A freelance journalist and sommelier, Brit transplant Sorrel Moseley-Williams lived in Argentina in 1998 for a year before making a permanent move in 2006. She has contributed to CNN Travel, Condé Nast Traveler and Traveller, The Guardian, Saveur, The Independent, Departures, Wallpaper*, Fodor’s and Rough Guide books among others, and has written for La Nación, U-Like It and Forbes Argentina in Spanish.
As grape harvests across Mendoza, Patagonia and the north-west provinces are in full motion, that can only mean one thing: it’s time for a new batch of wines to start reaching store shelves and restaurant cavas. And who can we trust for a solid opinion on floral aromas and tobacco notes? Sommeliers, that’s who. Some of Argentina’s top wine experts – already established or coming through the ranks – talk about their work in this flourishing industry.
Organised by GAJO, a group of young Argentine chefs using local products to take their cuisine to a new level, Masticar was certainly the largest such event Buenos Aires has seen, with producers, food stands and wine tastings in abundance. Although no fixed date has been set for round two, now that summer is drawing to a close it can’t be far off. In the meantime, here’s the lowdown on where to get a farmers’ market experience in BA.
If you had to define Carnival, you’d probably think of Rio de Janeiro, the masks of Venice, or perhaps a damp August bank holiday celebrated West Indian style in Notting Hill. But how does Argentina’s Carnaval, a national holiday that regained its status in 2010 after being banned during the dictatorship, kick up its heels? Here’s our guided tour to the glitter and the good times, which peaks over the bank holiday weekend on 11-12 February 2013.
Buenos Aires and its porteño residents have never been a particularly disciplined lot, so the idea of sending visitors on a traditional sightseeing tour complete with an officious flag-bearing guide is wrong on all accounts. However, BA, as creative as it is, offers a whole host of alternative ways to see the city via its street art, boutiques, sacred grape and a photography workshop.
An Englishman, two American women and an Argentine of uncertain gender (their words, not mine) walk into a Buenos Aires bar… and take to the stage for a night of rip-roaring comedy and gags in English. That’s right, folks – the city that is home to the Tower of the English People and British-built railway tracks now hosts a weekly comedy night in the very same English language…
If you’ve ever been to an art gallery and thought “this is the life” as you chugged back a glass of bubbly while gazing at a curious new installation, you’ll be interested to know that the opening-to-end-all-gallery-openings is about to begin in Buenos Aires. From Friday 18 May until Tuesday 22 May, arteBA 2012 dusts down its canvases to begin the 21st edition of the art collectors’ fair that gets Buenos Aires, if not Argentina and Latin America, buzzing…
Although movie-making may not be the first word beginning with the letter M to be associated with Argentina (take Malbec, Maradona and Messi for starters), cinema is big business in terms of the number of foreign and Argentinian films produced here and festivals held around the country each year. It’s no fluke that the country has two Oscars to its name…
London, New York, Paris, Milan. No need to name any more cities here – you know we’re talking fashion. Although Buenos Aires might not be the most obvious design capital in the world, it racks up loads of points for originality and style, and Palermo is the BA fashion Mecca for boutiques, market stalls, second-hand stores and street vendors flogging their creative wares. So it is of little surprise that Buenos Aires also holds its own catwalk extravaganza, fondly known as BAF Week…
If you’re suffering from Bacon Syndrome – hot, crispy and well sizzled – then it’s time to take a break from the steamy summer in Buenos Aires, at least for a weekend trip. The Real Argentina offers up some cooling ideas such as kayaking activities, a working farm holiday, and where to find Argentina’s best surf – all to give you some respite from the sweaty city.
Following up on last month’s post about luxury activities in Buenos Aires, we realised that it’s credit-crunch time (soaring inflation and energy subsidy cuts, anyone?) and have unearthed some economical Buenos Aires days out, including a downtown spa, French tea-time treats and sightseeing with a difference.