Malbec World Day celebrated online for first time

Malbec World Day, which has taken place on 17 April since 2011 to pay homage to Argentina’s flagship grape, was celebrated online for the first time this year.

The 17 April date was chosen because on the same day in 1853 the first agricultural school in Argentina was founded, becoming a symbol of the transformation of Argentina’s wine industry.

With over 112,823 acres of Malbec planted in Argentina, and 129 million litres of Malbec exported by Argentina in 2020 alone, the county leads the charge when it comes to the grape, which has become popular the world over for its fruit forward nature and smooth, velvety tannins.

Today, over 75% of all Malbec grown is in Argentina. This year Wines of Argentina turned Malbec World Day into a 100% digital event with success.

The goal was to create a sensory experience through a digital platform, which was achieved via audiovisual content specifically designed for digital channels.

The digital version of Malbec World Day proved popular, with content receiving 28 million views, 13,000 clicks to the website and a 1.15% engagement rate.

Among the highest levels on consumer engagement were from the US, UK, Argentina, Brazil and Canada, with the digital evening proving particularly popular with millennials in search of new consumer experiences.

“We developed a strategy of directing in digital media and the results outperformed all industry metrics. We partnered with content creators in the US to maximise our reach and communicate our key messages,” said a spokesperson for Wines of Argentina.

“We renewed the landing page of the event and generated publications on social networks and articles on our blog to communicate Argentine Malbec in all its diversity.

“Our strategy included specialised content and key messages that were amplified in digital media and enhanced by actions of influencers from the US,” they added.