National Importer Expands Footprint in Premium Argentine Category
Napa, CA — Tuesday, July 7, 2020 —Grupo Colomé, owner of Argentine wineries Bodega Colomé and Bodega Amalaya, has appointed Folio Fine Wine Partners as its new importer in the United States, effective August 1, 2020.
Larissa and Christoph Ehrbar, the proprietors of Grupo Colomé S.A, are thrilled with the new partnership, and the opportunity to join a portfolio with demonstrated success in the Argentine category, stating:
“We have seen the success that the Folio Fine Wine Partners team has built with the Susana Balbo Wines collection over the last five years and we look forward to joining this dynamic and growing portfolio. We sincerely thank The Hess Collection Winery for the many years of invaluable collaboration in building the brands to be recognized nationwide and wish them only the best for the future.”
Grupo Colomé’s CEO and General Manager Matthieu Naef commented:
“The values of Folio are well-aligned with those of Grupo Colomé, and this partnership provides the opportunity to further build on the prestigious reputation of Bodega Colomé and Bodega Amalaya in the U.S. market.”
Folio Chairman, Michael Mondavi, echoed Naef’s comments, stating:
“We are excited for the opportunity to grow our Argentine footprint with the addition of Colomé and Amalaya wines, offering distributors and wholesalers wines complementary to the Susana Balbo Wines portfolio. These additions give Folio a total of six brands across the notable South American category.”
Prior to joining Folio Fine Wine Partners, the wines of Grupo Colomé were in distribution with The Hess Collection Winery. Upon expiration of the distribution contract, the Persson Family (Proprietor of the The Hess Collection Winery) and the Ehrbar Family (both successor families of founder Donald Hess) mutually agreed to pass distribution of the Grupo Colomé brands to Folio Fine Wine Partners to ensure continuity in the development of the brands in the U.S. market.
Folio was the Ehrbar family’s first choice of importer due to Folio’s excellent reputation in the industry as well as the long-standing friendship between the Mondavi Family and Donald Hess.
Today, Bodega Colomé and Bodega Amalaya wines have a strong presence throughout the U.S. and a reputation that recognizes their history and pedigree. What will forever remain an integral foundation of Grupo Colomé is the pioneering spirit and history made by Founder Donald Hess, a man who dared to break boundaries in winemaking.
Located in the high Calchaquí Valleys, in the Northwest of the Salta province, Bodega Colomé is the oldest continually producing winery in Argentina, founded in 1831. Home to one of the highest vineyards in the world (3.111 meters), Colomé continues the tradition of crafting premium, limited production wines, grown with sustainable practices in a pure microclimate. The Colomé experience includes the Winery, a Boutique hotel and a Museum dedicated to the works of American artist James Turrel. In 2019, Colomé was named one of the Top 50 vineyards by World’s Best Vineyards.
Wines in the Colomé portfolio include: Colomé Torrontés ($12 SRP), Colomé Estate Malbec ($25 SRP), Colomé Auténtico Malbec ($40 SRP), Colomé 1831 Malbec ($70 SRP), and Colomé Altura Máxima ($150 SRP).
Bodega Amalaya was born in 2010 in the high-altitude plains of the Calchaquí Valley, in Northern Argentina’s Salta Province. The winery is ideally located at the foot of the San Isidro mountain at 1700 meters overlooking the picturesque village of Cafayate. This project is the vision of Donald Hess’s successors Larissa and Christoph Ehrbar who believed in Cafayate terroir to craft fresh, vibrant, contemporary high-altitude wines with character and depth.
Wines in the Amalaya portfolio include: Amalaya Blanco and Amalaya Rosé ($10 SRP), Amalaya Malbec ($14 SRP), and Amalaya Gran Corte Malbec ($20 SRP).
Wines are available nationally through fine wine retailers and restaurants. For more information or image requests, please contact Rebecca Hopkins at rhopkins@foliowine.com
