Mendoza

The wine!  Our ten days in Mendoza and area was chance to sample from Argentina’s prized wine region.  The sparse valley and foothills butting up against the vast Andes range provided jaw-dropping scenery albeit tainted by clouds that lingered through out the visit.  We had numerous adventures and anecdotes chronicled below.

The Mendoza produced 70% of the country’s wine from over 300 wineries.  They range in size from small, family affairs producing a few hundred cases to monstrosities whose production is counted in the millions.  Big or small their pride and joy Malbec a Bordeaux variety – ironically translated as ‘bad taste’ – that flourishes in the sunny skies, alluvial soils, high altitude, and irrigation controlled water supply.  No stop was complete without a taste of their cherished nectar.

Finding a quiet B&B a short walk from the plaza that marks town centre was ideal for exploring the city of 150,000 by foot.  We happened across an excellent wine shop on our first evening, arriving just in time to take in a ‘wine-makers’ night with regional winery.  Eral Bravo – named in honor of a two-year bull, owing homage to the family’s Spanish roots – was new winery started from the 4th generation of  family in the wine business. 

Mattias was an excellent host seamlessly switching from Spanish to English as he discussed the history of the winery, and the numerous wines we sampled.  It was an unexpected treat to learn much about the region so soon after arriving and between the wine, breads, and cheeses it was satisfying evening.

A nagging curiosity caused saw us venture to neighboring Maipu for a ‘bikes and wine’ tour the next day.  The small town is home to dozens of winery and countless artisanal food and chocolate shops. 

An interesting combination bikes and wines – The ‘scooter and wine’ tour was smartly abandoned a few years back – that we added to the ‘This could/would never happen in Canada’ file -.  We ponied up our 5 dollars for the ramshackle bike and headed off with map in hand for the first winery. A late start to the day allowed us to take in the condition of some riders who were a few wineries ahead of us.  Their swaying along the country road gave us pause to savor the drink but to also exhibit some restraint.  Ada, a young Irish girl tagged along for the afternoon and was good company.

The small town has tried to embrace this booming tourism fad with numerous companies offering both bike rental and wine tours.  The road was well signed in the opening miles and came complete with a bike lane protected by a well-constructed median. Not surprisingly, the wine drinker / cycling utopia abruptly ended just 2 wineries and 5k into the tour, quickly disintegrating into a potholed and puddle filled gravel road presently under construction.  We slowly weaved along the median putting long forgotten mountain skills into play before the road improved to broken asphalt. 

While the wines were not memorable we tasted some divine chocolate and preserves during the tour before a final stop at an olive oil farm.  The tour of the 100-year-old farm and production area was fascinating and we gained a new respect for the industry.  A sumptuous spread was presented to satisfy our building hunger.   With the wind at our back we sailed back to the start, retracting our tracks to Mendoza and a relaxing evening.

Crowning Miss Mendoza

Our stop in Mendoza coincided with their summer festival involving the 18 communities that make up the city and surrounding area.  The 4 days of evening activities centers around a beauty pageant with the crowning of Miss Mendoza.  We wandered down to the festival one evening to check out the festival and were presently surprised.  A huge stage hosting live music all evening, choreographed with endless teams of dancers is traditional gaucho costume, and regional dress kept us entertained. 

Meandering through the dozens of market stalls we sampled regional fare of all kinds including samples of each regions ‘finest’ wine.  We are not sure where it came from but assured it was from a box.

Moving past the stalls we chanced upon the 18 stalls which hosted the pageant queens.  It was ‘evening gown’ night and the clearly nervous 17 – 19 year olds hosted the endless stream of visitors while former queens, caked with too much make – up on tired faces handed out wine and encouraged support to their region and queen. 

Ending the sampling of poor wine we moved onto the massive asados that filled the back of the park.  We are sure entire farms of cows, chickens, and pigs were sacrificed to fill the stomachs of the seemingly hundreds of people seated at the endless tables white plastic picnic tables.

We had about given up hope of dinner when Dee’s eagle eyes spotted the biggest pan of paella we’ve ever seen.  Approaching the stall, we watched the chef expertly add the finishing touches to the 4ft wide pan – mussels, prawns, and clams – adding to the beautiful aromas of cilantro, peppers, and turmeric.  We patiently waited in the now lengthy line encircling the stall for dinner.  It was well worth the wait for the tasty dish and we savored most bites after devouring the first part of the generous portion.