Argentina is renowned for its excellent selection of wine. The most popular being from Mendoza which is rated amongst the worlds most popular regions due to its high altitude, volcanic soils and proximity to the Andes Mountains. The terrain seems to complement the European grape varietals with interesting notes not present when produced in other climates, this allows the Argentine wine to be positioned in a league of its own. There are other areas of Argentina that also produce delicious wines. A few of these regions are Salta, Patagonia, Catamarca, La Rioja, and San Juan.

The best way to experience and understand the selection of Argentine varietals is to attend a wine tasting. There are a few places that offer wine tastings in Buenos Aires. The only service that actually lets you pick the wines and ship them to the U.S. is Anuva Wines. Anuva Wines has a gorgeous tasting room set in trendy Palermo Soho, where they offer exclusive tastings (in Spanish or English) of boutique, hand-crafted Argentine wines, at a very competitive price. These wines are often not found on most restaurant wine lists or on the shelves of Buenos Aires supermarkets. The tasting includes 5 different boutique Argentine wines paired with 5 traditional Argentine foods. They ship to the U.S. at competitive rates, and even give the opportunity to join their monthly wine club. You can read more about them and sign-up for a tasting at www.AnuvaWines.com

There is also the Hyatt, which is more expensive but set in their gorgeous Recoleta hotel.  If you are looking for a quick taste, your best bet will be one of the wine merchants that are located near the touristy areas of town including downtown and Florida street areas.  For the more serious wine aficionados, seek out one of the small independent tour companies that offer a complete package.

You can also contact Nigel Tollerman at 0800-VINO, an English sommelier who trained in BA and is a bit of an urban legend, he hosts high-end tastings and sells direct from his impressive cellar in the Abasto neighbourhood, and also offers special travel packaging although he doesn't ship to the United States.

On the issue of bringing wine back to the United States, the regular wine shops and the Hyatt cannot ship to the U.S. so make sure you get proper advice on what wines can be exported out of Argentina, and how to properly package wine for it to be allowed as checked luggage. Remember that carrying wine onboard (cabin baggage) is still a no-no on most all airlines. Also, be wary that at U.S. customs, there (technically) is a 2 bottle limit, so finding a company that will ship to your home for cheap is ideal. One of the earlier companies mentioned, Anuva, does offer shipping to the United States.

Another option is Terroir Wines in Buenos Aires. Private boutique wine shop. Alejandro (Alex) does a superior job and has an excellent hard to find selections.

 Terroir

This upscale boutique venue, is a good option if you are serious about wine and are willing to invest time and money in a tasting. The slightly pretentious venue, out of the way in a neat local neighborhood caters towards an upper class cliental and has a portfolio consisting of mainly high-end wines. Consequently, if you are budget minded you may find the vast cellar here a bit limited in "bargin wines" as they focus on special wines an thus may be a bit  intimidating but be assued that it is worth the educaation. Tastings start at around AR$350 per person and a standard tasting for a group of around eight people will set you back between AR$650-700 but the wines will be juice you'll never taste without this stop! Well worth it! Put it in you budget. The owner puts careful effort into tailoring the tasting to your preferences, but only as long as you have done your research beforehand and have given serious thought to the kinds of wine you want to try or at least tell them what you like and they do the rest!

Terrior will also package up your wine selections for shipment on your airline home as checked baggage. Safe & secure boxes with plenty of styrofoam to protect the precious cargo. 

Buschiazzo 3040, between Libertador Av. and Segui
Tel:(5411) 4778-3443, www.terroir.com.ar, alex@terroir.com.ar
 Alex (Alejandro Audisio)