Eugenio and Teresa Meschini are wine producers who live right here in the Lynnhurst neighborhood. The Meschinis own two vineyards in Argentina and bring their wines to our own South Lyndale Liquors and other Minneapolis stores and restaurants. Their story starts with Eugenio’s grandfather, who left Italy for Mendoza, Argentina in the Andes Mountains, where he produced wine with Eugenio’s father. Eugenio left Argentina to study business at the University of St. Thomas, where he met Teresa in the 1990s. The couple married and stayed in Minneapolis to raise their four kids. Then, in 2008, Eugenio’s best friend, who happened to be a vineyard manager, asked him to go into the wine business and the two bought their first vineyard in Agrelo, Mendoza. Eugenio and his brothers turned an apple orchard into a second vineyard in San Carlos, Mendoza a few years later.
Today, while Eugenio co-manages the vineyards, Teresa handles the marketing and promotion of Famiglia Meschini wines (FamigliaMeschini.com) in the U.S. She works with distributors to sell the wine, focusing primarily on mom and pop liquor stores. The bottled wines are sold in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. The Meschini’s older daughters are also involved in the business and came up with the idea behind the newest brand, Vamos! Vino (Let’s go! Wine), which is Malbec in a can. Wine in a can is popular among young women in their 20s and 30s, as it’s more easily recyclable, light and portable. Vamos! Vino (vamosvinos.com) comes in cans featuring vibrant, fun colors and designs and is also available at South Lyndale Liquors.
Teresa enjoys hosting wine tastings for corporate and private events. She often partners with chefs to put on dinners where she discusses the Famiglia Meschini varietals as well as Argentinian culture. One such partnership is with another Argentine, Belen Rodriguez, whose company, Quebracho (quebrachomn.com), currently operates out of neighborhood favorite St. Genevieve. Teresa would like to lead small groups to travel to Argentina and tour the vineyards in the future.
Eugenio and Teresa like to give back to the neighborhood they love. They are donating wine to the LYNAS Happy Hour coming up on Nov.12 at Harriet Place.