Density (PVT) and dynamic viscosity (P-nu-T) in wide pressure and temperature ranges were measured for the ethyl lactate + water mixed solvents in the whole composition range using a vibrating tube densimeter and an electromagnetic viscometer. The lactate esters family is a group of compounds nontoxic and highly and readily biodegradable, with excellent solvent properties that could replace toxic and environmentally unfriendly compounds. Lactate esters may be obtained from carbohydrate feedstock and the recent development of new purification processes based on selective membranes have decreased their price remarkably making technically and economically viable the use of lactate solvents for a wide range of industrial and consumer uses, replacing environment–damaging solvents including many volatile organic compounds and ozone depleting fluids. Lactate esters are produced by esterification of lactic acid and thus they are obtaineed in the presence of water, hence the knowledge of lactate esters / water is fundamental for technological purposes. Measured properties allow to infer information on the fluids structure which is analyzed from the obtained excess and mixing properties. Several models were used to predict the properties in order to check their reliability. Microwave dielectric spectroscopy was also used to obtain more information of the molecular level structure of these complex mixtures in which remarkable effects arising from the hydrogen bonding ability of both compounds are present.