susana-balbo-wines
Susana Balbo Wines
Susana Balbo Wines

Susana Balbo: "When I started working, everyone bet more on my failure than on my success."

The woman from Mendoza and the first Argentine enologist overcame cultural barriers and made her mark in the wine world.

Valeria Méndez
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Susana Balbo is one of the most influential figures in Argentine winemaking. She is the first female oenologist in the country and the first Argentine to be inducted into the Decanter Hall of Fame by the British wine magazine Decanter. With forty years of experience, she believes that women have an “innate gift” when it comes to winemaking because they have “greater sensitivity on the palate.” Her innovative approach and passion for making quality wines have made her a global reference.

From her experience in Salta, where she landed her first job as an oenologist after standing out among 88 male candidates, to the establishment of her own winery in Mendoza, Balbo has been a pioneer in producing high-end wines. With a focus on excellence and innovation, she has helped position Argentine wine on the global stage, particularly excelling in the production of Torrontés. In this interview, she shares her story, challenges, and vision for the present and future of the wine industry.

susana-balbo-wines
Susana Balbo Wines

How did you go from thinking about becoming a nuclear physicist to being an oenologist?

I decided to study Oenology because it was one of the careers available in my province, Mendoza. It was a bit by default, as the career I wanted to study, Nuclear Physics, wasn’t offered in the province, and at that time, my parents didn’t allow me to leave due to the political situation in Argentina.

I don’t regret the decision because oenology has taken me places I never dreamed of, and I’ve met so many people from around the world with whom I speak the same language and share the same passion, which is what we truly love. Oenologists are international citizens because we inhabit the unique and fantastic world of wine. I would never regret that decision.

Oenologists are international citizens because we inhabit the world of wine, which is very particular and fantastic.
susana-balbo-wines
Susana Balbo Wines

It was a male-dominated career, was it a challenge to become the first female oenologist in South America?

Looking back, it wasn’t easy, although at the time, I wasn’t aware of it. I didn’t see myself as a pioneer because when we started at the university, there were 33 students, 18 of whom were women. However, I was the only one who graduated, along with two other men. Of 33 students, only three of us graduated. I was the first woman in Argentina to graduate with a degree in Oenology. So, I didn’t know I was a pioneer, and when I went to look for a job, my gender became an issue because there were no women in the wineries. They weren’t used to hiring women for winemaking itself. I wanted to make the wine, not be a lab technician. I was overqualified for a lab job, but those were the only jobs offered to me.

I had one opportunity to work in Salta, in Cafayate, far from home, and I had to move there at a young age for my first job. Once in Cafayate, as the only female oenologist in the entire Calchaquí Valley where I was working, I had to prove that I had talent and knew what I was doing. I was very young, and truth be told, everyone thought I would fail. Most people were betting on my failure rather than my success. So, the biggest prejudice was that a woman could run a winery, make wine, and succeed doing what I was doing.

When I started working, everyone was betting more on my failure than on my success.
susana-balbo-wines
Susana Balbo Wines

Are there brands or notes that differentiate wines made by men from those made by women?

Women have shown that we have a talent and a vocation for making quality wines with a balance that is sometimes distinct from those made by men. It’s like our feminine personality also shows in the style of the wines, and this is a significant change because today it aligns with what consumers are looking for.

Women have an "innate gift" when it comes to winemaking because we have a greater sensitivity on our palates. Therefore, we often look for wines that are a bit more elegant, with more harmony, because our genetics, from ancient times, comes with the information of selecting food to determine whether what we choose could be poisonous for our offspring. This has given us a special sensitivity in aroma and taste that often causes us to reject overly strong flavors. So, generally, women don’t prefer very rustic wines, and we tend to look for more elegant wines. This factor often defines the style of a female oenologist. We prefer wines with more balance, elegance, and perhaps a slightly more sophisticated complexity than what men sometimes seek.

Women have an "innate gift" when it comes to winemaking because we have a greater sensitivity on our palate.
susana-balbo
Forbes Argentina

What aspects of your childhood influenced your remarkable career?

