Argento sold to Vistalba owners

UK wine importer Bibendum has sold the Argento Wine Company to the South American owners of Bodega Vistalba for an undisclosed sum.

Inversora Agroindustrial Sudamericana, the group headed by directors Carlos Pulenta and Alejandro Bulgheroni, said Argento would gain access to ‘some of the most prestigious vineyards in the Agrelo and Uco Valley regions of Mendoza’ as a result of the deal, completed last week.

The Argentinian company owns several hundred hectares of vineyards in Mendoza, along with Vistalba, Bodega Garzon in Uruguay and Renwood Winery in Amador County, California.

Describing the acquisition as ‘an important step’ for the business, Pulenta and Bulgheroni said: ‘The Argento brand has achieved outstanding global recognition over the past decade and we now have a unique opportunity to combine our extensive vineyard and winemaking facilities with Argento’s global reach and internationally based team.’

Argento will continue to operate as before, with offices in London, Mendoza and Europe.

Its wines are now sold in over 50 countries around the world, with the brand’s main markets including Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, the US, Denmark, Sweden and the UAE.

The company began life in 1999 as a joint venture between Bibendum and leading Argentinian wine producer Catena.

Written by Richard Woodard