A Brief History of
Valentin Bianchi:
In 1928, after a succession of entrepreneurial enterprises, Italian immigrant Valentin Bianchi realized his dream of owning a vineyard and small winery. First know as ''El Chiche,'' the winery produced a fine red wine that was once called ''Super Medoc.''
A few years of struggle paid off for Valentin when, in 1934, his wines were awarded the Maximum Quality Price at the Official Wine Exhibition and Contest, a national event held in the city of Mendoza. It was this same year that fine wine shops in Buenos Aires discovered his wines, recommending them to the Capitol's wealthy sophisticates.
In the early 1950s, when Valentin's sons started joining the now successful enterprise, he decided to rename the company - and Valentin Bianchi SACIF was born. It was this winery that he handed down to his sons Alcides Jose and Enzo Arnaldo. Along with thier brother-in-law, Aurelio Stradella, they took a team-work approach to running the company, each one handling that part they most enjoyed and in which they excelled.
In the mid-1980s Valentin's grandsons, Valentin Eduardo, Ricardo Stradella and Alejandro Ruben rose to positions of prominence within the company. Today with the continued expertise of their fathers, they are the third generation to run what is now called Valentin Bianchi S.A.
The three Valentin Bianchi vineyards - Asti, Las Paredes and Dona Elsa - comprise over 716 acres and are located in San Rafael, which is thought to have the best soil in the Mendoza region. The vineyards are filled with rootstock from Valentin's native Italy, as well as vines from California and France. The high quality of the grapes is matched by the use of cutting-edge technology to develop wines that have received praise and awards both in Argentina and abroad. Francisco Martinez is the wine maker of all Valentin Bianchi labels, and has been with the winery since 1979.
Today, Valentin Bianchi wines are appreciated by aficionados as well as the causal wine drinker, which is a testament to the hard work and efforts of the third generation. The grandsons of Valentin's Bianchi - like their brethren wine families in the U.S. and the rest of the ''new world'' - are keeping their grandfather's dream alive.
The Role of the
California Winemaker :
In 1996, Valentin Bianchi's grandsons hired winemaker Robert Pepi, of Napa Valley's famed Robert Pepi Winery, as a consultant to introduce new techniques while maintaining the wines' Argentine character. His expertise with the vineyard management and talent at producing ''wine lovers'' wines have helped keep Valentin Bianchi competitive and successful in many countries where they are sold.
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