Tucked away in the corner of the country, where Argentina, Bolivia and Chile converge, is the magical Andean northwest. The climate is as harsh as the terrain: unrelenting heat and heavy rains in the summer, arid cold in the winter. April, May and September are the best months to visit.
Don’t let the following words put you off: Juana Molina is an actress turned musician. Yet her ambient bedroom mixes remain warm sounding, luscious even, and ruefully manage to skip over the ‘that’s interesting’ which experimental music often elicits, to be gorgeous cross over music, soundtracking dinner parties in Buenos Aires and across the world.
It is estimated that up to 25 million Argentines can trace their family roots back to Italy and so it is no surprise that, aside from the great asado, the country’s most popular cuisine takes its influence from this part of the world. One of the great things about Buenos Aires is the abundance of fresh pasta – in supermarkets, listed on the chalkboard at your local bodegón, or in your neighbourhood pasta store.
Where do you stand on the cork versus screw cap debate? Perhaps, like several of the recent dinner guests around my kitchen table, you really don’t care, so long as the wines taste good and keep on flowing. Or maybe you are more in tune with the “natural is best” camp. So what are the facts lying behind both points of view?
For an interesting change from Buenos Aires’ main museums and impressive art galleries, let’s get boho-pretentious in a city that is all about the arty parties.
What are minutas? Think of them as Argentinian fast food. Forget the US culture of queuing at a counter and taking away paper cups of French fries; these short-order dishes are served as a sit-down meal, with china plates and waiter service.
Decanter Magazine has awarded their prestigious International Trophy for Best Red Single Varietal under £10 to Argento Bonarda 2010. The announcement was made at Decanter’s annual World Wine Awards Dinner at the Royal Opera House in London, UK, where Managing Director Amelia Nolan and Winemaker Silvia Corti proudly accepted the award. From Decanter: Argento, Bonarda,…
We love Buenos Aires: its frenetic lifestyle that oozes sex appeal, charm and culture. But living there for years, there’s a limit. And that’s when, through whispers, rumours and idle gossip, you find out that there are places to unwind. Some obvious, some a little bizarre and some hidden.