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Argentina’s Michelin star restaurants in Mendoza and Buenos Aires announced

by Amanda Barnes November 26, 2023

The long awaited list of Argentina’s Michelin star restaurants is out! Seven restaurants between Buenos Aires and Mendoza were awarded a Michelin star, including Aramburo which gained two Michelin stars.

Argentina’s Michelin star restaurants in Mendoza and Buenos Aires

Aramburo, Buenos Aires – Two Michelin stars ⭐⭐
arambururesto.com.ar

Azafrán, Mendoza – One Michelin star ⭐
azafranresto.com

Brindillas, Mendoza – One Michelin star ⭐
brindillas.com

Casa Vigil, Mendoza – One Michelin star ⭐
instagram.com/casavigil

Don Julio, Buenos Aires – One Michelin star ⭐
parrilladonjulio.com

Trescha, Buenos Aires – One Michelin star ⭐
trescharestaurant.com

Zonda Cocina de Paisaje, Mendoza – One Michelin star ⭐
lagarde.com.ar

While the Michelin gold star is the bar that everyone is looking to achieve, there are a number of other stars and recommendations that the Michelin guide gives out.

Seven restaurants were awarded a green star, which is given to establishments making an important effort in sustainability. “Green Stars are much more than a simple distinction; they recognise the endeavours of those restaurants which incorporate sustainable practices into their daily work,” explains the Guide. |These establishments demonstrate an ethical commitment to their surroundings, employing every effort to ensure that the ingredients they work with – many from their own organic gardens – reach customers with the smallest possible carbon footprint and maximum traceability.”

Green Michelin star restaurants in Argentina

Anchoita, Buenos Aires – green star
anchoita.com.ar

Casa Vigil, Mendoza – green star
instagram.com/casavigil

Crizia, Buenos Aires – green star
crizia.com.ar

Don Julio, Buenos Aires – green star
parrilladonjulio.com

El Preferido de Palermo, Buenos Aires – green star
instagram.com/elpreferidodepalermo

Riccitelli Bistro, Mendoza – green star
matiasriccitelli.com

Zonda Cocina de Paisaje – green star
lagarde.com.ar

Another award given by the guide as the Bib Gourmand awards, which are given to restaurants with a very good price – quality ratio. The seven Bib Gourmand awards all went to restaurants in the capital city.

Bib Gourmand awards for Argentina

Bis Bistró, Buenos Aires – Bib Gourmand

Reliquia, Buenos Aires – Bib Gourmand

Anafe, Buenos Aires – Bib Gourmand

República del Fuego, Buenos Aires – Bib Gourmand

Caseros, Buenos Aires – Bib Gourmand

Mengano, Buenos Aires – Bib Gourmand

La Alacena Trattoria, Buenos Aires – Bib Gourmand

There were another 57 restaurants (42 in Buenos Aires and 15 in Mendoza) which were given a Michelin guide recommendation.

In addition Martín Bruno was awarded as Sommelier 2024, while Tomás Treschanski was awarded Young Chef 2024.

What do we make of the Michelin awards in Argentina?

The arrival of the Michelin guide to Argentina hit the news earlier this year with speculation of which restaurants would be awarded. The country’s national tourism agency — Inprotur — invested no less than $620,000 USD to bring the guide and their inspectors to Argentina (or more precisely, Mendoza and Buenos Aires). It is no minor investment for a country suffering with over 150% annual inflation…

I can understand the attraction, however. There’s no doubt that Argentina will gain more press and hopefully more tourism and income as a result. The awards have also, most interestingly of all, put Mendoza on an equal, if not higher, playing field as Buenos Aires.

November 26, 2023 0 comment

Featured Argentina Argentina Wine Guide Argentina Features

Guide to the wine regions of Argentina

by Amanda Barnes January 14, 2023

written by Amanda Barnes

Check out our ultimate Argentina wine guide and get to know everything about the terroir and the wine regions of Argentina.

Guide to wine regions of Argentina

Facts on Argentine wine

Northern Argentina wine regions: Salta, Catamarca & Jujuy

Cuyo wine regions: Mendoza, San Juan, San Rafael, La Rioja

Patagonia wine regions: Neuquen, Rio Negro & Chubut

Central & Atlantic Argentina wine regions

Map of Argentina’s wine regions

Most of Argentina’s wine regions are located along the western edge of the country, in the foothills of the Andes mountains that form a natural frontier with Chile. The foothills offer the ideal natural landscape for vineyards to be able to thrive in the desert, as they slope gently downwards and are irrigated by the rivers carrying snowmelt from the Andes down to the arid plains below.

