Algodon Wine Tasting in NYC

We had a great turnout at Union Square Wines. There were about 100 people who attended the event. Thank you all for coming! It was a very successful night, and our guests of honor from San Rafael, Mendoza included our partners at the Bombal & Aldao Winery, Camilo Aldao and his wife Luisa; as well as our terrific winemaker, Mauro Nosenzo; and our Director of Project Development, Tourism & Hospitality (Algodon Wine Estates) and Head of Food & Beverage (Algodon Mansion), Diego Coll Benegas. Camilo got up to address the crowd, and was very personable. As for the wine; crowd favorites, so I’m told, seemed to be the Cab/Syrah, and the French Oaked Chardonnay. However I’m particularly partial to the Bonarda, myself. Click here to watch a video picture album of the night’s highlights.

I just received a wonderful email from Camilo, who said that our 2008 harvest is an outstanding one and that we can expect an exceptional Malbec, in particular, after its oak barrel aging. We are also moving forward with a strategy to cultivate and create the best wines our wineries have ever produced by including the utilization of the highest quality casks, optimum grape selection, and getting rid of anything that is not perfect.

Mass Group PR

I’m pleased to announce that we’ve also recently signed on with Mass Group PR, arguably Argentina’s most noteworthy Public Relations firm. I believe that working in conjunction with New York City based WEILL and Buenos Aires based Mass Group PR, who have access to specific media, publications, and target-audiences primarily in the US and Argentina respectively, we will be coordinating a strategic consumer and industry buzz in anticipation for Algodon’s introduction to the general public. It’s very exciting to watch this all unfold.

Mass Group’s impressive client list includes the likes of Disney, Master Card, American Express, Ford, Mini Cooper, Motorola, Adidas, Lacoste, Kiehls, Converse, Louis Vuitton, L’Oreal, Valentino, Escada, Diesel, Stella Artois, Evian, Campari, Absolut Vodka, Johnnie Walker as well as the hotels Sofitel, Cipriani Resort, and Alvear Palace. Mass Group also covers BAFWeek; Buenos Aires’ prestigious fashion week. Mass Group PR will be spearheading the Argentine campaign for the launching of Algodon Mansion and Algodon Wine Estates, as well as for Algodon the brand itself.

Wine Fair

Our general manager at the Algodon Mansion recently attended an annual trade show event for tourism and travel professionals in Porte de Versailles, Paris. The event is called “Top Resa” and it’s a great opportunity for networking, exposure, and general PR.

Here’s a link to an article about the event in our newsletter: http://www.thealgodon.com/events/20080901c

Speaking of which- this is a great opportunity to introduce you to our new “The Algodon” newsletter, if you haven’t already seen it. The online news source was created to keep our investors and friends updated with the most up-to-date info on all of our exciting progress. Check it out if you have a minute: http://www.thealgodon.com/index

Weill PR

We recently started working with a New York City based Public Relations firm Geoffrey Weill Associates, Inc., who specialize in the fields of tourism and travel. “WEILL”, as I believe they prefer to be called, are a good group of people with many ties in the media. We are proud to have WEILL on our team, and we look forward to building a relationship with them and benefiting from their vast network affiliations with the “who’s who” of tourism and travel industry insiders.

Top clients include Aman Resorts, Taj Safaris, Dan Hotels, Berlin’s Hotel Adlon Kempinski, and Chicago’s Elysian Hotel, and can be found in over 70 cities world-wide including London, Paris, Moscow, Rome, Jerusalem, Dublin, Cape Town, Istanbul, Beijing, Machu Picchu, and Delhi to name a few. WEILL has been the recipient of over 50 Golden Bell and Adrian Public Relations Awards (some of the PR Industry’s most prestigious honors) presented by HSMAI (Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International).

Welcome aboard WEILL.

José Luis Clerc

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, we’ve partnered with José Luis Clerc, who happens to be one of the most recognized and revered professional tennis players in Argentina’s history. He will be promoting Algodon Wine Estates’ tennis center, and will also be overseeing the construction and design of the tennis center’s courts, clubhouse, and the overall tennis program itself. His official titles are Director of the José Luis Clerc Tennis Center (at Algodon Wine Estates), and Ambassador of Algodon Global Properties. The latter title is appropriate since he will also serve as a public relations conduit and provide his personal and professional international contacts with the goal of developing tennis exhibitions with former and/or top world players and futures tournaments to be held at Algodon Wine Estates. The fact that José is a very personable gentleman combined with his impressive place in the history of tennis truly makes him a uniquely qualified individual to represent our Algodon brand, both on and off the court.

His player’s history can be found here on Wikipedia. José began playing professionally in 1977, and won 25 ATP Titles, and retired in 1988. His highest rank was World No. 4 in August 4, 1981, following a run of 27 victories and 4 titles in one month, and had year-ending rankings 8th in 1980, 5th in 1981, 6th in 1982, and 8th in 1983. José represented Argentina for the Davis Cup from 1976 to 1989. He currently runs a tennis school in Argentina was recently a featured commentator for ESPN Latin America’s coverage of the 2008 US Open.