Expanding Palates
Bottles from the Southern Hemisphere
Words Deven Wilson | Photos Baptiste Despois
Nearly two decades ago, Buenos Aires Cafe acquainted the city with its beloved Argentinian cuisine. A decade later, their take on Amaro cocktails with the Milonga Room wowed Austinites once more. Now, the team behind it is ready to pour future favorites with wines from South America through their wine club, Vinos Del Sur.
“When we opened the restaurant, we served five wines,” Paola Guerrero-Smith, co-owner of Buenos Aires Cafe, reflects, “because we couldn’t get good Argentinian wine.” Argentinian wine was still mainly moving domestically at that time, needing more buyers to expand abroad. Today, the wine scene in South America has grown both in production and demand, paving the way to import plenty of tasty selections. A stand out is the Argentinian take on Malbec, with its dark, fruity palate. But Paola’s wine club, Vinos Del Sur, takes guests well past this familiar red and explores the variety of exquisite flavors from her country and across the vast landscape of South America. Austinites can expect to sample bottles from Chile, Brazil, and what Paola believes to be the next great wine nation, Uruguay, all while relaxing in the moody atmosphere of the Milonga Room.
The underground bar is the perfect space to connect with an established sense of culinary adventure the Buenos Aires team cooks up in their space on East 6th. It’s inviting and intimate, but in a South American hospitable way, it’s like being invited into the most exciting person’s living room, creating a sense of familiarity without cutting the thrill that Paola brings with each sample. “I’m breaking [South American wines] down to be approachable,” Paola explains. She often asks: Do you gravitate to a specific type of wine? Then she can suggest the South American equivalent. Her sense of familial hospitality shines as she curates the selection so that even the most novice guests can leave with a rich knowledge of South American wine, making the wine club not just a tasting experience, but also a journey.
That keen, inviting, educating philosophy has long been the key to Buenos Aires Cafe’s success. From the first empanadas served in the cafe to the Amaro-based cocktails flowing in the Milonga Room, this team knows how to bring the delicious flavors of South America to Austin. Continuing that core mission, all the bottles Paola shares in the monthly wine tastings will inevitably bring Austinites to covet the avant-garde and traditional styles rising from South American wine-making stars. On par with her culinary endeavors, years down the road, it will feel like these wines have always been a local favorite.
Contact:
1201 E 6th St.
buenosairescafe.com/news
@vinosdelsuratx
