After venturing into the vineyards of Argentina last January and sampling the juice, a group of women from the San Diego GLBT community clenched the concept for their new retail wine shop and tasting room, which they opened recently in Little Italy under the name Tango Wine Company.

The 1,800-square-foot space, featuring slick design touches from accomplished artist Liz Jardine, embodies coveted labels from Argentina’s famous Mendoza region, plus others from South America, California and various parts of the globe.

“We chose the theme Tango because wine is all about pairing. It goes good with cheese, chocolate or among two people,” said Cindy Pond, the primary owner who teamed up partners Siri Fomsgaard, Amber Cyphers and Raquel Giscafre, all of whom share in the frontline operation outside of their full-time jobs in other fields.

Pond, who runs a software company, obtained onsite and off-sale licensing, allowing the women to sell wine to go, as well as conduct tastings and private events in a section of the shop furnished with leathery couches, a round wooden table and a small stand-up bar. The room is also equipped with an iPod sound system and a flat-screen television that can be used for presentations during private business functions.

Wine cases brimming with more than 300 different labels are strewn throughout the retail half of the business and titled cleverly by metal signage to categorize the inventory. In the stockpile marked “Wines to Impress Your Boss,” for example, customers will find Sweetwater Ranch Cabernet from Napa, Cool Climate Syrah from Sonoma or Marques de Grinon Petit Verdot from Spain – a few of the noble selections ranging from $30 to $40 per bottle.

Price points dip generally lower, however, when perusing some of the other sections, such as “Wines for Romance,” “West Coast Wines” and, of course, “Latin American Wines,” which currently comprise about 25 percent of the total inventory. The latter category includes selections such as Terza Malbec Rosé, classic Old World cabs and varietals by Luigi Bosca, one of the oldest wineries in Argentina.

“They’re great wines for the price,” Pond notes. “Some range from only $9 to $15 a bottle, which in terms of quality would run about $35 to $50 if they came from California.”

Tango’s wine stock is built largely on customer feedback. “We get new labels in every week and we’re open to requests,” Pond adds. “There’s a greater desire for variety these days and people are stepping out of their boundaries more. We’re currently building up our portfolio from Spain and taking recommendations.”

Since opening in October, the women book about two private events each week in the tasting room, which is free to reserve and has no minimum purchase requirements but rather a $3 to $5 corkage fee per bottle. And because there is no kitchen, guests are allowed to bring in their own food, “or we help them arrange the catering,” adds Pond.

The tasting room is open to the public in between private events (listed usually on the Web site, www.tangowine.com), as well as on Thursdays for prescheduled wine tastings and Fridays for the “three-for-$5” open tasting.

In reaching out to both the GLBT and mainstream communities, Pond concluded: “We’re letting everything take shape to see what people want in here. We’re in no hurry to grow. And that’s been fun.”

Tango Wine Company is located at 2161 India St., near Hawthorn. Hours are from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and until 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. Tango is closed Mondays. For more information, call (619) 564-7700.