New photos and wine package…

I’d like to share some new photos of our hotel lodge at Algodon Wine Estates, which were taken just last week.  These are a few of my favorites:

 

 

 

The weather is pretty incredible in Argentina right now, and this is the hotel’s high season.  If you’re planning a trip to our San Rafael estate, you may be interested in our latest cooking class and tasting seminar:

Algodon Wine Estates Traditional Argentine Cooking Seminar & Wine Tasting

Learn the secrets of traditional Argentine gourmet cuisine from the Chef of our award-winning restaurant in San Rafael, Mendoza.  Algodon Wine Estates provides the ideal setting, as you experience firsthand the cooking techniques associated with the most delicious regional fare from the wine roads of Argentina.  On the “patio criollo,” our outdoor asado, clay oven and grill will serve as your canvas as you learn the art of preparation to the greatest Argentine epicurean delights.  Guided by our gifted culinary artists, this hands-on cooking seminar includes a 2-course meal that is prepared by you, using only the finest local ingredients from our own plantation and those of our neighbors.  The wines of our vineyards and winery are an essential addition to each meal at our estate, and our knowledgeable sommelier will pair your unique meal with the most memorable Algodon Wine. 

If this sounds like it’s up your alley, click here to get more information.

-Scott L. Mathis

Algodon expands its online horizons

Algodon Wine Estates and Bombal & Aldao are mentioned in Lugares, an Argentine travel magazine.  Pick up a copy if you’re down there. 

A friend forwarded this link to me:  a Google book search of Algodon Wine Estates reveals that on page 81 of George M. Taber’s book In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism, Algodon Wine Estates and InvestProperty Group are both mentioned. 

In keeping up with the times, our Algodon Properties now each have their own Facebook pages.  We’ve included some great pictures, so be sure to check out the photo galleries.  If you happen to be on Facebook yourself, by all means “become a fan” of the properties.  

Click here for Algodon Wine Estates on Facebook. 

Click here for Algodon Wines on Facebook. 

Click here for Algodon Mansion on Facebook.  

We’ll be keeping these pages as updated as possible with the latest photos, events, and accolades, so visit them often. 

-Scott Mathis

Argentina News and Truffles

I’d hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving! This week I’d just like to share a few news articles with you that I feel are relevant to our projects in Argentina. The first is a Reuters article that predicts a growth in Argentinean tax revenues as a direct result of a forthcoming increase in tourism, which you can read about here: Link (On a similar topic, Reuters also reports that AMEX is expecting credit card spending to increases at least 10% next year as consumer activity rebounds.) You may remember our announcement not too long ago about the possibility of Algodon Wine Estates cultivating truffles. In addition to our unique vineyard or orchard estate homesites available for private development, we would also plant truffles on estate homesites that are suitable for their cultivation. So, I’m pleased to share this recent media mention of our vineyard estate in Luxury Travel Magazine. The article is headlined: “Indulge in Rare Truffles at the World's Most Exclusive Hotels”, and interestingly enough, Algodon Wine Estates is the only hotel mentioned that will cultivate and harvest truffles for use on its own properties; just one more extraordinary element that sets us apart from the rest. Incidentally, CNN has terrific piece on a North Carolina entrepreneur who is the first person to harvest and sell French black truffles on American soil. It can be a lucrative undertaking if done right. Here’s one more great reason to learn Spanish: The "TED Conference" goes to Buenos Aires in April. Catch it if you can. --Scott Mathis

Algodon Mansion

“Perhaps the most tangible sign of Argentina’s economic recovery, is its booming real estate market, which has transformed Buenos Aires, the capital, into a construction site.” - The Wall Street Journal I love that quote. Tourism in Argentina is thriving right now, and has been for the last several years. I see it every time I go down there, and my favorite hotels are always almost booked to capacity. Argentina is literally the leading tourism destination in all of Latin America, and had over 4.5 million visitors in 2007. The Argentine Tourism Office says that visitors from the US alone grew more than 35% between 2005 and 2007. I like those numbers! 2.2 million foreigners visited Buenos Aires last year, and Buenos Aires City Tourism Bureau did a study that found foreign tourists prefer four and five star hotels (who doesn’t?), and that 2007 occupancy rates exceeded 85%. Things are looking good for our hotel project. The mansion we purchased is absolutely amazing. It was previously a private residence and is located at 1647 Montevideo Street in the heart of the embassy and luxury hotel district, Recoleta. The Mansion is a magnificent 20,000 sq/ft estate that was built in 1912. It’s a 5-story building, but we added a subbasement during the renovation, bringing it to 6-stories. The architectural team we decided to use for the renovation is headed by internationally acclaimed architect, Gerhard Heusch. He’s got a great portfolio, and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some of his past projects in person, including The Grand Havana Room in both New York and LA. The hotel will feature 10 luxury suites, a 5-story hanging garden, and rooftop pool, spa, and bar. Watching the completion of this project has been a real experience. These days, I get down there to oversee the project just about every other week. One of the highlights for me has been the construction of the rooftop pool. Wow. It’s going to be truly fantastic. The hotel is also going to have a restaurant featuring South American & French-fusion cuisine, a private dining room with a wine cave and humidor, library bar, wine cellar, and an outside dining patio that features an A-framed glass ceiling. This project has become very personal to me, and I have to say that I’m quite proud of it. With Gerhard’s help (as well as the rest of our incredible work team down there), Algodon Mansion should be opening its doors in December. That’s right around the corner, and we’re all very excited about it. The plan is to have a wonderful New Year’s opening party for our partners and friends. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be here next week with more about Algodon Mansion…Gotta go, I have work to do! --Scott Mathis