{"id":1242,"date":"2025-10-28T03:45:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T03:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/?p=1242"},"modified":"2025-10-28T13:12:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T13:12:30","slug":"full-circle-from-one-glass-to-a-lifetime-exploring-argentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drinkingargentina.com\/?p=1242","title":{"rendered":"Full Circle: From One Glass to a Lifetime Exploring Argentina."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Exploring the terrain at Zuccardi Valle de Uco.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first time I got acquainted with Argentine wine wasn\u2019t during a tour or a tasting. It was on a work trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, my ad agency was shooting TV commercials in Buenos Aires<\/strong>. One evening, after a long day on set, one of the editors working alongside us offered to take me to a neighborhood wine shop. We walked in, surrounded by rows of labels I didn\u2019t recognize. He pointed to one bottle and said, \u201cThis is the wine you should try.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Angelica Zapata Malbec<\/strong>. (Here’s the bottle I brought home.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yep, this is it. The bottle that started my love affair with Argentina.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That bottle became my first glass of truly great Argentine wine. I didn\u2019t know it at the time, but that single gesture in a quiet wine shop would set something in motion \u2014 the beginning of a long, layered relationship with this country, its vineyards, and its people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when I got home, I decided to try an experiment. I would let my boss or my friends buy wines from California or France when we were dining out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when I went to the store, I made a rule for myself: I would only<\/em> buy wines from Argentina. That inspired the original name of my blog: MalbecsOnly.<\/strong> I started blogging about my experiment, and began to get a pretty good following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Friendly Nudge.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Then, one day on my social feed, I came across a reply from none other than Laura Catena<\/strong><\/a>, Argentina’s best-known ambassador of wine. I can’t remember the exact words of her post, but the gist was, “We’re a lot more than Malbec, you know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was right. That moment changed the way I looked at Argentina\u2019s wines \u2014 and over the years, it\u2019s led to friendships and experiences I couldn\u2019t have imagined at the start.

And it was also the day this little blog became Drinking Argentina. Celebrating all the wines of Argentina – Malbec, Torrontes, Cabernet Franc, the red blends, the cult classics, the Franco-Argentine partnerships, the crazy little garagista experiments – all of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Talk about minerality!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The People Who Shaped the Journey.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve honestly lost count of how many times I\u2019ve returned to Argentina \u2014 fifteen or seventeen trips, maybe more. (Delta Air Lines probably knows the number better than I do.) But the truth is, these visits stopped being \u201ctrips\u201d a long time ago. What I have here now are roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, I\u2019ve built a web of friendships and trusted relationships that have shaped every single visit. People like\u00a0Miguel Sanz<\/a><\/strong>, whose calm precision behind the wheel has carried me across three wine regions \u2014 and who always seems to know the one backroad that leads to something special. Chef Nadia <\/a>Haron<\/a><\/strong>, whose inspired creativity I have followed since the beginning of my travels. Sommelier\u00a0Andres <\/a>Rosberg<\/a><\/strong>, whose insight and generosity have opened doors to conversations and tastings I never would have found on my own. Chef Edward Holloway<\/a><\/strong>, whose culinary genius and eye for hospitality have shaped a new generation of visitor options. Winemaker Daniel<\/a> Pi<\/a>, <\/strong>whose genius is only outweighed by his generosity. And my friend Sonia Onozawa<\/a>, <\/strong>a Buenos Aires – based storyteller of many talents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there are the places themselves \u2014 like\u00a0Casa Glebinias<\/a><\/strong>, where the welcome feels as familiar as old friends, and\u00a0La Morada Lodge<\/a><\/strong>, where the silence of the Uco Valley stretches out like a deep breath. Restaurants like\u00a0Hornero<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Siete Fuegos<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0are no longer stops on a list; they\u2019re the backdrop to countless conversations, shared meals, and friendships built slowly, like good wine. There’s Fierro Hotel<\/a><\/strong>, with a (very warm) rooftop pool that is my favorite place to wind down after a Mendoza trip, and a breakfast for the ages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These aren\u2019t just names on an itinerary. They\u2019re the people and places that have layered meaning onto every glass I\u2019ve ever raised here. They\u2019ve shown me that Mendoza isn\u2019t something to check off a list. It\u2019s something to return to \u2014 and to belong to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the Catena Zapata pyramid.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Journey Ahead.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In November, I\u2019ll be heading back once again. The trip will begin in Buenos Aires, at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires<\/strong>, with wine on the patio, a walk through Recoleta, and dinner at Fog\u00f3n Asado<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then it\u2019s west to Mendoza \u2014 to\u00a0Casa Glebinias<\/strong>\u00a0for the first half of the trip, where Luj\u00e1n de Cuyo\u2019s historic vineyards still hold their quiet power. There will be tastings at\u00a0Budeguer<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Martino Wines<\/strong>, and a long lunch at\u00a0Casa Vigil<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 home of El Enemigo and one of my favorite afternoons anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second half takes me south to the Uco Valley, Mendoza\u2019s new frontier, where ambition meets altitude. There, tastings await at\u00a0Cuvelier Los Andes<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Michelini i Mufato<\/a><\/strong>, and more. We’ll be in a private house beside La Morada Lodge. <\/strong>And of course, there\u2019s the fire-lit theater of\u00a0Siete Fuegos<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 because some traditions deserve to be repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now we are waitlisted at Catena Zapata<\/a><\/strong>, the winery where my love affair began. (Fingers crossed.) I hope we get in. Because it would be nice to go full circle, and show my friends the winery where it all began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing Argentina Through Fresh Eyes. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I can’t wait to get back – and share this Mendoza wine journey with friends who are first-time visitors. It’s all about returning to the people and places that have made Argentina feel like a second home \u2014 and sharing it with friends who are seeing it for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first time I got acquainted with Argentine wine wasn\u2019t during a tour or a tasting. It was on a work trip. Years ago, my ad agency was shooting TV commercials in Buenos Aires. One evening, after a long day on set, one of the editors working alongside us offered to take me to a neighborhood … <\/p>\n

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