As a child, I remember that I loved enjoying vacations with my parents in the Sierras de Córdoba, where I liked horseback riding, which was my favorite hobby, and also water skiing.

At school, the subjects I liked the most were math, physics, and chemistry: I found them very easy and enjoyed them. I also loved studying and reading. I read many books. Sometimes, it was even hard to find books that were approved by the Catholic school I attended: I remember one day I came across the book The Silver Cord by Lobsang Rampa, and shortly after, the nuns at my school called my mom to tell her I was reading books I shouldn’t at my age. That book is about the existence of a higher energy, about connection with the universe. That’s why it’s called The Silver Cord—according to the author, it connects us with universal love.

susana-balbo
Forbes Argentina

What characteristics of the provincial territory have marked your career, creativity, and entrepreneurial drive?

Mendoza is known for its arid and semi-desert climate and its sparse vegetation. However, the combination of several factors such as altitude, soil characteristics, the large number of sunny days per year, low precipitation, the type of irrigation, and the significant temperature variations, favors the development of viticulture and the production of exceptional quality wines.

The soils in Agrelo are clayey, deep, and very poor in organic matter, producing wines with a wider mouthfeel and a slightly shorter finish. In contrast, the wines from the Uco Valley, with their more stony, calcareous soils, are sharper, more linear, with fresher, less ripe fruit, and with a bit more acidity. I would say that Agrelo produces more serious, classical wines, while those from the Uco Valley are more floral, fruity, and have a more vibrant acidity. We work with grapes from both regions to create different wine styles. Mendoza has great soil diversity for this.

Mendoza has a great diversity of soils to work with.
susana-balbo-wines
Susana Balbo Wines

The first winery you worked at was in Salta, why did you earn the nickname "Queen of Torrontés"?

When I arrived in Cafayate, Salta, in 1981, Torrontés accounted for 75% of the grapes planted at the winery where I worked. So, either I learned to make good Torrontés wines, or my job would be very short-lived. Putting that aside, what I do differently is working with great respect for the variety, sacrificing aromas to achieve complexity and elegance. What I see in Torrontés is its enormous versatility, allowing you to make all sorts of things: you can make juice with no alcohol, low-alcohol wines with interesting aromas, sweet wines for young people who enjoy sweet and cold wines, you can make more serious wines fermented in oak barrels, and even use it for blends. It’s a variety with versatility few others have and expresses a very different personality depending on the soil and terroir where we grow it. Its possibilities are endless.

Why do you think now is the time for whites?

As an oenologist with 42 years of experience, specializing in Torrontés, I have no doubt that it is the variety that has taken the same place among white wines that Malbec currently occupies. Especially because it is unique to Argentina and isn’t grown anywhere else. However, varieties like Chardonnay, grown in very high-altitude areas such as Gualtallary and San Pablo, with calcareous soils and significant temperature variations, are producing wines of very high quality, with their own style and a minerality that makes them unique. The fact that Argentina doesn’t yet have more white wines in the markets is clearly a decision of the companies, not because of a lack of potential in its terroir to produce high-quality white wines.

The fact that Argentina doesn’t yet have more white wines in the markets is clearly a decision of the companies, not due to a lack of potential in its terroir to produce high-quality white wines.
susana-balbo
Susana Balbo Wines

What projects are you currently thinking about?

Our goal is not to grow indefinitely but to balance our presence with a new winery and vineyard expansion to depend less on external producers and achieve a balance of 40% to 50% of our own grape production, made in our wineries located in the most emblematic vineyards. Additionally, we want to continue deepening our model of being innovators and pioneers in high-end white and rosé wines and strengthen the message that Argentina is not only about Malbec, with the so-called “White Wine Revolution of Argentina.”

What places in Mendoza do you recommend your guests or foreign friends visit?

Visit the wineries—there are so many to see in our area—book an outdoor activity near the mountains, such as trekking, rafting, or cycling, and finally, visit the vineyards in the Uco Valley—the landscape is stunning.

For more information about Susana Balbo Wines, located in Agrelo, visit her Instagram account. There, you can find information about accommodations at Susana Balbo Unique Stays in Chacras de Coria.

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