Organic Argentina

In 1990, Jean Bousquet went on vacation to Argentina.

With three generations of southern French winemakers behind him, he took one look at the Gualtallary region in Mendoza’s Uco Valley and stopped in his winemaker tracks. Near the Chilean border, with elevations as high as 5,249 feet above sea level, Gualtallary was a remote, semi-desert region that most locals figured — despite it being sun drenched — was too cold for grape growing. Bousquet, on the other hand, saw something else entirely — an ideal place to support the production of high acid, fruit forward organic wines.

So you know what you need to start your new, semi-desert organic winery in a foreign country, across the world from your home? How about an economist daughter who’s married to a successful stock broker? Anne Bousquet and husband Labid Al Ameri invested in Jean’s endeavor, and became more and more personally drawn to it, as it was an opportunity to manifest their interest in sustainability. First, Al Ameri joined his father-in-law full-time after 2005, and then Anne Bousquet joined the company three years later. The couple now live in Argentina and run Domaine Bousquet, which, today, is the country’s number one exporter of organic wine.

This Friday, please join guest pourer Sheryll from importer and distributor Virginia Imports for a tasting of the Agentine organics of Domaine Bousquet. This walk-up tasting is free, and you can stop by anytime between 5:00 and 6:30 PM. See you then!