Food, drink and travel writer + sommelier | Argentina + Latin America
(The Tonic) As head of oenology at one of Argentina’s most iconic wineries, Alejandro Vigil is often found striding across the elevated limestone soils of Bodega Catena Zapata’s Vista Flores estate, his curly brown hair blown about by the Uco Valley’s Andean-powered breeze, contemplating leaf stripping, harvest or winter pruning. It’s more likely you’ll come […]
(Condé Nast Traveler) Why book? Come for the boutique estancia, stay for the candle-lit barbecue suppers, endless pampas landscape, and comforting dose of all-inclusive TLC from host Cinders Paxton. Set the scene: Paxton is currently working with local social-distancing rules to welcome just four guests at a time, who get to play in 17 acres […]
(Monocle) Achieving sustainable business practices results in a virtuous circle that benefits the production process, employees, communities nearby and the planet. Sofía Pescarmona is a third-generation co-owner of Argentina’s Bodega Lagarde, founded in the country’s most famous wine province, Mendoza, in 1897. She runs the winery with her sister Lucila (pictured, on left, with Sofía), […]
(Fine Dining Lovers) In the world of wine, gustatory acuity has long been the domain of experts – sommeliers defining myriad aromas and flavours that run through the taste spectrum with seemingly simple flourishes, inhalations and mouth swirls, all for your drinking pleasure. While an untrained nose might possibly detect the difference between red and […]
(Decanter) Southern latitude, 17 hours of daylight and grape-and-icicle-draped vineyards in summer paint a vivid picture of extremity in Trevelin, the newest addition to Argentina’s GI (Geographical Indication) collection. Trevelin is located between 43°07”S and 43°18”S in Futaleufú department in the northwest of Chubut Province, Patagonia. Its approval, granted on 6 August, presents a welcome […]
(American Way) Tango, soccer, steak, Borges — Buenos Aires is the place to be if you’re a fan of any of these. The Argentine capital is South America’s most dynamic cultural center, home to 7,000 bars and restaurants, 160 museums, 287 theaters, 380 bookstores and 100-plus green spaces. Located along the cola-colored River Plate, BA […]
(Fine Dining Lovers) It’s a wine lover’s ultimate dream: running a winery, making vintages that score 100 highly-coveted Parker points, exploring local terroir to bottle its most honest expression, then soaking up all those liquid riches over a fine dinner while the sun slowly drops behind snowy Andean peaks. This is the Zuccardi family’s reality. And because […]
(Fine Dining Lovers) While wine bars reacted to Covid-19 emergency lockdown restrictions (relatively) easily, sommeliers in restaurants have dug deep to continue connecting diners to wine and other drinks. Many establishments are only open for delivery, while others in more advanced recovery phases are operating with limited capacities. But beyond the obvious difficulty of sampling […]
(Imbibe) Health and safety measures, picker location tracing, and on-site living quarters: Argentina’s bodegas have worked hard to protect their 2020 harvests during Covid-19. Sorrel Moseley-Williams reports. When Argentina’s government implemented national lockdown from 20 March – with just three hours’ notice – many wineries in Mendoza had already reached the final stages of picking, […]