Evan Traub of IMI Agency reflects on his Argentinian Trip to “the land of Malbec”
By Evan Traub, Senior Account Manager for IMI Agency | May 04, 2023
I was recently invited to participate in a once in a lifetime trip to experience the beautiful country of Argentina. The trip was curated by Vino del Sol, the US importer of beautiful Argentinian wines and their partners, Trellis Wine & Spirits.
Vino del Sol specializes in Argentinian wine and has held relationships with the community’s wine making families for over 20 years. Vino del Sol’s wineries are all estate-grown, sustainably farmed and family-owned. Throughout our trip we were given the opportunity to personally observe each of these elements.
The group included representatives from Vino del Sol, Mary and Mark from the Trellis team, as well as several other beverage marketing agency representatives. Our adventure began by flying into Buenos Aires as a group and then boarding another plane to fly a few hours further to Mendoza. This was my first time traveling to South America so seeing our robust flight plan was remarkable.
Our first evening included a reception and dinner that gave us a chance to connect as a group and converse with the winery owners we’d be seeing throughout the week. The evening included beautiful meats, cheeses, empanadas, and an effervescent wine cocktail before enjoying a spectacular portfolio of wines to sample.
Argentina is recognized as one of the world’s best wine regions. Although people often associate Mendoza and Argentina overall with the French grape varietal of Malbec, they produce beautiful Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and probably more surprising white varietals like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. During our visit we also experienced wonderful sparkling wines which are quickly gaining acclaim.
The high altitude is one of the most important characteristics of Mendoza terroir. Since the land sees so many beautiful, clear days many vineyards rely on the snowmelt from the Andes for irrigation.
Each day our winery hosts not only showcased their beautiful wines but spoke to us about the terroir, sun, and the history of Mendoza wines. We spent hours experiencing the vineyards, wineries and speaking with the families and leadership at each brand.
On our first full day we visited Lamadrid winery where we met members of the team standing beside the most scenic water storage basin. The Garcia family walked the group through the vineyards educating us about the organic and sustainable farming practices they follow. They spoke of the important role of the pure water from the Andes that flows through the vineyards irrigation system. Following our journey through the vines, they hosted us for a beautiful tasting of their portfolio and lunch in their newly built restaurant. That evening we visited the Altocedro facilities in Maipu where we sampled their range and had a unique and delicious meal prepared by Karim Mussi, the winemaker’s sister along with his Swiss investors that were in town.
On Wednesday we arrived at Zolo winery where we embarked on a brief horseback tour and were then given the opportunity to produce our own red blends which we were later gifted to take home. We tasted the beautiful range crafted by Patricia Ortiz, a true pioneer and staple in Argentinian wine making. At Zolo we enjoyed a picnic style lunch outside the winery. That evening we were able to explore and peruse the vibrant downtown Mendoza for some sightseeing, shopping, and dinner.
On Thursday we went to Tapiz Winery in the San Pablo vineyard where we sampled their lineup accompanied by a beautiful rustic landscape before going horseback riding through the vast vineyard spaces. We ended our afternoon all coming together for (believe it or not) even better empanadas. That evening we stayed in the Valle de Uco.
On our final day we went to the La Consulta region of the Uco Valley to visit the Altocedro winery. During our time at the winery, we experienced wine at various stages of the wine making process and saw first-hand the passion and labor that goes into making these exceptional wines. That evening, we sampled the new and diverse wines crafted by Jeff Mausbach and the Salta Winery.
On Saturday morning we flew from Mendoza to Buenos Aires to experience a bit of the city before our journey back to the states that evening.
It was a remarkable week visiting, meeting, and learning from these family owned wineries.
