Argentina's Domaine Bousquet Going Biodynamic and Seeking B-Corp Certification

In an online webinar attended by 25 wine writers today, Anne Bousquet of Domaine Bousquet announced the company's plan to certify its 618 acres of estate vineyards biodynamic. That puts it in the running to be the largest biodynamic vineyard owner in Argentina and the second largest in South America. 

Bousquet also said the company would further expand its organic imports into the U.S. and will launch an educational site on organics before the end of the year. 

The winery is located in the Uco Valley, where Bousquet's father bought land after visiting Argentina on a vacation trip in 1990. The family is originally from France.

Bousquet also announced the company's intention to obtain B Corp. status.  

The winery recently added Pinot Noir to its portfolio as well as no added sulfite wines, Virgen, that meet USDA Organic Wine standards. It's expanding that line this year, adding Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to the Virgen lineup. However, most of the wines meet the "Made with Organic Grapes," which permits low amounts of sulfites.

The company also produces boxed wines at a cost of about $5 per "bottle."

Climate change is evident in the region. The winery's water comes from runoff from the Andes, which are not white now, which is the winter season, Bousquet said, anticipating water shortages in the next growing season. The winery uses a closed network of water and a drip system to maximize efficient water use.

In a previous press release the company also announced its new import line, Origins Organic Imports:

For the two entrepreneurs, launch of Origins Organic Imports follows on the significant success of Domaine Bousquet. In 2018, Domaine Bousquet sold around 60,000 cases. In 2019, that figure climbed to 112,000 cases (+ 87%). In 2020, Domaine Bousquet recorded sales of 181,000 cases, (+62% over the previous year). Domaine Bousquet is now the largest organic wine brand from Argentina, Argentina’s second fastest-growing brand of wines, and ranks among the top five organic wine brands sold in the United States.

Driving that success are three main Domaine Bousquet wines: Malbec Premium (+33%), Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (+130%), and Domaine Bousquet Charmat Sparkling White (+87%), joined in 2019 by Domaine Bousquet’s Virgen collection of USDA certified-organic wines (+28%), plus 43,000 cases of the company’s new-to-market 2020-debut Natural Origins box wines.

Former economist Bousquet credits the success to a long-term strategy finally bearing fruit. “We started our import company in 2014 and it took five years to build those strong relationships with distributors. Now we are able to offer that benefit to other producers around the world.”