Finca La Anita Meets Jamaica at Área 60

Some wine stories begin in the vineyard. Others begin at the table. This one began somewhere between Mendoza and Buenos Aires Province, with a bottle of Finca La Anita, a golf club, and an evening that brought Argentine wine into a conversation about Caribbean travel.

Área 60, the large residential and leisure development in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, recently hosted a four-course wine dinner at its La Reserva Escondida Clubhouse. The evening brought together Finca La Anita, Sandals Resorts in Argentina and Chappe Viajes for the introduction of Área 60’s new golf simulator and night-golf experience. Finca La Anita was established in 1992 and is based in Alto Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. Its 72-hectare estate sits at approximately 1,100 metres above sea level and is planted with Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery says the vines average 30 years of age and are harvested by hand. That range matters.

Argentina’s international wine identity rests heavily on Malbec, but anyone who spends time in Mendoza quickly discovers a wider conversation. Cabernet Franc has become increasingly compelling. Pinot Noir can be expressive at altitude, and Chardonnay can bring freshness and texture to a table that might otherwise become dominated by red wine. Finca La Anita can move through that conversation comfortably.

Its 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWAs) results provide a timely reason to take notice. The winery’s Malbec received gold and 95 points, its Cabernet Franc received silver and 90 points, and its Magna Single Finca Malbec received silver and 93 points, according to the 2026 Decanter producer listing. The Malbec is naturally the headline result, its 95 points and gold medal from Decanter give the bottle immediate international credibility.

The Cabernet Franc is particularly interesting at the dinner table and Finca La Anita’s current label is 100 per cent Cabernet Franc from 1.9 hectares in Alto Agrelo. The winery recommends it with richer meats, slow-cooked dishes and semi-aged cheeses. Its 2024 vintage has also received 93 points from Tim Atkin and 92 from Wine Enthusiast. A useful wine to have around a serious dinner, its structure is just enough for substantial food while retaining the savoury character that makes Cabernet Franc so interesting.

Beyond Malbec, Finca La Anita’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir add another dimension. The Chardonnay received 90 points from Descorchados in 2025, while the Pinot Noir scored 91 points from Descorchados in 2022. The Chardonnay comes from three hectares at 1,100 metres in Alto Agrelo and is designed around freshness and texture rather than sheer weight. That makes it a sensible dinner wine pairing with seafood, richer fish and dishes with a creamy element giving it room to show what it can do.

The Pinot Noir comes from 1.3 hectares at the same elevation and is described as exhibiting fresh red fruit, floral notes, fine tannins and freshness, while being highly recommended with mushrooms, mild sauces and Patagonian trout. That is precisely why Pinot Noir earns its place in a multi-course tasting, it simply changes the pace. After a richer course, it offers another direction without overwhelming the palate.

La Reserva Escondida is built around golf and leisure with Área 60’s 18-hole course, designed by Emilio Serra, stretching to 7,538 yards. It features five tees per hole, a putting green, driving range, water features and extensive landscaping. During the evening’s event guests were introduced to the club’s new simulator and night-golf experience, while the dinner provided a quieter setting in which to talk about travel. Golf and wine also have a practical similarity as both are activities that reward attention. A golfer studies the lie, the wind and the shape of the hole, while a wine drinker studies the glass, the food and the progression of the meal.

For Sandals, the Argentine golf audience has become an increasingly visible market. Earlier in 2026, an Argentine women’s golf group travelled to Jamaica for an initiative reported as the first Latin American women’s golf tournament in Jamaica. Ladevi reported that the April programme involved 19 participants, including 12 golfers, and grew out of a women’s golf circuit in Buenos Aires. The Área 60 event brought that same conversation closer to home. Argentine golfers could encounter Sandals’ Jamaica and Saint Lucia golf proposition without leaving Buenos Aires Province.

Sandals promotes golf in both Jamaica and Saint Lucia, with golf experiences available to guests at Upton Estate Golf & Country Club in Ocho Rios, Jamaica as well as Cap Estate Golf & Country Club in Saint Lucia. The Área 60 relationship gives that proposition a setting where golf is already part of the lifestyle and forms part of a planned yearlong partnership between Sandals Resorts and Chappe Viajes. This connection is easy to understand when viewed from the dining table in a room full of golfers already having a shared interest. Add wine, food and a conversation about Jamaica, and the travel proposition becomes tangible rather than abstract.

The selection of Finca La Anita also says something about the evening. The 2026 Decanter results give the story a fresh point of reference, while the Descorchados results for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir demonstrate that the estate’s appeal extends beyond the grape Argentina is most famous for. A Caribbean resort brand was speaking to Argentine golfers with an Argentine travel company helping create the connection. Área 60 supplied the sporting setting and Finca La Anita brought Mendoza to the table.

For a Caribbean storyteller living in Latin America, that meeting of cultures carries a particular resonance. Jamaica has always understood the power of hospitality, food, music and place to draw people closer. Argentina understands the ritual of wine in much the same way. Both cultures know the pleasure of sitting down, taking time and allowing an experience to unfold. At Área 60, Mendoza provided the glass while golf opened the conversation about the Caribbean. And for one evening, a wine from Agrelo made Jamaica feel a little closer. Salud!

Finca La Anita’s Cabernet Franc received a silver medal and scored 90 points at the 2026 DWWA. (Photo by Andre Wayne Reid)

Finca La Anita’s Chardonnay received 90 points in the 2025 Descorchados wine ranking. (Photo by Andre Wayne Reid)

Finca La Anita’s Malbec received a gold medal in addition to scoring 95 points at the 2026 DWWA. (Photo by Finca La Anita)

Finca La Anita’s Pinot Noir scored 91 points in the 2022 Descorchados wine ranking. (Photo by Andre Wayne Reid)

La Reserva Escondida Clubhouse welcomed Finca La Anita, Sandals Resorts in Argentina and Chappe Viajes for the Área 60 golf simulator and night-golf launch. (Photo by Area 60)

The introduction of Área 60’s new golf simulator and night-golf experience serves to enhance the developments leisure offerings. (Photo by Andre Wayne Reid)

La Reserva Escondida features Área 60’s 18-hole course with five tees per hole, a putting green, driving range, water features and extensive landscaping. (Photo by Area 60)

Betzabeth Reid, Sandals business development manager for Argentina, Paraguay & Uruguay, is pictured at the event with Ulises Chiappe, principal of Chiappe Viajes. (Photo by Andre Wayne Reid)

The Área 60 event brought together Argentine golfers who could experience Sandals Jamaica and Saint Lucia’s golf offerings. (Photo by Andre Wayne Reid)