Happy 14th Winelover Anniversary from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I wish my #winelover friends around the world a very Happy #WineloverAnniversary 2026 on Valentine's Day. Today, February 14, 2026  is #winelover 's 14th Anniversary. This year's official celebration will be later in Romania June 4-8, 2026. I am jazzed to be  celebrating Valentines Day in Rio, after just leaving Buenos Aires a few days ago.

Happy 14 th #Winelover Anniversary from Rio © Spaswinefood

It is very special to arrive in Rio on such a beautiful morning.

Happy 14 th #Winelover Anniversary, Rio de Janeiro © Spaswinefood

Arriving in Rio de Janeiro © Spaswinefood

Of course let's not forget this very important day, Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, Rio de Janeiro 2026 © Spaswinefood

Below in an earlier post from Valentine's Day 2021, which I have highlighted earlier celebrations. I invite you to join me in my travels in South America and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and Facebook. 

CHEERS

Sharon

February 14, 2026

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Valentines Day 2021

Valentine's Day 2019, Madeira © Spaswinefood

This Valentine's Day, February 14, 2021 the #Winelover Community will not meet due to the pandemic. Still as #winelovers we will celebrate our special day and look forward to future gatherings. It is also a time for reflection on earlier gatherings. Let me begin with Valentine's Day 2020, followed by 2019 and 2018.

1. Winelover Anniversary on Feb. 14th, 2020 Valentine's Day

Feb. 14th, 2020 Valentines Day I wrote: Regrets I have a few, and one of those is I will miss the #WineloverAnniversary2020 in Moldova. I had a good excuse because I was in South America visiting Uruguay, Argentina and Chile (#AméricaSurVinos2020). We did our own special celebration in Buenos Aires. Valentine's Day 2020 when we boarded a taxi for Aramburu Restaurante. 

Aramburu Restaurante, Buenos Aires © Spaswinefood

This was our second time visiting this Buenos Aires restaurant, having first visited it in 2017. We were about to rediscover why Aramburu is a must. Who would not want to dine at one of the top restaurants in Buenos Aires? Aramburu gets top reviews for its modern Argentine cuisine. Returning to Aramburu at its new location for Valetine's Day 2020 was special. 

2. Winelover Anniversary Feb. 14th, 2019 Valentine's Day, Madeira
Our #WineloverAnniversay2019 was in Madeira, Portugal. On February 14 Valentines Day we did a tour of the island. Our first stop on Valentine's Day was at Casas de Santana. 

Casas de Santana © Spaswinefood

It was back on the bus again. Of course there was a stop to take in these scenic views.

Taking in Views, Madeira © Spaswinefood

For sure there was more #winelover posing.

#Winelovers, Madeira Style © Spaswinefood

I could not resist joining in on the posing as well.

Don't Look Now, It's A Long Way Down © Spaswinefood

Next, it was onto Quinta do Furão for lunch. What a beautiful setting it was for a Valentine's Day lunch.

Celebrating Madeira Wines, Quinta do Furão © Spaswinefood

#Winelover Moments, Quinta do Furão © Spaswinefood

I just had to capture some of those special moments on that very special #winelover day.

#Winelovers on Valentine's Day, Quinta do Furão © Spaswinefood

In keeping with the day, and remembering that the first #winelover anniversary was celebrated in Umbria, there was another special reason to take a photo.

Celebrating Saint Valentine's Day © Spaswinefood

Indeed, the #winelover community was founded on Valentine's Day 7 years ago.

After lunch we travelled onto Ponta de S. Lourenço. Here #winelovers scrambled to the highest point to take in the views.

 Ponta de S. Lourenço © Spaswinefood

Yes, it is a windy place.

Testing the Wind, Ponta de S. Lourenço © Spaswinefood

We returned to Funchal in time to get ready for our Winelover Anniversary Dinner at Forte de São Tiago. 

#Winelover Moments, Forte de São Tiago © Spaswinefood

Winelover dinners are always special. Yes, we drank that 1870 Madeira wine. It was not only a special time to celebrate with friends, but also a time for BYOB sharing, which is always part of a #winelover dinner. As always BYOB leads to an interesting, around the world sharing of wines.

