Interview with José Alberto Zuccardi, head of one of the most important families for wine in Mendoza and Argentina
Ahead of Familia Zuccardi's winery since 1992, José Alberto Zuccardi is the second generation of a family that helped to transform Argentina into a global reference for premium wines. In 1976, he joined the business founded by his father, Engineer Alberto Zuccardi, who planted the family's first vines in the early 1960s, in the Maipú region, at northern Mendoza. After Alberto’s passing in 2014, three generations of the family remain active in the business: José Alberto's mother, Emma, develops projects in the area of education; his son Sebastián is his successor in charge of the vineyards; his daughter Julia leads their restaurants; and his youngest son Miguel manages the family's premium olive oils.
At the forefront of Argentine wine, the Zuccardi Family has expanded its presence in Mendoza beyond the Maipú region towards high altitude areas in the Uco Valley. Among them is the region of Paraje Altamira, where the family founded in 2016 the Piedra Infinita winery, over 1,200 meters above sea level at the feet of the Andes mountain range. From there, they produced the icon Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita 2016, which last year received 100 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate magazine.
Now, along with other top producers in Mendoza, such as Catena and Salentein, Zuccardi's challenge is to map their soils to discover the different terroir profiles of their vineyards. With this work, the family hopes to establish new geographical indications (GIs) in the Uco Valley and to create real terroir wines in Argentina – or, as José Alberto likes to say, wines with a “unique identity”.
Check out bellow the interview with José Alberto Zuccardi on the wine industry, carrying out a family business and the future of the viticultural sector in Argentina.
Do not miss any of Winext's articles. Follow our Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and subscribe to our newsletter here!
José Alberto stands next to the picture of his father, Engineer Alberto Zuccardi, who established the family's winery in 1963 in the region of Maipú, northern Mendoza (Credit: Zuccardi)
What do you think will be the key drivers of successful wine businesses in the 2020s?
JZ: I think there is a very important point here: wine requires identity. Wine has two very important components – the place it is from and the people who make it. These two things create a very unique identity that can reach the consumer on more levels than other beverages. We are always talking about wine with interesting levels of quality, aren’t we?
“In Argentina, regions and producers are looking to differentiate themselves by focusing on their geographical roots.”
What do you think will change the most over the next few years in wine, specifically in the premium category?
JZ: I think in Argentina, specifically, regions and producers are looking to differentiate themselves by focusing on their geographical roots. We see this with Altamira, Gualtallary, and San Pablo, for example, as they are each beginning a process of identifying themselves as a unique player by tying themselves to their land and history. This is particularly prevalent within the premium category, which we expect will drive growth of premium wines in Argentina over the coming years.
Piedra Infinita Winery, inaugurated in 2016 by the Zuccardi Family in Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, at the foot of the Andes mountain range (Credit: Zuccardi).
And how do those in the wine industry communicate this geographical identity to consumers? Does the premium consumer understand it well?
JZ: I think people are beginning to understand. The increase and interest in wine tourism supports this as people are visiting wineries and regions more to understand what makes their favourite wine. It will be a long process to fully educate all wine consumers, but I think that more people are becoming interested in knowing more about what wine they are drinking and where it is from.
“People look for the experiences around wine and they don’t just look for massive brands – instead they look for products with identity.”
Looking very long term, do you think that differentiation of places will increase or do you think that globalisation is also going to take part in the wine industry?
JZ: To me, in a world where many things are standardised, wine is like an oasis in this hole. In the wine industry, there are thousands of us, and we all are very dispersed with new regions and producers appearing all the time. I believe that, in the end, it is not the trade’s decision to differentiate, but it is consumers’ decision since they are the ones who look for unique wines and want to know more about wine through tourism and other avenues. It is very interesting how people look for the experiences around wine and they don’t just look for massive brands – instead they look for products with identity. To me, this is something that wine can give to people, and very few other industries can.
For Zuccardi, the wine industry is one of the few that can offer consumers a product with an identity and a unique experience at each glass (Credit: Zuccardi).
What markets do you think has the greatest potential for premium wines in the future?
JZ: I would say that we talk a lot about China, and it is true. China is a country that is evolving in terms of their wine consumption as Chinese consumers have purchasing power and increasing knowledge. But also the US, which still has huge potential to continue developing, especially for a country like Argentina that exports so much there.
“Brazil is seeing great potential, but Brazilian consumers are often held back by high taxes.”
In addition, Brazil is seeing great potential, but Brazilian consumers are often held back by high taxes. We see many Brazilians coming to Argentina who are interested in knowing more about premium wine because there is too much of a price barrier back in Brazil. In fact, many people buy wines in Mendoza because they can get it at a better price. There is huge potential in this group of consumers, which is currently under-represented in Brazil.
Third generation of the Zuccardi family, Sebastián is, along with his father, one of the five most influential personalities in Argentine wine according to Decanter magazine (Credit: Zuccardi).
We wanted to talk a little about your experience in running a family business. What makes you the most proud?
JZ: I believe that the fact that today three generations are involved in the business. My children are there and so is my mother – and being able to share this passion for and knowledge of wine is amazing. We make sure that just because it is a family business, no one is pressured into going into wine. My father gave me the opportunity to choose and if I could make the choice again, I would still choose wine. I think this has happened with my children as well, but they have also chosen related fields such as hospitality in addition to being in the family business. It is important that there is not family mandate that says “you have to do this or that,” but they have exercised a freedom of choice.
“The secret is in how we communicate, and nowadays there are many tools that we can use that don’t make wine elitist or something we need to know about to consume.”
What do you think the wine industry needs to improve or focus on more in the future?
JZ: I think this comes back again to the important point of identity in the wine industry. When you choose a wine and when you drink a wine, you are enjoying something that is unique and special that has resulted from factors that have to do with the place it was made and the people who made it. But it also has to do with who you are sharing it with. Wine is an interaction between people and the beverage.
The important thing the wine industry needs to focus on is how that experience is transmitted, what the wine means and how the wine is communicated in a simple way. We need to make sure that the coming generations can receive those messages without making wine complicated and difficult. The secret is in how we communicate, and nowadays there are many tools that we can use that don’t make wine elitist or something we need to know about to consume. We need to work on breaking the barriers and letting more people enjoy more wine, especially the younger generations.
You can find the original interview on Wine IQ Magazine at Wine Intelligence. Click here to read latest edition online.
Read more about the work of Zuccardi and other Argentine producers in the Uco Valley in the articles by Jancis Robinson and in SevenFifity Daily.
To receive Winext's articles, subscribe to our newsletter and follow our pages on Facebook and LinkedIn!
Cover photo: Clint McKoy on Unsplash
