Argentina - Circle of Trust
Ana Lovaglio Balbo and Susana Balbo
Owners: Susana Balbo Wines and Susana Balbo Unique Stays
Wine, hospitality, and a family’s welcome in Mendoza, Argentina
Trusted Member of the Epic Explorations Circle of Trust
I first chose a Susana Balbo hotel for an Epic Explorations group traveling to Argentina in 2024. The service was impeccable. One of our guests, a well-traveled retired real estate attorney, told me it was the nicest hotel they had ever stayed in on a trip. That kind of response stays with me. Susana and Ana have built places where attention to detail feels personal, and where the welcome is every bit as memorable as the setting.
Meet Susana & Ana
Susana Balbo is a pioneer of Argentine wine. She became the country’s first female winemaker and founded Susana Balbo Wines in Mendoza in 1999. Her work with Torrontés helped show what this distinctly Argentine grape could become in the hands of an ambitious winemaker.
Her daughter, Ana Lovaglio Balbo, brings the family story into hospitality. As the winery’s director of marketing and hospitality, Ana has helped shape how guests encounter that story beyond the bottle. Together, Susana and Ana created Susana Balbo Unique Stays, bringing wine, food, wellness, and thoughtful design into the experience of being their guest.
Their hospitality has a home in Chacras de Coria at SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites. Their Unique Stays collection also features a Valle de Uco property. Each offers another way to begin discovering Mendoza and the people who give it its character.
I want our guests to experience the feeling that made that 2024 stay so remarkable: a warm welcome, care in the smallest details, and enough time to enjoy where they are. A glass of Torrontés, a meal shaped by Mendoza, and a conversation about the family behind the wine could reveal more about this place than a hurried list of winery stops ever would.
What They Bring to an Epic Explorations Journey
Susana and Ana bring two connected ways of understanding Mendoza. Through Susana Balbo Wines, guests can encounter a family winery and Susana’s place in the story of Argentine wine. Through Susana Balbo Unique Stays, they can experience the hospitality Ana has helped create around that legacy. Together, those perspectives make room for a journey shaped by people, place, and the pleasure of being welcomed well.
What They May Help With
Depending on the journey and what can be arranged, their winery and hospitality teams may help us explore:
- A stay at a Susana Balbo Unique Stays property.
- A winery visit or tasting that introduces Susana’s wines, including Torrontés.
- Food and wine experiences that connect guests with Mendoza’s culture.
- A more personal introduction to the family’s approach to wine and hospitality.
Why They Are Part of Our Circle of Trust
Our Circle of Trust includes people whose work gives us a reason to return to a place with greater curiosity. Susana changed what was possible for women in Argentine winemaking and helped bring new attention to Torrontés. Ana has carried that spirit into the way the family welcomes travelers. My confidence in their hospitality also comes from seeing our own guests experience it firsthand.
Their Perspective
The perspective that comes through in their work is that wine is part of a larger welcome. It can lead to a meal, a story, an understanding of the land, or a quiet moment to enjoy Mendoza. Their hotel describes its approach as bringing together wine culture, wellness, and the pleasure of living well.
I’ve stayed in plenty of beautiful hotels, but I pay closest attention to how our guests feel while they’re there. In 2024, the service at Susana Balbo’s hotel was impeccable, and one guest called it the nicest hotel they had ever stayed in during their travels. Coming from someone so well traveled, that meant a great deal to me.
It also made me curious about what a future Mendoza journey could become if we gave this family’s wine and hospitality the time they deserve. I would want our guests to leave knowing more than what was in their glass. I would want them to remember the people who welcomed them and the stories that brought them there.
Experience Mendoza, Argentina Through the People Who Know It Best
Experience Mendoza through Susana and Ana’s world, where a pioneering wine story and a deeply personal welcome offer a memorable way into Argentina’s wine country.