#Winelover Princess Visiting Madeira © Spaswinefood

What a great anniversary day it was!

#WineloverAnniversary2019, Madeira, Portugal © Spaswinefood

3. Valentine's Day Costa Daurada #Winelover 6th Anniversary 

There are some days that freeze in your memory forever. One such day was when #winelovers returned to DO Montsant to visit Vinyes Domènech. Here over a very special lunch we experienced DO Montsant gastronomy at its best. Our Vinyes Domènech adventure included a very special wine pairing with nature. It will be hard to beat our last #winelover adventure in Costa Daurada wine country.

#Winelover Moments, Vinyes Domènech © Spaswinefood

The Domènech family winery is committed to maintaining a wine estate that is expressive of the landscape and its unique biodiversity. Their DO Montsant wines are not only rooted in a sense of place but also made with great care. The winery uses organic and biodynamic practises in the vineyard. DO Montsant takes its name from the Montsant Mountains. The DO forms a C shape, almost completely surrounding the DOQ Priorat. Previously known as the Falset subzone of the Tarragona wine region, DO Montsant was founded in 2001, with the first wines released in 2001. DO Montsant consists of six wine zones. Given each of these zones have been defined by factors, such as their unique physical geography, soils, and climatic variations then Vinyes Domènech has a very special uniqueness in this region.

Vinyes Domènech, DO Montsant © Spaswinefood

These are the moments that get etched in your memory forever.

Thanks Vinyes Domènech © Spaswinefood

Visiting Vinyes Domènech during for our Costa Daurada #Winelover 6th Anniversary certainly set a high standard against which to judge DO Montsant wines. This #winelover would like to thank Sinisa Curavic, SweetEasy and the hosts for an amazing Valentine's Day event. 

Here's to #WineloverAnniversary2022 when we will meet to celebrate our anniversary. Until then I invite you to join me in my #winelover explorations. I look forward to writing future posts on vine-filled #winelover adventures around the world. I invite you to join me in my travels in South America and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood  on Bluesky and Facebook. 

Sharon

Celebrating Valentine's Day 2021

© Spaswinefood

Valentine's Day, Quinta do Furão © Spaswinefood

Valentine's Day, Quinta do Furão © Spaswinefood

Valentine's Day, Quinta do Furão © Spaswinefood

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Valentine's Day, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2026 © Spaswinefood

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Just before Valentines Day (El Dia de San Valentin) we returned to the Buenos Aires wine bar scene.

Recently we have returned to Buenos Aires for a few days before hoping on a cruise, from Buenos Aires to Rome. This brief stopover gave me some time to visit a few wine bars, some familiar and some new. It was great to be back, just before Valentines.

San Valentin, 14 de Febrero 2026 © Spaswinefood

I  remember spending an earlier Valentines here in 2017 when we visited Pain et Vin (see article below). Founded in 2013 Pain et Vin was one of Buenos Aires first wine bars. This time our first wine stop was Che Malbec.

Che Malbec, February 2026 © Spaswinefood

At Che Malbec we met up with Nicholas, the owner.  Given we arrived before it got busy we enjoyed some special time with him. We decided on a wine and food pairing. During our visited we tasted eight different wines.

Nicholas at Che Malbec, February 2026 © Spaswinefood

We began the tasting with two awesome Argentine white wines:

1. Catena Zapata, Chardonnay 202

2. Colomé, Estate Torrentes 2025

Colomé Estate Torrentes 2025 © Spaswinefood

It was exciting to progress through this well curated wine tasting. The tasting concluded with two awesome Malbecs.

Che Malbec, February 2026 © Spaswinefood

I look forward to doing a future post on Che Malbec. But, for now this will serve as an introduction.

Buenos Aires, February 2026 © Spaswinefood

Just before Valentines Day (El Dia de San Valentin) February 2026 we returned to the Buenos Aires wine bar scene. It was perfect timing to celebrate the wines of Argentina. Join me in the sharing of these adventures in South America and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood on  Bluesky and Facebook. 

