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Huentala Calizo Albar Block 06 Malbec 2023, from Huentala Wines in Gualtallary, Mendoza, has been named IWC Champion Red Wine 2026—the International Wine Challenge’s highest distinction for a red wine. The result elevates an Argentine Malbec into the small group of five overall Champion Wines selected across the competition’s principal wine categories.
Announced in London on 8 September, the award marks an exceptional achievement for Huentala Wines, Gualtallary, Mendoza and Argentina. It confirms that a high-altitude Mendoza Malbec can stand alongside leading Champagne, Burgundy, Tuscan sweet wine and historic Portuguese fortified wine on one of the global wine industry’s most influential international stages.
The Five Champion Wines
The IWC’s 2026 Champion Wine Awards recognise one leading wine in each core category: sparkling, white, red, sweet and fortified. Huentala Calizo Albar Block 06 Malbec 2023 was the only Argentine wine among these five overall Champions.
Sparkling
Rare Champagne Rare Magnum 2012
Rare Champagne
Champagne, France
IWC Champion Sparkling Wine 2026 — Daniel Thibault Trophy
White
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Domaine du Pavillon 2024
Maison Albert Bichot
Burgundy, France
IWC Champion White Wine 2026
Red
Huentala Calizo Albar Block 06 Malbec 2023
Huentala Wines
Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
IWC Champion Red Wine 2026
Sweet
Vinsanto Capezzana Riserva 2018
Tenuta di Capezzana
Tuscany, Italy
IWC Champion Sweet Wine 2026 — Alois Kracher Trophy
Fortified
Menin Porto Tawny 80 Anos
MWC, Lda
Portugal
IWC Champion Fortified Wine 2026 — Manuel Lozano Trophy
For Argentine wine, this context is crucial. Huentala’s Malbec did not simply win a country, varietal or regional trophy; it was chosen as the competition’s single Champion Red Wine, sharing the IWC’s highest tier with wines from some of Europe’s most established and historic fine-wine regions.
A Historic Result
Before becoming Champion Red Wine, Huentala Calizo Albar Block 06 Malbec 2023 secured the Argentinian Red Trophy, Argentinian Malbec Trophy and Mendoza Malbec Trophy. These results establish it as both the leading Argentine red wine and the leading Mendoza Malbec in the 2026 competition.
The award shifts the conversation around Malbec. Argentina has long been internationally associated with the variety, but this result strengthens the case for Malbec as a serious fine-wine category capable of delivering site-specific expression, structure, freshness and distinction at the highest international level.
It also gives global buyers, sommeliers, journalists, collectors and wine travellers a powerful reference point. A Champion Red Wine award can increase the producer’s and region’s visibility while reinforcing Mendoza’s relevance in premium export markets, specialist wine lists, and cellar-door tourism.
Gualtallary’s Terroir
The wine originates at La Isabel Estate, Huentala Wines’ vineyard in Gualtallary, in the Uco Valley, at more than 1,400 metres above sea level. Its high-altitude setting, cool nights, significant day-to-night temperature variation, mountain meltwater and calcareous soils create the conditions for Malbec with natural freshness, concentration and a distinct mineral character.
Huentala Wines works through parcel-by-parcel microvinification, identifying small vineyard units that express individual characteristics. Block 06 is one of those carefully defined sites, allowing the winery to focus on a precise interpretation of Gualtallary rather than producing a broad regional blend.
The resulting wine combines depth and concentration with freshness, tension and elegance—qualities increasingly prized by critics and buyers seeking wines that clearly communicate their origin.
Beyond a Single Label
This recognition extends beyond one vintage or one winery. It strengthens the international profile of Gualtallary and the Uco Valley, which have emerged as key sources of high-altitude, terroir-led Argentine wines.
Mendoza is already one of the world’s best-known wine destinations, and awards of this level make the province more compelling to international visitors. Wine travellers increasingly want to see the landscape behind a bottle: vineyards at the foot of the Andes, mountain light, local cuisine, hospitality, art and the people responsible for each vintage.
Every major international accolade therefore has a multiplier effect. It supports Mendoza’s image as a wine destination, enhances the value of premium local wines, and helps promote a broader ecosystem of vineyards, wineries, restaurants, hotels, guides, chefs, and cultural experiences.
Huentala Wines’ Vision
“This historic recognition in London confirms our vision of positioning Gualtallary and Mendoza at the highest level of world winemaking,” said Julio Camsen, founder of Grupo Huentala. “Achieving the global champion award with Huentala Calizo Albar demonstrates that the strength of a unique terroir such as La Isabel Estate has no limits.”
Winemaker José “Pepe” Morales highlighted the precision behind the project: “Being crowned Global Champion at the IWC is the reward for extremely meticulous microvinification that respects the soils of Gualtallary. Our objective was to interpret the mineral energy of the mountains and create a wine with freshness, tension and elegance.”
The award validates a philosophy rooted in terroir study, vineyard detail, and restrained, origin-focused winemaking. It also demonstrates that Mendoza’s next chapter is not simply about Malbec as a variety, but about Malbec as an expression of individual sites, soils and altitudes.
Wine, Hospitality and Art
The Calizo range, led by Albar and Carmín, represents one of Huentala Wines’ most terroir-focused projects. Built around detailed soil analysis and individual vineyard blocks in Gualtallary, the collection seeks to express the distinctive personality of each site.
Huentala Wines forms part of Grupo Huentala, a Mendoza family-owned enterprise combining wine, hospitality, gastronomy, events, culture and art. Its portfolio includes Huentala Hotel, Sheraton Mendoza Hotel, Hualta Winery Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, restaurants, event spaces and Huentala Wines.
The group also integrates a collection of more than 200 artworks across its properties and a monumental sculpture park among the vineyards. This wider offering turns a visit into more than a tasting: it is an immersion in the territory, hospitality and culture that surround Mendoza wine.
Huentala Calizo Albar Block 06 Malbec 2023 now holds a place among the world’s most recognised wines of 2026. Its Champion Red Wine title is a milestone for the winery, a statement for Gualtallary and a defining international endorsement for Mendoza’s continuing rise as a fine-wine and wine-tourism destination.
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