.
“We have high level importers who tell us that we produce excellent wines from basic level up to the top of the range. We are also growing a lot in the white wine category and in the Asian market,” she enthuses.
-How big is Norton within the Swarovski Group portfolio? At one point they had investments in China and Argentina.
Well, there’s a very small percentage, but it’s always been very important to us. We used to have a winery in China but when my father got sick (N. de la R: Gernot died in 2021) and he couldn’t keep up with his daily life, he decided to sell it, so currently the only place where we have vineyards is Argentina.
-Your brothers, Markus and Diana, are still linked to the Swarovski brand. What’s more difficult, producing and selling luxury jewelry or high-end wine?
-You can’t compare, but I think what they have in common is that both products make people happy. We are with them in the best moments.
Source: Clarin
