Dr. Laura Catena is a Harvard and Stanford trained biologist and physician, founder of the Catena Institute of Wine in Argentina, and managing director of Bodega Catena Zapata (Est. 1902). The Catena Institute is dedicated to preserving the Malbec wine variety and to elevating Argentine wine. Under Laura’s leadership, Bodega Catena Zapata has reached new heights. The family winery earned six 100-point wine ratings, was voted most awarded winery in the world by VIVINO WINE STYLE AWARDS three years in a row and was chosen WORLD’S MOST ADMIRED WINE BRAND by Drinks International in 2020. Laura is author of Argentina’s definitive wine guide, “Vino Argentino” and her second book, “Gold in the Vineyards,” received the Best in Wine History award from Gourmand. She lives with her husband and three children between Mendoza, Argentina, and San Francisco, California, where she volunteers as a street physician with the Department of Public Health.
“Nicolás Catena Zapata is a figure in Argentina of the stature of Robert Mondavi in Napa and Angelo Gaja in Piedmont. He inspired an entire region to strive for a higher level of quality by his successful exploration of high-altitude vineyards and rigorous clonal selection,” says Master Sommelier, Larry Stone.
The grandson of Italian immigrants, Dr. Nicolás Catena Zapata grew up working in the Catena family vineyards. He studied Economics at Columbia University and later, after visiting the Napa Valley during the early 1980s, he was inspired to start a wine revolution back in Argentina. He pioneered high-altitude viticulture and is responsible for the rebirth of the ancient Malbec variety in Argentina.
