Empanadas are a source of national, local, and family pride in Argentina. Ask any Argentine and they will tell you that their empanadas are better than empanadas from any other country, and that empanadas from his town are better than the empanadas from any other town, and of course that his mother’s empanadas are better than anyone else’s mother’s empanadas. We had the pleasure of dining with the Zuccardi winemaking family in Argentina, and we can certainly vouch for their claim to make the best empanadas.

These are great empanadas—and the perfect start to a meal at home, or at the Zuccardi’s Casa del Visitante Restaurant, which combines the best of Argentine and Italian tradition. Enjoy them with a glass of Zuccardi Serie A Malbec 2009. — The World Wine Guys