Bring Argentina's Warmth to Your Table This Winter
Dear Reader,
Christmas is behind us. The rush is over.
And for many, the days between now and the New Year are a welcome pause—a time to slow down, reconnect, and warm up with something real.
Fire, food, and wine made far from the noise of modern life.
While most Americans reach for stews or leftovers this time of year, the Argentinians do something different: they build a fire.
They gather outside. They cook slowly. And they pass around bottles of bold, unfiltered Malbec—grown high in the Andes under the intense summer sun.
It’s a tradition called the asado, and it’s not a barbecue.
It’s an all-day ritual. Fire-roasted meat. Salty snacks. Simple sides. And wine made in some of the highest vineyards on Earth.
At the Bonner Private Wine Partnership, we believe this Argentine ritual is the perfect way to end the year—and start the next one—with warmth, depth, and flavor that lasts long after the fire dies down.
That’s why we’ve secured a limited shipment of extreme-altitude Malbecs—including wines from vineyards planted as high as 8,950 feet above sea level.
And I’ve arranged for Bonner Private Research readers to get $50 off your order when you join today.
Click here to view the collection…
How to Host an Asado at Home
Summer in Argentina. Warmth for winter here.
While it’s summer now in Argentina, families across the Calchaquí Valley are doing what they’ve done for generations: building a fire, salting the meat, and gathering with friends for a slow afternoon of eating and drinking under the trees.
Here’s how to bring that warmth home this winter:
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 (at these altitudes, UV rays are nearly 80% more intense than at sea level), build a fire, then lie back with your head propped on a saddle bag.
You snack on cheese and olives while the main course cooks.
A cousin strums a Spanish guitar…
A sibling passes a bottle of wine around…
The centerpiece of the asado is the grill—the parilla.
Build a real fire. Toss in pine cones as a starter. Avoid briquettes if you can.
The heat should be strong enough to char the outside of the meat. Don’t worry too much about overcooking.
With the right cut, the right prep, and the right wine, you’ll be just fine.
Remember: low and slow.
Step 2: Picking Your Meats
The gold standard in Argentina is bife de lomo (tenderloin).
But tira de asado—short ribs—are just as beloved.
What matters most isn’t the cut. It’s the patience.
Step 3: The Argentine Secret to Ultra-Tender Meat
No marinades. No sauces.
Just rock salt.
Coat the meat generously. (Don’t skimp.)
Then place it on the grill and let time do the work.
Step 4: Picadas, Salad, and Wine
While the meat cooks, break out the picadas—sharp cheese, jamón or salami, and olives.
This is also when you open the first bottle of Malbec.
We recommend wines from high-altitude vineyards. The higher, the better.
These wines have more structure, more mouthfeel, and deeper flavor—think blackberry, dark cherry, smoke, and stone.
At this point, someone should be working on the salad.
Skip the grilled vegetables. The Argentines figured this out long ago.
Just fresh lettuce, tomato, and onion, drizzled with olive oil and white wine vinegar.
It’s the perfect contrast to rich meat and bold wine.
(Optional: mashed potatoes or roasted carrots. Just don’t overdo it.)
Step 5: Chorizo & Blood Sausage
The first course of an asado isn’t soup or salad.
It’s sausage.
Throw a few links of chorizo or morcilla on the grill at the very end. They should be the last thing on and the first thing off.
Slice and serve in pieces of baguette.
No ketchup. No mustard. The juices are enough.
Step 6: A Round of Applause for the Asador
If you season the meat after it comes off the grill, stick to salt.
Eaten with the salad, you’ll find you don’t want—or need—anything else.
Keep pouring the Malbec.
If you have multiple bottles, start younger and go older.
When you finally sit down to eat, it’s customary for everyone to give the asador a round of applause.
What to Drink
Most wines on store shelves are mass-produced.
But in the rugged Calchaquí Valley—at elevations reaching 8,950 feet—wine is shaped by intense sun, thin air, and extreme temperature swings.
The result is depth, concentration, and character you simply won’t find anywhere else.
We’ve opened our cellar to share a small collection of these high-altitude, small-batch Malbecs—many of which have never been imported into the U.S. before.
Reserve your bottles today and take $50 off your order.
Click here to access the collection…
These wines are extremely limited. Once they’re gone, that’s it.
To fire and flavor,
Will Bonner
Founder, Bonner Private Wine Partnership
P.S. You’ll also find the legendary Tacana Malbec here, a wine from our family’s vineyard and ranch—restored by my father, Bill, and farmed at an altitude where very little grows easily. Click here to see the collection…