Mendoza's Most Unique Wine Hotel Comes From Argentina's First Female Winemaker

15.11.2024 - 09:37 / matadornetwork.com / Susana Balbo

If there’s ever a hotel where you feel inspired to rush home and redesign your house, it’s this wine hotel in Argentina. SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites is a new hotel in the Mendoza province, one of the world’s most renowned wine regions. SB stands for Susana Balbo, the country’s trailblazing female oenologist. As if being the first female winemaker in Argentina wasn’t enough, Balbo diverged from the norm to specialize in luxury white wines. Together with her daughter, Ana Lovaglio Balbo, the “Queen of Torrontés” has expanded her kingdom with a wellness hotel celebrating all things Argentinian: wine, gastronomy, art, nature, and buon vivere.

Just as Balbo strayed from what was expected of her, Susana Balbo ‘s property is far from the typical wine hotel. For starters, it’s almost unheard of for a winemaker to run their own hospitality venture. Sitting on the lush grounds of the old family home in Chacras de Coria, the design borrows from elegant residential interiors and carries an air of cozy exclusivity. All seven suites have integrated spas, making SB Winemaker’s House the first and only wine hotel in Latin America of its kind.

We hope you love the SB Winemaker’s House! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.

Book Now

Photo courtesy SB Winemaker’s House

Seven luxe chalets dot the garden, each with a secluded private patio two hops from the gorgeous pool – a savior during Mendoza’s piping-hot summers. Stepping into my suite, Templo, a gigantic cement tub drew my eye first, almost outshining the dry sauna (four suites have this luxury, all seven have a steam shower) and sun-drenched terrace.

Creating unity between the hotel and the bodega, these “Eggs” are carved by the same artisans behind some of the tanks used for fermentation at the Susana Balbo Winery. The Egg will be drawn with an infusion of sea salt and fresh sprigs of lavender and rosemary ready for your return from mountains and vineyards. Coupled with the complimentary turndown service and little vials of handmade herbal tea pouches, it does feel like staying with a relative.

Any treatments are performed in the privacy of your personal spa. There are two signature rituals: one uses wine-inspired ingredients, the other incorporates mate (more on that later). I indulged in the Frutos de la Vid (Fruit of the Vine). Following an initiation steam bath and sauna, my entire body was polished with an aromatic grape seed exfoliant and then hydrated with a creamy red-grape emollient. The experience was completed with a full-body massage combining Thai and Hawaiian techniques while my bathtub filled. Safe to say, I spent