by Daniel López Roca
Whereas to date the export price of Argentinean malbec averaged US$ 30.28 per case in 2006, those of cabernet sauvignon clocked in at 25.54 and those of chardonnay 23.04. Analysts see the higher average price for malbec due to its better distribution in different market segments. Not only are many icon wines made from malbec, more premium products are also made from that grape. While cabernet sauvignon appears in these upper end categories only to a lesser extent, chardonnay is essentially absent, with Catena Alta and Luigi Bosca Noble being the notable exceptions. Not only, though, does Malbec fetch higher prices, it also moves three times the volume and that in almost every export market. Ireland is the only exception. There it takes second place to chardonnay.
