Today, an event was held at Palacio San Martín to launch the 2021 Grape Harvest Festival, attended by the Governor of Mendoza, Rodolfo Suárez; the Undersecretary for Trade and Investment Promotion, Pablo Sívori; the Undersecretary for Domestic Affairs, Fernando Asencio; representatives from the wine industry and ambassadors accredited to Argentina.
The Grape Harvest Festival, to be held virtually this year, will feature, on Saturday 6 March, shows and celebrations in 200 locations in Mendoza, other Argentine provinces and abroad, through the network of Argentine embassies and consulates. A documentary called Grape Harvest Stories was also shot for this event and will be screened in 55 countries.
Governor Suárez highlighted “all the work done by the Foreign Ministry, despite the times we are going through, so that the virtual grape harvest can be showcased nationwide and internationally.” He also underscored that the most traditional festival of Mendoza has the purpose of “promoting our wines in order to increase sales and enable our main industry to continue to grow.”
For his part, Undersecretary Sívori stressed that “the wine industry is a symbol of Argentina’s brand throughout the world, and wine is an iconic Argentine product.” He also stated that “this grape harvest festival event is part of the work being carried out by the Foreign Ministry, which has a federal approach but also a sectoral outlook, as regards the products that Argentina can export globally,” and highlighted the role of the Public-Private Council for the Promotion of Exports.
“This event makes it possible for us to continue the work we are doing at the Foreign Ministry, which was requested by Foreign Minister Felipe Solá and President Alberto Fernández, and consists in bringing the provinces to the international market, by making available all of the Foreign Ministry’s tools for the promotion of their exports and tourism,” stated Fernando Asencio, who also stressed the importance of the “commitment to make the foreign trade policy more federal.”
The ceremony was also attended by the President of the Argentine Wine Corporation (COVIAR), José Alberto Zuccardi, who thanked the Foreign Ministry “as this is the Ministry that we, at COVIAR, are working with to advertise Argentine wine.” “This is the beginning of an era in which Argentina can export more of its wines to the world, but there is something else that has been growing in our country and, especially, in Mendoza: wine tourism,” noted the businessman.
The Director of Wines of Argentina (WofA), Jimena Molina, stated that “nowadays, Argentina is producing the best wines in its history, and we know that our wines have been praised in recent years by international journalists.” She also underscored the need to “take advantage of the great moment of Argentine wines and keep promoting them.”
Several prominent figures of Mendoza’s culture who are living abroad will join this virtual celebration from their countries of residence. Different types of events will also be held at eight Argentine embassies, taking into account the health situation in each country. As a result, there will be virtual or in-person events at the embassies in Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Spain, France, China, United Kingdom and USA.
Representatives of Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, China, United States, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom were among the members of the foreign diplomatic corps present at the event.
