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[title]Some people grow up surrounded by the very things that will eventually define their vocation and career. For Cami Torta, wine was always part of her world: dinners, tastings, restaurants, aromas and conversations she absorbed almost like background noise. As the daughter of renowned sommelier Mariana Torta, she could have followed in her mother’s footsteps. But for a while, she wanted exactly the opposite. Today, at 33, she is the Head Sommelier at Azafrán Restó, in Mendoza, and has just been named Argentina’s Best Sommelier of 2026 by the Michelin Guide.
But the award tells only part of her story… The somm set out to forge her own path, studying Geography, working in hospitality and gaining experience at some of Buenos Aires’ most exciting restaurants. Then, at a certain point, something clicked. She moved to another province, where she found the perfect place to fully develop her own perspective on the drink she had ultimately fallen in love with. Cami is more interested in talking about territories, people, stories and everything surrounding wine than focusing on technical tasting notes.
Growing up surrounded by wine
Originally from Azul, in Buenos Aires Province, Cami Torta spent some of her most memorable childhood years in Luxembourg, where she lived until the age of 12. Wine was an integral part of her family life, as her mother – a member of Argentina’s first generation of sommeliers and currently Brand Ambassador & Manager LATAM at Wines of Argentina – was surrounded by friends who would become leading figures in the industry, including Alejandro Vigil and Sebastián Zuccardi.
“Everything around me had something to do with wine. People would get together for dinners and talk about wine, while I played a game of identifying smells using little jars. When they took me to restaurants, I would play at setting the table. I was already practising service,” recalls Cami, who began her career working as a waitress at La Trastienda.
Perhaps growing up immersed in this world was precisely what kept her from wanting to become part of it straight away. “Today, my relationship with wine goes far beyond my job, even though I wanted nothing to do with it at first. I spent a long time resisting it, saying, ‘I don’t want to do the same thing as my mum.’”
Geography, Buenos Aires and a career beginning to take shape
Torta enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) to study Geography, hoping to become a geographer. However, she only stayed on the course for a few months. Years later, she realised that her chosen field of study was not so far removed from the career she would eventually pursue. “Now I see that it’s completely connected to my work. In fact, I ended up moving to a province with an incredibly rich geography,” she explains.
Her studies were put on hold, but her work in hospitality continued. She joined the team at Bar du Marché, Buenos Aires’ first wine bar, where she began developing a deeper understanding of Argentine wines. She later went on to create wine lists, and the real turning point came at 24, when she joined Anchoita, just a few months after it opened. “Until then, I was just ‘playing around’ in the world of sommellerie,” she admits.
There, she worked alongside a team of four sommeliers led by Valeria Mortara, whom she now considers one of her greatest mentors, alongside her mother. During the pandemic, they developed the concept for Cava de Anchoita, where Cami took charge of introducing international wines to the Argentine market, expanding her knowledge to include exceptional bottles from around the world.
Being Mariana Torta’s daughter could have meant following an already established path, but Cami challenged herself to create a different one: her own. “She opened doors for me, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. But I built my own career, and that helped us develop very different styles and pursue different interests.”
The difference between them is also shaped by the generations they belong to. Mariana was part of the generation that laid the foundations of Argentine sommellerie. Cami, on the other hand, inherited an established landscape and was able to ask herself what more could be done with Argentine wine. Rather than simply repeating information, she wants to find new ways of telling its story, looking beyond technical tasting notes and connecting with consumers.
She is interested in the context surrounding wine: soils, climate, altitude, families, production philosophies and, above all, the people behind each project. As she puts it, “Given the natural characteristics of a region, we can all make great wine, but what really changes the final product is human intervention.”
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Mendoza: experiencing what she had spent years talking about
Her approach to introducing Argentine wine to the world eventually led her to question whether she truly understood what she was communicating or was simply repeating what others had told her. That realisation marked another turning point in her life: moving to Mendoza.
Cami Torta felt the need to get closer to the places where everything she had studied and talked about for years in Buenos Aires was actually happening. “I moved here because I needed to be honest with myself about everything I had learned and everything I was communicating. I needed to experience it firsthand: walk on the soils, touch the grapes, take in the aromas… I wanted to experience everything people had told me about.”
During her first year in the province, she worked as a consultant for various projects, wineries and restaurants while building a new network of relationships with a younger generation of winemakers, including Federico Gambetta, Andrés Vignoni, Agustina Hanna, Lucas Riccardi and Agustín Alcoleas.
“They started taking me to the vineyards and showing me everything they had previously described in words, so I could experience it from the inside. I’m constantly eager to learn, and I’m doing it alongside the people who know the most. It’s a privilege.”
Azafrán Restó: a wine cellar dedicated to telling the story of Argentine wine
From Cami Torta’s very first consultancy project at Azafrán Restó, alongside chef Sebastián Weigandt, the foundations of an outstanding partnership were laid. Together, they developed wine pairings to complement a fine-dining experience that takes guests on a journey through Mendoza’s terroir, landscapes, ingredients and producers. Soon afterwards, she was offered the position of Head Sommelier, leading a talented team.
Her goal there is clear: to introduce Argentine wine to the many international diners who visit the restaurant. “My wish is to help this industry grow, and my small contribution is to show guests all the options Argentina has to offer. I try to read the table, understand their tastes and preferences, and use that to decide which stories to share and which wines to recommend.”
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That is precisely why the restaurant’s wine cellar has been designed as a showcase for Argentine wine, bringing together small and large projects, producers from different regions, wines of various styles and bottles from different vintages.
A Michelin distinction that also celebrates teamwork
In 2026, Cami Torta received the recognition that firmly established her name on Argentina’s gastronomic map: the Michelin Guide Sommelier Award 2026. The distinction celebrated precisely what she has been working towards: building a close relationship with diners and using every bottle as a starting point to tell a story about its origins, its vintage and the people who make it possible.
For Argentina’s Best Sommelier, the award is an opportunity to bring greater visibility to the work she has been doing alongside her team. “It gives us an even greater boost to continue supporting the growth of our wine industry.”
“This star didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s made up of years of work, studying, countless hours (...), but above all, it’s made up of other people,” she wrote on Instagram when she received the award.
That is where Weigandt’s role comes into the picture, as she later explained: “He has given me complete freedom to do whatever I want. He has always supported me, he’s incredibly generous, and if I’m shining a little brighter today, it’s also thanks to Sebastián and Azafrán.”
Her advice for enjoying wine more
After so many years surrounded by glasses, wine lists and cellars, what advice does Cami have for someone who wants to learn more about wine? Her answer is much simpler than you might expect: drink wine. Try whites, reds and rosés, explore different grape varieties, discover wines from different regions and figure out what you like and what you don’t. “You have to be willing to try different things,” she says.
The same philosophy applies when she talks about Mendoza and dining out. Rather than offering a definitive list of places, she insists that “it’s worth going out and exploring. Mendoza’s food scene is incredibly rich.” Among her recommendations are Cocina Gardenia, Angélica Cocina Maestra by Catena Zapata, Quimera Bistró, Cal at Sitio La Estocada and Monono Bakery Café.
And perhaps that is ultimately the common thread running through her entire story: having the courage to step outside the familiar. Cami didn’t run away from the world of wine she inherited; instead, she discovered her own way of exploring it, telling its stories and sharing it with others. Today, she does so from Mendoza, surrounded by landscapes, producers and glasses of wine. And with a Michelin distinction that, rather than bringing one chapter to a close, seems to be opening an entirely new one.