Chapter 2 of 5

Five essential wines

  • Up to ~10 USD/EUR. Honest, fruity, easy entry-level bottles. Great for parties and weeknights. Choose a known producer over a random label.
  • ~10–20. The sweet spot. This is where Argentina absolutely shines — serious quality at fair prices. Most of the wines worth recommending live here.
  • ~20–40. Single-vineyard wines, top regional cuvées, the Uco Valley's high-altitude excellence. You feel the bump in quality clearly.
  • ~40+. Argentina's icon wines — flagship Malbecs, Cabernet–Malbec blends like Catena Zapata Adrianna, top Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. World-class.

A practical rule: double your usual wine budget for Argentine bottles and you will feel like you got a steal. The country's wines genuinely over-deliver.

Five essential wines
Up next, Chapter 3 of 5 Buy a mid-priced Mendoza Malbec for your first bottle. Read Chapter 3: How to taste →