Recent trading activity
Champagne’s trade share (20.5%) surpassed Burgundy’s (20.3%) this weekend. While non-vintage Champagne saw increased demand, Dom Pérignon 2012led weekend trade.
Meanwhile, Bordeaux accounted for 36.4% of the total market, led by its 2010 and 2018 vintages. Australia (3.5%) and Spain (2.0%) were the most active among ‘others’ regions.
Catena Zapata leads Argentina’s secondary market trade
In the secondary market, Catena Zapata has been the leading Argentine producer, enjoying continuous demand since its first trade in 2012.
Nicolás Catena Zapata has been its most traded wine over the past decade. Its 2016 vintage, which remains one of the best value offerings on the market today, has been leading demand; followed by the 2006 and 2001.
However, so far this year, Catena Zapata’s Argentino Malbec (led by the 2019 vintage) and Adrianna Vineyard River Malbec (2018 and 2016) have been the most actively traded labels.
The number of Argentine wines trading on the market today is at a record high – 55 (LWIN11s) so far this year, up from eight, five years ago. During this time, the value of Argentine wine traded on Liv-ex has risen over 430%.
Still, Argentina remains a niche player, accounting for just 0.1% of the total fine wine trade so far in 2022. This places it behind Australia (0.9%) and Chile (0.4%), and on par with New Zealand (0.1%) and Portugal (0.1%).
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (The Wine Independent) recently reviewed a selection of wines from Bodega Catena Zapata.
For her report, Perrotti-Brown spoke with Laura Catena, the managing director of the family winery. Their conversation touched on the idea of old versus new world, the history of Argentina and the intricacies behind Catena’s wines.
The report covered the vintages 1999 to 2015 from the estate’s Nicolás Catena Zapata and Adrianna Vineyard Malbec labels.
Perrotti-Brown’s highest score of 98-points went to the 2004 vintage of Nicolás Catena Zapata, which still had ‘a long life ahead’. In her tasting note, she said that ‘the palate is concentrated, delivering mouth-coating blackcurrant preserves and firm, ripe, grainy tannins with seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy’.
She gave her second-highest score of 97-points to the 2015 Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec, which ‘should cellar gracefully over the next 20+ years’, and the ‘quite glorious’ 1999 Nicolás Catena Zapata.
Opportunities for Argentine wine
Liv-ex analysis is drawn from the world’s most comprehensive database of fine wine prices. The data reflects the real time activity of Liv-ex’s 600 merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £80m of bids and offers across 16,000 wines.
