The aromatic trailblazer
Susana Balbo
Before the reputation
How they found wine
Balbo originally wanted to study nuclear physics, but family restrictions on leaving Mendoza redirected her toward enology. Graduating in 1981 did not bring easy entry into the local industry. Work in Cafayate at Sucesión Michel Torino gave her responsibility far from home and a practical challenge in Torrontés.
Her route to an independent winery was not a straight success story. An earlier Mendoza venture, Lovaglio-Balbo, ended after financial trouble, followed by more work and consulting. The 1999 founding of the business known as Dominio del Plata and later Susana Balbo Wines was therefore a return to ownership with hard-earned experience, not her first attempt.
Susana Balbo graduated in oenology in 1981 as Argentina’s first woman to earn the title, then built experience in Salta, Mendoza, and international consulting before founding her own winery in 1999.
Her work with Torrontés helped turn a locally familiar aromatic grape into a cleaner, export-ready style. The Crios, Signature, BenMarco, and Nosotros ranges also show how one producer can design distinct quality and price propositions without pretending they are the same wine.
Beyond one bottle
Why the work mattered
Balbo helped establish a cleaner, more precise expression of Torrontés and became a visible precedent for women in Argentine winemaking. Her career also connects cellar work to entrepreneurship and international promotion. She did not invent the grape or single-handedly transform Argentina; her influence came from repeatable improvements and the opportunities her example opened.
What they changed
A new path for Torrontés
Careful harvest timing and temperature control helped preserve aroma while limiting bitterness and heaviness.
Technical leadership by a woman
Her career widened access to an Argentine profession and executive culture long dominated by men.
A portfolio with roles
Accessible, regional, signature, and flagship wines were given different jobs rather than one inflated story.
Follow the work
Wineries and working relationships
Her international consulting career is broader than these named businesses. A complete historical client roster has not been established; wine ranges are not counted as additional wineries.
Sucesión Michel Torino
Early career; approximately nine years
Winemaker / winery managementCafayate work central to her Torrontés development.
Lovaglio-Balbo
Early 1990s; sold 1994
Co-founderEarlier Mendoza enterprise, distinct from the later winery.
Dominio del Plata / Susana Balbo Wines
1999
FounderThe winery behind Susana Balbo Signature, Crios, BenMarco and Nosotros.
Bodegas Martins · Catena Zapata
After Salta; Catena departure 2002
Winemaking / winery leadership rolesMendoza appointments before concentrating on her independent winery.
History reviewed . Roles and ownership may have changed.
Representative bottles
Where to meet the idea
- Crios Torrontés
An accessible entry into her aromatic white-wine work and the grape’s opportunities and hazards.
- Nosotros Malbec
The flagship selection, showing the other end of the winery’s hierarchy.
- Susana Balbo Signature Brioso
A Cabernet-led blend for examining polish, structure, and Mendoza sourcing.
Study the signature
Turn the biography into a tasting.
Begin with Crios Torrontés, then place it beside Nosotros Malbec when the opportunity allows. The point is not to crown a winner; it is to notice which choices remain legible across price, age, vineyard, and vintage.
Follow three linked ideas as you taste: a new path for torrontés, technical leadership by a woman, a portfolio with roles. Write down the evidence you can actually perceive, then return to the producer’s history and ask which part of the story the glass supports—and which part belongs to reputation.
‘First woman’ is historically important but incomplete. Balbo’s influence also rests on four decades of technical, consulting, political, and business work.