Wine lovers and racegoers alike were excited at the recent start of The Curragh’s flat racing season. Sharing in the celebration is premium Argentinian wine producer La Celia, who have announced their new partnership with the world famous County Kildare racecourse to include sponsorship of two races taking place during the prestigious Irish Oaks Weekend on 22nd and 23rd July; featuring La Celia Wines Sprint on Saturday and La Celia Wines Dash on Sunday.
Founded in 1890 by Eugenio Bustos, La Celia’s roots grew from the trade of Bustos’ beloved horse for a single Malbec vine. He was the first person to plant the Malbec variety - originally from France - in the Uco Valley. Bustos named the vineyard in honor of his daughter Celia.
La Celia is the leading Argentinian wine from VSPT Wine Group in Chile (Viña San Pedro Tarapacá). With nine premium wineries, including La Celia, Leyda and Santa Helena, VSPT Wine Group is a Top 20 global wine producer, leaders in premium and sparkling wine sales in Chile, and a Top 5 producer in the domestic Argentinian market.
In Ireland La Celia is distributed by BWG in Spar, Eurospar and Mace nationwide. The most popular La Celia variants in Ireland are the Finca La Celia Malbec, Reserva Pinot Grigio and Finca La Celia Rosé. All of these will be available throughout bars and restaurants in the Curragh’s magnificent new grandstand during their racing season
“La Celia is the oldest winery in the Uco Valley, the most renowned region in Argentina.” comments Benjamin Aravena, La Celia Brand Manager. “We are delighted La Celia are partnering with The Curragh this year, broadening our footprint in Ireland and enabling consumers to discover this elegant wine while enjoying one of Ireland’s most popular racing occasions. Along with our distribution partners BWG, we look forward to continued success for La Celia in Irish retail stores”
“The Curragh is delighted to build a new and exciting association with La Celia”, commented Evan Arkwright The Curragh’s Racing and Sponsorship Manager, “A prestigious brand with strong historic links to horses is the perfect partner for us and we look forward to working with them in conjunction with our catering partner Fitzers to showcase their wines throughout our racing season and ensure a glass of La Celia helps to create more special race day memories.”
Hailing from the renowned Mendoza region in Argentina, La Celia vines grow in high altitudes in the Uco Valley and is known as one of the most historically preserved wineries in Argentina. La Celia were pioneers in the region to the Malbec variety of red wine. Producing elegant high-quality wines with its ranges Heritage, Elite, Pioneer and Reserva.
Today, this tradition lives on in their wines, which reflect the expression of a globally unique terroir. La Celia claims one of the largest holdings of Paraje Altamira vineyards, their Malbec wines are from a specially selected plot containing the most calcareous- rich soils. The makeup of this soil along with the free draining nature, large stones and high altitude give effect to a complimentary range with typically chalky tannins and freshness.