Ep 181: Laura Catena, The Leading Lady of Argentine Wine

Ep 181: Laura Catena, The Leading Lady of Argentine Wine

Author: Elizabeth Schneider March 8, 2017 Duration: 1:03:07

The first in a series for Women's History Month, I speak to Laura Catena of Bodegas Catena Zapata in Mendoza, Argentina. We discuss her life as a doctor, a mom, and the head of a wine empire, the history of Malbec and how her family aided the meteoric rise of Argentine wine and of the comeback of the Malbec grape around the world. 

A fun, sharp-as-a-tack woman, you'll learn a ton about Malbec, Mendoza, and a few life lessons from this fascinating podcast! 

 

Laura's History and Background on the Catena Family

  • Her life as a doctor and the bridge between medicine and wine
  • Her career pivot to the wine and becoming "the wine doctor" for her country and family
  • Historical perspective
    • The Catena family history in wine
    • The history with Malbec and history of Catena and Malbec
  • Her dad and her homage to him: his pride of country and why he has been so successful

 

Malbec and it's Rich History

  • Malbec Studies
    • Pre-phylloxera clippings
    • Flavors based on altitude/studies on altitude
    • The sides of Malbec: the agebility factor, and the evolution of the grape
    • Old v New vines: the real differences
      • Luca: Laura's own project of all old vine wine, managed separately and small and how it fosters Argentinean pride

 

Laura's Advice on Doing it All

  • How she handles being a mom, a doctor, and running a major wine company
    • The power of the B+
    • The balance of kids and work and life advice on spouses, marriage, and kids

 

Making Wine in Mendoza

  • High altitude growing and Catena's role: Argentina has distinctive regions – b/c of the altitude huge variations in climates, move faster from warmer to colder
  • Nicolas's (her dad's) altitude bet and its payoff – combination, altitude, latitude, plant material
  • Sub-regions:
    • Lujan de Cuyo= old vines, clay soils, makes some good stuff
    • Uco Valley = Key region for quality
      • Sub-regions: Tupungato, Alta Mira, La Consulta, Gualtallary

 

The Wine Culture of Argentina and the Wines of Catena

  • Alamos: Gallo family's distribution and the benefits of the relationship for the Catenas. The importance of keeping the small producers alive. The paradox of being big and supporting small producers
  • Lafite-Rothschild and Catena: Bodegas CARO wines
  • Luca: Laura's project
  • Bodega Catena Zapata
    • Catena – classic Malbec, $20
    • Catena Alta – historic rows of vines
    • Catena Zapata/Adrianna Vineyards – small parcels, harvest plant by plant, hand harvested

Elizabeth Schneider hosts Wine for Normal People, a podcast built on the idea that you can enjoy wine deeply without the pretension. It’s for anyone who finds the world of wine intriguing but is put off by the jargon and gatekeeping. Here, conversations about wine are just that-conversations. Elizabeth approaches topics with a fun and straightforward perspective, aiming to spark genuine excitement and help you discover more interesting bottles to enjoy. Roughly half of the episodes feature guests, but these aren’t formal interviews. Instead, they’re relaxed, educational discussions with passionate friends from the wine world, all people Elizabeth knows personally or through close connections. This creates a uniquely authentic and comfortable atmosphere, as if you’re listening in on a chat between friends who happen to know a lot about what’s in your glass. The focus is always on practical knowledge and shared enthusiasm, stripping away the snobbery to make wine feel accessible and endlessly fascinating. Tune into this podcast to hear honest talk about regions, grapes, and tasting, all designed to make your own journey with wine more rewarding and a lot more fun.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 93

Wine for Normal People
Podcast Episodes
Ep 604: Six Alternatives to Expensive Wines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:27
This time I give you six wine regions that make very expensive wines and then provide ideas of less expensive bottles that you could sub in when you don't want to splurge. From Champagne to Barolo, I give you some ideas…
Ep 603: The Veneto Region of Italy (2026 Update) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:13
I haven't given an update to the Veneto region in more than a decade. With an upcoming Patron trip to the region, I think it's high time! Veneto is in northeastern Italy and is famed for wines like Prosecco, Valpolicella…
Ep 602: Wine Legends - Émile Peynaud, The Father of Modern Enology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:10
This is the start of a new series, suggested by Patron Keith S.! Thank you, Keith! I'll cover people who have made a huge difference in the wine world —figures whose contributions have shaped how wine is made, understood…
Ep 600: Nine Short Wine Stories -- How WFNP Listeners Got Into Wine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:27
600 episodes of WFNP! I am grateful to you for listening, for reading the book, for learning with me and gracefully accepting the changes over the years, and I'm especially grateful to my sponsors, guests, and travel par…
Ep 599: The Grape Miniseries Refresh - Malbec [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
This week I cover Malbec, or Côt as it's known in its native home of Southwest France. This old red grape variety has long history in France and was once one of its most planted grapes. But due to pickiness in the vineya…
Ep 598: The Médoc and the Haut-Médoc of Bordeaux [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:00
This week I cover the regional AOCs of Medoc and Haut-Medoc, which wraps up our exploration of the Left Bank of Bordeaux. These two areas can cover a lot of ground, but they are usually used for discreet geographies in t…