Laura Catena (born 1967) is a fourth generation Argentine

vintner A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

, physician and author.

Biography

Laura Catena was born in Mendoza, Argentina in 1967. She graduated ''magna cum laude'' in Biology from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1988 and has a Medical Doctor degree from Stanford University. She is currently managing director of

Bodega Catena Zapata Bodega Catena Zapata is a family-owned winery located in Mendoza, in the sub appellation of Agrelo, Argentina. The winery structure is distinguished by its pyramid-like design based on Mayan architecture. The winery was founded in 1902 by Italia ...

To move beyond Malbec, look below the surface
''The New York Times, by Eric Asimov'', February, 2016. and her own Luca Winery in

Mendoza, Argentina Mendoza (, ), officially the City of Mendoza ( es, Ciudad de Mendoza) is the capital of the province of Mendoza in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern si ...

, as well as a practicing Pediatric Medicine physician at

University of California San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It condu ...

Medical Center in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.It’s a family affair
''The Costco Connection'', August, 2011.Laura Catena Uncorks Argentina
''The New York Times Magazine'', November 3, 2010.
, “CatenaZapata.com”Laura Catena
“The Huffington Post”Medicine & Malbec: The Double Life of Dr. Laura Catena
''Physicians Life'', June, 2015.Saving Malbec
''Saveur Magazine'', December, 2015.Wine trials: The Most In-depth Study of Cultivars Ever Attempted. The Future of Wine Science.
"Wine Business Monthly, by Lance Cutler", November, 2015.
of the Adrianna Vineyard, ''Huffington Post'', September, 2015.Laura Catena's Malbec Mission
''Wine Searcher'', July, 2018. Catena has been called the “face” of

Argentine wine Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world.H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 300-301 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain. Dur ...

Argentina's Growing Wine Regions
''TravelAndLeisure.com'', September, 2009. for her active role in promoting the Mendoza wine region and Argentine

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

.High Hopes in the Andes
''The Economist 1843'', December,January 2017.Laura Catena: the quest to find Argentina’s winemaking potential
''The Buyer'' April 24, 2017. She has been named one of the "Top 25 Wine Innovators"25 Wine Innovators
''Wired for Wine'' August 2014. and she has been an invited speaker at Must Summit, Master of Wine Symposium and the American Society of Wine Educators, American Society of Wine Educators
/ref> Decanter Wine Encounter, Master of Wine
, ''Master of Wine Symposium'', June, 2018.MUST FERMENTING IDEAS
''Must Fermenting Ideas'', June, 2018.eRobertParker.com
/ref> the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

and the Vancouver Playhouse among others. She has also been a guest blogger for eRobertParker.com and

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

The Story of the Adrianna Vineyard
''Huffington Post'', September, 2015. and has been interviewed by Winelibrary.com,Laura Catena from Bodega Catena Zapata
"Wine Library TV", October 8, 2010. The Leonard Lopate showThe Leonard Lopate Show
The Leonard Lopate Show, March 30, 2011Les Grandes Dames
BottlesNotes.com, March 8, 2011 and The Drinks BusinessARGENTINA: WOMEN IN WINE
The Drinks Business, September 16th, 2015 and NPR Radio, Here and Now. In 2010, Laura Catena released her book, ''Vino Argentino, An Insider's Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina'', published by Chronicle Books, which has been reviewed extensively by press in the USA and Internationally.Meet 9 of the World's Top Women Vintners
The Oprah Magazine, October 2010
The Washington Post, November, 2010 In 2011, she released the Spanish/English and Portuguese/English editions with Argentine publisher Catapulta Editores. Her second book was ''Oro en los viñedos'' / ''Gold in the vineyards'', a wonderful compilation of the world´s most celebrated vineyards, a Spanish/English edition published by Catapulta Editores in 2017. The International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) was established in 1969 as the first competition to promote and award the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs. Laura Catena served as President for its 46th year (2014), acting as an ambassador for IWSC and for fine wine globally. Laura Catena was named one of the “100 Most Influential Latinas” by Latino Leaders in their digital and print May–June 2021 editions and was chosen as "Woman of the Year" by The Drinks Business Awards 2022. In 2023, it was announced that Laura Catena will become WSET's new Honorary President.

Bibliography

* ''Vino Argentino, An Insiders Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina'' ( Chronicle Books - September 2010) * ''Vino Argentino - Argentine Wine'' (Catapulta Editores - October 2011) * Argentina chapter in ''The Business of Wine: An Encyclopedia'' by Jack Bronstrom and Geralyn Bronstrom (Greenwood Publishing - December 2008) * ''Oro en los viñedos'' (Catapulta Editores - December 2017) * ''Gold in the vineyards'' (Catapulta Editores - May 2020) * ''Malbec Mon amour'' (Catapulta Editores - June 2021)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Catena, Laura I. 1967 births Argentine winemakers Argentine women in business HuffPost writers and columnists Physicians from California American emergency physicians Harvard University alumni Stanford University School of Medicine alumni Living people People from Mendoza, Argentina American women columnists 21st-century American women