The Inspiring Story of Susana Balbo, Argentina's First Female Winemaker

15.11.2024 - 09:38 / matadornetwork.com / Susana Balbo

There’s nothing typical about SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites, its founders, or the guest experience. Named for Susana Balbo, Argentina’s pioneering female oenologist, SB Winemaker’s House is located in the family’s former residence in Chacras de Coria, a short drive from Balbo’s winery and vineyard in Agrelo. This is a spa hotel where every suite is a spa. It doubles as an art hotel, where each piece shares a story relevant to Susana Balbo and her daughter and co-founder, Ana Lovaglio Balbo.

“Our story is what makes us unique,” the younger Balbo says, describing how the hotel was designed to conjure the feeling of being the guest of a local winemaker. “It’s unique because of our expertise and the curation of activities from a winemaker’s family. It’s unique because we’re showing Mendoza through our lens, and our guests can trust us.

The ambience is undeniably cozy. Elegant is the word that springs to mind with every hand-chosen piece of upholstery, every sip of wine at my seven-course dinner. Likening her approach to winemaking as “haute couture,” the same sentiment applies to her first hotel which channels all the poise, vibrancy, and audacity of her signature blends.

“I don’t bottle wine that doesn’t please my palate; I wanted my hotel to have everything I‘d hope to find in a hotel when I’m traveling,” says Susana Balbo, who deals exclusively with high-quality, luxury wines.

Susana Balbo and Ana Lovaglio Balbo. Photo courtesy SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites

Susana Balbo made history in 1981 as the first Argentinian woman to graduate with an oenology degree. Having presided over Wines of Argentina three times and picking up this year’s Decanter Hall of Fame award, Balbo is a legend in Latin America – and throughout her 42 international markets. She stormed the male-dominated winemaking industry in the 1980s and deviated even further from convention by specializing in white wines in a country ruled by Malbec. And while wine hotels appear across Mendoza’s three wine regions – Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, and Valle de Uco – it’s incredibly rare to find a winemaker managing their own hotel.

After nine years working with white Torrontés grapes in their native high-altitude valleys in Cafayate, Salta Province, Susana Balbo returned to Mendoza in 1991 with a mind to revolutionize the wine industry. Planting Torrontés grapes in a realm of red sounds like a gamble, but to Balbo, there was no risk, only potential. “According to Ana, I don’t have the chip for risk in my mind,” she says, stating her belief “there’s no failure, only experiences.” 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Susana Balbo Wines.

“I was absolutely sure of success; winemaking is 100 percent science,” continues Balbo, who had intended to study nuclear