Cheers

Sharon

Celebrating Valentine's Day 2026

Cruising in South America

© Spaswinefood

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#Winelover Discovers Pain et Vin, Buenos Aires 2017 © Spaswinefood

Che Malbec, Buenos Aires, February 2026 © Spaswinefood

Valentines 2017

On Valentines Day as #winelover friends celebrated the 5th #Winelover Anniversary in Greece, Romania and at other locals around the world we celebrated at Pain et Vin, a Buenos Aires wine bar. Yes, summer in the Southern Hemisphere is the perfect time for an Argentine vine-inspired escape.  Naturally, once the opportunity arose for Spaswinefood to return to Argentina we decided to spend a week in Buenos Aires. We stayed this time in Palermo Soho, a hip neighborhood where you will find some of the best restaurants and wine bars in Buenos Aires.

Spaswinefood, Pain et Vin Wine Bar, Buenos Aires, 2017 © Spaswinefood

After a little research on wine bars off we went unannounced on February 14th to begin our impromptu #Winelover 5th Anniversary celebrations. Yes, just let this  #winelover loose in Buenos Aires and she will find the perfect spot. Such was the case earlier in Athens, Greece when I visited Cinque Wine Bar. During our wine country travels I just love finding those special places. In this case is just happened to be Pain et Vin, the first wine bar we visited.

Spaswinefood, Pain et Vin, Buenos Aires, 2017 © Spaswinefood

Just a warning where you find one #winelover you will most likely find more.

#Winelover, Pain et Vin, 2017 © Spaswinefood

Besides it was the perfect way to spend a rainy summer's day in Buenos Aires.

Pain et Vin, Calle Goritti, Buenos Aires, 2017 © Spaswinefood

Pain et Vin (Bread and Wine) Wine Bar

Pain et Vin Wine Bar is known for its excellence in breads and wines. This is what happened when an Israeli cook and his Argentine sommelier wife brought their talents to creating a wine bar. What follows are vignettes from the visit which was filled with tempting wines, and great breads and service. 

Welcome, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Menu, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

We decided to order a flight of white and red wines to taste.

Wine Flights, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

The white and rose flight was delightful.

1st Flight, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Now for a close look at what was in the glasses, starting on the left. 

Bodega Mendel, Semillon 2015
Bodega Mendel, Semillon 2015 is a barrel fermented wine produced from grapes grown in 60+ year vineyard in Mendoza's Uco Valley, Roberto de la Mota, winemaker. 

Very Blanc 2016
Very Blanc 2016 wine is part of a new wine series called Very Wine produced by Bodega Los Toneles, Mendoza. These wines are aged in concrete eggs. 

Bodega Diamandes, L'Argentin Malartic Rosé 2016
Bodega Diamandes, L'Argentin Malartic Rosé 2016 is produced from Malbec grapes grown in Mendoza's Uco Valley. Yes, these wines were all wines from Mendoza.

1st Flight Wines, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Did say I loved the Very Blanc wine label?

Very Blanc 2016 © Spaswinefood

1st Flight Wines © Spaswinefood

Then the red wines were added to the mix.

Wine Flights, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

The red wine lineup included more Mendoza wines.

Red Wine Flight, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Let's take a closer look at the red wines (right to left this time).

Desquichiado Wines, Malbec 2015
Desquichiado Wines, Malbec 2015 is sourced from Malbec grapes grown in a 10 year old vineyard at Gualtallary, Tunpungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza. Gazalo Tamagnini is the winemaker.

Desquichiado Malbec 2015 © Spaswinefood

El Relator Wine, Cabernet Franc 2015
The second red wine El Relator Wine, Cabernet Franc 2015 from Uco Valley, Mendoza.

Relator Cabernet Franc 2015 © Spaswinefood

Bodega Tapezio, Petit BoBo 2013
The third red wine was Bodega Tapezio, Petit BoBo (Bourgeois + Bohemian) 2013. A red wine blend of Malbec and Cabernet Franc produced from grapes grown at Finca La Promesa in Agrelo, Luyan de Cuyo, Mendoza.

Tapezio Petit BoBo 2013 © Spaswinefood

Now did I say a #winelover's life is a tough life. Yes, but someone has to do it.

