Bring Argentina’s Warmth to Your Table This Winter
Spend This Winter Fireside, 9,000 Feet Above the World, In Argentina’s Extreme Altitude Calchaquí Valley... (without leaving your home)
A Gaucho Winter: The Lost Art of the Asado
By Will Bonner
Dear Reader,
The holiday season is coming to an end, but as the days grow colder, we find ourselves craving warmth, connection, and hearty meals to share with loved ones.
While most Americans turn to roasts and stews this time of year, the Argentinians have perfected the art of the ultimate winter gathering: the asado.
It’s not just a meal—it’s an all-day celebration. Fire-roasted meats, simple yet flavorful sides, and, of course, incredible wine.
At the Bonner Private Wine Partnership, we believe this cozy Argentine tradition is the perfect way to welcome the new year.
Our guide to hosting an authentic Argentine asado will help you bring the warmth of Argentina’s Calchaquí Valley to your winter celebrations. And what better way to complement this experience than with the bold flavors of high-altitude malbec?
Most wines you’ll find on store shelves are mass-produced and lack the character of their high-altitude counterparts. In the rugged Calchaquí Valley, at elevations reaching 8,950 feet, these wines take on a richness and complexity you won’t find anywhere else.
These wines can be hard to find in the US. But we just got a shipment in (including a wine from the third highest vineyard in the world at 8,950 ft.). And you can get $80 off (plus complimentary shipping) by reserving your malbec today. Simply click here...
A Gaucho Winter: The Lost Art of the Asado
The fastest way to make enemies in Argentina is to compare the asado to a barbecue.
It’s the same, right? Not a chance - the locals will say - through gritted teeth… it is not the same.
An asado is an old Argentine cowboy tradition of spending all Sunday afternoon on a big, lingering meal.
It’s cooking in it’s purest form. Fire… grill… and meat.
Below you’ll find our step-by-step guide to an authentic Argentine asado – just in time for summer.
Step 1: Preparing Your Parilla
Imagine a little green oasis with a stream of pure snowmelt running through it…
You find the shade of a tree (the high altitudes in northwestern Argentina mean UV rays are 80% more intense than at sea level), build a fire, then lie back, your head propped on a saddle bag, as you snack on cheese and olives while the main course cooks. A cousin strums on a Spanish guitar. A sibling passes a bottle of wine around.
A pure snowmelt stream out in northwest Argentina
The centerpiece of the asado is the grill – the parilla. Build a fire. Toss in some pine cones as a fire starter (try not to use briquettes).
The heat should be enough to char an outer layer of your steak. Don’t worry too much about overcooking. With the right cut, the right prep, and the side accompaniments (sides and wine), you should be fine.
Just remember: low and slow.
Step 2: Picking Your Meats
Bife de lomo is THE cut in Argentina. That’s tenderloin. But tire de asado, or short ribs, are also popular.
Step 3: The Argentine Secret to Ultra-Tender Meat
The Argentine secret to ultra-tender meat is actually quite simple: rock salt.
Coat the meat with rock salt. (Don’t skimp!) Then get it on the grill (the cooking will take a little while).
Step 4: Picadas, Salad, and Wine
Here’s where you break out some sharp cheese (gouda), jamon or salami, and olives for snacking.
You’ll also want to open a bottle of malbec here. We recommend a bottle from a high altitude vineyard. The higher the better. These have more flavor and mouthfeel – think blackberry, dark cherry, and smoke.
RECOMMENDED: The 8,950 Ft. Malbec (limited production, unfiltered, wild yeast, low residual sugar) Click here for your discount...
At this point, someone in your party should be at work on a salad. Rather than heaps of grilled vegetables, the Argentines have figured out that the best compliment to a steak is a simple mix of fresh lettuce, tomato, and onion drizzled with olive oil and white wine vinegar. (Seriously, the combo with bife tastes delicious.)
(Optional: mashed potatoes and oven roasted carrots. Just don’t overdo it.)
Step 5: Throw on a Chorizo and Blood Sausage
The first course to an asado isn’t a light soup or salad (the salad we mentioned above is consumed with the meat); it’s sausage in a French baguette.
Quarter or half a sausage per person. Sausage should be the last thing on the grill and the first thing off. You’ll take the chorizo or morcilla and immediately stick it in that piece of baguette.
Don’t use ketchup or mustard. The juices from the sausage will be more than enough.
Step 6: A Round of Applause for the Asador
If you must season your meat after it’s off the grill, stick to more salt.
Eaten with the aforementioned salad, you’ll find you don’t need (and, in fact, don’t want) any condiments on your meat. (Just trust us here…)
Keep pouring the malbec (open another bottle if necessary – if you have multiple vintage years, start younger and go older).
SEE ALSO: This 95pt Malbec from Argentina’s “most important winemaker”… No fining or filtration…Extremely limited production.
When you finally sit down at the table, it is customary for the other diners to give the asador (that’s you) a round of applause.
Step 7: When in Doubt, Have These Malbecs on Hand
At the Bonner Private Wine Partnership, we’ve sourced thousands of bottles of wine from Argentina – often wines that have never before been imported to the US.
You’ll find:
...A “8,950 ft. Malbec” 2018 vintage from the 3rd highest vineyard in the world (Unfiltered, High Resveratrol Content, Low Sugar)
...A “Mile High” Malbec grown in the shadow of giant cacti (5,700 ft, Partnership exclusive, 93pt)
...A 95pt Malbec from Argentina’s “most important winemaker” (Only 4000 bottles made)
If you order today, you’ll not only get a huge discount & complimentary shipping, but you’ll also get a BONUS Argentine Tasting Kit… where you can truly taste the Calchaquí Valley, on US!
These wines are small batch and will sell out fast, so we do ask that you act today if you are interested.
Simply click here to view our inventory...
Cheers,
Will Bonner
Founder, Bonner Private Wine Parternship