Where Macroeconomics Meets Malbec: How Anne Bousquet Navigates Turbulent times
I stepped out of the car and onto a gravel round and looked up. My legs buckled, not from the marathon I had run 24 hours before but because of the view. Rows of grapevines stretched out across a valley of Eden marching up against a jagged wall of the snowcapped Andes, their peaks piercing the clouds as sunlight poured in.
This is Tupungato — the northeastern edge of Mendoza’s Uco Valley — a place where high altitude, hot days, cool nights, and Sahara-dry air demand both artistry and nerve from its winemakers. To run a business here – in a country defined by economic whiplash, political swings, and inflation that has soared into triple digits – is another battle entirely.
And yet one woman has not only succeeded, she has thrived. Enter Anne Bousquet: economist-turned-winemaker, and picture of resilience in a place where the volatile swings of nature and politics are la forma de vida.
From Economics to Enology
Anne Bousquet did not grow up dreaming of wine; in fact, she ran from it. The daughter of a third generation wine proprietor, she wanted little to do with carrying on the family business. “I made the decision I didn’t want to work in wine at all, I wanted to study economics.”
During her undergraduate studies at the University of Toulouse, Anne found herself in a serious relationship that became controlling. One morning, after a heated argument, she marched to her school’s admin office, knowing she wanted to participate in an exchange program following graduation but eager to leave as soon as possible. There were two program options: one in Europe and one in the United States. “I said, ‘The U.S. I want to go as far away as possible.’”
Anne landed a world away from the warmth of the South of France to the University of Minnesota. The midwestern lilt challenged her English, but her economics coursework came naturally. One of her professors who also happened to be the Dean took notice. He invited her to his office and made a proposal: a Master’s in Applied Economics, in-state tuition, and a teaching assistantship to support her financially.
“Sometimes bad things trigger the best things in your life,” she says. That difficult relationship — the one she puts in “the bad experience bucket” became an essential foundation for a future she couldn’t yet imagine: a wine proprietor in one of the world’s most unpredictable economies.
Adapting to a Wild Economy
When Anne made the decision to permanently move her family, including her newborn, to Tupungato and fully invest in Domaine Bousquet in 2009, she traded a stable economic system for one maligned by decades of inflation and unpredictability.
“I was born and raised in Europe, and then lived in the U.S. — both are super simple economies in comparison,” she says.
Argentina’s economic woes stem from a variety of factors perpetuated by bad political actors, and understanding Argentina’s economy is its own form of education.
In short: the government’s overspending was financed by printing extra money, devaluing the currency. By the winter of 2023 when I went to Buenos Aires for the first time, inflation had hit a historic high of 211% and fluctuated so capriciously, that when I sat down for my first dinner, I was told to ignore the prices on the menu – the value had shifted since the menus were printed the week before.
Anne quickly learned that to succeed in Argentina would require agility, a strategy that changed sometimes daily.
“It was very difficult to understand such a manipulated system,” she says. “It took a real adaptation period — I was learning Spanish and [this] new ‘language’.”
Hire Local and Think Global
After much trial and error, she quickly learned assembling a team of local experts was essential. “We realized both our winemaker and agronomist needed to be Argentinian,” she says. “They had to understand the place.” The same practice was applied to hiring a financial director who once worked in big banking in Mendoza – he had the skills to navigate the country’s complex banking system, and interpret the rules as written and in between the lines.
“Running a company here means knowing which banks move fast, which government processes stall, and who you can trust,” she explains. “You can’t learn that from a textbook.”
After seven years in Tupungato, Anne decided to move back to the U.S. and set up an import company, Origins Organics. Traditionally, international wineries sell to an importer who handles everything from logistics to distribution.
“And that’s where the story usually stops,” Anne says. “The importer decides which distributors to sell to, and your wine becomes just one bottle among many in their portfolio.” Margins shrink and your brand dilutes “We had worked with other importers, and it didn’t go well,” she says simply. “So we said, ‘Let’s do it ourselves.’”
Today, Domaine Bousquet produces 5 million bottles annually, exporting 95% of it. They are the leading organic winery imported to the U.S. and among Argentina’s top ten winery exporters.
Geopolitics in a Glass
Global trade has entered a new era of unpredictability. Early this year, the Trump administration imposed a 10% tariff on all wine imports, a policy shift that sent shockwaves through the international market. Domaine Bousquet projected stability, assuring distributors business as usual and that they would absorb that 10%. “Uncertainty is as bad as a tariff,” says Anne. “Hesitation blocks economic activity.” Anne’s advice for smaller wineries is equally practical: work together. Pool orders for bottles, corks, and other materials. “When you unite, you become stronger,” she says. Economic barriers might shift with every administration and nothing is permanent.
Meanwhile, Argentina is undergoing its own political transformation. President Javier Mile, known for his shock-therapy governance that includes slashing government spending, ending money printing, and opening trade—has been praised by this administration. Most recently, the US pledged $20 billion in US taxpayer dollars to Argentina’s economy. With the October 27th legislative elections delivering a win to Milei, this moment is pivotal for wineries like Domaine Bousquet.
That bottle of Anne’s 2020 Ameri Merlot is far from a simple glass, it’s a microcosm of geopolitics. As I looked out onto the Uco Valley reflecting on Anne’s journey, my own 26.2 miles felt like a warm-up lap in comparison. Her nonlinear path is propelled by grit and determination, mirroring the vines she cultivates. I sipped on a glass of brut rosé and understood that in this era of global unpredictability, every vintage is an optimistic bet on the future.
“I became an entrepreneur in Argentina,” Anne says. “And not just anywhere — in a very wild economy. It’s why Argentine entrepreneurs shine wherever they go. They’re resilient. They’ve trained in the hardest conditions.”