At the end of February, I was very fortunate during the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2020 to be able to meet and interview Laura Catena, from Bodega Catena Zapata; an iconic Argentinean winery. And in April I received information that Bodega Catena Zapata was named the Number 1 Most Admired Wine Brand by Drinks International Magazine. Felicidades and Congratulations! It is well deserved. Here is the press release about the award.
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MENDOZA, ARGENTINA – April 2, 2020 – As Argentina went into mandatory quarantine on March 20th, the staff at Catena Zapata donned masks and gloves, and headed into the vineyards to gather the remaining grapes of an extraordinary harvest. Designated as food producers by the Argentine government, wineries have been allowed to continue working. In this context, on April 1st, Drinks International announced that Catena Zapata was voted. The World’s Most Admired Wine Brand of 2020 by an international group of drinks buyers and wine experts, including wine professionals from 48 different countries. The survey was conducted in association with market research specialists at Wine Intelligence. The announcement, scheduled to be unveiled by Drinks International at ProWein Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany in March, was postponed after the event’s cancellation due to the spread of COVID-19 across Europe. The Catena Zapata family’s joy at being the first Argentine winery to receive this global award is mixed with worry and concern for friends, family, and colleagues who are affected around the world.
At a time when health is of the utmost priority, the Catena Zapata family conducted a series of group video calls on Zoom to check on the well-being of those who have made this worldwide recognition possible. On April 1st and 2nd, the staff in Argentina connected with customers and colleagues from Latin America, Asia, North America, Africa, Oceania, Central America, and Europe to offer encouragement to those in quarantine and propose a virtual toast to their health and to better times.
Dr. Laura Catena, the winery’s fourth generation and managing director says: “I became a medical doctor at the time of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and felt hopeless at not being able to do more. Today, we are all able to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by staying home and helping our parents, grandparents, friends, and colleagues. This award
for Catena Zapata, a first for an Argentine winery, goes to all the great people who have worked at our family winery since 1902, to our region’s beautiful vineyards, and to our fellow wine drinkers around the world.”
To determine The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands award, survey respondents were asked to list the three wine brands they most admire, taking into consideration the brand’s quality, consumer awareness, packaging, and its overall authenticity to their respective regions. Recent winners of the award include Torres, Penfolds, and Concha y Toro.
Now in its sixth decade of publication, Drinks International is a leading authority on the latest industry trends for global drinks buyers and professionals.
About Catena Zapata
Founded in 1902, Argentina’s Catena Zapata is known for its pioneering role in resurrecting the Malbec grape and in discovering extreme high-altitude terroirs in the Andean foothills of Mendoza. Nicolás Catena Zapata is the only South American to have received both Decanter’s Man of the Year Award and Wine Spectator’s Distinguished
Service Award. The winery’s Adrianna Vineyard holds several 100-point wine ratings. For more information about Catena Zapata, please visit www.catenazapata.com.
