Susana Balbo

There are more Malbec producers in Argentina than you can shake a stick at, so in order to stand out from the crowd, you have to be good… and we mean really good.

And Susana Balbo is that good. Or to put it more accurately, she's a force of nature!

As the first woman to graduate as a winemaker in Argentina, she knows what its like to have expectation piled against her. She trained as a nuclear physicist, but fell head-over-heels in love with wine, and started travelling the world to gain experience in all the key New World wine countries: the US, Australia and Chile, as well as in Spain and Italy.

When she became a fully qualified winemaker in 1981, the industry was led by strong male figures who didn't agree it was her place to join their ranks. She defied the odds and has successfully forged a career that has taken her to 3 different continents and multiple award-winning wineries. In 1999 she launched her eponymous winery, and in the doing so has inspired hundreds of winemakers around Argentina.

She has gathered something of a cult following over the past few years, thanks to her ability to consistently release Malbecs which not only redefine what this grape varietal can do, but which also fly the flag for small-batch production with internationalist ambitions.

Have a go at our wine palate quiz and we'll pick the top 3 wines we think you'll love according to your personal taste!

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