Territory-based Sommelier in Patagonia
Telling the story of wine from its source, through landscape, people, gastronomy and place.
By Sergio Landoni, Territory-based Sommelier
Wine does not begin in the glass. It begins in the place.
In Patagonia, this is undeniable. First comes the landscape, the wind, the cuisine, and the lifestyle. Only then comes the bottle. If that order is overlooked, the wine remains an incomplete story.
What “Territory-based Sommelier” means
This is not an academic title or a simple bio label. It is a way of practicing sommellerie: being present in the territory, walking the land, and knowing the producers, chefs, hosts, and the people who live it.
From this immersion, wine is translated into a narrative that is approachable, purposeful, and grounded in authentic emotion.
I do not just work with labels. I work with context.
What changes when wine is told from its place
The same grape variety expresses something entirely different depending on the soil, water, diurnal temperature range, and wind. In Neuquén, this is not just a concept — it is something you feel in the glass.
Telling the story of wine from its place explains why a wine tastes the way it does, and why it belongs to a specific dish, a certain table, or a particular moment of the year. That coherence between regional cuisine and local wine is what defines a complete experience.
My focus is not to lecture — it is to connect. Technique provides the structure; territory provides the meaning.
The role of the sommelier today
A sommelier is no longer just someone who recommends wine in a restaurant. Today, the role is also to build bridges: between producer and table, wine and gastronomy, tourism and culture.
When that connection is solid, the experience is transformed: the glass becomes clear, the wine becomes memorable, and the place becomes part of the memory. This approach is gaining momentum in Patagonia, where territory is becoming central to how wine is communicated.
This broader perspective can also be seen in the growing visibility of sommeliers in Patagonia, where the territory is increasingly taking a central role in the way wine is interpreted and shared.
Neuquén: a territory in motion
Neuquén is not a promise — it is already happening. The world already knows Argentina through a single grape; now, it wants to understand its places.
Within that map, Neuquén must be read, understood, and communicated in the present tense.
When we speak about Neuquén wine with identity, we allow the territory to take the lead. Wine does not compete on volume; it competes on meaning.
This growth and diversification are already being recognized on global platforms, where Neuquén’s viticulture is understood as an expanding frontier, with new regions emerging far beyond its historical core.
This way of understanding wine also aligns with the kind of origin-driven, context-aware perspective that is increasingly relevant in international evaluation environments such as the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC), where typicity, identity, and place matter more than ever.
For me, wine is best understood when it is placed back where it belongs. When that place is properly shared, the glass stops being a product and becomes an experience.
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