Catena Zapata, founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, is now considered Argentina’s First Family of wine. Despite the Malbec grape’s declining popularity in Bordeaux, Catena championed it from the outset, and the estate is now a centre of detailed viticultural study, with vineyards dubbed the country’s Grand Crus. The estate is currently run by Laura Catena, Nicola’s granddaughter, who created the Catena Institute of Wine to develop Argentina’s sustainability code and help the country’s wines reach their full potential.

The pyramid-shaped winery, inspired by Mayan temples, is a fascinating attraction in itself. The estate also offers three new types of tours, including the ‘Blending Games’ experience that turns visitors into winemakers for a day. The ‘Wine and Music’ tour is a multi-sensory session bringing the wines to life in novel ways.

Catena Zapata produces an impressive range of red, white, and sparkling wines, some in a natural style, focusing on single terroir and high-altitude blends. The estate is particularly renowned for its Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. The higher altitudes lend the Malbec a floral, pretty, and surprisingly light colour. The estate also produces excellent Chardonnay and a set of indigenous grape varieties.

Laura Catena, who works as both an emergency doctor part-time in San Francisco and an ambassador for Argentinian wine, collaborates with head winemaker Alejandro Vigil to create pure expressions of her family’s terroirs, right down to the smallest plots.