RAZA RESERVE FAIRTRADE MALBEC 2011 WINS THE IWC FAIRTRADE AWARD 2013

La Riojana co-operative, one of the world’s largest producers of certified Fairtrade wines, is delighted to have won the 2013 International Wine Challenge Fairtrade Award for its Raza Reserve Fairtrade Malbec 2011.

The highly anticipated winners of the International Wine Challenge 2013 top awards were announced on Thursday 18th July at the IWC Awards dinner & 30th Anniversary Summer Ball held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, in London.

La Riojana’s Raza Reserve Fairtrade Malbec is currently sold in Belgium and La Riojana was thrilled to have their Belgian importer, Leo Ghysels of Oxfam, present at the industry-packed gala dinner to receive the much coveted award.

The Raza Reserve Fairtrade Malbec 2011 won a Silver medal in the International Wine Challenge 2013. When IWC judges taste the wines entered into the competition they are not aware that the wines are responsibly produced. The wine scores are extracted later and the award goes to the highest rated wine in each category.

Other medals won by La Riojana in the International Wine Challenge 2013 include Bronze medals for its Finca Federada Fairtrade Reserve Malbec 2012, its Tilimuqui Single Vineyard Fairtrade Organic Cabernet Sauvignon Bonarda 2012, its Raza Seleccion Fairtrade Organic Malbec-Shiraz 2012, and Commended for its Tilimuqui Single Vineyard Fairtrade Organic Torrontes 2012, Ecologica Fairtrade Organic Chardonnay 2012 and Ecologica Fairtrade Organic Malbec Shiraz 2012.

TILIMUQUI CABERNET SAUVIGNON - BONARDA TAKES GOLD AT DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2013

The moment has come, the results are out and we are celebrating another wonderful win, this time for our Fairtrade certified Tilimuqui Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – Bonarda 2012 which has won a Gold medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2013.

This is an impressive result considering the number of entries to this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards included a record-breaking 14,362 wines from 52 countries, of which only 229 wines were awarded a Gold medal and only 8 of these Gold medals were awarded to Argentina.

Walter Carol, export director commented: “We are extremely pleased with this Gold medal. This is not only good news for our Tilimuqui brand, which continues to win top awards on a regular basis, but also it also confirms the quality of our Fairtrade wines.”

Other medals won by La Riojana in the Decanter World Wines Awards 2013 include a Bronze medal for its Tilimuqui Single Vineyard Torrontés 2012 and Commended for its Ecologica Shiraz-Malbec Reserve 2012.

CAMBALACHE TIME FOR LA RIOJANA – A UNIQUE WINE EVENT IN NORTHEAST LONDON

La Riojana, the world’s largest producer of Fairtrade-organic certified wines, is participating in an exciting new wine tasting event which has been organized by Wines of Argentina at a

Cambalache is not a typical trestle-table, tweed and tedium, slurping and spitting event, instead it has been designed to invoke all the senses and to give an all-round, immersive experience of Argentina, a country known for its passion, complexity and contradiction. The word Cambalache is engrained in Tango history, and is used to describe something that is chaotic, haphazard, filled with contrast and is above all exciting – reflecting both the heart and soul of Argentina.

La Riojana is one of 23 top Argentine wineries to participate in the event and will be offering the 700 guests a chance to sample a selection of its wines available to buy in the UK off trade, including its award-winning Tilimuqui range (Torrontés and Cabernet Sauvignon-Bonarda) and a selection of wines that it produces for The Co-operative’s own-label Fairtrade range (Torrontés-Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Bonarda-Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec).

In addition to tasting wines, visitors to Cambalache will have the chance to try the offbeat art of matching wine with music (hosted by eminent professors Barry Smith and Charles Spence); sample true Buenos Aires street food (courtesy of Borough Market’s Argentine specialists Porteña) as well as the famous Dulce de Leche ice cream (from specialists The Ice Cream Union); experience the spirit of the 40’s with historic cocktails from Galante Bar; witness three of Argentina’s most talented and cutting edge graffiti artists live in action painting a giant mural; learn Argentine slang with James Bracken, author of the cult book Che Boludo; dance Nuevo Tango; meet true Gauchos and soak up the spirit of bohemian Argentine literature

LA RIOJANA LAUNCHES FAIRTRADE MOSCATO AND MALBEC ROSÉ AT PROWEIN 2013

Building on the back of one the winery’s best year’s yet, which saw double digit growth of exports into Europe in 2012, La Riojana will be launching three new Fairtrade products on its stand A14, hall 1 at this year’s ProWein (24th – 26th March 2013), including two wines from La Mia Vita, a newly created low alcohol Moscato range, as well as a Malbec Rosé for its award-winning Tilimuqui range.

With the rapidly rising popularity of Moscato wines among consumers and the current trend for slightly sweeter wines that are lower in alcohol, La Riojana has created La Mia Vita, a brand new Fairtrade Moscato range to add to its portfolio of wines. La Mia Vita comprises a Moscato Bianco 2012 and a Moscato Rosado 2012, made from 94% Moscato and 6% Malbec grapes. Both wines are just 5.5% alcohol and are produced from hand-picked grapes grown in Argentina’s Famatina Valley.

In addition to this, La RIojana will be launching its Tilimuqui Single Vineyard Fairtrade Malbec Rosé 2012. This wine, produced from 100% Malbec, has been created as a range extension to La Riojana’s successful Fairtrade certified brand Tilimuqui, which since its initial launch in 2006 has gone onto win a number of impressive awards, including the much coveted Torrontés trophy at the Argentina Wine Awards 2011. Current markets for Tilimuqui include the UK and The Netherlands, however there are plans to roll out the brand to other markets in the next few years. 

On the same stand La Riojana will also be showcasing the latest vintage releases from its other wine ranges, including Ecologica, Raza Argentina, Raza Dolce, Raza Argentina Signature Series and Viňas Riojanas.