Wine Tasting 101, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Wine Flights, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

While all of the wines were from Mendoza it was exciting for me to be introduced to wines from some of Mendoza's smaller producers.

Now for the food, yes there was bread (Bread and Cheese).

Bread & Wine, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Besides bread and cheese we ordered sandwiches for lunch. These were no ordinary sandwiches.

BLT Sandwich, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Eggplant Sandwich, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

Needless to say we enjoyed the wine tasting over lunch. Before I left I asked the waitress what was her favorite wine. She said Bonarda. This response definitively triggered memories.

Time to Taste Brand

Given our first visit to Pain et Vin turned out so well we returned once more. This time we selected a bottle of Bonarda for lunch. While my Argentine wine affair began with Malbec it grew quickly to an appreciation for other wines, like Bonarda and Torrontés, Argentina's emblematic white wine. It was at Bodega La Guardia, San Juan that I first discovered Bonarda, Argentina's other red wine. Bonarda is definitely not well known outside Argentina but I think that is about to change.

Pain et Vin Revisited, 2017 © Spaswinefood

That day from the Bonarda's available for purchase I selected a Cara Sur from San Juan. Perhaps I wanted to re-visit my memory of the first San Juan Bonarda that I tasted.

Cara Sur, Bonarda, Barreal, Valle de Calingasta 2015 © Spaswinefood

Cara Sur, Bonarda 2015 © Spaswinefood

We also ordered sandwiches to enjoy with the wine. This Bonarda was quite different than the first one I tasted years old. Of course I tasted other Argentine Bonarda's since but my first tasting I still remember.

Cara Sur, Bonarda 2015 © Spaswinefood

Bonarda Time, Pain et Vin © Spaswinefood

I have since learned that Cara Sur (South Face) is a special project of winemaker Sebastian Zuccardi of the Zuccardi family in Barreal, San Juan Province. The vineyard at 1,500 meters elevation has 50 year old vines. Yes, these old vines growing at high altitude, produce fabulous wines. But of course, I still need to taste a Zuccardi's Emma Bonarda. Since Zuccardi is well distributed in North America that I should easily be able do. That day reconnecting with a San Juan Bonarda just hit a high note. I left Pain et Vin feeling that my wine memories were fulfilled. Wine is after all about making those special connections/re-connections with people and places. It is hard to forget those hot summer days in San Juan when I first tasted Bonarda, a smooth, fruity wine. The complexity that I am picking up on my palate these days for Bonarda is a hint of a great things to come, as winemakers experiment with this red Argentine gem.

Travelers looking for a casual place for food and Argentine wine in Buenos Aires Pain et Vin would be a great place to begin your explorations. They do offer classes for those wanting to know more about their wines. In our case we had just returned from visiting wineries in Cafayate and Mendoza and it was the perfect opportunity to taste a few more wines.

Rainy Day, Il Matterello, Calle Gorriti, 2017  © Spaswinefood

It was because of earlier Argentine wine country travels that my spas-wine-food passion was sparked. Indeed it is because of this we chose to say in Palermo Soho, a fun neighborhood to explore wine bars and restaurants. In fact on the same street (Calle Jose Ignacio Gorriti) you will find other places to try like, Il Matterello. We had planned on giving it a try but was closed on the day we dropped by. More on some of the top places to dine later. Other posts will focus on more food and wine discoveries in Buenos Aires, like Aramburu.

Sunny Day, Il Matterello, 2017 © Spaswinefood

Clearly Pain et Vin Wine Bar is a perfect spot for #winelovers visiting Buenos Aires. Anyone looking to find some of the best wine scenes in Buenos Aires my overall suggestion is by doing a little research you can improve your odds of having a great experience. Beyond checking out the usual sources, like Tripadvisor, and Yelp you will find other helpful online resources.That is given Buenos Aires has so many great restaurants a little research is a must. I invite you to join me in my travels in Argentina and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood on  Bluesky and Facebook. 

Sharon 

Remembering February 2017

Palermo Soho

Buenos Aires, Argentina
© Spaswinefood

#Winelover Discovers Pain et Vin, Buenos Aires 2017 © Spaswinefood

Che Malbec, Buenos Aires, February 2026 © Spaswinefood

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