At that time, both the business plan and the family plan were advancing and the objective was to buy a farm on the outskirts of Mendoza, so that he could spend weekends there with the first of his children. The renowned winemaker Michel Rolland, a friend of his father and who, at that time, was developing a project in Mendoza, was key in this choice. “When he came to Argentina I received him and he began to talk to me about the potential of Vista Flores. So I started looking and found a property that I fell in love with. At the beginning it had very little vineyard, a two-hectare vineyard, but it had a spectacular view of the Andes Mountains.”
In 1998, Anne-Caroline bought the property that years later would become Antucura and the winery that, this 2023, celebrates two decades of making wines.
Story of Anne Bodeguero
Between 2000 and 2005, they planted 100 hectares with red varieties such as Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Sirah and Pinot Noir. “Michel told me that with the quality of grapes we had it was a shame not to be making wines. That’s where the idea arose. But I told him that I knew how to drink wines, not make them, so he should help me in that adventure.”
From the beginning and until today, the wines were made in the farm’s warehouse, which was transformed into a winery and expanded to add a barrel room where visitors and clients who wanted to see the place came.
“As we had no place to receive them, the idea of setting up the hotel arose. A luxury inn, with few rooms, with the concept of building a house so that those who came would feel that way. That is why each room has a different decoration and there is a large common space where one can have privacy, but also share with others. The hotel was created and began operating in 2005,” Anne reveals.
Quality, above all
As for the wines, Antucura It is recognized for its quality from the beginning with the seal of Anne-Caroline accompanied by Rolland. “We always bet on quality for two reasons: first because I love wine; I think that the palate, when you started drinking better, even if you don’t know too much about wine, recognizes when a wine is good. And you do something you like. Second, because it is a small winery. You have to do quality, because if not the numbers won’t work for you. If you make cheap wines, you have little margin and, in Argentina, that evaporates quickly,” she maintains.
To achieve this, she highlights the advantages offered by the land in which she settled. Antucura, since the ingredient to make great wines, which is the raw material, “you already have it.” “Having this property, in one of the best terroirs in Argentina, with the vineyard well cared for, given the conditions, it is very difficult not to produce quality. Afterwards you can do higher quality, less quality, but always quality,” he summarizes.
The other fundamental aspect has to do with time and knowledge of what you are doing. Anne-Caroline assures that each year they knew their terroir better, they discovered new data about the soil and, above all, they could see how the wine evolved over time, which allows them to be corrected and improved.
Sustain over time
Blue Caviar and Antucura They were formed as a publishing house, the winery and the hotel. It became a business unit with many activities, because books were mixed with the production and sale of wines and tourism. “It was a nice dance,” Anne-Caroline admits.
“There was a very complicated part because managing several work agreements in a small SME, different personnel who had nothing to do with the activities, required a lot of flexibility from us. It was not the same nor did they have the same needs, or advantages and disadvantages. You had to be attentive to many different processes,” she adds. The other complicated part, Biancheri acknowledges, is that in Argentina “they change the rules of the game every 6 months. I’m not even talking about years. Every 3 or 6 months everything changes. So we had to be creative to aim for the target.”
“More than once the winery strained; On other occasions, it was the publisher. Sometimes the hotel helped us with the box. You don’t have to put all your eggs in the same basket. Here that was key. “It allowed us to survive within the same production unit,” she argues.
Toast and celebration
Anne-Caroline is known in the world of wine for the quality that has always characterized Antucuraand that recognition translates into the trust of consumers who have followed the winery for many years.
“In the world of wine it is difficult, at an international level, to have recognition. It is extremely competitive. It became very globalized and there are large groups that bought a large part of the wineries. When you are a small, independent competitor, it becomes increasingly difficult for you. But on the consumer’s side, 100%; Many people have followed us for many years and recognize us. We are conscious”.
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As for Argentine winemakers, they consider that 20 or 30 years ago the world of wine was more individualistic, because they competed for an internal market. However, the export boom two decades ago made entrepreneurs realize that, to be successful, they had to move as a group. “We don’t hug each other every day, but there is a good atmosphere and recognition between winemakers. I don’t feel fights or envy,” he says.
Antucura in the present and what is coming
About to celebrate 30 years since the creation of Blue Caviartoday Antucura It is a mature company that has managed to consolidate itself in an increasingly broader and more diverse world. The process was long. There were changes that were not easy to make but that were made to bet on the future.
Since some years Antucura collaborates with Fecovita and Estancia Mendoza, who rent the property and the hotel, units that continue to belong to Antucura SA “I always say that you have to live with detachment and that is linked to the complicated decisions that have to be made. When you build something brick by brick, it is difficult to let go or think that someone else could operate it, but it was a very positive bet in these years.”
In that sense, he highlighted that a lot is contributed between very different companies, an SME and a gigantic cooperative of cooperatives. “We do not compete and our talents somewhere complement each other by contributing to the other.”
“Antucura today is a more mature company that knew how to find its space and its place in a difficult world such as the world of wine.” Looking to the future, Anne-Caroline continues to dream up projects and new challenges with surprises for 2024.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