From Río Negro in the south to Salta and Jujuy in the far north, most of Argentina’s wine regions share this dry, warm and sunny mountain climate and gradually sloping alluvial soils. However in recent years we’ve seen a steady growth and diversification of Argentina’s wine regions, expanding further south into Patagonia as well as eastwards into the Pampa and Buenos Aires.

The wine regions of Argentina: Salta, Cafayate, Caclhaqui valleys, Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Patagonia, Buenos Aires — Colomé vineyard in Salta. Photo by Stephane Rampon

Key Facts on Argentine wine

Hectares planted: 197,965
Producers: <900 wineries; 23,699 vineyards
Production: 1.1 billion litres of wine (2020)
Wine regions: Jujuy (42 ha); Calchaquí Valleys (4,468 ha); Catamarca Valleys (1,721 ha); La Rioja (6,539 ha); San Juan (31,960 ha); Mendoza (149,002 ha); San Luis (107 ha); Neuquén (1,764 ha); Río Negro (1,526 ha); Chubut (87 ha); La Pampa (279 ha); Córdoba (261 ha); Buenos Aires (148 ha); Entre Rios (49 ha); Misiones (12 ha); Santiago del Estero (1 ha)
Most-planted varieties: Malbec, Cereza, Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Criolla Grande, Syrah, Torrontés, Pedro Giménez, Chardonnay, Tempranillo

The wine regions of Argentina

Northern Argentina

Jujuy

At the northernmost tip of Argentina, Jujuy is, in a word, extreme. Bordering southern Bolivia and the edge of Chile’s Atacama region, Jujuy has both jungle and desert salt flats but it is largely dominated by the high plateau of the altiplano which scales up to altitudes of over 5,000 metres.

The wine regions and vineyards of Jujuy are mainly in the narrow 80 km-long mountain valley and canyon of Quebrada de Humahuaca and the warmer valleys in the south known as the Valles Templados. Although there aren’t many vineyards in Jujuy (the region has just 42 hectares to date), Jujuy claims some of the highest-altitude vineyards in the world.

Calchaquí Valleys

The Calchaquí Valleys is one of Argentina’s most extraordinary wine regions and it has, remarkably, been producing wine for hundreds of years, despite the challenges of its high altitude and remote nature.

Old vines can be found throughout this string of mountain valleys which runs north to south, spanning over 270 km and three of Argentina’s provinces: Salta, Tucumán and Catamarca. The Calchaquí Valleys may only represent 2% of the country’s vineyards, but it claims a disproportionate share of Argentina’s wine awards — and with good reason, I say. High-altitude viticulture can be hard work, but it certainly reaps the benefits of distinctive personality and I never fail to be impressed by the incredible value and quality of Calchaquí wines.

Read more in our Guide to the Calchaquí Valleys wine region

Valleys of Catamarca

With over three-quarters of the province covered by mountains, Catamarca’s wine regions are unsurprisingly defined by their mountains and moderated by their altitude. Although Catamarca’s vineyard area is impressive in size, the wines are sadly less so. The province is a major producer of juice – so you won’t find as much wine coming out of Catamarca as you might expect – and also jug wine. Some of the better known wine regions of Catamarca are within the Calchaqui Valleys.

January 14, 2023 0 comment

Discover our video guide to the wine regions of Argentina

Featured Posts Mendoza Videos Argentina Wine Guide Argentina Features Argentina Salta Videos Videos Patagonia Videos

Argentina wine video guide – explore the wines of Argentina

by Agustina Abal September 26, 2022

written by Agustina Abal

Do you want to discover the wine regions, meet the winemakers and understand the wines of Argentina through video? Check out our Argentina wine videos in this compendium of some of our recent trips through Argentina’s wine regions.

Northern Argentina: Salta & Cafayate

Lujan de Cuyo

Uco Valley

Rio Negro & Patagonia

Video guide to Northern Argentina: Salta & Cafayate

Discover the terroir of the Calchaqui Valleys with Thibaut Delmotte

Colomé is one of the oldest-running wineries in Argentina and has vineyards in the Calchaquí Valleys at altitudes ranging between 2,300 and 3,100 meters above sea level. We talked with winemaker Thibaut Delmotte about the terroir essentials for the Calchaquí Valleys and the influence of altitude and soil of the different vineyards on the wines.

Click here to read the full post.

Also, read our ultimate guide to the Calchaqui Valleys wine region

A taste of Cafayate life with Lucia Romero at El Porvenir

Torrontés, empanadas and a siesta are three fundamental pillars in life in Cafayate for Lucía Romero, whose family own El Porvenir winery in the Salta province in northern Argentina. Amanda Barnes interviews her about what the key is to the famous Argentine Torrontes wine variety from this region. They talk about the best wine pairings and about the lifestyle that comes with experiencing this quaint and beautiful part of the world.