Latest News from Condor Wines

When Bordeaux’s François Lurton planted vines in the semi-desert foothills of the Andes Cordillera, at an altitude of 1100m there were many people questioning his wisdom. But when people tried his red blend Chacayes, a wine that came from five year-old vines there, many followed his example, even establishing a new Geographical Indication of Los Chacayes – named after the wine.

It’s been a busy month for Team Condor. We’ve loved being out and about to see so many of you! Here’s a quick round-up of the latest news…

Grapest Hits hosted by Condor Wines, Marta Vine, North South Wines & Haywood Bros. Join us on Monday 25th September in London (The Crypt on the Green) or in Leeds on Wednesday 27th September (The Tetley). 4 independent importers (Condor Wines, Haywood Bros, Marta Vine and North South Wines) all showcasing the very best they have to offer. Unforgettable new releases and essential hits for your business!

When we asked our producers about harvest 2023, the common thread across all their responses was the impact of climate change. Higher temperatures led to early harvests, with some wineries picking 6 weeks earlier than they would have done 10 years ago. Unpredictable precipitation and catastrophic spring frosts and hail have provided additional challenges for winemakers, but they remain upbeat about the quality of the 2023 vintage.

Santiago Achurra-Larraín founded Viña Requingua, which means ‘Corner of the Winds’ in Mapuche, in 1961. Since then, three generations of the family have been part of the winery’s growth into one of Chile’s top 20 producers. 21 years ago, Santiago realised his dream of creating a line of premium wines, showcasing the best of Chile, that would be accessible to consumers across the world. Toro de Piedra, ‘the Stone Bull’, was born.

Value is even more important right now when many consumers are having to make difficult choices. South America offers an abundance of great value options versus many other areas of the world and we work hard to reflect this in our range.

Built in 1937 and sympathetically renovated in 2008, the Casarena winery sits in Perdriel, at the heart of Luján de Cuyo. The enormous diversity of this terroir is what makes it such an exciting place to make wine today.

With Malbec Day beckoning on April 17th, we’re excited to introduce our new Malbec range, Land of Malbec, including our very first white Malbec.

We can’t wait to see you all at the Specialist Importers’ Trade Tastings in London and Manchester next week. If you can’t make it, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us about any of these wines and we’ll be happy to tell you more.

Welcome to 2023! We’re raring to go and happy to start the year with the addition of another new agency – this time from Colchagua, Chile.

Thank you for all your support in 2022. This year promised a return to normality but with challenges in the supply chain and economic volatility, it’s felt very far from normal at times. However, it has been great to see ‘in person’ meetings, events and tastings return to the calendar. Nothing beats the feeling of presenting your wines in person which is why being out in trade again is top of our list of 2022 highlights.

We’re excited to be adding two dynamic new agencies from the exceptional micro-terror of Las Violetas in Uruguay to our portfolio. The Uruguayan wine scene today, particularly a new wave of passionate young winemakers, offers a wealth of possibilities, with increasingly innovative styles and production methods.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in Birmingham on 12th September. If you haven’t already registered use the link at the bottom of this page to book your place.

La Diferencia by name, La Diferencia by nature – a trade tasting offering a new experience of South America. Over 100 wines will be presented by key themes, including Off the Beaten Track, Flying the Flag, White Noise, Perfect Pours and Marvellous Malbec.

Venue: The Grand Hotel Birmingham, The Temple Room, 27 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2BS
Date: Monday 12th September 2022 10:30-17:30

We had a brilliant time at the International Wine Challenge Merchant Awards in London last night. After a couple of tough years for the industry it was inspiring to be together with such a fantastic group of people with so much to celebrate.

It’s that time of year again – awards season! We’ve been so excited to see so many of our wines recognized this year. We’ve been sharing awards on social media as they’ve come through, but this is a convenient round-up of the 2022 awards season.

We’re so excited to be back at Olympia after 3 years away! We hope that we’ll be seeing lots of you in London next week. This is just a taster of what we’ll be showcasing. Please let us know if you are planning to visit, we we can plan time for a proper welcome on our stand (C42).

Meet the team! And some exciting news just in…. Team Condor has grown throughout 2021 and 2022 so we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce the newest members of our team – Rob, Mark, Linda and Emma – as well as remind you of the rest of the team who are here to help whenever you need us. We didn’t want to repeat the information you can find on our website’s About Us page, so we thought we’d ask the team something a little different so you could really get to know them.

World Malbec Day 2022 April 17th is a big day in our calendar every year. It’s World Malbec Day! First celebrated in 2011, the day is a global initiative from Wines of Argentina marking the role of the country in rescuing and developing the Malbec grape to its current emblematic status. Why April 17th? It was on this date in 1853 that French agronomist Michel Aimé Pouget officially introduced Malbec to Argentina as a way of growing the national wine industry.