An Evening with Catena: Tasting the Family That Put Argentina on the Map
There are wine tastings, and then there are the nights when we open bottles we normally keep behind the counter. Thursday, October 1 at 6 PM is one of those nights. We're pouring five wines from Catena, the Mendoza family that took Argentine wine from a local curiosity to the world stage, and we're going all the way to the top of their range.
A family, a mountain, and an idea nobody believed in
The story starts in 1902, when an Italian immigrant named Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vines in Mendoza, in the shadow of the Andes. For decades the family made honest, everyday wine for the Argentine table.
Then, in the 1980s, Nicola's grandson Nicolás Catena Zapata visited California and saw what Napa was doing with Cabernet. He came home with a question: could Argentina make wine that stood beside the best in the world?
His answer was to go up. Higher than anyone thought made sense. He planted vineyards in the Andes foothills where the nights are cold, the sunlight is intense, and the vines have to work hard for every grape. Everyone told him the fruit wouldn't ripen. Instead, it produced wines with a freshness, structure and depth that Argentina had never seen. That decision is the reason Malbec is on every wine list in America today.
What we're pouring
We built this flight so you can taste the whole story, from the family's high-altitude entry point to the single-vineyard bottle that critics call one of the greatest Malbecs ever made.
Catena Alta Chardonnay
Grown high in the mountains, where the cold keeps it bright and fresh. Rich enough to hold its own against the reds that follow, with a mineral finish that tells you exactly where it came from.
Catena Cabernet Sauvignon
Proof the family does more than Malbec. Dark fruit, a touch of spice, and the polish of a serious Cabernet at a fraction of what you'd pay for the same quality from Napa.
Catena Zapata Argentino Malbec
The family's tribute to old-vine Argentine Malbec. Deep, layered and built to age. This is what the grape becomes when it's treated like a great one.
Nicolás Catena Zapata
The flagship, named for the man who changed everything. A Cabernet and Malbec blend that was famously put up against top Bordeaux and California wines in blind tastings, and held its own. Structured, elegant and hard to forget.
Adrianna Vineyard River Stones Malbec
The top of the mountain, literally. From a single parcel of the Adrianna Vineyard, one of the highest and most studied vineyards in the world, planted on an ancient riverbed. This bottle sells for $199. On October 1, a pour of it comes with your ticket.
The details
What: An Evening with Catena, five wines, guided tasting
When: Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Where: The Wine Cellar & Tasting Room, 241 NE Broad Street, Southern Pines
Cost: $55 per person
Seats: Limited. This one will sell out.
We'll walk you through every wine, what makes it special, and how the family built the range from the ground up. Come with questions. Come with a friend who thinks they don't like Malbec.
Reserve your seat here.
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